Sundays at 11 - Faith and Joy; Wednesdays at 6 - Evening Prayer

Bruce Caldwell (1947-)

'Epiphany, also Theophany, Denha, Little Christmas, or Three Kings’ Day, is a Christian feast day that celebrates the revelation of God incarnate as Jesus Christ. In Western Christianity, the feast commemorates principally (but not solely) the visit of the Magi to the Christ Child, and thus Jesus’ physical manifestation to the Gentiles. —Wikipedia

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This Sunday, Jan. 13, the lector is Amy and the alter guild is B.T. See the vestment and altar colors, and readings, by clicking HERE and selecting the date.

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Diocesan Convention is March 2, 2019, in Georgetown. Click HERE for complete information.

St. James African Methodist Episcopal Church, Ebenezer United Methodist Church, Macedonia Baptist Church and Victory Baptist Church extend an invitation to the community to celebrate and honor Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. on Jan. 21, 2019. The times and places are as follows:

• 10 a.m.: Morning devotions at Ebenezer at 205 N. Locust St.
• 10:15 a.m.: Community-wide march originating at Ebenezer.
• 11 a.m.: Celebration, appreciation and observance program in remembrance of Dr. King at St. James AME Church at 312 W. Pleasant St., featuring City Commissioner Jada Walker Griggs as speaker.
• Noon: Fellowship lunch with everyone welcome.
• Call (859) 221-7101 or (859) 235-0621 for more information, or email Rev. Antonio Stuckey at preacherstuckey@aol.com.

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Evening Prayer is every Wednesday at 6: If you wish to plan ahead, the service begins on Page 61 of the Book of Common Prayer. You can see the online version of the BCP by clicking HERE and looking under “The Daily Office” and then “Daily Evening Prayer: Rite One.”

Lent begins on March 6 (Ash Wednesday)[service at 6:30 p.m.], with Fat Tuesday (mardi gras) on March 5 [dinner at 6 p.m.]. Palm Sunday is April 14, Maundy Thursday is April 18, Good Friday is April 19 and Easter is April 21. For the calendar and readings, click HERE. During Lent we will have a speaker program every Tuesday at 6 p.m.

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Lenten Program Speakers:

(in the church’s meeting hall behind the main building, extra parking along RR tracks)

• March 12: Tom Ware of Ware Funeral Home and Harrison County Coroner. Tom will speak about funeral costs and options, embalming, cremation, mummification, cemetery rules, graves, and the laws and practicalities associated with burial.
• March 19: Jane Higgins, Director of Regional Initiatives, Blue Grass Community Foundation, (859) 721-2349, jhiggins@bgcf.org. Jane will discuss the BGCF and its role as a responsible fiduciary (trustee) for money entrusted to it to be used according a donor’s designated intentions. See the website by clicking HERE.
• March 26: Melissa Crump, an Elder Law attorney who practices in Paris. Melissa will talk about wills, living wills, POAs, nursing home planning and trusts to qualify the settlor (you) for Medicaid. Melissa can be reached at melissa@crumpspurlock.com.
• April 2: Amy Cox, (859) 234-6462, from Bluegrass Care Navigators, and possibly members of her team. Amy will represent Hospice and educate attendees about what Hospice does, hospital admissions, discharges, do-not-resuscitate orders and other medical issues related to aging and dying. Our own Dr. Amy Mashburn will be present.
• April 9: The Reverend Father Paul Wanter, our Priest-in-Charge, hpwant@gmail.com. Fr. Paul will discuss funerals, planning for them and the benefits of planning ahead, the liturgical options, the history of funerals and their relevance and impact to our society, humanity and theology.

Bishop Mark Cowell is not only a bishop, but also a parish priest at St. Mary & St. Martha of Bethany Episcopal Church in Larned, Kansas. In the sparsely populated western half of the state, unique things can happen. Cowell’s multitasking doesn’t end there. He also leads a second congregation, Holy Nativity Episcopal Church in Kinsley, and his list of additional part-time jobs includes municipal prosecutor in Dodge City and county attorney for Hodgeman County. Read the full story HERE.

Outgoing Board Chair Neel Lane (Province VII) wrapped up his eight-year term with a message for the New Year. The San Antonio-based attorney imparted final reflections on his journey with Episcopal Relief & Development, which took him from relief work in the U.S. to a pilgrimage to Ghana. The church thanks him for his dedicated service to the organization and wishes him all the best in his continuing work in 2019 and beyond. Read the story HERE. Read more about Lane’s position on marriage equality HERE.

The Episcopal Church is responding to the Federal Government shutdown, both with grass roots help and advocacy in Washington. The church’s Office of Government Relations (OGR) has called for an end to the shutdown, saying that “shutting down our government is a failure of leadership and recognition of the responsibility that comes with being an elected official.” Basing its comments on church policy as set by General Convention, OGR has said Congress and the Administration need to work together to address legitimate security needs, to ensure the government’s legal responsibility to process asylum seekers, treat all migrants with humanity and respect, and enact policies to address and alleviate the root causes and conditions that drive forced migration from Central and South America. Read the full story HERE.