It’s normal to be in need.
“I think part of our job is to get people to say, ‘We all have needs sometimes.’ And there’s nothing shameful about being in need,” said Beth Boehm, president of the Epiphany Conference.
Since 2017, Epiphany Conference has been serving those in need. With 12 active Vincentians, they field roughly 30 to 40 calls per month.
“I enjoy helping people,” said Jane Burke, an active Vincentian.
While they may help pay a client’s rent or mortgage, utility or medical bills, and adopt a family for Christmas each year, each Epiphany Conference Vincentian simply listens.
“Sometimes we’re just an ear to hear them. We’re just a sounding board,” Burke said. “I just think it’s about being a friend to them and sharing with them,” added Angie Curtis, an active member.
Epiphany Conference has served people from all walks of life, including single mothers and even a pastor’s daughter.
“Sometimes they just want to hear somebody else say what they’ve already been thinking themselves,” Boehm said.
Late last year, St Raphael Conference asked Epiphany and other SVDP Conferences to share in the expense of donating desks, file cabinets, refrigerators, and tools among other things to an elementary school in eastern Kentucky that was destroyed by last year’s flood.
Epiphany Conference makes exit baskets for clients at Ozanam Inn Men’s Emergency Shelter, which come with paper towels, toilet paper, towels, washcloths, soap, laundry detergent, toiletries, flatware, glasses, and dishes.
For those at the Domestic Violence Transitional Housing Program going into permanent housing, they make exit baskets with sheets, blankets, washcloths, towels, and pillows.
“It’s not just about providing emergency aid to people who need it, but it really is about growing your own faith,” Boehm said.
Epiphany Conference is not only an incredible example of helping people financially, but also being present with each client in their need.
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