MAKING A DIFFERENCE

Transforming Hearts Through

"Sacred Ground"

Earlier this year, seven members of our Racial Justice and Healing ministry spent twelve weeks participating in "Sacred Ground: a Film Based Series on Race and Faith," developed by the Episcopal Church.

Sacred Ground is a sensitive, prayerful resource that creates space for difficult but respectful and transformative dialogue on race and racism. It invites participants to walk back through history in order to peel away the layers that brought us to today, reflecting on family histories and stories, as well as important narratives that shape the collective American story. It holds as a guiding star the vision of the beloved community—where all people are honored and protected and nurtured as beloved children of God, where we weep at one another's pain and seek one another's flourishing.

This was truly a transformative experience for our members. Here are some reflections on their experience:

"Sacred Ground allowed me to better learn the scope and breadth of the racism people of color have experienced are experiencing in our country. The discussions we had about the subject were lively and illuminating. Sacred Ground was a valuable experience." 

-Richard Tullie.

"I have been committed to racial justice and healing since I was in high school and pursued this interest through educational pursuits and professional development until now as a retiree. Before Sacred Ground, I didn't know what I didn't know. Now, I feel and think that the Sacred Ground curriculum and dialogue circle experience has enlightened me and rounded out my knowledge. I am truly grateful for this wonderful learning experience about the true American history and how being engaged as a member of the Beloved Community of the Episcopal Church, can be transformational." 

-Cheryl Fells.

"Sacred Ground helped me understand the far reaching consequences of individual, institutional, societal, cultural and generational racism.

I didn’t know what I didn’t know, and ignorance impairs understanding, justice and healing."

-Betsy Wenzel.

"Because I was raised in the southern part of our country and lived through the Civil Rights era plus supporting progressive organizations regarding race relations, I assumed I had a deep understanding of myself regarding prejudices. After taking the Sacred Ground program, I realized that my grasp of the pervasiveness of institutional and personal racism was only partial, and I had more emotional and spiritual work to do." 

-Bill Brockman.

"The richness of the Sacred Ground experience was anchored by the faithful, abiding presence and attention of my fellow group members, and our heartfelt engagement with one another and with the abundance of excellent course material. This was a transformative pilgrimage for me, as it can be for anyone who undertakes it."  

-Anita Sherman.

Sacred Ground is an eye-opening history lesson, heartbreaking at times, however the program renewed my desire to continue to work to create an inclusive community within St. Gregory’s. Paula Behul.

"Sacred Ground definitely had a strong transformational impact on my knowledge, attitudes and emotions. It taught me the most loving thing a person, or a group of people, can do for another is to examine the ways in which your own insecurities and assumptions interfere with others’ ability to thrive, grow and prosper."

 -Bill Lintz.

I invite you to consider joining me in our next "Sacred Ground Circle in 2024.

-Andrew Sherman+

SACRED GROUND DIALOGUE SERIES

Informative Discussion

Sunday, November 12

Join us on Sunday, November 12th following the 10:00 AM service for an interactive discussion on the Sacred Ground Dialogue Series. Information about the program to inspire participation in the series will be hosted by the Racial Justice and Healing Ministry. Refreshments will be served.

WISDOM SCHOOL

Seeing with the Eye of the Heart

Dear Wisdom students,

If you are looking for something you're trying to find outside of yourself, join me by going within. Connect here.

With everything going on in the world, I offer Gurdjieff’s version of the Te Laudamus (We Praise You God) as a prayer. Typically, this is chanted in times of great joy, but this haunting tone seems more appropriate while we try to stay in front of the grief and praise God nonetheless.

In Christ,

Fr. Ben+

A MESSAGE FROM TIM

Music Ministry

This Sunday, we will be observing All Saints’ Sunday as we remember our dearly departed. The choir will be singing a beautiful anthem by British composer William Harris “Holy is the True Light”… and passing wonderful, lending radiance to them that endured in the heat of the conflict: from Christ they inherit a home of unfading splendor, wherein they rejoice with gladness evermore. Alleluia.

