Love wins!

This is hardly news in terms of the celebration of Easter...we give, at least, intellectual assent to the fact that sin and death were defeated on that early morning of the third day. But what's the lived reality of this assertion? I think it's the gift of the Holy Spirit allowing us and empowering us to look for and encounter the Face and goodness of God in a world that also has so much hatred and division. And this, in turn, allows us to live in hope and expectation the coming of the kingdom, God's Beloved Community...now and at Christ's return. It offers us the ability to do love that is present to God, ourselves, and one another (whether we like all of the others or not, right?) so that we can truly rejoice with those who are rejoicing, and weep with those who weep. Simply put, because Love won more than 2,000 years ago, Love lives in us now, and no matter how it looks, Love will win in the end. If that ain't good news, I don't know what is! Happy Easter, y'all! Love Wins!!

Much love,

Mo. Nikki +

GOOD FRIDAY, April 7

12pm Good Friday Liturgy

7pm * Good Friday Liturgy

THE GREAT VIGIL OF EASTER, April 8

8:30pm * Festival Eucharist & Choir 

starts outside with the lighting of the Paschal Candle

Please bring noisemakers, pots, pans, cowbells, airhorns, drums for the 

Great Noise to ring in Easter!

EASTER DAY, April 9

10am * Festival Eucharist, Baptism, & Choir

followed by an Easter Reception 

(please bring a finger food if you’re able!)

& Easter Egg Hunt for children

**(please note only 1 service on Easter morning)

* these services will be live streamed

Annual Flowering of the Cross

  In celebration of the Resurrection, we will remember the new life displayed in all of creation by flowering the cross. The cross will be located near the entrance to the church. Children of ALL AGES will be invited to add a flower to the cross as they enter for worship. You are encouraged to bring a flower/bloom from your yard, if you wish. The Children's Ministry will be providing carnations to add as well.

          REMEMBER: No Children's Sunday School or Children's Chapel Sunday

  Children will join the St. Gregory's family for the combined worship service at 10:00 AM

Friends of the Library

Alice Mohor will be one of 6 local authors reading for a The Friends of the Library event on Tuesday, April 11 from 7-8PM at the Athens Regional Library on Baxter Street.  Alice will be reading poems from her book, Shared Days. The event is free.

easter

this time each spring

we celebrate

the son of man

who conquered hate

a life of fear

held all at bay

until he came

to lead the way

from separate

to love for all

beyond a death

with bitter gall

his risen life

inspired those

who spread good news

to friends and foes

alice mohor

Join us for Gospel Music Sunday with the Trey Clegg Singers!

On April 16, 2023, join us for a gospel music celebration with guest choir, the Trey Clegg Singers. There will be ONE service this day at 10AM only. You may remember Trey Clegg and some of his choristers from Bishop Wright's Consecration in the Diocese of Atlanta in 2012, and some of the glorious music heard there. Some others of you may have heard of the excellent music from St. Paul's Episcopal Church and its choirs, when Mr. Clegg served as Minister of Music there. And whether you have or haven't heard this choir before, know that here at St. Gregory the Great, as we give our own excellent choir and musical staff a well-deserved break after the phenomenal music performances given to us for Lent and Easter, you are in for a treat. They will be with us at the 10AM service, and joining us for coffee hour afterward. Please come and worship with us.

For music sample and news click here and here.

Committal Service for Eric Groff Agner

Eric Groff Agner, 56, of Washington, DC, died January 30, 2023 after complications from cancer. Formerly of Athens, Georgia, he graduated from the University of Georgia School of Journalism and worked at The Observer and Graphic Composition. He received his Master’s Degree in Publication Design from the University of Baltimore in 1995. Most recently, he worked in graphic design with the Justice Department supporting community-oriented policing.

A life-long musician, he was in bands starting in high school in Athens—including Banned 37 and The Woggles. In Baltimore and DC, he played with The Dilettantes, Dames Rocket, Lawn Chair, The Racket, The Paper Tapes, The Sugar Biscuits and The Judith Hour. Eric was an avid participant in February Album Writing Month—an online challenge that had him composing, arranging, singing, playing the bass and other string instruments, in the recording studio in his basement every February. 

He is survived by his wife Patti Fetz, sister Suzanne Coffman, mother Margaret, daughter Robin, 2 grandchildren, 5 aunts, an uncle, and many grieving friends, relatives and musicians. 

Committal of the ashes will be Saturday, April 15 at 4PM at St. Gregory the Great Episcopal Church Memorial Garden. A memorial gathering will follow from 5-8PM at Lyndon House Art Center, 211 Hoyt St, downtown Athens. Bands are welcome to play. Refreshments, anecdotes and photos will be shared.

Nikki's Sabbatical

Get ready for summer fun, April 30th - July 31st with amazing guest priests, the Rev. Bob Dentler, (y’all remember him?) and our very own phenomenal Rev. Ellen Richardson and Rev. Carol Schwenke. They will be covering for me while I am on my first EVER sabbatical. Yippee!! Priests are supposed to have those every 7 years, yet I’m on year 15 of ordination, with this being my first. I will be working but away on the last week of April, attending Credo, a week of intense study and devotion in which priests are encouraged to participate. I’m not going out of the country, but there will be travel and independent study. I’ll return fresh and ready to roll Tuesday, August 1st! And I know you, my Beloved church family will do what you always do, no matter who is the face and voice of God in our services of worship, because you’re awesome! You’ll continue to have church and be church, because that’s just who you are. That’s I’m so blessed to walk this journey of faith in your company. So much love to you!! I thank God for you!

Family Promise is a coalition of local churches who volunteer to help temporarily homeless families housed at Milledge Avenue Baptist (MAB). Our church helps out four weeks a year. Our next week is coming up April 30-May 7. Volunteers help by preparing meals or serving as on-site hosts at MAB. As our week gets closer, a signup genius link will be put in the Friday email. This is satisfying work helping those who are trying to get their lives back and get into permanent housing. For questions, please contact Annette Bates via email or 706-255-5839.

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!