THE TIMES OF EPIPHANY UCC

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1 THE TIMES OF EPIPHANY UCC 9365 Clarence Center Rd, Clarence Center, NY (716) Website: Facebook: Epiphany UCC Family Office: 9:30-2:30 M, W, TH July/August 2017 Fellow Members, It was wonderful to see the high attendance for Parson Mark s final service and farewell gathering. It truly showed how much of a family we are at Epiphany UCC. I know he has moved by the support and welcomes all the prayers we are all sending his way. As part of last week s services, Mark has moved from being our spiritual guide, to being a friend to those that choose to maintain a relationship. Please respect this transition and treat him as one of us, going forward. Now we are heading into the next phase of our church, and I know we are all nervous about what that might hold. This apprehension is completely natural, especially considering the amount of time it took us to find Mark. I want to remind everyone that Epiphany is not just about a pastor, it is about the members that we have. We are a strong, loving and resilient group and our Lord and Savior has a plan for us. He will NOT let us down or allow us to fail. This is not a time to panic, but rather a time in which we all need to have Faith and remain supportive and patient. Your Leadership Team is working very hard on finding a Designated Pastor, with the help of Rev. Henderson. This process may take us a little while, but thanks to the help of Diane Marlinski, we are covered with Supply Pastors for the majority of the Summer. As promised, I will keep the membership informed about our progress and next steps, along the way. If any of you have questions, suggestions or want updates, feel free to contact myself or other members of the Leadership Team. As we move forward and focus on our members and church life, I am excited about all the people that continue to step up to plan and coordinate activities and events that will keep us connected and thriving. Some of the things that are being planned are an outdoor activity night in July, Blues and BBQ in September and then the October celebration to honor Pastor George Cushing for his many years of service to Epiphany UCC. There are more details about all events in this newsletter, please add them to your calendars and feel free to offer your help if you d like. I hope to see many of you at one or all of these events. In closing, we know Summer is a time for vacations and travel plans, and I hope you all get a change to take some breaks and spend quality time with your family and friends. Even though many of us will be sporadically at church, please remember to keep Epiphany in your thoughts, prayers and support. The attendance may be smaller over the summer months, but church continues to operate and offer the same safe haven for all of us. Hopefully we will all spend as much time as we can at services and events over the next few months. Thanks again for all of your faith, support and love. Scott H. Howell President, Epiphany UCC Come Join the Fun!! Summer Cookout & Game Night Wednesday July 19th 5:30 pm Hot Dogs provided Please bring a dish/dessert to pass Kickball, Bocce Ball, Washer Game, etc Weather Permitting Rain Date TBD Family name Phone Number Count Please RSVP to the office by Sunday July 16th! INSIDE THIS ISSUE President 1 Facilities, Family Events,Office, Stats & Memorial 2 Sunday School, Women s Fellowship Fundraising, Family Events & Youth Group 3 Outreach, Wear N Share, Birthdays New York Conference My Thoughts 5 July/August Schedule & Calendar 6 Ads

2 THE TIMES OF EPIPHANY Page 2 SAVE THE DATE. BBQ & BLUES EVENT Come and Join us... Saturday, September 16, 2017 Epiphany United Church of Christ 9365 Clarence Center Rd, Clarence Center. Featuring the musical talent of The Growlers Blues Band from 4 pm 8 pm. Dinners include Pulled Pork or Pulled Chicken. Plus 50/50 Raffle and Basket Raffle. Tickets will be $20. Contact the church at or Dave at Facilities Team is looking for help for the Labor Day Weekend. This year the Event is September 2nd, 3rd and 4th. On Saturday and Sunday we will be manning our lot from 12 noon till 10 pm our busy times are Saturday 3 to 7 for the Demo-Derby and Sunday from 3 to 10 for Demo-Derby and Fireworks. Monday 11 to 5 pm, our busy time is 11 till 2 for the parade. We are looking for 2 to 3 hour shifts, so if you can help, please let the Church office or David know. If you need different hours than what is shown on the sign up sheets, please write in your available hours. Donations of water are greatly appreciated for handing out during the Labor Day Weekend Parking. VITAL STATISTIC 05/16/ /15/2017 Please report any changes you may have in your address/phone number. This will save the Church money. Thank You Baptism: 06/11 Connor Justin Brown Transfers:06/11 Parson Mark G. Dibelka MEMORIALS 05/16/17-06/15/17 DONATIONS TO BUILDING FUND: In Memory of: James Mathews From: Barbara Ann Smith, Nancy Neubauer Rally Sunday & Church Cookout September 10th 10:00 am Service Followed by cookout Hot Dogs & Hamburgers & Drinks provided Please bring a lawn chair & a dish to pass Cost is $2.00 per person or $5.00 per family There will be activities and games so we need a count... Family name Count Kids names & ages for games Reservations due by Tuesday, September 5th noon