During communion we will be reading the names of those who have passed on while the choir sings a movement from Gabriel Faure’s Requiem, In Paradisum, which derives its text from the Mass for the Dead. …God’s holy angels lead you to paradise: may saints in their glory receive you at your journey’s end, guiding your footsteps into the Holy City Jerusalem. Choirs of angels sing you to your rest: and with Lazarus raised to eternal life, may you for evermore rest in peace.

Our mighty Austin pipe organ is almost put back together! Final pieces are still being assembled but it plays! I’m so thrilled to welcome it back! Fine-tuning and adjustments will be made in the coming weeks in order to have it working properly by Christmas. I’ve included some photos of the organ tech team, led by Alan McNeely, as they re-assemble the many pipes and working mechanics.

I’ll see you on Sunday!

Blessings to all,

Tim

CHILDREN, YOUTH, AND FAMILIES

A Place to Belong

Thursday, November 2

No Choristers Rehearsal (St. Gregory's 70th Anniversary Gala). Congratulations to our church for 70 years of faithful service.

This Sunday, November 5 - All Saints Sunday

9:10 AM - Confirmation Class (Conference Room)

No regular classes or Upper Room Time for Youth. All children and youth are invited to participate in a special All Saints' Sunday 10:00 AM worship service!

YOUTH - Advent wreath sales in the courtyard after 10am service

+ + +

NEXT THURSDAY, NOV 9

5:45pm - Choristers rehearsal (Choir Room)

+ + +

NEXT SUNDAY, NOV 12

9:10am - Confirmation Class (Conference Room)

9:45am - 3yrs - 5th grade (designated classrooms)

9:45am - Upper Room Time for middle and high school (Youth Room)

MEALS WITH MEANING

Joy and Blessings for Servers

and Served Alike!

Last Sunday was service day for many of our youth volunteers who served our Meals with Meaning guests.



Here are just a few of the photos from the joyful afternoon.

UPPER ROOM TIME

FOR MIDDLE AND HIGH SCHOOL TEENS

Meets Sundays at 9:45 AM

St. Gregory's Upper Room Time meets each Sunday (except the first Sunday of the month or other specially designated Sundays) for snacks, downtime, conversation, reflection, and prayer. This Sunday, our children and youth will participate in special All Saints Day services.

NURSERY WILL BE CLOSED

This Sunday

St. Gregory's Nursery will be closed this Sunday. Please bring your young children to church. Children and youth are invited to participate in our special All Saints Day services. Childcare will be provided for the Newcomers class. Grace and Peace.

YOUTH GROUP SPONSORS ADVENT WREATH SALES & WREATH MAKING DAYS

Sunday, November 26

On Sunday, November 26 after the 10 a.m. service, we will gather on the East Terrace for an intergenerational wreath-making day.

Light the season with a beautiful Advent wreath!

Our Youth Group is sponsoring sales of Advent wreath kits. Each kit will include a lovely reusable wreath with built-in candle holders and a set of Advent candles (3 purple, 1 pink). Cost is $20/kit.

You can purchase a kit ahead of time all during November and make it yourself at home, or purchase a kit on our wreath making day. If you join us for the wreath making event, additional greens and decorations will be available!

CPR/BASIC FIRST AID PRESENTATION

Sunday, November 19 at 9:45 AM

Upper Room Time

for Middle and High School Youth(Youth Room)

Many thanks to Paula Holgerson for being our presenter for this activity!

PET FOOD COLLECTION

Sharing the Love with our Fellow Creatures

Many, many thanks to all who helped

with our pet food collection!

The shelters (Animal Aid and Give Hope Cat Rescue -- both rely on donations and operate on shoestring budgets) are so thankful for the donations.

Great work, everyone!

STEWARDSHIP AT ST. GREGORY'S

Your Support is Essential to Our Mission

HELP ST. GREGORY'S FLY!

