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The


Gregorian


Chant

1 John 4:20-21

For whoever does not love their brother and sister, whom they have seen, cannot love God, whom they have not seen. 21 And he has given us this command:Anyone who loves God must also love their brother and sister.


A New Way to Be Human


The love of God is an unconditional love, and only that love can empower us to live together without violence. When we know that God loves us deeply and will always go on loving us, whoever we are and whatever we do, it becomes possible to expect no more of our fellow men and women than they are able to give, to forgive them generously when they have offended us, and always to respond to their hostility with love. By doing so we make visible a new way of being human and a new way of responding to our world problems.



Letters to Marc About Jesus, feb 11


All devotional quotes are from the book:

You Are the Beloved: A Devotional, Henri J. M. Nouwen, compiled and edited by Gabrielle Earnshaw

Parish Offices Closed


Parish Offices will be closed on Monday, October 14.


CEILIDH: FOLK SERVICE OFFERING : Next Friday, Oct. 18


St Gregory's offers a monthly Ceilidh service (pronounced kay-lee) on the 3rd Friday of the month (October 18). 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.


Vestry Candidates


Attention Parishioners! It's time to nominate candidates for next year's vestry. We have five positions opening up! If you know someone who is at least 18 years old and a communicant in good standing whom you think would make a good vestry member, please pass on their name to anyone on the vestry nominating committee: John Barrett, Stace Court, Gail Eilers, Karen Hankins, Kathryn Musholt, or Mark Richardson. You can also email your nomination to Mark Richardson. Nominations will remain open until the end of October. Thank you for helping us keep St Gregory's a great place to worship!


A message from Kate Avinger, Jenifer Borg, and Jenifer Marquardt. Kate is currently a member of the Vestry; all three are very involved with the spiritual and physical welfare of the children of St. Gregory the Great.


Capital Campaign Playground Improvements


Introduction


The future of St. Gregory’s and the broader beloved community can be found in the faces of our children. Families are an integral part of a thriving parish life. Our current playground needs improvement, so that we can offer a safe and welcoming place for our families with children.


A playground is a wonderful space to build relationships. Both children and parents can bond when a playground provides safe areas for playing, supervising, and visiting with one another. Hopefully, too, a safe and attractive play space will be a draw for families.


Our children dream big! Suggestions from children include a football field, basketball court, and batting cage! We adults have the challenge of balancing our budgetary constraints against our desire to give the children back some of the joy they bring to us. Kate Avinger, Eddie Van Giesen, our shepherds, Sunday School teachers, and our

Vestry have researched and considered ways to make our children’s outdoor space safer and more appealing, and we have tons of ideas. Depending on funds raised, here are the needs that have been identified.


First, A Safe Playground Surface


Children can be brave explorers! Sometimes … too brave and too creative in how they explore playground equipment. According to the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, most playground injuries occur when a child falls from the equipment onto the ground. Did you know that grass and dirt are not officially considered safe landing surfaces? An improved surface such as sand, rubberized tile playground flooring, or rubberized, shock-absorbing mulch is needed to minimize injury risk.


A Surrounding Fence is a Must


In addition to providing fencing to fulfill a legal requirement to discourage unauthorized use of the playground, fencing would safely separate the playground area from the dangers of the parking lot and the street. A fence would also delineate what is play space and what is not, both for the safety of our children and for the safety of

parishioners trying to navigate the adjacent sidewalk. Using high-latching gates would also keep small children from leaving or entering on their own.


At present, many of our children feel completely safe moving from building to building to patio to playground all on their own. Though it is wonderful that they feel safe here at St. Gregory’s, a fence would facilitate easier supervision for the safety of our beloved children.


What The Children Really Want Is Improved Play Structures


The play tower we have now was designed and built with love by beloved members of our own community and has served us for many years. On a shoestring budget of about $20,000, we could both attend to safety concerns and do some things to makeour play tower more fun and reduce the risk of splinters. For example, we could add a

roof, replace the wooden side panels with cargo netting, replace the wooden handrails with pvc, put little benches under the platform for a clubhouse feel, and add a rope or net climbing feature. We could also shore it up with some more beams running from ground to platform.


If we had more capital improvement funding, like the full $30,000 we’re requesting or beyond, it would be nice to acquire one or more pieces of certified safe play equipment which are specially designed to avoid a variety of hazards. Different pieces would offer play opportunities for various skill levels, age groups, and interests. Climbing features, a more appealing slide, and more swings would be fun for the children. A swing that would work for any person with disabilities, child or adult, would be great!


