I wish you a blessed 2023, fellow Gregorians.

In the past year St. Gregory the Great was the astonished beneficiary of a $56,682 gift from the estate of a parishioner. The Vestry and ministry and program chairs were asked to suggest ways our church might best use that windfall. Suggestions include 

• replacing the roof on the Christian Education Building which, at 40 years old, already is 10 years past its usable life
• repairing and improving our children’s playgrounds (partly a safety issue)
• replacing the organ in the church
• building a permanent labyrinth
• replacing the carpet in the Parish Hall and in the sanctuary
• repairing the surface of the floor in the sanctuary
• funding a Capital Improvements Fund for future needs (because our future has arrived)
• repairing cracks in the walls of our buildings

As you can see, there are more good suggestions than funds, but the Finance Committee and the Vestry have been looking forward to allotting the bequest funds after the 2023 budget is approved. 

As it turns out, even after cutting the budgets requested by our parish ministries and programs*—Outreach, Music, Christian Education, Adult Christian Education, Youth Groups, Pastoral Care, Worship, Library, and others—and even after receiving two anonymous, undesignated gifts totaling $16,000 right after the first of the year, we will have to use $36,000 of our $56,682 bequest to balance our operating budget this year. At our meeting last Tuesday night, the Vestry approved the Finance Committee’s proposed budget of $454,009 in revenue and expenses. The Treasurer called the use of $36,000 from our bequest his “best bad idea” for our church to meet its basic operating expenses this year. Our Finance Chair refers to our use of the bequest and gifts as “eating our seed corn.” However we look at it, using gifts and bequests to pay for operating expenses isn’t sustainable, because we can’t count on such largesse next year or any year. Further, using the bequest and gifts for operating the church precludes their use for some much-needed repairs and improvements to our aging campus.

At our meeting last Tuesday the Vestry did approve replacing the Christian Education Building roof with the remainder of the bequest. Our logic is that the cost to repair potential damage from a leaking roof will surpass the cost of the new one, and we’re risking significant damage because the roof is so old.

The Vestry also voted to give our staff a 6% cost-of-living (COLA) raise this year. After a year of receiving no pay increase (2021) and a 3% increase in 2022, while the cost of living continues to increase, we want to recognize the contributions our staff makes to St. Gregory the Great. We had hoped for an even greater COLA. Losing any of our staff, especially if it were because it’s unaffordable to work at St. Gregory the Great, would be devastating for our church.

I hope to see you and break bread (or a wishbone) with you at the Annual Parish Meeting this Sunday, January 15, after the 10:30 service. 

Grace to you and peace from God.

Jane Hudson, Senior Warden

*Because of the inevitability that repairs will be needed in 2023, the budgets of Buildings and Grounds, $10,000 and $1,300, respectively, were not cut.

At our Annual Parish Meeting on Sunday, January 15, our congregation will be asked to vote for the following slate of three parishioners to join St. Gregory the Great’s Vestry for a term 2023-2026. Before the election please review the information below that the candidates have provided for us.

Kate Avinger

I got some Presbyterian and Methodist “churching” up to age 8. I learned the basics of Christmas and Easter but never felt like a part of a church community. I was culturally Christian, but basically agnostic in my teens and 20’s. It was my wife, Gina Defalco, who started gently encouraging me to consider the Episcopal church when we got together in 2003. It took a while to turn me into a church-goer! I have many reasons to love the Episcopal church, but what really stole my heart was the openness and warmth of the St. Gregory’s community. The watershed moment for Gina and me was the 2013 commitment ceremony of Alice Mohor and her dearly departed Nancy Hobart. When Gina attended and brought me back news of the standing-room-only enthusiasm of the church, we knew we had found our church home. Since then, I’ve helped out as a shepherd for the kids’ Sunday School and Children’s Church, been a stage mom for several of the Christmas pageants, and generated content for online church for both children and adults (with the help of my wife and kids). Most recently, I gave

my October 2nd speech on why I pledge to St. Greg’s, expressing my gratitude to the people of St. Greg’s for showing me what it is to be an integral part of a church community. (Check it out on YouTube, if you haven’t seen it already. It starts after the peace, at 59:29).  

In my secular life, I’ve been a licensed psychologist with Positive Outcomes, working with children, adolescents, families, and the occasional adult, for over 15 years. I specialize in work with trauma survivors and LGBTQ folks. When I meet an LGBTQ teen client with religious trauma, I am pleased to tell them about St. Gregory’s and that Christianity is not necessarily synonymous with rejection and oppression. I am blessed to be the wife of Gina, who has pointed me in the direction of truth and growth so many times, and who nominated me to the vestry. She’s served as co-leader of youth group and on the discernment committee of the recently ordained Will Drosos. I am the proud mom of Gavin (13), who acolytes, and Vanessa (11), who recently edited the Christmas pageant script to eliminate confusing language. This is truly my family’s church home. I am so proud to be an active part of our church community. St Gregory the Great is where my children and I were baptized, and where I was confirmed. St. Greg’s is where I learned that I am God’s hands. I’m excited to start my next adventure in service as a member of the vestry!

