6-7 Don’t fret or worry. Instead of worrying, pray. Let petitions and praises shape your worries into prayers, letting God know your concerns. Before you know it, a sense of God’s wholeness, everything coming together for good, will come and settle you down. It’s wonderful what happens when Christ displaces worry at the center of your life.

8 Summing it all up, friends, I’d say you’ll do best by filling your minds and meditating on things true, noble, reputable, authentic, compelling, gracious—the best, not the worst; the beautiful, not the ugly; things to praise, not things to curse. 

The Message Bible, Philippians 4:6-8

for when you need a gentle day

from the book "The Lives We Actually Have" by Kate Bowler & Jessica Richie

God, I need a gentle day,

a respite from the strident voices

and the attention economy,

problems I can’t solve.

I need a break.

God shelter me awhile.

Blessed are we who come to you

just as we are,

asking to be gathered, hidden,

and held,

shielded for a time

from things too hard for us, 

too heavy to hold this long.

God, give us grace for one whole day

of gentle turning, 

of turning away from worry

towards restful action,

of turning from the troubles

of yesterday or tomorrow.

Blessed are we,

When the unsolvable problem

comes to mind again,

to turn from it, just for now,

When checking the news

one more time seems a good idea,

to let the hands rest and

the screen go dark.

When the muscles in the body

speak their tight reminders,

to listen to them long enough

to give them release,

to gentle up the breathing

and lower the eyes,

to let ourselves be small again,

wrapped up, and lifted into your arms,

for long enough until

the stirrings of enoughness come --

enough energy to tend

just the little space

that is within reach today.

Blessings and much love,

Mo. Nikki +

Stewardship-next Sunday, October 29, is our Stewardship In-gathering Sunday. Please bring your completed Giving Estimate cards and Ministry Interest forms to worship or return your cards and forms via U.S. mail, drop-off, or online.

vision

if we all give

what we each can

we will fulfill

our budget plan

to meet our needs

for ministries

for program goals

and salaries

to further our

mission to be

the love of god

to set all free

to live with joy

instead of fear

as we embrace

our neighbors here

alice mohor

Trunk-or-Treat and Halloweenie Roast

Sunday, October 29, 5:00-7:30

Make plans to join the St. Gregory’s family for a fun Halloween fellowship. The evening will consist of:

       Supper

• Gathering in the Parish Hall for supper. The church will provide hot dogs, chips, buns, and condiments, as well as tea, lemonade and supplies for s’mores. Please bring a side such as slaw, potato salad, baked beans. There will be a fire outside for roasting marshmallows and making s’mores.

       Carved/Painted Pumpkins

• There will be a couple tables designated in the parish hall for our display of carved or painted pumpkins.  Everyone is invited to prepare a pumpkin at home and bring it for all of us to enjoy. Be as creative as you wish!

        Pumpkin Carols

• We will join in our second annual “Singing of the Pumpkin Carols” around the dinner tables.

        Trunk-or-Treating

• After supper, we will have Trunk-or-Treating for kids. There will be time to get your trunk/car ready before we realize our young goblins.  Trunk-or-Treating will take place in the larger parking lot (nearest the parish hall).  If you plan on decorating your trunk, park on that side.  If you are not preparing a trunk, please park in the lot nearest the children’s playground.

        In Event of Rain

• If the forecast calls for rain, we will move the trunk-or-treating indoors as we did last year, and participants will decorate a room in one of the church buildings.  Any such changes will be announced during morning worship on the 29th.

In Preparation:

• All Gregorians are encouraged to bring your Halloween treats of choice to distribute from your own car trunk in the parking lot. If you don’t have a trunk, we will give you an assigned space to hand out your goodies.  Remember: we are a peanut-free parish.
• Carve or paint your own pumpkin to bring for the pumpkin display.
• Plan on bringing your side dish.
• Invite your friends and neighbors.

