Greatly Beloved,

In Christ, we are family. A great many people in many denominations are journeying together through Lent. With that in mind, it's been made possible that we travel through Lent not only as this church family at St. Gregory the Great, but also together as a diocesan family, in the Episcopal Diocese of Atlanta. Join us, as we walk with +Bishop Robert Wright through this blessed season (see links below). I invite you to watch the Bishop's videos and keep a journal of the discussion questions. Happy Lent, week 4! 

Blessings and peace,

Mo. Nikki+

https://episcopalatlanta.org/lent23/ (scroll down to week 4)

Reflection on the Disciplines of Lent

reprint from 2019 



Every year, around December 15, The Letter was delivered to our house in Pennsylvania. We all knew what was in it. In this envelope, addressed to whichever of my brothers and sisters were currently teenagers, was the schedule of acolytes for the coming year. Along with it was a very kind and affectionate letter from the pastor, thanking us for our dedicated service to the Church. 

It fooled no one. We were volun-told that for a solid month of the coming year we would be expected to attend every worship service, Sundays AND Wednesdays. We’d have to sit properly at the altar without fidgeting, and light the candelabras and altar candles in exactly the correct order, without letting the wick drip inside the taper, and without clanking the taper against the sides of the tall candles. It was terrifying. And will someone please explain why our family always got Advent and Lent? Never a quiet August with 4 Sundays. It was always a snowy March or December with at least 8 services. The letter was greeted with lamentations and epithets every year. But I had a secret. 

I secretly enjoyed acolyting during Lent. 

When it was my turn to receive The Letter, I was usually assigned the month of March. Sometimes it was a drag to head off to church after a long day of school and robe up to light all those blessed candles (in exactly the correct order) and sit up at the altar singing “Stricken Smitten and Afflicted” with the pastor. But the truth was, when Lent was past, and the Easter lilies were gone from the altar, and I had Wednesday evenings free again, I felt a sense of loss. There was something strange and wonderful about gathering with my people of faith twice per week instead of once, being part of something so important that it could under no circumstances be skipped. For that one month of the year, I had to arrange my activities around church, not the other way around.

The discipline of additional worship was important to me, even though I was too young to know it at the time. It made my Lent more meaningful, not just because I had an active role to play in the service, but because I had made sacrifices to be there. The discipline itself was important.

There are a number of disciplines that a person can adopt during Lent. Five of the most common include:

Prayer- increasing the amount of time we spend praying, or making the prayer time more intentional. This can also take the form of attending worship more regularly.

Almsgiving- sacrificing some of our earthly possessions to those less fortunate than ourselves, realizing that as God gives us gifts that we cannot repay, we can give to others with a glad heart.

Fasting- this can be the literal abstinence of food, or it can be some other sacrifice. Note that it should not take the form of dieting from something harmful, but rather it should be a willing self-denial, preferably to the benefit of someone else.

Works of Love- our joyful and sorrowful anticipation of Jesus’ act of love for us reminds us to love our neighbor intentionally and actively.

Repentance- reflecting on our own thoughts and conduct and considering changes we could make to bring our lives in closer communion with God and our neighbors.

May the holy season of Lent bring you peace and excite you to a meaningful discipline that nourishes your soul, strengthens your faith, and becomes a blessing to your neighbors.

LeeAnne Krause

Senior Warden

There will be a Pastoral Care Committee meeting in the library after the 10:30AM service this Sunday, March 19.

There will be a Flower Guild meeting in the room next to Kendall's office after the 10:30AM service this Sunday, March 19.

SEVEN DEADLY SINS IN MEDIA

Wednesdays, March 1, 8, 15, 22, & 29

If you need childcare, you must let the office (Kendall) know by the Monday prior to the Wednesday you are attending the class, or just let her know by February 27 if you know you will need childcare for all 5 Wednesdays.

This Lent, LeeAnne Krause will be reprising the "Seven Deadly Sins in Media" class that was so rudely interrupted by COVID in 2020. Reflection and repentance are cornerstone disciplines during the holy season of Lent, but how do we accomplish this? How do we identify shortcomings in our own behavior? The ancient grouping of objectionable sins into the "Seven Deadly Sins" is a useful framework to begin this practice. We will be discussing the sins themselves, defining them and identifying common manifestations. Then we will watch video clips from feature films, TV, YouTube, and even cartoons, discussing the behaviors of the characters, identifying which, if any, sins they are committing. Examining the behaviors of fictitious characters is more objective and friendly than criticizing each other in the first or second person. Don't worry, we won't be watching anything very racy or violent! If you have any questions, contact LeeAnne Krause, Ellen Richardson, or Ron Balthazor.

Choir practice will begin at 7:30PM during Lent so that choir members may join the Lenten study.

5:30 Stations of the Cross

6:00 Healing Service w/ Holy Eucharist

6:00 Simple supper in the Education Building

6:30 Lenten Program

The Athens-Clarke County Library

is pleased to host

“Many Voices of Memoir Writing”

Presented by the 

Olli Memoir Writing Special Interest Group

Humorous, poignant, and insightful readings

on childhood, marriage, and aging

Sunday, March 19, 2023

3:00 – 5:00 p.m.

Athens-Clarke County Library Auditorium

2025 Baxter Street

Annual Easter Egg Hunt

The Children’s Ministry of St. Gregory’s will be preparing our annual egg hunt for children (preschool - through 5th grade) immediately following worship on Resurrection Sunday (April 9).  We are grateful for any donations to contribute to the event.  This year, we would gratefully receive these donations:

• Candy!  You are welcome to drop off any candy at the church. You can leave candy in the workroom across the hall from Kendall’s office, or, if you bring it on Sunday, you can give it to Doug Adkins, Jenifer Borg, or Jenifer Marquardt.

• Baskets!   We are trying to collect a number of Easter baskets that can be used over the years for any children who may want to hunt eggs but forgot to bring a basket.  If you have any baskets that are no longer used, we would gladly receive them and keep them stored in our supply closet.  You can leave any donated basket in the copy room near the candy, or give it to Doug. 

Remember to invite friends who may have children who would like to participate.  This would be a great opportunity to introduce neighbors and community members to the St. Greg’s spirit!

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. 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 10:30 service, and joining us for coffee hour afterward. Please come and worship with us.

For music sample and news click here and here.

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!