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Precious Beloveds,
How do we pray in the face of so much violence in the world? Especially in light of this past weekend and early in the week: California, Oklahoma, Boston, Jacksonville, UNC Chapel Hill; domestic violence, hate crime, school shootings… Maybe we pray with tenderness for ourselves and others, as not to become habituated and desensitized to the harm done to all. Maybe we pray with intention to act, because doing love is how we partner with God to bring about Beloved Community in this world. Maybe we pray with hope, remembering that in the end, Love wins.
“I’m absolutely convinced that nothing—nothing living or dead, angelic or demonic, today or tomorrow, high or low, thinkable or unthinkable—absolutely nothing can get between us and God’s love because of the way that Jesus our Master has embraced us.” Romans 8:39, TMB
O God,
So senseless.
So brutal.
So random and surreal.
We surely cannot change what happened.
Or make sense of it.
Or find some lesson in it.
Or force the wheels of justice to spin
to a satisfying end.
Vengeance and justice are in your hands, not
ours and even when our human systems get
it wrong, still your eternal judgment will be
right. So do not let the shadows of this world overshadow the light of your love in me.
O Holy Spirit, hover over the chaos of
this broken world,
this broken situation, and our broken hearts, and from them call forth new mercies and new hope:
From fields seeded with mortal sorrows,
let me one day reap a harvest of immortal joys.
From this stony soil of human hatreds,
let fountains of divine love burst forth,
let streams of gladness run and pool,
let shoots of verdant mercy root and bloom. Over all this harsh and weary land,
let your eternal glories rise, radiant as
a dawning sun dispelling a shadowed and tragic night.
From this very heart of death, O God,
call forth new and everlasting life.
Amen.*
So much love,
Mo. Nikki+
*(Adapted from the book, Every Holy Moment, Vol. 2: Death, Grief and Hope, by Douglas Kaine McKelvey, pgs. 162-167)
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Rite of Christian Burial for
Jane Armistead
The Rite of Christian Burial for Jane Armistead will take place in St. Gregory's sanctuary tomorrow, Saturday, September 2 @ 2:30PM, followed by afternoon tea in Parish Hall.
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News from the Nursery
Happy Labor Day weekend, Nursery friends! The nursery will be closed this Sunday for the holiday. We will return next week.
Some of us will be preparing for a special blessing from Mother Nikki, as children move up. If you feel your 5 / 6 year old child is ready, we will be discussing this with you.
We are also looking forward to some other changes as music and stories change a bit in Children’s Chapel, the nursery friends will be joining in the fun. We will then join the rest of the congregation for communion in the big church!
Love and blessings to you all 🙏🏽 from Ms. Melissa & Mr. Jude
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Seeking Nominations to the Vestry
The Nominating Committee is developing a list of potential nominees to the Vestry for a three year term beginning 2024. We want your recommendations. With those nominations and with recommendations from the current Vestry, the Nominating Committee will assemble a slate of four eligible candidates to replace the four outgoing Vestry members. The slate of nominees will be presented to the congregation before the end of the year, and the congregation will vote on the slate at our Annual Meeting in January, 2024. As specified in our Bylaws, the slate of four candidates will be elected collectively, not as individuals, so the election isn't competitive.
Not only can you nominate parishioners--with their permission--to be considered for the Vestry, you can self-nominate. That is, you can offer your own name in nomination to the Vestry.
Eligible candidates for membership on the Vestry, as stipulated in our parish Bylaws must:
* be confirmed communicants in good standing in the parish,
* be at least 18 years old,
* regularly attend church services,
* and have made and fulfilled a financial commitment (a pledge) to the church in the past year.
To submit your name or that of theirs in the parish for possible membership on the Vestry, simply send it to a member of the Nominating Committee: Wade McGlamery, Karen Brill, John Bray, Mark Richardson, LeeAnne Krause, or Nikki Mathis.
Please send us your nominations by Friday, September 22.
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Deadline to sign up is today
Sacred Ground is a sensitive, prayerful resource that creates space for difficult but respectful and transformative conversations about race and racism. It invites participants into dialogue circles for 10 weekly sessions to reflect on family histories and stories, as well as important historical narratives that shape the collective American story. Conversations about race and racial justice are needed in our world. They are difficult, and yet when entered in a context of faith and within a community of prayer they can help us in our call to create Beloved Community. If you would like to see a preview of the program, use this link: Sacred Ground preview or go to Sacred Ground/Episcopal Church.
This season, St. Gregory will be partnering with Emmanuel Episcopal Church to hold Sacred Ground circles with members and facilitators from both parishes, alternating our meeting sites every other week. Due to the great response in sign-ups so far, we will now offer two dialogue circles, one on Thursday evenings 6-8:30pm beginning September 7, 2023 (including a shared meal) and a second on Sunday afternoons beginning September 10, 2023 (snacks only). Each group will alternate its gathering place weekly between St. Gregory’s and Emmanuel for a total of 10 weekly sessions.
Friends, family, and neighbors may be invited to join you for the program but all must commit to the entire program. To ensure the sacred confidentiality and the sensitive nature of the discussions, drop-in visits or participants moving between groups will not be permitted.
Deadline for signing up will be September 1, 2023.
For questions or to sign up please contact Ellen Richardson /912-660-0151.
