PO Box 4763, Rock Hill, SC 29732              epiphany@comporium.net             Phone: 803-323-8877

is involved with many community outreach programs
and has established its own ministries to meet the needs of members
and people in the wider community. Members are encouraged to find
their own unique ways of contributing to Epiphany's mission by
learning what their spiritual gifts and talents are. As a permission
giving congregation, members can establish their own ministries
within the congregation. Learn about the ways you can serve.
 







                                        

Epiphany is one of 13 congregations involved with this county-wide ministry for
homeless families. Every quarter, for a week at a time, we host the Interfaith families
as they sleep and eat in our church building. For more information regarding this
ministry, call 329-2456.  We have recently completed our most recent week of hosting
and Epiphany's next week of hosting will be in early 2005.

Interfaith Hospitality Network of York County (IHNYC) is a not-for-profit organization
that provides meals, shelter, support services, and life skills training for homeless
families through coordination with local churches, social service agencies, and volunteers. 
It is one of only two agencies in our area that accepts the whole family, including the
father/husband. Other shelters separate the men from the women and children.

IHNYC’s vision and goal is that parents and children leave the program better equipped
to meet life’s challenges and that homeless families resume and maintain self-sufficiency
and independence in permanent housing.

IHNYC accomplishes the goal of self-sufficiency and independence by assuring that
parents obtain employment, stabilize their income, and improve money management
skills; avail themselves of government and other agency support services; become
involved in training opportunities to improve job and life skills; and participate in
counseling (informal and professional) to address social and emotional problems.

The IHNYC staff and volunteers work with families to create individualized Family
Contracts that contain objectives for employment, finances, health needs, education,
and a wide range of life skills.  Parents must actively work on meeting their Family
Contract objectives in order to continue their participation in the program.  The families
stay until they can resume self-sufficient living, which is usually approximately 3 months.

Opportunities for Service:
Cook dinner
Overnight, evening, or dinner host
Donate food, clothing, furniture, etc.
Mentoring or tutoring

During the day, the families in the IHNYC program go to work, go to school, go to
the Day Center, etc.  At night, they have dinner and stay overnight for one week at
each participating church.  Epiphany hosts the families in the IHNYC program for 1
week beginning on Sunday every approximately 13 weeks. 

From September to May our congregation provides and delivers over 200 meals, on
the third Thursday of each month, to the families of this community ministry.  The food
is donated by members of the congregation and the meals are prepared, by volunteers,
 in the church kitchen.  Volunteers deliver the prepared meals to designated
neighborhoods in Rock Hill

Hunger Outreach Program (HOP) feeds individuals and families on a predetermined
route in the Blackmon Road area near downtown Rock Hill, including a stop at the
Red Coach Inn. Epiphany participates in this program by delivering home-cooked
meals on the third Thursday of each month, September through May. Other churches
and organizations in York County rotate feeding the hungry during other times.
Opportunities for you to help include:

Meal preparation
Driving the van
Helping with delivery and serving of meals
Help with clean up
Donating food
Monetary donations

Participation in Hunger Outreach is a great way to make a difference in the community
with only a once a month commitment.

 

RAIN (Regional AIDS Interfaith Network) is a ministry of Epiphany which allows
individuals to become a part of the compassionate ministry of helping people who are
HIV positive and those who have AIDS. Epiphany has an AIDS care team which
provides help, hope, and compassion for a HIV positive person in our community.

We are interested in welcoming new members to our RAIN Team.  We seek those
individuals who are concerned about the epidemic of AIDS in our society and those
who desire to offer compassion and hope to those afflicted with AIDS or who are
HIV positive.

Epiphany's RAIN team is a ministry team of Epiphany, consisting of 4-8 individuals.
It provides compassion, hope, and practical help to a Care Partner (Person living
with AIDS). All RAIN Team members are trained by the Network's staff in Charlotte.

RAINdeer Tree
At Christmas each year we provide gifts and financial support to families of RAIN
(Regional AIDS Interfaith Network). All members of Epiphany can participate.

Epiphany participates in projects sponsored by Habitat for Humanity of York County.
We have assisted in several of the homes built by Habitat for Humanity and have
provided financial assistance through our Sunday School program and Men's group.

Once a year, a group from Epiphany organizes an afternoon of tea and conversation
for the purpose of benefiting a local agency in the community. 

Epiphany’s Benefit Tea is a Sunday afternoon of food, fun, fellowship, and a cup of
tea.  A group of Epiphany members and friends get together to benefit a local
organization.  Door prizes are given away, and admission to the Tea is an item or
items donated to the charity.  Some organizations which have been benefited by the
Tea in the past include Safe Passage, Inc., Pilgrim’s Inn and Interfaith Hospitality
Network.  Opportunities for you to help include: 

Coordinating the event
Make food or snacks
Lend tea cups and china plates
Donate a door prize
Help with set up and clean up
Deliver donations to local charity

Epiphany’s Tea is a wonderful opportunity to have a relaxing afternoon while helping
those in need.

Each Thanksgiving, we provide food for a compete holiday dinner for up to 15 families
who are registered with Pilgrim's Inn ministry.

In 2003, our Sr. High Youth began sponsoring the Toys for Happiness ministry which
is an outreach ministry opportunity provided by the York County United Way. We
collected new toys for distribution throughout the York County area.

The Helping Hands Ministry is a ministry of compassion and mercy as our congregation
seeks to reach out to our own members in time of need and crisis.

Registration Form Coming Soon
You may contact Millie Hathaway, Mission Leadership Team member in charge of
Community Ministries.