Making a Splash!by Anastasia Rodgers
This summer we made a big splash with The Water of Life Preschool VBS and Day Camp! With more than one hundred children in attendance, seven LOMO counselors, and over twenty youth and adult volunteers from Epiphany it was a full week with lots of excitement! Each day the kids learned new songs, explored a Bible story, learned about nature, created crafts, played games and developed new relationships. Throughout the week our Water of Life theme explored how God is always with us!
We collected a special offering for children and families around the world who need clean water. Jesus is the Water of Life and encourages us to care for everyone! We partnered with ELCA Good Gifts to help purchase supplies for clean water with our mission partners around the world. Our offering total of $465 exceeded both goals set during the week- Counselors, Anastasia, and Assistant Director of Preschool VBS Lindsay Wipperman got wet on Thursday night during the Family Night after the first goal was reached. Then upon exceeding the second goal, Anastasia and Pastor Jay got pied in the face on Friday! It was all good fun; our children loved sharing God’s love around the world through this offering!
The people who made Preschool VBS and Day Camp such a huge success help us remember that indeed, God is always with us. Thank you to the volunteers and camp staff who gave their days full of love and attention to our kids. Thank you to those who provided homes and hospitality to the LOMO counselors. Thank you to families that provided food and supplies. Thank you to the parents, grandparents and loved ones who brought kids to the church each day. And thank you for the thoughts and prayers throughout the week; we couldn’t have done it without the power of prayer!
As we continue to wade in the water this summer reflect on our theme verse “When you pass through the waters, I will be with you.” When see water in your daily lives allow for a quick pause and remember you are a loved child of God and God will always be with you. Share that love, serve others, and be excited that here at Epiphany we have a bunch of kids who know they are loved, and that they are the church, water and all!
On July 31, many of Epiphany’s music ministry groups demonstrated how uplifting worship can be when glorifying music is made by many. Bishop Eaton’s visit afforded us a special opportunity to worship together and experience the synergy of musical diversity. That musical diversity is who we are at Epiphany, and it’s something worth celebrating. 
Oh what a summer it has been! Our 26th summer musical, Big Fish, was a production of epic proportions with 75 cast members in total. More than 2,000 people attended eight fantastic performances, and thanks to the generosity of show patrons, we were also able to donate $2,610 to Epiphany’s Storybook Project. Many thanks to all who help make our summer musicals possible each year.
Each year, Epiphany hosts a HUGE Community Garage Sale to support one of its ministries. This year’s sale, at our Far Hills Campus on Saturday, May 21, 9 a.m. – 3 p.m., will support Epiphany’s Youth Ministry with proceeds benefiting our students going on Spoke Folk, camperships for students attending camps at Lutheran Outdoor Ministries of Ohio (LOMO), as well as subsidizing the costs of other youth ministry events and expenses outside of our budget.
Primary assistance, provided by our congregation, is in the form of providing meals and overnight hosts for an entire week, twice a year. This past year, Epiphany provided more than fourteen meals during our assigned weeks, with one meal provided by our youth who also passed out quilts. We hosted more than seven times, including extra times when needed, and gave 25 beautiful quilts to the children staying at the Schneider House of Hope. Epiphany is the 
by Tonya Johns
3 “Blessed are the poor in spirit,