Our Mission Statement Epiphany Ministry of Louisiana is an ecumenical Christian ministry. Part of Epiphany Ministry, Inc., our mission is to show Christ's transforming love to at risk and incarcerated youth who are in the custody of the state juvenile justice or social services system
What We Do The goal of Epiphany Ministry is to bring incarcerated youth into the Christian community by holding a 2 ½ day retreat within the institution. It began in Baton Rouge, Louisiana in 1998 at Jetson Youth Detention Center under the leadership of Rev. John Johns, a United Methodist pastor. Rev. James O. Evans started Epiphany at Swanson Youth Centers in Tallulah and Monroe in 2001. A team of pastors and laity conduct this interdenominational weekend retreat modeled after Cursillo and Kairos twice a year. A variety of talks, small group discussions, music, games, skits, and art are used to present a summary of the love of Jesus on a level appealing to these teens who we call “Stars.” Christian laity who are unable to attend the weekend prepare meals, cookies, and snacks and also agree to pray for them. Once a month some of the team return to the institution to encourage the Stars to continue shining with the love that have found in Christ.
Our History Ultimately, Epiphany has always been just a group of Christians who want to make a difference - people who see the potential to turn lives around. Epiphany began early in 1991 with the formation of a 14-person board in Montgomery Alabama lead by Rev. Louise Johns and funded by a grant from the Youth Service Fund of the United Methodist Church. They decided to base the program on the three-day weekends which already existed in a number of churches. The weekend was based on Kairos, Cursillo, Walk to Emmaus, Happening and Chrysalis.
The first Epiphany weekend was held in June of 1991. The program continued to be refined, and by 1994 it was ready to be expanded. In 1994, state committees were formed in South Carolina and California. In 1995 Epiphany was started in Texas and Virginia. In 1997 it spread to Ohio, Louisiana, and Georgia. Then in 1998, North Carolina and Florida affiliated, bringing the total number of states in Epiphany Ministry, Inc. to ten; and the ministry has continued to spread. There are currently Epiphany ministry programs in about a quarter of the states in the U.S. with several others working on starting Epiphany there. Our hope is to spread to the others.
Our Board and Officers Becky Giorno, Chair June Shaw, Secretary Erin Sanford, Vice-Chair & State Rep for National Cliff Dailey, Spiritual Director Donna Goodling, Treasurer Becky Ham, Member at Large Janie Humphries, Member at Large Ernest Young, Advisory non-voting Polly Dupuy, Advisory non-voting