UCC Emergency USA Fund

The tornadoes in Oklahoma are the most recent disaster among hurricanes, floods, tornadoes, ice storms, chemical spills. Gifts to the UCC Emergency USA Fund enable the UCC to go the "extra mile" in responding to disasters. You can contribute to disaster relief via the UCC website – ucc.org – Respond to Disaster. If you wish to designate your gift to Emergency USA for a specific disaster, be sure to write it in the comments. You may also contribute by check. Checks payable to United Church of Christ, marked for Emergency USA Fund may be sent to 700 Prospect Avenue, Cleveland, OH 44115.

Friday, June 21st at 7:30 pm Fine Wine Brokers • 4621 N. Lincoln Avenue

Tickets $45 at www.commonpantry.org/wine-tasting

Come sample 50+ wines and craft beers as well as some hors d'oeuvres. While you are tasting away, you will also have the chance to walk away with some great prizes from the raffle and silent auction. Be sure to get your tickets, as this event is expected to sell out!

Hope to see you there!

Pastor Kevin was elected to be an Illinois delegate to the United Church of Christ’s General Synod which is the gathering of the wider church in order to do denominational business, voice justice concerns, and celebrate the work of the 5300 churches that make up our denomination. He will be gone from June 27 to July 3 in Long Beach, California. Pastor Kevin and Pastor Bill Bordonaro will be presenting the resolutions to be considered by the delegates at the next Cluster 2 gathering on Tuesday, May 28^th at Bethany UCC (6:30 PM), to which all are invited.

Our annual summer “Ask The Pastor” sermon series is back, and your questions are needed. A recent tradition has emerged at Epiphany where members and friends of the congregation are asked to submit questions or thoughts for the pastor to engage with during Sunday worship in the sermon. If you’ve got a question you would like answered or have simply struggled with (some answer may never come from him or anyone on this side of eternity…), please email them to Pastor Kevin as soon as possible (for his planning purposes) at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it or call him at the office at 773-281-4144. Questions or ideas can be submitted up until the early summer.

One Book, One Epiphany Summer Book Club will be reading Jayber Crow by Wendell Berry. You’re asked to read this rich and thoughtful novel through the summer months and join us on Sunday, August 25 after church to share your thoughts and insights on the book.

Ask The Pastor sermon series will be ongoing throughout the summer—please

Theology on Tap will continue to meet on the following dates at Black Rock Pub on Damen on the following Mondays: June 3, July 8, and August 5 (all 6:30 PM). Look for the thought provoking material a few weeks before each meeting—all are invited for beer, food, and thoughtful conversation!

Volunteers are needed for two shifts every Wednesday – from 10:30am to 2:00pm, and from 2:00pm to 4:00pm. A positive and compassionate attitude, willingness to work with a team and computer skills are required. Weekly attendance and conversational Spanish skills are highly preferred.

Pastor Kevin is doing a Bible Study on the New Testament letter to the Philippians. Some have argued that the central theme within this letter is joy, something participants will tease out throughout the study. The class will meet on May 12 & May 19^th, from noon to 1 PM.

“Theology on Tap” has been postponed until Monday May 13^th. The location is tentatively set at the Black Rock Tavern. The article entitled “Caught in the Middle: On Abortion and Homosexuality” by Wendell Berry, is available on the narthex table as you exit the sanctuary. All are invited to the gathering that starts at 6:30 PM.

One Book, One Epiphany: A Summer Church-wide Book Study Pastor Kevin will be inviting people to join him in reading a common book during the summer months, and then coming together in late August to share our thoughts, feelings, and insights about it. The book he has chosen is Wendell Berry’s Jayber Crow. The following is a description of the book from the New York Times Book Review: “Jayber Crow…relates the life story of a young man who abandons his plans to become a minister and becomes the town barber instead…By the end this melancholy barber has won both our attention and our hearts.” Please contact the church office if you would like reserve a copy of the book for $14, or you can simply buy a copy at your local bookseller. Two stand-alone gatherings to discuss the book will take place at the end of the summer.