Blessed Beloveds,
As we live our lives with joys and sorrows, as we watch the world produce acts or horror and acts of kindness and courage in turn, beware of the enemy's strategy of overwhelm and despair. Those are designed to isolate and immobilize so that in the end, we do nothing, and we do it alone. Instead, nourish yourselves with the joys of Divine love and the love in your lives that surrounds you, and meditate on how you can do what the late Archbishop Desmond Tutu says: “Do your little bit of good where you are; its those little bits of good put together that overwhelm the world.”
Let us allow God to whisper into our spirits, what is ours to do. And that takes constant listening because the assignments change as our spirits grow. It is then that we can hear the prophets and hear Jesus ask us to partner with him, leaning on the help of the Holy Spirit and for the glory of God, work to eradicate systems of countless 'isms', begin to undo the evils of Manifest Destiny, and make it so no child anywhere goes to bed hungry and wakes up to abuse. We have this: joys to enjoy, rest to take, AND work to do. I love how poet Mary Oliver says what Jesus and the prophets tell us...
Meditation is old and honorable, so why should I
not sit, every morning of my life, on the hillside,
looking into the shining world? Because, properly
attended to, delight, as well as havoc, is suggestion.
Can one be passionate about the just, the
ideal, the sublime, and the holy, and yet commit
to no labor in its cause? I don’t think so.
All summations have a beginning, all effect has a
story, all kindness begins with the sown seed.
Thought buds toward radiance. The gospel of
light is the crossroads of — indolence, or action.
Be ignited, or be gone.
+ Mary Oliver
Blessings and great love,
Mother Nikki+
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TONIGHT, we will be watching Nomadland (2021). “A woman in her sixties, after losing everything in the Great Recession, embarks on a journey through the American West, living as a van-dwelling modern-day nomad.” Join us in the parish hall and enjoy some popcorn and soft drinks - or bring a blanket and a picnic dinner! The movie begins promptly at 7pm.
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Pastoral Care Quarterly Brown Bag Series
This Sunday, August 21, parishioners will be asked to complete a Pastoral Care survey regarding a quarterly Brown Bag Series to begin this fall. Your responses will help us target topics that are of interest to you.
To jump start the Brown Bag Series, the following sessions have been planned.
Healthy Brain and Healthy Body: The Science of Aging Well. This session is for all ages and focuses on how nutrition, exercise, social relationships, and learning new information leads to a healthy brain and body. The exercise portion will be interactive.
Life Care Planning and Management Part 1. This session is for those who are contemplating life decisions for themselves or supporting others such as parents, other family members or friends as they make difficult decisions. Topics include: critical advanced planning documents (power of attorney, wills, trusts, advanced directive, etc.), asset protection and preservation, and estate planning.
Life Care Planning and Management Part 2. This session is for those who are determining how they will manage their elder care journey or for those who are supporting others in making these decisions. Topics include: home care, home health care, assisted living, long-term care, veteran’s pension benefits, Medicare, and Medicare.
Pastoral Care looks forward to receiving your suggestions for additional sessions.
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Sacred Ground is a sensitive, prayerful program of learning and group conversations created by The Episcopal Church to promote transformative dialogue circles on race and racism. 24 parishioners from St. Gregory the Great have completed the Sacred Ground Program via Zoom in 2021, as have many faith centered groups throughout the Episcopal Church.
We are planning to begin our first in-person Sacred Ground Circle at St. Gregory’s weekly on Thursday evenings 6:30 to 8:00 pm beginning September 15 and concluding with the last meeting on November 17, 2022. Online reading materials and films will be made available online for participants to prepare for each circle discussion.
Participation is welcome for all adults 18 and older in the St. Gregory’s community who are prepared to commit themselves to one another for the 10-week duration of the program and the time required to prepare for and to attend the meetings. Friends and family members beyond St. Gregory’s are also welcome as long as the commitment to the full program is honored, and not brought as drop-in guests.
If you would like to sign up for this Sacred Ground journey, please notify Kendall Kookogey at the church office by email or phone 706-546-7553 by September 9, 2022 so that you will have time to receive your materials and prepare for our first session. If you have questions please contact Ellen Richardson via email or 912-660-0151 or Ron Balthazar via email or 706-338-0625.
If you would like to read more about the program, follow this link: https://episcopalchurch.org/sacred-ground . We hope you will prayerfully consider this opportunity at this important time of seeking understanding and healing in our fragile communities and our wider world.
Ellen Richardson and Ron Balthazar
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FEAST VOLUNTEERS WANTED
St. Gregory’s is a supporter of FEAST, the food pantry on the eastside of Athens, which operates out of Covenant Presbyterian Church every Thursday, between 10am-4pm. Currently, the operation does not have anyone in charge, since Covenant’s Community Outreach Coordinator has gone to seminary. Covenant is asking for people to consider helping with this ministry as volunteers to help set up food, or take down names/addresses from folks who pick up groceries, and/or fill shopping carts and distribute groceries. You can also contribute by donating funds in order to purchase food. To volunteer, please sign up here or to give online, visit www.covpresathens.org/online-giving or mail a check to 1065 Gaines School Road, 30605.
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As families are settling into the school routine, don't forget to "settle in" to our weekly routine at St. Gregory the Great. We continue our Sunday schedule as we did prior to the summer:
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Children's Sunday School, 9:15-10:15 in the Christian Education Building (meeting in the chapel)
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Children's Church - meeting during the 10:30 service
Please see Doug Adkins if you have any questions about details for our children's ministry. Doug will be convening a parents meeting after Labor Day in effort to plan some family ministry events for the fall.