Every Fall, St. Gregory’s sponsors a parish-wide clothes drive to support our neighbor, Barnett Shoals Elementary School. This year, we are seeking donations, in the following prioritized order, to replenish the school’s clothes closet:

•  boys’ pants/sweatpants/shorts -all sizes, youth XS-XL
•  girls’ pants/shorts/leggings -all sizes, youth XS-XL
•  boys’ and girls’ underwear -all sizes, XS- XL
•  boys’ and girls’ shirts -all sizes, XS-XL (can include t-shirts in multi-packs, not necessarily gendered)

Boys’ and girls’ pants may include new and gently-used, clean items.

Donations will be collected from Sunday, October 1 through Friday, November 3, in the boxes located in the lobby of the Parish Hall. If you have any questions, please contact Gail Eilers, or Jane Sheridan. Thank you, in advance, for your support.

NEEDED: Two (2) responsible teenagers, or kind adults, to provide dependable, safe, secure, and nurturing care to the children while at our Church, ages 0-5 years in a clean environment. 

REQUIREMENTS:

• Safeguarding God’s Children certification program
• background check
• current with CPR & First Aid

WHEN: 9am - 12pm each Sunday. The pay is $14 an hour. We could also have volunteers rotating if they take the training and pass the background check. 

RESPONSIBILITIES:

• Responsible for providing age-appropriate care which includes: feeding, changing diapers, escorting to the bathroom, maintaining a safe environment, holding, or sitting with and cheerfully interacting with children through games, stories, play and prayer. 
• Be polite, friendly, and courteous to all children, parents, and volunteers.

Sunday, November 5, we will celebrate the Holy Eucharist and Feast of All Saints at both services.

You are invited to walk St. Gregory’s Labyrinth in the parish hall Monday, October 30 through Saturday November 4 in honor and remembrance of All Saint’s Day and All Soul’s Day. The labyrinth offers you the opportunity to “put feet on your prayers.” Experience a walking meditation that connects your mind, body and spirit. 

The next Brown Bag Lecture will be held at St. Gregory’s on Sunday, Nov. 5 in the Parish Hall right after the 10:30AM service. Please join us for Alys Willman’s presentation on Athens Reparations Action, a project committed to repairing harm from urban renewal and other racist policies incurred by the former Linnentown community.

Community Christmas of Oglethorpe County is gearing up for their annual toy and clothing drive! But in addition to and prior to that, they are in need of funds in November to help qualifying families pay their bills in December so hopefully they have a bit left over for Christmas! Thanks to neighbors like you, in 2022 they provided Christmas gifts and assistance plus emergency funds throughout the year totaling $93,552 to 412 children from 175 Oglethorpe County families. The amount of aid needed was up 16% from 2021, and the number served increased by 94 children. Financial donations can be made online at their website, www.CommunityChristmasOglethorpe.org, dropped off at The Commercial Bank in Crawford, or mailed to 143 Bowen Farm Road, Crawford, GA 30630. There are many more details on the webpage.

TICKETS ARE GOING FAST!

Athens Creative Theatre (ACT) presents Sweeney Todd at the Morton Theatre in downtown Athens Thursday, November 16 through Sunday, November 19. (Melinda Jones & Kendall Kookogey and the rest of the Bono gang are performing!) Sweeney Todd (with Music and Lyrics by Stephen Sondheim and book by Hugh Wheeler), is the unsettling tale of a Victorian-era barber who returns home to London after fifteen years of exile to take revenge on the corrupt judge who ruined his life.

Show times are Thursday-Saturday at 7:30pm and Sunday at 3:00pm. Tickets are now on sale online at www.mortontheatre.com, by phone at 706-613-3771, or in person at the Morton Theatre Box Office located at 195 W. Washington Street Mondays through Fridays from 12n-4pm. 

Emmanuel Episcopal invites us to

Dia de los Muertos

on Thursday, Nov 2 at 7PM.

Bilingual Eucharist, followed by a potluck and mariachi band!

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!