Happy Spring!

There was a very memorable line in the popular TV show "The Office". The character Andy said in a wistful moment near the very end of the series "I wish there was a way to know you're in the good old days before you've actually left them." Well consider this your reminder that we're in the good old days of lovely springtime. You look out the window and everything is fresh and green. The azaleas are withered, but the summer flowers are budding, and it's a lovely time to go outside for a walk in God's creation.

At the end of this month, Mother Nikki will begin her well-deserved sabbatical for three months, but we needn't be anxious about this. Our Sunday and Wednesday services will be well attended to by the following priests:

April 30- Carol Schwenke

May- Ellen Richardson

June- Carol Schwenke

July 2-23- Bob Dendtler

July 30- Ellen Richardson

Routine matters can be brought to Committee Chairs, Vestry members, and our other church staff as always. And as your Senior Warden, I am at your service to help any way I can, and to document anything that needs Nikki's attention after she returns.

Regarding these Friday email news blasts, in Mother Nikki's absence, the Vestry will take charge of providing the welcome messages. Over the next 12 Fridays, this portion of the newsletter will feature a different Vestry member, their committee assignments, and any needs or news that the committee may currently have to share. I hope you will enjoy hearing what our committees are currently doing, and I hope they provide you with opportunities to engage with any of our ministries that interest you!

In Love,

LeeAnne Krause

SACRED GROUND

Sacred Ground is a thoughtful, sensitive, and faith-based resource created and financed by The Episcopal Church to assist local congregations in creating safe space for difficult but respectful and transformative dialogue on race and racism. Inviting participants to reflect on family histories and stories, as well as important narratives that shape the collective American story, the program is one path we can take in seeking to become God’s Beloved Community. 

St. Gregory’s is offering the 10 session Sacred Ground program during this 2023 Sabbatical Summer as an opportunity to gather, pray and share a meal together, and to read, mark, learn and inwardly digest written materials, films and facilitated conversations. The meeting dates will be Wednesday evenings from 6-8:30pm from May 10-June 7 and June 28-July 26 with a two week break (June 14 and 21) to allow each participant to more intensively pursue a particular topic of their choice. We are seeking 8-10 people to participate with one another and 2 facilitators.

If you would like to sign up for this journey, please notify Kendall Kookogey at the St. Gregory's church office via email or at 706-546-7553 by Friday, May 5, 2023. There is no cost to participate other than your time and commitment.

For questions, contact Ellen Richardson via email or 912-660-0151 or Ron Balthazor /706-338-0625.

If you would like to read more about the program, follow this link: https://episcopalchurch.org/sacred-ground I hope you will prayerfully consider this opportunity at this important time of seeking understanding and healing in our fragile communities and our wider world. 

St. Gregory's next Family Promise week is coming up April 30-May 6. Family Promise (formerly Interfaith Hospitality Network) is an organization of churches which helps with meals and host responsibilities for local, temporarily homeless families with children. The families stay at Milledge Avenue Baptist Church (MABC). Volunteers sign up to provide a meal or be a host for an evening, night or weekend shift at MABC. Sign up by clicking on this link. Scroll down until you find the week of April 30-May 6. For questions, email Annette at or call 706-255-5839. This is a way for us to be Christ's feet on the earth here in Athens.

earth stewards

recipients

of god’s great gift

our energies

must quickly shift

this fragile home

is under threat

our atmosphere

is now beset

by climate change

with great extremes

that risk an end

to all our dreams

for the safety   

of creation

and each future

generation

alice mohor

Instructions for Live Streaming

• Just go to the St. Gregory the Great Episcopal Church YouTube Homepage

• Near the time for service, underneath our channel logo, you will see our video for that day, with the word ‘live’ on it. The page will look like this:

• If you don’t immediately see the video that says ‘live’, (for instance, if you opened YouTube before the service begins) keep refreshing it.  

• When you see the video square that says ‘live’, click on it. 

Welcome to worship!