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Epiphany is a season of gifts and light, for it was a radiant star that led three wise men to visit the newborn Jesus and offer him their gifts. This season, five United Methodist churches reflect on the essence of what it means for them to be members of the body of Christ and the ministries that best reflect their efforts to be Acts 2 congregations.

Christ UMC of the Deaf
While it may not seem profound, the essence of Christ UMC of the Deaf in Baltimore can be found around the table at the weekly meal following the worship service.

Recently this has become a free meal for everyone, thanks to the connectional help of several sister United Methodist churches.

Their contributions are symbolic of the connectional system working together to provide for the needs of the body. The deaf church has quite a few low-income people and, prior to the assistance of our sister churches, many were sent home on buses and vans with no lunch because they lacked the $3.75 we had to charge. Many of our children and youth also went without food due to the lack of money. Very few of them come with parents. Now they are fed.

The common table also represents our commitment to holistic ministry: soul, mind, and body. We provide food for the soul first and foremost but we do not forget the needs of the body and mind. Much of our church programming centers on helping people access health care, transportation, jobs and basic human services for life.
- The Rev. Peggy Johnson

College Park UMC
At the heart of College Park UMC is our worship of Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior.

College Park UMC is facing many of the same challenges many other churches are. We are a Beltway church with an average attendance of 80, struggling financially, and prayerfully wrestling with how to reach out to a changing community. But who we are throughout our struggles comes out loud and clear on Sunday morning.

Sundays are full of excitement, energy and joy expressed through the Scriptures, prayers, sermons and beautiful music. These elements empower us to face the challenges by putting our focus on God and all the awesome ways God is present, blessing our lives.

Worship also inspires many of us to action, as we grow to be more Christ-centered and move out of the boxes that might confine us.
- Julie Flinchum

Severn UMC
At Severn UMC hospitality and serving help make the church what it is.

For example, this past Christmas was the fourth year that Severn UMC served as a distribution point for Toys for Tots.

Four years ago, the former New Beginnings UMC asked to use our church hall. We eagerly invited them over. The next day, the Marines dropped off a truckload of toys. It looked like Santa's workshop had exploded in our church hall.

It was Christian mayhem at its best. Toys were everywhere. Diligent and energetic volunteers from both churches immediately started bagging toys.

Now it is a tradition we look forward to every year. It is, in a nutshell, an example of what we strive always to do at Severn UMC: show hospitality and friendliness, be in ministry to the community around us, work with other churches, and praise God for all the gifts and blessings God gives us daily.
- The Rev. Margaret Clemons

Greensburg UMC
One of the best gifts of Greensburg UMC in Martinsburg, W.Va., is the enthusiasm we nurture among our children and youth.

More than a third of these young people possess artistic qualities and skills that at times do not have an adequate outlet. As a special project for Christ the King Sunday in November, they drew and painted large pictures and symbols to depict the entire liturgical calendar year.

They then led the congregation through a special worship service, placing emphasis on each season.

This experience taught the young people that they can use their abilities to express themselves as they glorify God and serve the church.
- Connie S. Shaffer

Foundry UMC
The essence of church for me is expressed in the music performed at special times at Foundry UMC in Washington, D.C. As part of outstanding liturgy, this music enables us to connect with God in a meaningful manner.

A requiem makes me think about the great cloud of witnesses who have gone before me and helped me in times of struggle and celebrated victories. Music at Advent reminds me of the spirit of the Christ child who came as a paradox to the world and was a radical influence on the world.

The settings of the Passion story by Bach, the Brahms Requiem and the 'Credo' of Bach's B-Minor Mass during Lent tell the story of the Passion, as no sermon can. The telling of the tale through music causes the story to become a part of our very being.

The triumphant and heraldic music of Easter morning are the crowning event of the previous weeks. Singing 'Christ the Lord is Risen Today' to full organ and brass quartet and with a very full sanctuary always brings a tear to my eyes. It is the final summation of my faith.
-Kerm Towler