The Campaign for Epiphany

Posted  below is the current Capital Campaign report. We at Epiphany are committed to the campaign's goals and will continue fundraising throughout 2012 until we complete the campaign. We are asking anyone connected to The Church of the Epiphany to contribute to the renovation of our historic buildings so that they will be a safer, more inspiring, and more effective structural home for the ministries and activities of Epiphany. We welcome your questions and comments.

FUNDING SOURCE	GOAL	RECEIVED	NEEDED
Contributors
Concert Attendees	25,000	5,061	19,939
Descendants	150,000	41,500	108,500
Friends	200,000	142,138	57,862
Outreach Volunteers	15,000	9,462	5,538
Parishioners	1,000,000	896,638	103,362
Weekday Associates	25,000	5,062	19,938
Visitors	25,000	17,765	7,235
Total	1,440,000	1,117,626	322,374
Downtown Partners	100,000	25,000	75,000
Epiphany Funds
Columbarium Fund	145,000	145,623
Designated Funds	200,000	200,715
Endowment Fund	450,000	450,000
Rectory Fund	280,000	278,735
TDRs	475,073	475,000
Total	1,550,073	1,550,073	0
Grants	250,000	139,250	110,750
Mission Partners	100,000	2,500	97,500
TOTAL INCOME	3,440,073	2,834,449	605,624

To make a contribution to the Capital Campaign, designate your donation for "Renovation Fund." For online contributions, click here.
For mail contributions, use this address: The Church of the Epiphany, 1317 G St, NW, Washington, DC 20005.
For more information, contact The Rev. Randolph Charles at 202-347-2635 or rcharles@epiphanydc.org.

Finding Our Way

Quote from Finding Our Way Again, Brian McLaren

"...instead of reading Jesus primarily in the light of Paul, we need to read Paul primarily in the light of Jesus....From this perspective we can see the biblical story building to a climax in Jesus' message of the kingdom of God (or yoke of God or path of God). Then we can see Paul's message echoing Jesus' message, calling people to a way of life characterized by reconciliation with God, one another, and all creation in a global community." (p. 41f)

Discussion Questions

What is your impression of Paul? Do you see him as someone who changed the course of the early Christian movement so that it departed from Jesus' way and example, or as someone who followed in Jesus' way and expanded it?

Healing the Heart of Democracy

Parker Palmer talks about five habits of the heart that are critical in healing and sustaining democracy.

1. We must understand that we are all in this together.
2. We must develop an appreciation of the value of "otherness."
3. We must cultivate the ability to hold tension in life-giving ways.
4. We must generate a sense of personal voice and agency.
5. We must strengthen our capacity to create community.

What is your response to Palmer's list? With what do you agree and disagree? What would your "healing the heart of democracy list" look like?

Let's talk about it.

Be Still and Pray

In a Contemplative Outreach brochure, the following summary of centering prayer guidelines are listed:

1. Choose a sacred word as the symbol of your intention to consent to God’s presence and action within.
2. Sitting comfortably and with eyes closed, settle briefly and silently introduce the sacred word as the symbol of your consent to God’s presence and action within.
3. When engaged with your thoughts (including body sensations, feelings, images, and reflections), return ever-so-gently to the sacred word.
4. At the end of the prayer period, remain in silence with eyes closed for a couple of minutes.

Try centering prayer, talk with experienced practitioners, ask your questions about the process.

The Campaign for Epiphany

How is the Capital Campaign going?  Listed below are the Campaign totals as of October 3. It is still a huge challenge, but I genuinely believe that we will reach our goal by December 31, 2012.

FUNDING SOURCE	GOAL	RECEIVED	NEEDED
Contributors	1,454,500	877,695	576,805
Downtown Partners	200,000	0	200,000
Epiphany Funds	1,195,500	1,100,073	95,427
Grants	400,000	139,250	260,750
Mission Partners	150,000	2,500	147,500
TOTAL INCOME	3,400,000	2,119,518	1,280,482

Here is my optimistic train of thought. We are using our Endowment Fund as a bridge loan so that we can pay our renovation bills. With a successful campaign, we will replenish the Endowment Fund with the amount that we have collected by the end of 2012. One way of envisioning how the goals could be reached is the following:

Contributors: 500 contributions of $1,000 from individuals or 1,000 contributions of $500. At least $100,000 is pledged and promised. The amount needed is $577,000.

Downtown Partners: 20 contributions of $10,000 from downtown businesses and firms or 40 contributions of $5,000. The amount needed $200,000.

Epiphany Funds: All available Epiphany funds have already been contributed to the Campaign. The only possibility in this category is a permanent contribution from the replenished Endowment Fund.

Grants: 10 grants of $25,000. Several grants are in application stage and others are in preparation. The amount needed is $261,000.

Mission Partners: 30 contributions of $5,000 or 300 contributions of $500. Mission partners are churches and religious groups that share our mission of social justice and are particularly interested in Epiphany Mission Center. We are asking congregations in the mid-Atlantic dioceses to help us build Epiphany Mission Center.

How do I feel about the Capital Campaign? I am a little anxious and I am a lot excited. I am confident that the renovation work we are doing is what needs to be done, what we want to do, and what God is calling us to do. Our renovated buildings will be better equipped to enable us and others to minister boldly in the name of Jesus Christ in downtown Washington. Therefore, I am totally committed to the Capital Campaign. In fact, for several months to come, I will be spending the majority of my time on the Campaign. I will also be focusing on worship, pastoral care and leadership. For the current and future health of The Church of the Epiphany, we must have a successful Campaign, and I ask all of you to join me in this commitment.

Many of you have been extremely generous. Others of you are prayerfully considering a level of participation that is right for you. We are all in this together, and that is another dimension of this entire experience that I find so exciting. It is not just money that we are talking about. It is also membership and people – strangers that want to connect with what we are doing, parishioners that have gone before us and prepared the way, future generations that will come to Epiphany to be fed in so many ways. And it’s not just money and membership; it’s also ministry – social justice, formation, worship, the arts, spirituality, and baptismal covenant. And it’s not just money, membership and ministry; it is also mission.

We at Epiphany have a special calling, a particular mission in the Washington Metro Area. Our mission is to be a downtown common, a place where all types of people come to form community, to find themselves and to grow in faith. Our mission is to stretch bravely beyond our comfort zone, while at the same time to stand firmly on the rock of our tradition. Our mission is to be an epiphany, to be a revelation and witness to God’s loving and transforming presence in the world. Our mission is to offer light and guidance to those who have lost their way, including ourselves, and to choose to place yet again our hope and trust in God.

Faithfully,

Randolph Charles