John Barrett

After retirement, Linda and I moved to Athens (actually Oconee County) in 2016 to, of course, be closer to grandchildren in Madison and Tucker. We landed at St. Gregory about a year later. We love to travel, and we have a cabin in Tennessee, so we haven’t had a stellar involvement record since we joined our fellow parishioners here at St. Gregory. It really feels like it is time to change that.

Prior to moving here, we lived in Jonesboro, Georgia, attended Church of the Nativity in Fayetteville, and were both employed by the Federal Government (I was with the FAA, and Linda was with EPA). We were confirmed into the Episcopal Church at Church of the Nativity in 2003. I served on the Vestry and a

Rector Search Committee. Linda and I were co-chairs of the Stewardship Committee. I sang in

the choir for many years, and I served as an acolyte when there was a particular need. I also

completed Education for Ministry, graduating in 2012.

We were United Methodists before our coming home to the Episcopal Church. I served in a

variety of ways, Lay Leader, Staff/Parish Committee, choir, and youth and adult Sunday School

teacher.

I grew up in Atlanta, attended a large Baptist Church (still processing some of that), graduated

from Sylvan Hills High School, joined the Navy, and got hooked on seeing the world. I attended

several universities (including UGA), finally negotiating a degree from Georgia State University.

Our daughter, Stacy, and her husband, Carl, live in Tucker. Their son, David, is a freshman at

North Georgia Technical College in Clarksville. Our son, Lee, lives in Athens, and his daughters,

Elle and Carson, attend Morgan County High School.

Shelby Welch

I am a lifelong Georgian, having been born in Toccoa and living in several areas around the state. I was an English teacher and School Counselor for 33 years before retiring to care for my elderly parents in their last years. I met my husband, Jeff, at our first teaching job, and we have three amazing children and four delightful grandchildren. All of us “bleed red and black,” since both Jeff and I and all of our children are UGA graduates!

While I grew up in the Baptist faith, I felt as though I had “come home” when I started attending the Episcopal church with Jeff while we were dating. We attended Emmanuel in Athens when we first married, but we shortly moved to Social Circle, and we attended Church of the Good Shepherd in Covington. Our whole family was very active there, including serving on the Vestry, teaching Sunday School, singing in the choir, acolyting, and lay reading. Later, we moved to Fitzgerald in south Georgia, where once again we enjoyed a very active church life in tiny St. Matthews Episcopal Church. Our family of four (Nathaniel was in college) learned to do every- thing for the church, since we normally had only 10-12 people at a Sunday service. On a normal Sunday, Toni took care of the altar, Amelia was the acolyte, I was the organist, and Jeff was lay reader, Eucharistic Minister, and Senior Warden.

We’ve been here at St. Gregory’s since 2003. I have led children’s music, taught Sunday School, sung in the choir, and been active in Parish Life. It is such a joy to have our youngest daughter, Amelia, son-in-law, Caley, and grandchildren, Jeffery and Kitty, become active in St. Gregory’s too! Jeff and I live in Lexington and enjoy retirement by growing fruits and veggies, keeping up our seventeen acres, making jams and jellies, and hosting family gatherings.

2023 EPIPHANY DRIVE FOR FAMILY PROMISE

As most of you know, St. Gregory’s belongs to Family Promise (previously Interfaith Hospitality Network), an organization of churches in Athens that provides homeless families a temporary place to stay while they work their way back to stability. The breadwinners of the families get rides to work if needed. Those who don’t have jobs are provided some of the support they need to find one. Meals are provided. Family Promise also works to prevent homelessness by helping families with a rent or utility payment or with the purchase of a used vehicle. These are truly opportunities to put our faith into action.

While we have the chance to serve as onsite volunteers during three weeks of the year, there are many parishioners who are unable to show up in person but would be interested in helping with Family Promise. We hope our 2023 Epiphany Drive will provide the opportunity to do just that.

Family Pride has an Amazon wishlist which, of course, is readily accessible to anyone shopping on Amazon. This link takes you directly to the Family Promise wishlist. There, you may add items directly to your Cart, pay for them as you do any Amazon order, and Amazon delivers the items straight to the registered Family Promise address. This provides an easy way to help meet the needs of the homeless population served by this program, and we hope that many of you will agree and participate. We will announce this effort several times during our January 6-February 6 Epiphany Drive. 

In recognition of the fact that not everyone shops with Amazon, we will also provide paper copies of the Family Promise wishlist as inserts in our church bulletins during January. You may purchase as many items as you choose, bring them to the Fellowship Hall at church any time from January 6 – February 6, and we will deliver them to Family Promise.

However you decide to participate, you may rest assured that your contributions will significantly impact Family Promise and its clients.

2022 Contribution Statements went out on Monday, January 9! Let Kendall know if you did not get it or if you need a hard copy. Most went out via email, so please check your junk mail/promotions/social tabs, etc. Those of you for whom we have no email address, your statement was mailed on 1/11/23.

STEWARDSHIP REMINDER. If you have not yet returned your 2023 stewardship pledge form, you can do so by bringing your completed form to worship (additional forms are in the narthex), by mailing your pledge form to church, or on our home page via the QUICK LINKS tab GIVING TO ST. GREGORY’S.  

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!