E Editor: Rusty Ogden

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1 r a t S y n a h p i p E Editor: Rusty Ogden Episcopal Church of the Epiphany 1101 Sunset Drive P. O. Box 116 Guntersville, AL June Sunshine Seafood Bash JUNE 6, 2011 All You Can Eat Shrimp, Crawfish, Homemade Gumbo, Corn on the Cobb, Potatoes, Coffee, Iced Tea, Soft Drinks *Other drinks available at extra charge* Serving from 5:30 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. $ To buy your tickets come by the church office or call Hot dog plate for $5 may be purchased at the door. Sponsored by Church of the Epiphany Held at

2 Epiphany Star Page 2 Parish Retreat at August 19 21, 2011 Camp McDowell is "God's Backyard." When you see the beautiful 900+ acres of forests, canyons, and waterfalls; and once you experience the facilities, service, and events you will understand why Camp McDowell is such an important place to so many people. Have you been thinking about whether or not to go to the retreat? Attending the Parish Retreat each year can become a great tradition for your family. If you want to spend a weekend with your church family doing fun things like fishing, swimming, hiking, canoeing, playing all kinds of games from softball to card games, eating lots of good food, reading or just sitting on the front porch in rocking chairs and visiting, then you ll need to sign the registration sheets posted outside the Parish Office. MILLER COMMONS Each lodge has 11 motel-style rooms with two double beds, private bath, and individual heat/air conditioning units. Linens and towels are provided. Each lodge has a common/great room, kitchen, and covered decks and porches. TO REGISTER, you need to sign the cabin and meal registration sheets posted outside the Parish Office. There will be no specific room assignments prior to going, upon arrival you will choose your room as you check in. Cost & Meal Information is posted on the bulletin board or call the Parish Office at PLEASE NOTE ~ REGISTRATION DEADLINE IS AUGUST 3rd Payment due to Epiphany by August 18. If assistance is needed, please contact Fr. Bill No refunds for changes or cancellations made after July 27.

3 Epiphany Star Page 3 4th of July Tailgate Party NOTE FROM THE TREASURER: Summer is upon us and this time of year Epiphany really struggles when folks get behind on their pledges because of vacation and the like. If too many allow their pledge to fall behind, Epiphany falls seriously in danger of not meeting the commitments that we make. The end of June we will be sending out a mid-year report of your giving. Please review the information and if you find it possible to become current in your pledge to both General and Building Fund we would appreciate it. If you have any questions, please contact me or Martha Ross, Administrative Assistant ( ) Faithfully, Guy Caffey Church Treasurer Father s Day Altar Flower Dedications Father s Day is June 19th. The Altar Guild is taking dedications that will appear in the bulletins on the 19th. This dedication is a wonderful and thoughtful way to remember those who mean so much to us; your husband, your father, your brother, your grandfathers, a favorite uncle, or a special friend. A dedication form is on the counter in the church office. Each dedication is $5.00. Saturday, October 29, 2011 Live Auction START THINKING ABOUT ITEMS YOU MAY WISH TO DONATE, ARTWORK, ANTIQUES, JEW- ELRY, VACATION PACKAGES. You can get a free ticket in the office that allows you to park in the parking lot to watch the fireworks. Bring your own food and refreshments. Spaces are limited so act now. June 5 has been set for the spring ingathering for UTO. UTO s simple purpose has remained constant: Offerings are given in thankfulness for the everyday blessings of life to provide blessings for others. Individuals in each parish take part spiritually by offering prayers of thanksgiving and by actively dropping coins in the Little Blue Box. These coins are gathered twice a year at each church and then united with those thanksgiving gifts from all over the country. This outward expression of thankfulness takes action around the world in places of urgent need. Is your Little Blue Box full or is it empty? Let s not forget to give thanks daily for the little things that we might otherwise overlook. This is a daily communication with Our Lord. God s blessings can be found in so very many places. DROP IN YOUR COINS! Pick up a box on the table in the rear of the Nave for coins. Use the UTO envelope for your offering by check. Make your check out to Epiphany and memo for UTO. SUMMER SUNDAY SCHOOL AND CHILDREN'S CHURCH We will continue to have Sunday school and children's church through out the summer for children age 3yrs thru 5th grade. We will not meet on Memorial Day, Fourth of July, Parish Retreat or Labor Day weekends. Sunday school will be at 9:30am and Children's church will follow at 10:30am. A Sunday school teacher was discussing the Ten Commandments with her five and six year olds. After explaining the commandment to 'Honor thy father and thy mother,' she asked, 'Is there a commandment that teaches us how to treat our brothers and sisters?' Without missing a beat, one little boy answered, 'Thou shall not kill.'