Stewardship is about being grateful, responsible stewards of the gifts we receive from God.

The tradition of giving back to God and to the church comes from the Biblical practice of “tithing,” which means to give back a tenth of our earnings to God (Numbers 18:26).

The Episcopal Church sees stewardship as more than simply contributing money to the church; it’s also about contributing time and talents and volunteering for ministry and mission. It’s about reaching out to build relationships from a perspective of abundance instead of scarcity.

STEWARDSHIP SEASON

On Sunday, October 22, St. Gregory's kicked off Stewardship season with an engaging Town Hall meeting. During this time, we ask that you prayerfully consider your pledge for the coming year. 

The monies pledged will help St. Gregory's meet our operating expenses which include salaries, insurance, utilities, etc., and fuel our mission and ministries for this coming year as well as help to secure the future.

Your pledges are a loving response to a generous and loving God and demonstrate our commitment to Him and the Church.

If you have not received a pledge card, please email us at office@st-gregorys.com or visit stgregorysepiscopal.org/pledge.

THIS WEEK'S CONSTRUCTION UPDATE

Sanctuary Renovation

The renovation work in the church sanctuary is coming together beautifully, as seen in the latest photos.

Our organ specialist, Allen Neely, has done a great job reinstalling the organ pipes and will be on-site during the week to tune the pipe organ.

The pews are scheduled to be on-site at the beginning of next week. We have not encountered significant delays and anticipate being in the Sanctuary for Christmas.

ADULT FORMATION

Classes and Formation at St. Gregory's

Sundays

11:30 am - The Newcomers Classes with Fr. Andrew Childcare will be pro during the class.



Wednesdays

8:00 AM - Men's Spirituality Hour (Zoom) 

Meeting Link

10:00 AM - The Reality of Being with Fr. Ben (Zoom)

The Reality of Being will be an ongoing group, initially composed of the fruit that has fallen out of a three-year Gospel of Thomas circle, and will meet via Zoom every Wednesday from 10:00 AM - 11:30 AM EST. If interested, contact Fr. Ben here.

6:00 PM - Rector's Bible Study with Fr. Andrew - Hybrid - On Zoom and In Person (In the Conference Room)

Meeting Link Meeting ID: 821 8193 8028 Passcode: 713673

6:00 PM - Radical Optimism with Fr. Ben (Zoom) Click here to learn more and to register.



Thursdays

1:00 PM - Women's Bible Study (Youth Room) - For information, contact Evelyn Anderson at ebunn@stanfordalumni.org  or Susan D’Ambrosio, sldambro@gmail.com

ALZHEIMER'S AND DEMENTIA

An Informative Discussion

Last Sunday, St. Gregory's Stephen Ministry presented the "Alzheimer’s and Dementia: An Informative Discussion with Deborah Germain" (Program Manager, Alzheimer’s Association) in Harris Hall. If you missed this important discussion, please click on the video above to view it now.

ECW FALL MARKET AND BAKE SALE

Sunday, November 5

Join the ECW in celebrating Fall on Sunday, November 5th in the Courtyard from 9 a.m.-12:30 p.m.  Baked items will be for sale as well as holiday decor.  

Donations are needed!

Your donations of savory, sweet, and gluten-free treats are also appreciated and can be brought to the office tomorrow from 9-12:00 p.m. or bring them with you on Sunday morning.

FALL BACK

Please Turn Your Clocks Back One Hour

Sunday, November 5

It is that time again! Daylight Savings Time is ending soon. Please remember to "Fall Back" by turning your clocks back one hour on Sunday, November 5th.

SUNDAY "COFFEE HOUR"

Join us in the Courtyard on Sunday!

Join us in the courtyard on Sunday morning following the 10 AM service to enjoy cool drinks and time with good friends. Unfortunately, we don’t always have a varied assortment of goodies to serve. If you would like to bring some treats please drop them by the kitchen before the 10 AM service (the earlier, the better). Once construction is over and we have moved out of Harris Hall, we will go back to our snack contribution rotation, but until then, please bring something to go with our cold drinks! Thank you.

