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The


Gregorian


Chant

We speak of resolutions at this time of the year. It’s a word rooted in the Latin word “Resolvere”, meaning, “to loosen with intensive force.” It may be in the new year rather than taking up new practices and projects, we may need to loosen our grip on old ways, dated conclusions and lifeless alliances. Maybe in 2025, it will be pairing down rather than doubling down that will be restorative and joy inducing. Either way, my prayer for us all this New Year is: “… that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give you a spirit of wisdom and revelation as you come to know him, so that, with the eyes of your heart enlightened, you may know what is the hope to which he has called you, what are the riches of his glorious inheritance among the saints, and what is the immeasurable greatness of his power for us who believe.” -- Bishop Rob Wright



Ephesians 1:17-19


Click here for his podcast on the above subject.


The Capital Improvements Campaign

The active portion has ended; what’s next?


Dear fellow Gregorians,


The active portion of our Capital Improvements Campaign has ended! It was a great year where we learned a lot about the needs and desires of our parish. We especially had a great time getting to know each other better during our Family Night in September. Your hard work and generosity have been inspiring to so many. Together, we have raised more than $350,000 for the good of the people of St. Gregory and our surrounding community. Congratulations, and thank you so much!


What does this mean, that “the active portion has ended?” Basically, we are not accepting any more commitments to the campaign, and must base our budget for the improvements on what has been promised so far. However, that does not prevent any of us from giving a little more, earmarking it for the Capital Improvements Campaign. But, again, we cannot make any large plans based on money we don’t already know about at this point.


You may remember that a while back, we were talking about possibly connecting the sanctuary with the parish hall and expanding the parish hall kitchen. That project, while it would have been lovely to undertake, would require more funds than we have raised. Therefore, we have simply returned to the five projects originally outlined in Nourish, Go and Grow and ranked by you last winter in this order: 


  • a Capital Reserve Fund to handle large needs for the parish (ex. new HVAC) [173 votes]
  • improvements to the Playground [157.5 votes]
  • replacing the Parish Hall Floor [138 votes] 
  • replacing the Organ [138 votes]
  • installing a Permanent Labyrinth [96.5 votes]
  • a number of write-ins, none of which garnered more than 15 votes and most had only 3



We will celebrate the end of our Capital Improvements Campaign with a BIG PARTY and you are all invited! Please set aside Saturday, March 1st, for our Mardi Gras Closing Event. It will be very similar to our Family Night back in September, with a few changes to help some aspects flow better. While we’d like our Silent and Live Auctions to be a little smaller this time, we are still soliciting appropriate items for both; if you’re interested in donating an item or a gift certificate for a service, please contact Stacie Court. Watch the Chant newsletter and the weekly bulletin for more information over the weeks to come about this fun, family-friendly event.


In addition, our St. Gregory online store has reopened! Those of you who wished you had purchased a t-shirt or baseball cap in August are now able to place an order, and we also have black t-shirts available this time. The store will be open until Friday, February 7th; we will deliver the items you order the weekend of February 22nd. You can use this link to access the online store.


Over the months to come members of the Capital Improvements Campaign committee will come to you occasionally with updates on the decisions being made and the work being done so you will know what’s going on. If you ever have any questions, please know you are always welcome to reach out to one of the co-chairs.



Gratefully,


Stacie Court stacie.court@gmail.com

Mark Richardson mrichsn@gmail.com

     Capital Improvements Campaign co-chairs


Core CIC Committee Members:  

Jonathan Klein, Rhonda Packer, Bruce Zavitz, Lane Norton, Jeff Welch


Advisory CIC Committee Members:

Randall Abney, Lester House, Maggie Reinberger, Diane Barret, Alice Mohor


Athens Hockey!


DATE CHANGE: January 9th: Rock Lobsters game benefitting Family Promise - use this link to buy your ticket to the game and $5 will be donated to us for every ticket sold. In addition, during the game, they will be selling foam pucks. At the second intermission, patrons who buy the pucks will throw them on the ice. The puck that gets closest to the target receives prizes such as gift cards to local restaurants! The proceeds from the puck sales go to Family Promise as well. 

Adult Sunday School


Adult Discussion Group: (Parish Hall) The Adult Spiritual Formation Sunday morning Bible Study meets at 9:15AM in the Parish Hall. We are back to discussing the Gospel of Matthew, led by Wayne Coppins. 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. 

We are continuing to accept stewardship giving pledges for 2025. If you have not yet pledged, please do so as soon as possible. The parish finance committee needs to formulate our church operating budget before our annual meeting in November.  

Collective Artists Workshop is gearing up for a spectacular 2025 season, starting off with their fundraising Gala, right here at St. Gregory's on Saturday, January 25! Enjoy a 3-course Italian dinner including wine and dessert and singing waiters! Experience the joy of music at the full concert following dinner which includes songs from your favorite Broadway shows with a little bit of classical sprinkled in! 6PM dinner; 7:30PM concert. $50/person. Please come support the arts! QR code above or click here for tickets.

The Athens Area Emergency Food Bank needs pork 'n beans! Please help us fill the Little Red Wagon!


christmas

 

we celebrate

a time long past

the birth of christ

that was forecast

 

conquered people

prayed for relief

a coming king

was their belief

 

a messiah

to set them free

from foreign rule

and tyranny

 

a soldier not

but simple boy

who grew to teach

god’s love and joy



alice mohor


For baby boomers and those who love them, Alice Mohor's newest book of poetry, Senior Days, can now be ordered from book sellers (Amazon, Avid, Barnes and Noble) and from the author. ISBN 979-8-9900028-4-5

Instructions for Live Streaming



  • 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!

Ongoing Services/Meeting Opportunities

Parish community offerings via Zoom or in person:


Holy Eucharist and Healing Service Please join us on Wednesday evenings at 6PM in the sanctuary for eucharist and prayers for healing.


Room at the Table Welcome to Room at the Table. Single, married, partnered, employed, free-wheeling, joy-loving...all are invited! If you want to take time and get to know more about me and other siblings from our church, over a good meal, if you want to share stories and laughter, join us for lunch! Lunch will be Friday, Jan. 17 at 12 noon. The group will decide on the restaurant for the following month, at each lunch fellowship.



Ceilidh Folk Service St Gregory's offers a monthly Ceilidh service (pronounced kay-lee) on the 3rd Friday of the month (January 17). Based on a Gaelic tradition of celebrating community and hospitality, a folk liturgy complete with live folk music and a meal will be offered in the Christian Education building at 6:30PM. Foot washing and hand anointing will also be available before or after (not during) these services for anyone who wants to take part, starting at 6PM. Food will be provided, but we always accept more dishes to add to the table if anyone wishes to bring something! Any musicians that are interested in helping to provide the music for these services, as well as anyone with questions about the service, are encouraged to reach out to Wade McGlamery.


Blindspot Group Our 20s and 30s group meets on the last Thursday of each month at 6:30PM and the 2nd Sunday of each month at 6PM 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!


St. Gregory's Book Club meets the first Friday of the month in the library @ 7PM ongoing for the foreseeable future.  Email Lois Alworth if you are interested in participating.


Threads of Prayer meets on the 1st Thursdays of the month @1PM! We 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 on Zoom


Acolyte Sign-Up

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St. Gregory the Great Episcopal Church | office@stgregoryathens.org
706.546.7553 | www.stregoryathens.org