4 Epiphany Star Page 4 June 7th, 8th & 9th from 5:30pm-8:00pm. The theme this year is The Abundant Life Garden. We will be planting, playing in water and may have some special four legged visitors. See the bulletin board in the hallway for more information and to sign your child up to attend and to sign up to volunteer. We need the following items for VBS. If you can donate any of these items, please place them in the bin in the parish hall: 1/2 gallon milk or juice jugs with lids - Pickle jars (preferably small) Potting soil - Any seed packets String - Wire hangers Old sheets/material - especially old cotton t-shirts- any size - the more colors the better!!! Buttons - Wiggly eyes (different sizes) Any old craft materials Scenes from VBS 2010 Make A Joyful Noise Vacation Bible School Application June 7, 8 & 9 5:30pm 8:00pm Ages 3years to 5th grade Child s Name age T-shirt size (S, M, L, XL, AS, AM, AL) Parent s Name Phone # Address Parents: We need your help. Please volunteer to help with crafts, playtime, story time, etc. I can help with Call Shelly Hardin at for more information. Please return by June 1st to: Epiphany P. O. Box 116 Guntersville, AL 35976

5 Epiphany Star Page 5 CODE: HC Holy Communion; HE Holy Eucharist; BSA Brotherhood of St. Andrew; CP Centering Prayer; DG Dream Group; DOK Daughters of the King; ECW Episcopal Church Women; SS Sunday School Birthdays in italics JUNE 2011 Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat 1 HC & Healing 2 3 Arlyne Black Barbara Brassell Nancy Wells 4 Altar Guild workday 9am Randy Alexander 5 Discretionary Fund Sunday UTO Ingathering HC 8 & 10:30am SS 9:30am Children s Church 10:30am Taizé 5pm 6 Seafood Bash 5:30 8pm 7 8 HC & Healing 9 Cursillo Ultreya Stations of the Cross 7pm Vacation Bible School 5:30pm 8pm 10 Cursillo 11 Cursillo BSA 8am Page Hoggle Ron Thomas Shelia Smith Tripp Hembree 12 Day of Pentecost HC 8 & 10:30am Outreach mtg 9:30am SS 9:30am Children s Church 10:30am Moses Baby Shower 2pm Cursillo Joel Armstrong Jon Auman Valerie Fleming Joyce Rehfeld 13 DOK 11:15am 14 Jenn Baker 15 Deacon s Mass John Branum Karen Browning Rusty Ogden Mac Alves Jessica Benson Ben Booth 18 Charles Keller 19 HC 8 & 10:30am Mission Team mtg 9:30am SS 9:30am Children s Church 10:30am Deacon s Mass BSA 8am Interview for New Bishop Happy Father s Day Patsy McCoy Zac Shifflett Suni Hodges Ben Harbin Riley Burrows Ashleigh Brown Donna Hudson 26 HC 8 & 10:30am SS 9:30am Children s Church 10:30am Celtic Service 5pm 27 DOK 7pm 28 Ed Hall Kathy Morita 29 HC & Healing Don Hall 30 Vestry Person for June Bill Thompson July 4 - Independence Day Block Party to watch the fireworks OFFICE CLOSED July 12 Ministry Council meeting 6pm July 16 Election of New Bishop of Alabama July 18 Vestry Meeting 7pm August Parish Retreat at Camp McDowell

6 Epiphany Star Page 6 Are you interested in examining and strengthening your faith within the context of a small group of fellow pilgrims? If so, Education for Ministry, aka EFM, may be for you. Through the eyes of biblical scholarship, Church history and theology, members of the group are grounded in Christian formation and wrestle with situations of daily living and current issues. EFM is more than a Bible study it involves theological reflection and recognition of the many and varied facets of God s revelation. It involves lively discussion around the table. Having been a part of Epiphany s Christian education, EFM continues for its eleventh year this fall. The group meets each week from September through May. The course is administered through The School of Theology of the University of the South in Sewanee, Tenn. There is a cost to the program, but please speak to the mentor if this would prevent your participation. As a first year student (this is a four-year program, however you decide each year whether or not to continue) your focus of study will be the Old Testament. You ll discover there are two creation stories and that the Noah saga of the flood is found in many religions. But more than that, you ll discover how it relates to your life and how you can live out what you now believe. Consider the opportunity. EFM is intense. It is a unique course within a unique setting. Because of the small group nature of EFM, the number of participants is limited to twelve. If you are interested, please don t hesitate. We hope to form the group by August 15. Registration materials will be in the office, or contact mentors Rita Winters at or Lamar Auman, for more information. Hope to see you in class! At present, we still have open spots for campers entering 1st 7th grade. To register, visit If you have questions please contact Anna Bryant, Summer Camp Registrar at Special Session for campers with mental and physical special needs will be June 30-July 5. People ages 16 and older are invited to apply to serve as staff members. We particularly need male staff. Staff training begins on July 28 and the cost is $155. To apply, please visit For more information, please contact Jen Manning at St. Stephen s, Birmingham Jacob Meredith is graduating in August with an accounting degree from Auburn University. Russell Riehl is graduating from Tulane with a Master s of Science Degree in Pharmacology. The Epiphany family extends its most heartfelt sympathy, love, prayers and support to: Gloria and Ed Kilner on the death, May 10, of Gloria s father, Earl Simon, of Swayze, Indiana. Lisa and Bob Amburn and family on the death, May 17 of Lisa s grandmother, Frances Loccisanna of West Chester, PA. Anita, Joey and Brandon Duncan on the death, May 21, of Joey Duncan. Rest eternal grant to them, O Lord The time has come She is almost due. We ve planned a Baby Shower So start thinking in blue. Join us for a Baby Shower in honor of Becky Moses Sunday, June 12, 2011 at 2:00 p.m. Church of the Epiphany Hosted by: Wednesday Night Mother s Group Registered online at Wal-Mart and Baby Depot at Burlington Coat Factory

