Church of The Epiphany Episcopal

We welcome all to be our guest at Epiphany.  New member classes are held Fall and Spring.  Be on our greeter team to welcome others!

The Evangelization and Marketing Committee serves two purposes: to bring others to Jesus Christ; and to let the world know about Epiphany and the various programs available here.  To accomplish these goals, we publish a monthly newsletter, “The Witness” and maintain an Internet presence on our website.

Once inside the doors of our church, we recruit and train greeters to welcome visitors, supply visitor packets of information, and keep in touch with visitors and new members through phone calls and letters.  We strive to maintain a presence in our local community through participation in local events and advertising of various kinds.  In addition, we document the majority of events at Epiphany through the use of photography; these pictures then end up on the bulletin boards at church and on the website.

Our plans for the future include a structured, scheduled emailing sent to parishioners and guests; and better advertising of the great things happening at Epiphany!

Commission Report

by Jim Shoulak

As followers of Christ, one of our great commissions is to proclaim the Good News to all the nations, yea, even to the ends of the earth.
Quite a lofty goal, ehnah?

Just how does one go about spreading this message to all the earth, while sitting at my kitchen table in Plymouth, Minnesota?  Who am I to represent Epiphany or the Episcopal Church, the Anglican Communion or the Christian Faith to the world?  God made me a drywall installer.  I’m a computer fixer.  I’m a mechanic, a scientist, an account rep, a teacher, a happy retiree.  …I’m not worthy.

True, most of us are not naturally born evangelizers.  We may suffer from shyness or may not recognize opportunities to share our faith.  Maybe we feel we lack the knowledge to adequately relate the gospel message to others.  (Don’t know an eschatological event from an existential moment?  You’re not alone.)

Let’s get back to the basics here.  Throughout all of history, the story of our faith has been passed down from carpenters, homemakers, factory workers and farmers.  High falutin’ theologians are rarely successful evangelists.  (Few of us can understand what they write, anyhow…)  God wants us – yes, us – simply, to spend time with other people, and share our lives with them and our love for them.  That’s it.  Minimalist Christianity.

As for being evangelists from this particular ZIP Code, we can do much.  We should continue to warmly welcome the visitors who grace our doorstep on Sunday mornings.  We should not be silent about our presence in the local community.  However, we must also seek opportunities to evangelize far beyond our parochial lot lines.  We can make a difference in this world, even if we never leave our homes.  With our feet planted in New Hope or Maple Grove or Brooklyn Center, if we think creatively, we can bring Christ’s saving message to the ends of the earth…