The Youth of St. Gregory’s will host the Valentine’s Day Romantic Dinner on Saturday, February 15, with two seatings: 5:30pm and 7pm. Tickets are $20/person (tips are greatly appreciated!) and include an Italian dinner with multiple entree choices, fresh salad, hot bread, homemade desserts, wine, iced tea, and coffee. There will be complimentary childcare as well (5:30 seating only), including dinner and entertainment for your children! Proceeds go toward financing EYC Pilgrimage. No tickets -- pay when you finish dinner! Click here to make your reservation today!
Epiphany Drive
Over the past few years, St. Gregory's has helped to address some of the unmet needs of students in Clarke County Schools' Migrant Program. Thanks to the generosity of St. Gregory's parishioners, we were able to make significant contributions to families by providing backpacks, personal hygiene products and household/laundry cleaning supplies.
Our Epiphany focus this year is on helping to provide after-school care for migrant children who need but cannot afford this program. According to our own Elizabeth Dubberly, Specialist for Clarke County Schools' Migrant Program, "The number one thing we need are sponsors for our after-school program. This is the best way for kids to be safe, entertained, happy and fed while their parents finish working. It is so important that we have committed to pay for it whenever they need it. This costs $3/day/child, and we pay for it out of donations."
Donations can be made online under the existing Giving section of our website here. Be sure to click on the Fund drop-down menu to choose "Outreach" as the recipient of your gift, and if prompted, please include in the memo that this is for the Epiphany Drive. Of course, personal checks can also be sent to the Church, earmarked for this purpose, and made out to St. Gregory the Great Episcopal Church with "Epiphany Drive" in the memo line
Just So You Know: Nourish, Grow, Go!
In the spring of this past year, the Vestry held focus groups for the congregation to communicate what they saw as the main purposes within our church for the next 10 years. In the spring and early summer, feedback from the congregation, via the focus groups, was reviewed by the vestry and a consultant, determining that the congregation expressed the desire to move in 3 main directions. We want to be a church that 1) nourishes the spiritual, intellectual, and emotional lives of its parishioners 2) grows into a multi-cultural and multi-generational church responsive to the needs of all 3) identifies, communicates, and focuses our particular gifts and talents to help meet the needs of others in the wider community and the world.
For each of these, the Vestry (with the assistance of the consultant) determined a list of actions to be taken. Please stay tuned for further news about how you can be involved. Thank you for helping St. Gregory the Great go where God leads.
Consecration Sunday on October 20
Congregations that approach financial stewardship from a biblical perspective do not view the money Christians give to their church merely as a way to pay its bills. Rather, such congregations see financial contributions as a way to help people grow spiritually in their relationship with God by supporting their church’s mission and ministry with a percentage of their incomes.
Our congregation’s Stewardship Committee has selected the New Consecration Sunday Stewardship Program as a way to teach the biblical and spiritual principles of generous giving in our stewardship education emphasis this year. New Consecration Sunday is based on the biblical philosophy of the need of the giver to give for his or her own spiritual development, rather than on the need of the church to receive. Instead of treating people like members of a social club who should pay dues, we will treat people like followers of Jesus Christ who want to give unselfishly as an act of discipleship. New Consecration Sunday encourages people toward proportionate and systematic giving in response to the question, “What percentage of my income is God calling me to give?”
During both morning worship services on Consecration Sunday, October 20, we are asking our attendees and members to make their financial commitments to our church’s missionary, benevolent, and educational ministries in this community and around the world. Every attendee and member who completes an Estimate of Giving Card does so voluntarily by attending morning worship on Consecration Sunday. We urge people to attend who feel strongly opposed to completing a card. The procedure is done in such a way that no one feels personal embarrassment if he or she chooses not to fill out a card.
We will do no home solicitation to ask people to complete cards. During both Sunday morning services our guest speaker will conduct a brief period of instruction and inspiration, climaxed by members making their commitments as a confidential act of worship. We will encourage participation in Consecration Sunday events through the Consecration Sunday team and Vestry. Since we will make no follow-up visits to ask people to complete their cards, we will make every effort to inform, inspire, and commit everyone to attend Consecration Sunday worship.
Joint Project: Bentley Adult Day Health Center at the ACCA and Threads of Prayer
People with dementia often find fiddling with material a helpful way to relieve feelings of anxiety. ‘Twiddling’ can be incorporated into specially-made activity blankets, cushions, aprons, toys, muffs and mitts. Terri Tillman alerted the Threads of Prayer group. Rhonda Packer contacted the Bentley Center and found that they are very interested in having twiddle mitts for their dementia sufferers. Threads of Prayer has begun to work on this project. If anyone in our church family knows of anyone who might need a mitt, please contact Annette Bates at bateskannette@gmail.com.
Volunteer Opportunity
Volunteers are needed to help interview parents and guardians of children living in poverty in Oglethorpe County to determine their needs and wishes for Christmas gifts. We will be interviewing at Crawford Baptist Church on Friday, October 18th, from 9 am till 6 pm, and Saturday, October 19th from 9 am to 1 pm. Training for volunteers will be from 8 - 9AM both days. Contact Catherine Bowen Drewry at 706-201-7241 or via email to volunteer.