3 THE TIMES OF EPIPHANY Page 3 SPIRITUAL GROWTH & SUNDAY SCHOOL NEWS If you were at church on June 11th you saw and heard a few things one was Mark s solo which was The Dance - it was beautiful and along with his send off was a great way to say goodbye. Soooo.. Good Bye Parson Mark and Hello to another new adventure! I know it is difficult to see a light on our path right now but we need to be that light and keep shining for all to see! We will get over this bump and be stronger for it. I am saying this all for you and myself life sometimes throws things at us that we don t expect and don t want to deal with but we have to. With God s help we will all get through this. We are a great big family that has always supported one another and this journey is no different. The End of the Year performance and service was a fun way to share some of the children and youth with you. It was really a challenge to attempt a play with so many children who were mostly under the age of 7! But when all was said and done they did a fine job. Thanks for being so supportive of our children! Thanks especially to all of those who donated to the Dunkirk scholarship account, baked or bought from the last bake sale or donated in honor of James Mathews. Because of you, 6 children are getting $100 scholarships to go to summer camp! Thank you! The Sunday School teachers are taking a short break for the summer, but will be back in full swing in September. Don t forget the Picnic which will be September 10th after church. We ask that every family bring a dish to pass! See the enclosed page to respond. Many of the teams are currently not meeting due to the summer, making meetings difficult to schedule Worship committee is one such team. If you have a concern or thought to share with this team, you can either tell Carole Mathews, Jennifer Vacanti or write a note and put it in the little church in the back of the sanctuary. The choir is also on break for the summer, but are still looking for singers. If you are willing to sing 1-4 weeks a month please join them! They would love to have some new talent!! Please don t forget our church is not break just the Sunday School and choir we want you to come worship! Jennifer WOMEN S FELLOWSHIP NEWS Women s Fellowship met on Thursday, June 1 at Ruth s with 7 women present. Being the last meeting until Fall there wasn t any business to discuss. We do not meet during the summer months, therefore, the next meeting will be on Thursday, September 7 at Ruth s. Pat Schultz will lead devotions and Lorraine will serve as hostess. Please mark your calendar and join us. YOUTH GROUP. We are looking forward to the Mission Trip August 9-12 in Dunkirk. Information on our accomplishments from this exciting event will be in the next newsletter. We would like to remind everyone young and old to please use insect repellant and sunscreen while outside this summer. Sunburn is no fun and can cause skin cancer, and ticks are very bad this year and we want you all to be safe. Please remember your bug guard/sunscreen (and reapply often) and please check for ticks when you come in for the day. Be safe and enjoy your summer! Dave & Becky Outreach News Summer Greetings from your Outreach Team The Outreach Team extends a hearty THANK YOU to everyone who helped make Parson Mark s farewell luncheon an extremely bountiful and delicious event! We are taking a summer hiatus and will meet in September (date to be announced. We have some new reaching out activities in planning stages so please stay tuned! We sincerely wish everyone a happy, healthy and enjoyable summer! PS: Don t forget to make your donations to Holy Joe s Café.. to benefit our military men & women who serve overseas BUILDING RENTAL Both the Community Outreach Building (COB) and our sanctuary are available for rent. If you have an event that is getting too large for you to have at your home...why not consider having it here. There is now a kitchenette in the COB, plus tables and chairs available and you don t have to worry about the weather. The price is reasonable too, just a $50 donation for members and a $75 donation for non-members. We also ask for a security deposit (that will be returned) to hold the date. Please see Emmy for more information and the forms. You can also call the office for the forms and to check availability.