ALTAR FLOWERS

Honoring L/Cpl Ryan J. Sorensen, USMC

This Sunday's Altar flowers are being given by Rebecca and Jim Sorensen in loving memory of their son L/Cpl Ryan J. Sorensen, USMC.



Donations to our flower dedication fund help to offset the cost of altar flowers and are a wonderful way to honor a loved one or an important milestone. Click to learn more.

ST. GREGORY'S IS NOW LIVESTREAMING

TO THE HOMEPAGE OF OUR WEBSITE

stgregorysepiscopal.org

If you are unable to join us in person for services on Sunday, please join us online! In addition to livestreaming each Sunday's 10:00 AM Holy Eucharist to our Facebook page, St. Gregory's is now livestreaming the service to our homepage for your convenience. Click here to view the service on our hompage (it is located in the middle of the page) or click here to view it on Facebook.

SOUTH FLORIDA HAITI PROJECT

Regional Gathering on Sat. Nov. 18

Join the SFHP on Saturday, November 18 at 4:00 PM at Holy Family Episcopal Church . Come learn more about the SFHP, what's happeng now, and enjoy fellowship and refreshments. Learn more or RSVP

PASTORAL CARE

St. Gregory's Is Here For You.

St. Gregory's provides a variety of support ministries that are here to support you. Our clergy, staff, and Stephen Ministers are here to answer your questions, pray with you, and for your pastoral needs. Contact the church office at 561-395-8285 or by email at office@st-gregorys.com. Learn more.

PRAYER

Daily Prayer and Prayer Requests

Join us in prayer. Click here to submit your prayer request. To pray for others, click here to view this week's prayer requests. If you'd prefer to receive a daily written prayer, click here to receive each day's word from Daily Prayer (a resource of Forward Movement).

SFHP NOVEMBER PRAYER CALENDAR

Prayers for Haiti

Please join us in prayer for the people of Haiti. Click here for the November Prayer Calendar.

UPCOMING AT ST. GREGORY'S

Important Dates

Thursday, November 2nd - St. Gregory's Platinum Gala

Sunday, November 5th - All Saints Sunday

Monday, November 6th - Knitters Ministry Meets

Monday, November 13th - Vestry Meeting, Interfaith Thanksgiving service at Temple Beth El

Thursday, November 16th - SFHP Board Meeting

Saturday, November 18th - YogaMass

Sunday, November 19th - CPR/Basic Firsts Aid/Youth Upper Room Time

Wednesday, November 22nd - Thanksgiving Service

Thursday, November 23rd - Meals with Meaning Thanksgiving Meal

Sunday, November 26th - Advent Wreath Making following the 10:00 AM service

VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES

Volunteers are needed for various ministries.

Our Lay Eucharistic Visitor volunteer group is looking for members of our St. Gregory’s family to join them as they:

1. Deliver communion and enrich the religious experience of those unable to attend church due to illness or incapacity

2. Visit and spiritually support those in need of the comfort and companionship of St. Gregory’s

3. Maintain contact with those parishioners with whom they are assigned to assure them that they are still a part of our St. Gregory’s community.



If this type of ministry appeals to you, please contact David Cominole 561-376-9056 or email him at david.cominole@att.net for more information.

GIVING ST. GREGORY'S

Your Support Makes An Impact

Your support of St. Gregory's and our ministries makes our mission of Transforming Hearts and Community Through Jesus' Love a reality. Please click here to give online now. For more information, please email the Church Office or click on these links: Altar Flower Dedications, Capital Campaign, Meals with Meaning, Stewardship, and South Florida Haiti Project.

CONNECT WITH US

Engaging With St. Gregory's

We're grateful that you're part of St. Gregory's growing community! Visit our website at www.stgregorysepiscopal.org for more information or click the links and social media buttons below:

Contact Information

Volunteer Information

Download the St. Gregory's App - iOS, Google Play