7 Epiphany Star Page 7 The candidates for the 11th Bishop of Alabama The Rev. Ken Chumbley Rector, Christ Church Springfield, Missouri The Rev. Clare Fischer-Davies Rector, St. Martin's Episcopal Church Providence, Rhode Island The Rt. Rev. Kee Sloan Bishop Suffragan Episcopal Diocese of Alabama If you would like to attend this session please fill out the sign up sheet on the nave bullet board. If enough people sign up we will take the bus. If you can not attend but have a question you would like submitted, please let Rusty Ogden know. rustyogden@bellsouth.net The Rev. Chuck Treadwell Rector, St. Paul's Episcopal Church Waco, Texas To find out more about the candidates visit

8 Epiphany Star Page 8 My Dear Parish Family, May has been quite the month. We started on an upbeat with the celebration of Easter. A grand day, but by the coming Wednesday we were scrambling in our homes to protect ourselves from devastating tornados which wreaked havoc throughout the area. The next two weeks are almost a blur and then came the loss of Joey Duncan. Throw in the ending of Wednesday evening programs, the Holy One Golf Tournament, a marvelous and emotional Youth Sunday, an outdoor Celtic Eucharist, the Mohr4 farewell concert, and a fabulous pot luck dinner. Also, pushing hard on the throttle of activities were a slew of surgeries, and other medical procedures that taxed me to keep up with all of them. Though this month will go down as one of our most memorable ever, one thing struck me more than anything. And that is this - despite everything that happened is the true fact that there is a strong bond of love and courage that binds this parish as one. While, yes, there were some of the typical yaya and miscommunication, there was an even more powerful outpouring of genuine love. Where ever I went, and whom ever I spoke to, I felt a strong willingness to help, share, and love. I don t believe I have ever felt love as dynamic and strong as this before. Yes, there were days (like you) that I went home exhausted and stressed out ready to crawl up in a fetal position, but more often than not I experienced something majestically more powerful, something that had the strength to overrun and overpower any negative, and that was the overarching power of the Holy Spirit in our actions and response. This parish had so many hero s throughout this long, but somehow short month. I can t count the number of people who came forward to help without even asking help. Many of you came despite what was happening in your own personal situation and lives. People cooked; people washed pots and pans; people sawed downed limbs, people carried branches; people did whatever was necessary at the time. I would love to name some of you who did so much, but I fear that I would forget to name even one of you. My only regret is that I could not serve each of you as you served me. So, my friends, you have blessed me more than you can ever know. I am not so much proud to be your rector, as thankful. I know I am only able to serve because of the strength of your service. God bless you, people of Epiphany. I honestly believe there is absolutely no parish in the world quite like you. Beloved let us love one another, because love is from God; everyone who loves is born of God and knows God. (1John 4:7) Blessings, Epiphany s Continued Disaster Relief Response Our vestry has decided to make a bold move in response to the continued disaster relief effort. They voted unanimously at our last meeting to purchase and install a large generator which will enable our walk-in freezer and refrigerator to shift immediately to natural gas during electric outages. This will enable us to keep them up and operating at all times. As many of you know, Epiphany fed well over 1000 people during the peak days after the tornado. We could have done much more if we would have had the service of a generator to keep us up and going. Our stoves are already powered by natural gas which was a godsend during the emergency. The capacity of this new generator will also give us enough capacity to allow us the ability to keep the office running, thus ensuring better communication. The vestry firmly believes that we have a responsibility to the people of our parish and as well as the larger community. Our kitchen, our prayers, and ultimately our love are the greatest gifts the vestry believes we can offer our community in times of disaster and we aim to better equip ourselves to handle that need. The new generator and electronics that will allow our power to switch automatically to natural gas will cost the parish approximately $9,000. If you would like to contribute to this system please make a check to Epiphany making it clear that it is to help pay for the generator. We also have the ability to take contributions by credit card if that would be of any help. Beyond this endeavor the parish will be forming an Emergency Response Committee that will plan and ready ourselves for any future disaster which heads our way (God forgive!). This past disaster has taught us many lessons on how to quickly respond to the needs of our beloved Epiphany as well as the people we need to be in contact with to rush aid to our community. We now know that we can t take this responsibility seriously enough. Bill People cooked for several days without power and it was hot. The one light bulb and one fan were run by a small portable gas generator. We fed a lot of parishioners and cooked the food they had in their freezers so it would not spoil.