4 THE TIMES OF EPIPHANY Page 4 Labor Day Weekend Parking Volunteers NAME Phone # Fri. Sept 1st 5-9pm set-up Sat. Sept 2nd (at least 3* people per time slot) Parking Cars noon 2:30pm 2:30pm-5pm 5pm-7:30pm 7:30pm-10pm Sun. Sept 3rd (at least 3* people per time slot) Parking Cars noon 2:30pm 2:30pm-5pm 5pm-7:30pm 7:30pm-10pm * Need 6 people during demo derby 3-7pm Mon. Sept. 4th (at least 6* people per time slot) Parking Cars Water Bottles noon 2:30pm 2:30pm-5pm PARADE (1pm) (need children and adults) July/August Birthdays July Adults 08 Jennifer Cushing 11 Keith Rapin 11 Keith Augustine 17 Kathleen Schrader 21 Rebecca Sievers 22 Debbie Paden 31 Nina Trietley July Children 02 Jonathan Augustine 08 Aidan Hecht 19 John Cahalan V HAPPY BIRTHDAY! If we have missed your birthday, please give our office a call August Adults 02 Thomas Lauth 02 Howie Schnaufer Jr. 09 William Harms 11 John Hazleton III 14 Hassan Al-Mufti 16 Robert Leible 21 Colin Hess 24 Amanda Forth 26 Carol Schnaufer 28 Jack Jaeger 29 Daniel Trietley August Children 15 Mitchell Sievers 20 Madeline Augustine 20 Lily Schnaufer The Birthday money collected is going into our Building Fund to help with our mortgage payments. Have your coins, dollars or even checks ready for the Celebration on July 2nd & August 6th! We are currently looking for someone to help with the Financial Secretary work on Sunday mornings in the counting room. If you are someone who likes to do a little math then this is something that may interest you. Talk to Pam Uebler on a Sunday morning or call her at home. Thank you! Donations for Water (Water or $) for Labor Day Weekend Parking are greatly appreciated! See Emmy if you would like to donate! Share Your Good News!! If you have any news that you d like to share with your Epiphany Family, please let the office know and we will try to have the information included in our next newsletter.

5 THE TIMES OF EPIPHANY Page 5 Happenings Around Our Conference (as stated in the weekly online editions) Or to read the actual weekly newsletter My Thoughts reprinted from June 7, 2017 Today I sat staring out the window, taking in the bright sunshine, and I simply began to think about time. There are 1,440 minutes in a day, and I decided that today I would spend at least 15 of those minutes, just staring into the sunshine. It was quite an interesting encounter. Of course I saw birds and squirrels and my neighbors walking their dog. I watched two chipmunks scurrying around with their newfound treasures, and saw a robin feeding her babies in a tree. Then I noticed a rose bush budding in my own front yard and a broken wind chime hanging from the porch awning. Wow! After two years of living here, I had never taken the time to notice these things before. What a waste of time. Because I am somewhat a work-a-holic, I realized that I can literally spend days never glancing outside. Or when I do go out, I'm on a mission and I totally ignore all those birds and squirrels. Sometimes when I lay down at night, and I ponder my unfinished to-do list, I find myself wondering where did those 1,440 minutes go? I'm certain none of them were spent taking in the beauty of that rose bush. For all of us, time is a pretty limited commodity, and we try our best to fill every minute. But, today, I realized just how much I miss when I'm sitting in front of a computer or buried in papers and books. What are you doing with your 1,440 minutes? I'm learning to cherish mine. A few weeks ago, our Conference Minister taught me how to fly a kite, something I'd never done before. So, I'm closing my computer, and I think I'll go fly it. Happy Summer, Marsha Rev. Dr. Marsha Williams Associate Conference Minister for Clergy and Authorized Ministry Concerns mwilliams@uccny.org My Thoughts from June 14, 2017 A Facebook post has been getting some less than positive reactions...imagine that. It was a post from the national setting of the UCC entitled "10 Ways You Can Actively Reject Your White Privilege". I've been told that #10 was particularly unsettling. It says: 10. Recognize that you're still racist. No matter what. Like all of us, I can only speak for myself. This is my story. I grew up in Fairfield County Connecticut in a middle class blue color white family in a town with a population that was 99.9% white. I will never speak some of the ugly, offensive, racist remarks that I repeatedly heard from my father growing up. In the 1970's my world view of African American's was shaped by "The Jackson Five", "The Jefferson's", and the evening news which was predominantly out of New York City. It was instilled into me that there were areas of Bridgeport that were dangerous because that's where "black people lived" (although those were not the words used). I am not able to understand how growing up white in America is possible without having racism tattooed to your very soul. Some say it's possible, but I can't quite get my head around that. Every day I work on keeping my own racism in check. Although I definitely believe that Jesus can do miracles, and I pray that God will, I can't imagine that I will be cured of this disease. So I live each day very intentionally as a recovering racist. Ron Buford told me of a group/movement he's involved in called "Racists Anonymous". That sounds like a healthy program. For me, living in Syracuse and frequently (thank God) engaged in inter-racial community, it is a daily part of my life to know that I am marked by the disease of racism. And I thank God for shaping my life so that I am able to name and confront my internal demon-because it has diminished by soul, and left without attention will enslave me-- as well as be aware of the institutionalized racism that is, frankly, everywhere I look. I am an outspoken advocate for Black Lives Matter (which has won me more than a few angry "friends"). I believe that in the UCC "Racism/White Privilege Awareness" training should be required of all authorized ministers with the same diligence and rigor we give to Boundary Awareness. Am I still a racist? Yes. I grieve that I have been marked this way. I wake up each day newly committed to eliminate racism in myself, in our society, and globally. No matter what. ~To Equip the Saints~ Rev. David R Gaewski Conference Minister davidgaewski@uccny.org

