Give holy hugs all around! Peace to you—to all who walk in Christ’s ways.*

I have some dates you’ll surely want to include on your calendars:

October 30 is In-gathering Sunday for our 2023 pledges to St. Gregory the Great. Not that this is about me, but last year I nearly had a heart attack when the Finance Committee, of which I’m a member, realized after In-gathering Sunday that the pledges we’d received didn’t even meet our basic budget for salaries (with no raises again), ministry/program expenses, insurance, debt service, telephone, and internet. We asked you to increase your pledge, if possible, or to pledge, if you had not, and that’s what you did. You always come through when you’re asked, so this year I’m asking you now, right before In-gathering Sunday, to please increase your pledge for 2023, if you can, or to pledge, if you have not. Just as you couldn’t plan how you’d pay your bills, if your employer didn’t tell you how much to expect in your paycheck each week or month, St. Gregory the Great can’t commit to much deserved raises or increased budgets for our ministries and programs, if we don’t know how much revenue to expect next year. Alice Mohor, our Stewardship Chair, Kate Avinger, Eddie Bennett, and George Krause all have told us what St. Gregory the Great has brought to their lives, and all of us have our own stories about that, even if we’re not brave enough to talk about them from the pulpit. Please protect my heart, even though this isn’t at all about me, and show your faith in and love for St. Gregory the Great by submitting your pledge on In-gathering Sunday or, if you prefer, to Kendall in the Parish Hall. 

Remember, too, that pledging isn’t just about your financial support for our church; it’s about supporting its mission with your time and talents. Every one of our ministries and programs can use more help. Alice Mohor helpfully updated and handed out the booklet, Our Many Ministries: Where Would You Like to Serve? We’ll send you a copy, if you weren’t able to get one at church. (Just let me know at JaneGHudson@gmail.com.) We’re still a small enough parish that we need everyone’s help to get everything done.

January 15, 2023, is our Annual Parish Meeting, when we’ll elect a slate of three parishioners who have accepted the call to join the Vestry for a term 2023-2026. The three nominees to the Vestry will be introduced to you in the November 4 newsletter and in our Nov. 6 service bulletin through a brief autobiography. These three will replace Eddie Bennett, Caley Ross, and me, whose term is ending. The new Senior and Junior Wardens will be announced after the Vestry retreat, which is on January 21, 2023.

I wish you grace and peace.

Jane Hudson

Senior Warden

*From 1Peter 5:14, The Message Bible