We Would Like To Provide Shelter From The Sun And Inclement Weather


There are a number of advantages to shade structures. For instance:

- Children can play longer and at various times of the day without overheating

- Equipment will be cooler to the touch

  • Users are protected from overheated metal, which can cause burns.
  • We extend the life of the playground equipment itself


Some shade structures also provide protection from rain, allowing play during mild weather conditions. While we are shading children from the sun, sheltered seating would also be welcome for adults and others who supervise children.


Naturally, those of us who work most closely with the children long for an improved playground to entertain, inspire, and give the children a place to build relationships and make memories with one another. We hope that all members of our congregation see that improving the playground is also an investment in St. Gregory’s that increases our numbers and secures our place in the Athens community for future generations.


If improving the playground is important to you, the way to do it is through a donation to the Capital Campaign. It’s one way to nourish our people so we can grow our church. We do this by generating excitement about coming to church for our existing members and making the church a more appealing place for those who are looking for a church home. We’d like to be able to say, to even more families with children, “Welcome home.”


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.  


Barnett Shoals Elementary School Clothing Drive


Every Fall, St. Gregory’s sponsors a parish-wide clothing drive to support our neighbor, Barnett Shoals Elementary School. This year, school personnel have devoted extra time to reviewing prioritized clothing needs for the schools’ clothes closets. Your contributions of any of the following items will make a difference:

  • boys’ and girls’ pants and shorts - all sizes, Youth XS-XL
  • boys’ sweatpants - all sizes, Youth XS-XL and Adult Small - Medium
  • girls’ leggings - all sizes, Youth XS-XL and Adult Small - Large
  • boys’ and girls’ underwear - all sizes, XS-XL
  • socks - all sizes
  • boys’ and girls’ shirts - all sizes, XS-XL (can include t-shirts in multi- packs, not necessarily gendered)
  • Boys’ and girls’ pants may include new and gently-used, clean items.

Donations will be collected from Monday, September 30 through Friday, November 1, in the boxes located in the lobby of the Parrish Hall. If you have any questions, please contact Gail Eilers, eilersgail@gmail.com, or Jane Sheridan, jsheridan@friendlycity.net. Thank you, in advance, for your support.


Bad Faith: Documentary


Come for a screening of "Bad Faith: Christian Nationalism's Unholy War on Democracy" followed by a panel discussion. This documentary explores the rise of Christian Nationalism in the United States over the past several decades and its current place in American life and politics.


The showing at St. Gregory's will be Sunday, Oct 13 in Parish Hall immediately following the 10:30AM service. Lunch will be provided. Please RSVP to Wade McGlamery no later than Thursday, Oct. 9 so we have enough food.

Confirmation Classes


Confirmation classes will begin on October 20. If you or your child are interested in getting confirmed, received, reaffirmed, or if you just want to learn more about the Episcopal Church, then make sure to come to confirmation class starting on October 20 after the 10:30 service. The class will run every Sunday for 7 weeks leading up to the confirmation service at the Cathedral of St. Philip on December 8th. If you're interested please let either Wade McGlamery or Mother Nikki know.


Trunk or Treat!!


Make plans to join the St. Gregory’s family for a fun Halloween fellowship. This evening will consist of carved/painted pumpkins & trunk-or-treating! If it rains, we’ll move the trunk-or-treat inside. In Preparation: All Gregorians are encouraged to bring your Halloween treats of choice to distribute from your own car trunk in the parking lot. If you don’t have a trunk, we will give you an assigned space to hand out your goodies. Carve or paint your own pumpkin to bring for the pumpkin display. Invite your friends and neighbors!


If you do not plan on attending, but wish to contribute candy for the Trunk-or-Treat, you can drop off bags of candy in the copier room across from Kendall's office.

Click the photo above for the website. To order Christmas Bell luminaries, use QR code above or click here.


Adult Sunday School


Adult Discussion Group: (Parish Hall) The Adult Spiritual Formation Sunday morning Bible Study meets at 9:15AM and is currently studying the Gospel of Matthew. Wayne Coppins is leading this discussion. All are welcome.


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. 

The Athens Area Emergency Food Bank needs canned soup, Saltines, and hamburger helper! Please help us fill the Little Red Wagon!

breathless

 

an essential

to spirit cleanse

hearty laughter

is best with friends

 

sometimes even

with tearful cry

concluded with

a relieved sigh

 

a joyous thing

spontaneous

never ever

extraneous

 

like the wonder

god does provide

to please us when

we look outside



 

alice mohor

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.


Ceilidh Folk Service St Gregory's offers a monthly Ceilidh service (pronounced kay-lee) on the 3rd Friday of the month (October 18). 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 Tuesdays 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