6 THE TIMES OF EPIPHANY Page 6 July /02 7/09 7/16 7/23 7/30 GREETERS: Volunteer Beverly Miller Bob Metz Emmy Hess Debbie Brodka Needed Ed Miller Volunteers can contact Carole at USHERS: Ed Miller Ron Tremblay Paul Wollenberg Scott Howell Ed Miller Bev Miller Ed Stepien Bob Metz Pat Schultz Bev Miller Roger Hoeltke Chris Stepien Greg Trietley Robert Knaus Roger Hoeltks Dave Brockner Carol Leible Shirley Wollenberg Dave Brockner ELDERS: Robert Knaus Pat Schultz Greg Trietley Bob Metz PLEASE NOTE: Gluten Free options are available for congregants taking communion. If anyone has a gluten allergy, they should let the usher know and LAY READERS: (looking for lay readers during the summer call office with dates you re available) ALTAR: Sharon Hamerski Carol Leible Bev Miller Chris Stepien Shirley Wollenberg August /06 8/13 8/20 8/27 GREETERS: Dave Brockner Helen Matthews Carole Mathews Volunteer Needed Judy Brockner USHERS: Ron Tremblay Paul Wollenberg Scott Howell Ed Miller Ed Stepien Bob Metz Pat Schultz Bev Miller Chris Stepien Greg Trietley Robert Knaus Roger Hoeltke ELDERS: Carol Leible Ron Tremblay Chet Jarmusz Pat Jarmusz Ed Stepien Chris Stepien Shirley Wollenberg Dave Brockner IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO JOIN ANY OF THE COMMITTEES, PLEASE CONTACT THE FOLLOWING: Greeters: Carole Mathews Ushers/Elders: Ed Stepien Lay Readers & Altar: office LAY READERS: (looking for lay readers during the summer call office with dates you re available) ALTAR: Sharon Hamerski Carol Leible Bev Miller Chris Stepien

7 THE TIMES OF EPIPHANY Page 7 CHURCH SERVICES & Sunday School 10:00am** 9365 Clarence Center Rd, Clarence Center, NY **coffee hour begins at 9:30am July 2017 Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat 2 Communion Jaime Off 11 Leadership 6:30 pm 12 Jaime Off 13 Jaime Off Jaime Off Facilities 7 pm August 2017 Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat Communion Youth Mission Trip 10 Youth Mission Trip 11 Youth Mission Trip 12 Youth Mission Trip Facilities 7 pm

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