Posted on Sep 5, 2019 in Celebrating 60 Years |
Dear Epiphany:
I’m excited to participate in the celebration of Epiphany’s 60 years of ministry. It will be an honor for me to serve as a guest preacher, along with the other former pastors.
It is likely that God called me to Epiphany to give me an opportunity to experience ministry in a setting new to me — that of a growing suburban community.
I had already experienced life in a congregation of farmers, having grown up in St. Paul Lutheran Church in north central Ohio. My first parish, St. John Lutheran Church, was in a small town in Sidney, Ohio. When God’s call came to serve Epiphany, I was in my thirteenth year of ministry at Old Trinity Lutheran Church, a metropolitan church in a large urban setting in downtown Columbus.
The call to suburban Epiphany came in 1979. I retired in 2000. That means I had the privilege of spending 21 years at Epiphany, a ministry which involved expansion of racial and ecumenical relationships locally, as well as numerous partnerships globally.
Posted on Aug 7, 2019 in Celebrating 60 Years |
by Pastor Josh Nelson
Greg Van Dunk and Jane Lane happened to attend a concert by noted Lutheran folk musician, John Ylvisaker. Since John and I had known each other for some years, he recruited me to be his pianist for a handful of Ohio concerts, and though I was serving a church in Akron, OH, I jumped at the chance to be on the road for a few weeks with John. Well, at this concert, Greg and Jane sought me out and they must have started scheming about possibly getting me to come to Epiphany as a musician/pastor. That idea didn’t pan out, but later, when Greg took a new call to Wisconsin, Epiphany contacted me about considering the Associate Pastor position. I had indeed begun interviewing back in the Iowa and Minnesota areas, thinking I would head back to my old home region, which was home areas for Beth as well. But we agreed to interview at Epiphany anyway, and had such a fantastic and enjoyable interview experience (over Super Bowl weekend), that we decided if the church offered to call me, we would take it. Which is indeed what happened. And we moved down to the Centerville area in June. One additional funny memory I have of the interview is that when the first question was asked, my wife Beth – who is not a shrinking violet – jumped in and said, “Let me take that one,” and so she answered the very first question that was asked!
Posted on Aug 1, 2019 in Celebrating 60 Years |
by John Benjamin
Do you have a gift for poetry? I’m looking for lyrics for a new worship song, which will be sung for the first time at our worship services on Sunday, October 6, for Epiphany’s 60th Anniversary celebration.
Your lyrics should focus on celebrating God’s blessings to and/or through Epiphany. You write the lyrics; I write the song.
Here’s how it works:
- Write new lyrics to “O Little Town of Bethlehem” (this is the meter John’s tune will fit).
- Write as many or as few verses as you wish.
- Send your lyrics by August 25 to John Benjamin.
- John will arrange the lyrics submitted, incorporating as many authors as possible into the finished product.
Feel free to pass this invitation on to other friends of Epiphany who may not receive our weekly newsletters!
Posted on Jul 26, 2019 in Celebrating 60 Years |
by Becca Gummere
I count my blessings that my first call was to Epiphany. Moving from Columbus, where I’d just graduated from Trinity Lutheran Seminary, I began my call at Epiphany in August of 1993, and during the next seven years enjoyed serving alongside Pastor Larry Hoffsis, Pastor Josh Nelson, and later Pastor Fritz Wiese.
Since leaving Epiphany in April of 2000, I served three years as pastor of Circle of Grace, a mission development congregation in Cary, North Carolina, and four years at Grace Lutheran Church in Boone, North Carolina, where I split my time between associate pastor and campus pastor roles with students at Appalachian State University. When I moved to Boone in 2003, daughter Maggie Carey and son Liam Carey joined me here, falling in love as I had with these beautiful mountains. Read more…
Posted on Jun 13, 2019 in Celebrating 60 Years |
by Pastor Charlie Woodward
As we continue to ramp up for Epiphany’s 60th anniversary celebration, there are many opportunities to observe and rejoice in our rich history alongside each other with guest pastors, a concert and visitors from Germany. Please save upcoming dates and plan to participate! We look forward to sharing this time together with you!
Epiphany Lutheran Church welcomes former pastors to preach at the Far Hills Campus at all Sunday morning services. There will be a reception and time for fellowship offered on each of these special Sundays.
- Greg Van Dunk – July 14
- Becca Gummere – August 4
- Josh Nelson – August 18
- Larry Hoffsis – September 22
- Fritz Wiese – October 27