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Outreach Opportunities
St. Gregory’s Outreach Committee organizes hands-on support for several worthwhile local ministries. This Fall, we will be seeking donations to the Barnett Shoals Elementary School Clothes Closet. During the year, we try to find parishioners to help with Family Promise, the alliance of local churches working to help homeless families achieve sustainable independence, Our Daily Bread, a mission that prepares and serves meals to the needy in one of our Athens churches, Athens Area Emergency Food Bank, the service to which our Little Red Wagon is dedicated, filled and delivered, and others. As is always true in providing for the “least of these,” we constantly need more in-person help.
If you are interested in joining us in these- or other- Outreach efforts, please come to our next Outreach Committee Meeting, immediately following the 10:30 service, in the Christian Education Building Library, on Sunday, September 10, 2023.
You may also contact Susanne Burton or Gail Eilers with questions or to volunteer to help.
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Children's Sunday School Resumes
Children’s Sunday School will resume next Sunday, September 10. This fall we will have two classes:
- Kindergarten through 2nd Grade
- 3rd Grade through 6th Grade
In the past, 6th-graders have been promoted to the Youth Class. This year, we are leaving the decision up to the discretion of parents and children. 6th-graders can choose to stay with the children’s class, or join the youth. Another option is to start the year off with the children’s class, and then move to the youth class later in the school year. If you are the parent of a 6th-grader and you have any questions, please speak to Fr. Doug or Wade.
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Meridian Women's Chorus
Director Stacie Court invites all women to join the Meridian Women's Chorus. We meet on Thursdays from 12:30 - 1:45 at Holy Cross Lutheran Church on West Lake Drive. We start rehearsals for the fall on Thursday, September 7th; our annual Tapestry Concert is Saturday, December 2nd. For more information, please contact Stacie Court via email or 706-424-9516.
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labor day
when summertime
is almost done
a last chance for
some summer fun
picnics with food
and games to play
families spend
a happy day
a park or beach
or lake or pool
or backyard hose
to soak and cool
to honor those
who work for pay
a labor free
job holiday
alice mohor
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Counter needed
Someone to count a week’s worth of contributions to St. Gregory the Great.
Counters work together in pairs, and a new counter will be paired with an experienced counter. Counting takes about 30 minutes, and counters work just once a month. Our new counter is needed to start in September (or October at the latest). One of our current counters is willing to be flexible about when she counts, so our new counter can choose to volunteer during the week after the 2nd Sunday of the month or during the week after the 4th Sunday of the month. This is not a difficult task. Counting partners determine together a mutually convenient time to meet in the copy room in the Parish Hall to count during their week. If you want to talk with an experienced counter, talk with Jane Hudson, Mark Reinberger, Maggie Reinberger, Stacie Court, Angela Greene, Lois Alworth, Katie Hein, Gail Eilers, or Alice Mohor. Contact Jane Hudson to volunteer.
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The Athens Area Emergency Food Bank needs paper bags, canned tuna, canned tomatoes, and cooked cereals (i.e. grits, oatmeal)! Please help us fill the Little Red Wagon!
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Adult Sunday School
Adult Discussion Group: (Parish Hall) The Adult Spiritual Formation Sunday morning Bible Study group meets at 9:15AM and is currently on a journey through The Gospel of John. Please join us!
Lectionary Class: (Library) The lectionary class meets in the Library at 9:15AM. We study the assigned readings for each Sunday. Please contact Les House at 478-733-2939 or via email if you have any questions.
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Instructions for Live Streaming
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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:
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If you don’t immediately see the video that says ‘live’, (for instance, if you opened YouTube before the service begins) keep refreshing it.
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When you see the video square that says ‘live’, click on it.
Welcome to worship!
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Meeting Opportunities
Parish community offerings via Zoom or in person:
* Fall Community Yoga The fourth class of every month will be chair yoga. ALL are welcome! The class is free, but I am again accepting donations that will go toward purchasing more class props, and a carpet sweeper. Please bring your own yoga mat.
Schedule: September 4th – November 27th, MONDAY nights at 5:30
Contact Anna Hiers for information, or if you would like to have the Zoom link. Feel free to share this information with your friends.
* Blindspot Group Our 20s and 30s group meets on the last Thursday of each month at 6:30PM for dinner and a small group study (usually off-site of the church). We also meet at least once a month for game nights, dinner and drinks, movie nights, and more. Newcomers are always welcome! Contact Wade McGlamery, 770-624-4837 for more information.
Hebrew Reading meets via Zoom on Wednesdays from 1-3PM. If you're interested, email Joel Hunt for more info!
Stacie Court hosts "Let's Chat!" for women of the parish. The days and time vary, and not everyone can join every time, but everyone is welcome to join whenever they can! Email Stacie!
* St. Gregory's Book Club meets the first Friday of the month in Parish Hall @ 7PM ongoing for the foreseeable future. Exception: September's meeting will be Sept. 8th. Email Lois Alworth if you are interested in participating.
*Threads of Prayer meets on the 1st Tuesdays of the month @1PM! We'll meet outside if the weather is good and inside the Christian Ed building if the weather is bad. Email Annette Bates if you are interested in participating. All knitters and crocheters welcome!
*Men's Group: 9AM on Saturdays. 1st & 3rd Saturdays at St. Gregory's library and 2nd & 4th & 5th Saturdays at the Somerville's house ! Email Peter Rice
* group(s) meeting in person
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