Dear and Beloved People of St. Gregory the Great:

This past Sunday of gathering together for the work of the parish and breaking bread at our Annual Meeting covering 2023 was a blessing!! Thank you to all who were able to attend; we had a very nearly packed house.  We understand that everybody couldn’t be there; even so, but we were all together in spirit! I commend to you reading all of Annual Report and the Financial Addendum, found here*. But here are a few highlights:

God has done glorious works in, through, and with us this past year, as you have answered God’s call to Nourish our parish family and the community; Grow spiritually, and draw the circle wider in diversity (and numerically as God wills); Go spread and live the Good News through outreach with funds and community involvement. (Nourish, Grow, and Go parish vision -aka strategic plan-can be found here  https://www.stgregoryathens.org/nourish-grow-go

Nourish

In your ministry of supporting discernment and furnishing ministers to the wider church we have again hatched yet another baby priest out into the world: Fr. Doug Atkins is now in a new church in Kentucky, and David Stooksbury has been approved in diocesan discernment to become a candidate for the priesthood. 

In the area of Spiritual formation, Sacred Ground completed their 3rd full year program, this time in partnership with our sister church, Emmanuel Episcopal with a joint celebration and Eucharist this coming Sunday afternoon. 

The Blind Spot Ministry (formation for those in their 20’s and 30’s) not only grew, but expanded their meetings from once to twice per month. 

Parish life was re-organized in July…many thanks to Karen Brill and Jill Crandall. They’ve been able to return to hosting funeral receptions and and Feast Day receptions, and parish lunches. 

In Buildings and Grounds, the library has new Windows, the nursery has a new fence and landscaping, windows, cement pavers, and new gutters. The ceiling was replaced on the Christian Ed building. Painting has been completed on all three buildings.

Pastoral Care, in a massive project, wrote notes to parishioners who had been out of reach, in addition to prayers, food trains, and contacts for illness and birthdays. 

Go

We've grown in number despite losing 12 beloved members to the heavenly realm this year. We've added 28 members which includes seven families, 3 new couples, and several new individuals. 

We’ve given over $34,000 in outreach this year (which includes $18,000 of our diocesan pledge, $14,050 in disbursements by outreach committee, $1,754.67 from Rector’s Discretionary Fund for local residents in need of assistance with rent, utilities, or food.

Not counted in this number, but of note: Rector’s Discretionary Fund also gave $100 to Athens Reparations Association, and $200 to Joy Village in Athens. (The fund also gave $1200 in inreach, for our own members who were in need of housing, utility, and food assistance)

Our choir also began a foodbank at the UGA School of music and sponsored a meal plan for one student as well. 

Outreach also sponsors:

^{The Annual BackPack Drive}

^{Clothing Drive for Barnett Shoals Elementary} 

^{Christmas Drive for Oglethorpe County}

^{Appleton Ministry Sunday}

^{Food to Athens Area Food Bank}

^{Food and services for Family Promise}

^{(All roughly totaling an additional $ 7,000)}

Your Rector represents our church in a number of diocesan and wider church positions:

Interfaith Clergy Partnership of Greater Athens, Dean of Oconee Convocation, Diocesan Executive Board of Executive Committee, Faculty of Diocesan Learning to Lead, Faculty in Episcopal Preaching Foundation, Regent Board at Suwanee University, Vice Chair of Wright House Board for UGA Episcopal Ministries.

2024 Budget highlights: 

Pledging, while good, was not enough to meet our minimum proposed budget, and difficult cuts were made. 

We’re in a hiring freeze, which means the open and very necessary positions of Choir Director, (and we’ll owe Jonathan back pay) and Children’s Ministry Coordinator (while our number of children has grown exponentially) can’t be filled. IF you are able and haven’t yet done so, please consider pledging or raising your pledge. If you are already giving, thank you! 

A Huge thank you to the stewardship committee we're doing such hard work to organize our giving, and to the Finance Committee, For doing such hard work on the budget.

Thank you Saint Gregory the Great, for all your faithful work, partnering with God to make Beloved Community.

I'm so very proud to be on this journey with you.

Love,

Mother Nikki

*To find the report, click here.

CAPITAL IMPROVEMENTS CAMPAIGN

Don't forget to turn in your vote on which physical improvements to our church

are most important to you! 

The ballot box and blank voting forms are in the narthex.

The Capital Improvements Campaign Committee wants your vote! We recently sent out a letter to parishioners asking for your feedback on which physical needs of the church are most important to you. Each letter had a voting form. There is a box in the narthex where you can return the forms. You can also put them in the collection plate or email Mark Richardson or Stacie Court with your vote. If your family needs more forms, blanks are in a basket next to the return box in the narthex. 

If you didn't get a form and don't come to church often but would still like to participate, the issues you could vote for are as follows: 

• a capital preserve fund for future major repairs
• a new organ
• an outside labyrinth
• new flooring for the parish hall
• a renovated playground with a new surface, a fence, and new equipment

We're asking you to give a "3" to any issues that seem most important to you, a "2" to any issues that seem somewhat important, and a "1" to any issues that seem less important to you. You can vote by emailing Mark or Stacie.

Thanks so much for your help! 

BUILDINGS COMMITTEE - January 28

There will be an organizational meeting of the Buildings Committee following the 10:30 service on January 28. If you are interested in helping to maintain and improve our buildings this year, or if you have concerns you would like to see addressed, please join us. The meeting will be held in the Christian Education Building.

Seeking Volunteers

We are currently seeking volunteers to work at the Athens Area Emergency FoodBank, 640 Barber St. on 3rd Mondays from 9AM-1PM. 2-3 volunteers are needed each month. A signup sheet will be in the narthex.

FREE BOOKS

The newly formed Library Committee has begun to sort through generations of books with the intention of making the offerings of the St. Gregory Library more accessible and useful to everyone. Those volumes that have seen better days and times will be placed for a week or so on the long white tables in the main area of the Education Building and made available for the taking with one rule—no bringing them back! Though you never know what might speak to you! Those books left there over a week or two will be donated to the public library. Hopefully by making some space the many hidden treasures that remain in St. Gregory’s Library will be more easily seen, accessed and appreciated.  

Acolyte Scheduling

We have been low on acolytes lately. Please be aware that we use Sign-Up Genius as a way to schedule acolytes. Please sign up when Ron Balthazor sends out reminders and the link! The link can also be found at the bottom of every Friday newsletter (link has been fixed!)

We continue to collect estimate of giving pledge cards for 2024. You may put your completed card in the collection plate on Sunday, mail your card to the church office, bring your completed card to the church office, or enter your pledge online here.

eiphany 4

worship when i

attend our church

has not brought me

to leap or lurch

or jump right up

out of my seat

then run away

in full retreat

an exorcism

in my full view 

would make me flee

to somewhere new

but i have seen

an action kind

help someone to

find peace of mind 

alice mohor

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!