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BLINDSPOT SMALL GROUP
Begins August 25
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Beginning Thursday, August 25, and meeting on the last Thursday of each month thereafter, we will begin a nine-session program entitled "The Way of Love." There will be no prep work needed, so just grab a friend and show up! Whether you've been attending St. Gregory's for years or you've never even been to a service, all are welcome! Dinner will be provided, so please text Wade, or send a message in the group chat, with any dietary restrictions. We'll sit down to eat at 6:30pm in the education building and begin the session at 7pm. If you have any questions just send them in the group chat or text Wade. 770-624-4837 |
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GEORGIA FREEDOM LETTERS
Georgia Freedom Letters was formed in the summer of 2020 by a group of organizers, educators, and people who care about building connections across the walls of Georgia’s criminal legal system through letter writing. Due to an overwhelming amount of interest in recent months from those currently experiencing incarceration, GFL is eagerly asking us to get out our pens and paper and participate in their recently launched pen pal project.
Especially now, people experiencing incarceration need our support. Since COVID, many of the programs and visitations at our prisons have been significantly reduced if not cancelled--letter writing is one way we can help provide human connection and companionship especially until these programs can be re-instantiated. If you would like to sign up to correspond with one of the 55,000 people on the inside of Georgia's prisons you can do so by visiting this website.
Streamlined instructions penpal signup:
Here's the address you can use for your mailing address, instead of giving your home address:
The Episcopal Church of the Epiphany
2089 Ponce de Leon Avenue, NE
Atlanta, Georgia 30307
Please email the Rev. Nicole Lambelet, at nlambelet@epiphany.org to let her know that you are using their church address, and to give her your real address so that their church can send you any mail you receive from your pen pal.
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After a long hiatus, Les House will be restarting the live Lectionary class on Sunday, September 11th. The class will meet in the Library at 9:15AM on Sundays. We will be studying the assigned readings for each Sunday. Please contact Les House at 478-733-2939 or lwhouse9@gmail.com if you have any questions. Ken Taylor will continue the Zoom classes on Thursday at least through the end of September.
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Adult Spiritual Formation |
Adult Spiritual Formation meets this Sunday to continue our exploration of the Gospel of Luke. All are welcome in the Parish Hall from 9:15 to 10:15 with no need to have attended earlier sessions. Bibles will be available but feel free to bring your own favorite.
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church home
grateful for this
end of summer
as we rejoice
each newcomer
our welcomes here
do not abate
but caution does
safety dictate
we may refrain
from hugs free-range
but we still share
god’s peace exchange
we greet those near
with words we say
and in gestures
sent rows away
alice mohor
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If you're in your 20s or 30s and would like to stay up to date on events for your age group please reach out to Wade McGlamery, 770-624-4837, to join our group chat. |
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Due to the lack of volunteers, there may or may not be coffee hour on any given Sunday. If you are able to host or bring a baked item for a future coffee hour, contact Melissa or Catrina to sign up. A sign up sheet will also be posted at the event.
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We are in need of a few more acolytes to give a bit of relief to those in our current rotation. Never served before? That's fine- we will teach you! Acolyting is a great, low commitment, way to get involved in the life of the parish! Reach out to Wade McGlamery, 770-624-4837, if you would like to volunteer. |
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Athens Area Emergency Food Bank |
Needs for September
--Fruit juice (bottles or individual servings)
--Snack foods (chips, cookies, etc)
--Odd shelf items (condiments, salt/pepper, spices, cooking oil, sugar, coffee, tea, etc.)
The Athens Area Emergency Food Bank is in a "paper bag crisis" at the moment.
When you are shopping if you ask for "a few paper bags for the food bank," most stores will give you some. If we all do this for the month it would be a huge help--and they could put this crisis to rest.
PAPER, not plastic, bags are needed because of the system the Emergency Food Bank uses to serve families of different sizes. Paper bags hold more than plastic, hold their shape while they're being filled, and require less space to contain the prescribed amount of food for the different size families.
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Instructions for Live Streaming
- Just go to the St. Gregory the Great Episcopal Church
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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:
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If you don’t immediately see the video that says ‘live’, (for instance, if you opened YouTube before the service begins) keep refreshing it. To ‘refresh’ go up to the top of your screen and on the left or right of the web address you will see this image (little curvy arrow to the right -->). Click on it to ‘refresh.’
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When you see the video square that says ‘live’, click on it.
Welcome to worship!
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Meeting Opportunities
Parish community offerings via Zoom or in person:
*Community Yoga is back for fall (Aug. 10 – Nov. 30, 2022), Wednesdays, 5:15-6:15 PM; the 4th Sunday of every month will be Chair Yoga. Parish Hall or Zoom, Passcode: 509230. Come thrive with us! Email Anna Hiers for more information, or just show up! The class is free; donations to the church are welcome. *Please bring a yoga mat*
Stacie Court hosts "Let's Chat!" for women of the parish. The days and time vary, and not everyone can join every time, but everyone is welcome to join whenever they can! Email Stacie!
Book Club first Friday of the month @ 7PM ongoing for the foreseeable future. Email Lois Alworth if you are interested in participating.
Lectionary Discussion Group via Zoom, every Thursday at 6:00pm. Email Ken Taylor if you are interested in participating.
*Threads of Prayer will meet only the 1st Tuesdays of the month @1PM for June and July, and likely August! We'll meet outside if the weather is good and inside the Christian Ed building if the weather is bad. Email Annette Bates if you are interested in participating. All knitters and crocheters welcome!
*Men's Group: 9AM on Saturdays. 1st & 3rd Saturdays at the Somervilles and 2nd & 4th Saturdays in the library at St. Gregory's ! Email Peter Rice
* group(s) now meeting in person
Other groups have been meeting via Zoom as well, so if you've got a group already meeting in Zoom rooms, and want to widen your circle, let Kendall know so we can get the word out there!
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See what's happening on our social sites: |
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