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St. Gregory the Great
Episcopal Church
Athens, GA
GREGORIANCHANT
JANUARY 2015
Dearly Beloved,
Annual Meeting
I am reading Just Mercy: A Story of Justice and Redemption, by Bryan Stevenson, a lawyer who
founded the Equal Justice Initiative, defending those in most desperate need of legal council
because they are poor or wrongly condemned. I have been to hospitals, ICUs, ERs and nursing
homes but not until I came to Georgia have I visited parishioners in prison. Mr. Stevenson tells us
that the prison population has increased from 300,000 in the early 1970’s to 2.3 million people
today, with nearly 600,000 people on probation or parole. One in every 15 people born in 2001 is
expected to go to jail or prison. One in every 3 black male babies is expected to be incarcerated.
Hundreds of thousands of nonviolent offenders have spent decades in prison. These are only some
of the devastating statistics he shares.
And yet this is also a chronicle of hope and redemption. I share with you these reflections from his
work:
“I’ve also represented people who have committed terrible crimes but nonetheless struggle
to recover and to find redemption. I have discovered deep in the hearts of many condemned and
incarcerated people, the scattered traces of hope and humanity—seeds of restoration that come to
astonishing life when nurtured by very simple interventions.
“Proximity has taught me some basic and humbling truths, including the vital lesson:
Each of us is more than the worst thing we’ve ever done. My work with the poor and the
incarcerated has persuaded me that the opposite of poverty is not wealth; the opposite of poverty is
justice. Finally I’ve come to believe that the true measure of our commitment to justice, the
character of our society, our commitment to the rule of law, fairness and equality cannot be
measured by how we treat the rich, the powerful, the privileged and the respected among us. The
true measure of our character is how we treat the poor, the disfavored, the accused, the incarcerated
and the condemned. . . .Fear and anger can make us vindictive and abusive, unjust and unfair, until
we all suffer from the absence of mercy and we condemn ourselves as much as we victimize
others . . .we all need mercy, we all need justice, and –perhaps—we all need some measure of
unmerited grace.”
I commend to you the presentations by the Rev. Becca Stevens of Thistle Farms, scheduled for Jan.
27 & 28 at UGA and at St. Gregory the Great on Jan. 28. Our youth will be participating in the
MLK Day of Service on Jan. 19, and so can we. Some of our churches on the east side of Athens
are exploring an opportunity to provide local food distribution once a month with the help of
NEGA Food Bank. We will keep you posted, because if that goes forward, there will be an
opportunity for a team of volunteers to help with the distribution, much as we have done at Our
Daily Bread.
Finally, as I have been thinking about all these things, the words of poet and civil rights activist
Howard Thurman echo in my soul from his poem, “The Work of Christmas”:
When the song of the angels is stilled,
When the star in the sky is gone,
When the kings and princes are home,
When the shepherds are back with their flock,
The work of Christmas begins:
To find the lost,
To heal the broken,
To feed the hungry,
To release the prisoner,
To rebuild the nations,
To bring peace among brothers,
To make music in the heart.
Answering God’s call to love our neighbors as ourselves will surely make music in the heart!
A blessed Feast of the Epiphany,
Beth
St. Gregory’s Annual Meeting will
be held on Sunday, January 25, in
Parish Hall, immediately following
the 10:30am service.
Parishioner Information
We have had many instances lately
of not being able to get in touch
with parishioners because of old
information in our database.
PLEASE, if you have a new phone
# or email, or address, or if you no
longer use your home phone #,
please let Kendall know asap, so
we may update our files! You can
email the office at
office@stgregoryathens.org or call
706.546.7553.
Thank you!
Thank you to all the musicians,
actors, narrators, and their family
members who helped bring the
Christmas story alive for the 5
pm Christmas Eve service!
Special thanks to Vicky and Mark
Tavernier for directing the
Believers’ Band!
Pastoral Care Team
Fill out a request form (found on
Kendall’s office door) or email
the Pastoral Care Team at
stgregspastoralcareteam@gmail.c
om if you have a need, know of
someone in need or would like to
be part of the team that helps
meet the needs of others. While
building community in service to
others, we offer * Hospital Visits
* Home Visits * Phone Calls *
Meal Sharing for illness or Births
* Counsel / Strategize with poor
prognosis * Rides to Dr.’s
appointments
AIDS Athens
MLK Day of Service
The Outreach Committee
encourages participation in the
MLK Day of Service on Monday,
January 19. All the information
for registering is at
www.CommunityConnection
211.org. There will be a team
working at the Gospel Pilgrim
Cemetery, but there are other
locations and types of work as
well. Please register at the
website and list St. Gregory as a
team sponsor. Registration begins
at 9:00AM January 19 at the Lay
Center, 297 Hoyt Street. All ages
are urged to volunteer.
Thank you, from
Community Christmas!
Thank you from Community
Christmas of Oglethorpe County,
Inc.! With your help, 510
children from 219 families each
received $100 worth of fun toys
and warm clothes for Christmas.
Some of you gave money, some
gave your time, and some gave
things. All were very much
appreciated! Additionally,
Community Christmas has been
able to assist five families with
electric bills, one with water bills,
one family who lost everything in
a fire, provide beds and table and
chairs for a family, and dentures
for a bright,young, bilingual
mother!
St. Gregory the Great supports AIDS Athens and the comprehensive programs provided
by them for those living with HIV/AIDS in the 10-county Northeast Georgia Health
District.
AIDS Athens exists to enhance and enrich the quality of life for those living with HIV/
AIDS, as well as their friends, families and partners. The organization also seeks to effect
a fundamental change in society's attitude toward persons infected with HIV/AIDS.
AID Athens provides:
HIV testing, Case Management, Housing, Social Supportive Services, Medical Care,
Food Pantry, Clothing Closet, Financial Planning and Employment Program, and
Educational Workshops and Days of Support.
For more information, see http://www.aidsathens.org
Thistle Farms
St. Gregory the Great will welcome the Rev. Becca
Stevens, founder of Thistle Farms, a social
enterprise devoted to empowering women who have
survived prostitution, trafficking, and addiction who
will share her message of love, hope and justice with
the UGA and Athens community. She
founded Magdalene, a residential community of
women. Thistle Farms currently employs nearly 50 residents and graduates of
Magdalene, and houses a natural body care line, a paper and sewing studio and the
Thistle StopCafe. Mark your calendars and join us!
Tuesday, January 27th : 6:30pm - The 1st Annual Office of Service-Learning Town and
Gown Lecture series: "The Art of Healing and Truth Telling: How Love Heals" by Becca
Stevens at the UGA Chapel.
Wednesday, January 28th: 12:15pm - Lunch and workshop led by Becca Stevens at the
Presbyterian Student Center (1250 S Lumpkin St.) led by Becca Stevens; 4:30pm - Tea
and Justice Workshop led by Becca Stevens at St. Gregory's Episcopal Church (3195
Barnett Shoals Rd.).
Movie Night Resumes!
Movie Night has been revived! At 6:30PM on the last Friday of
each month from January to October, come join your fellow
Gregorians for a good movie! We will provide drinks and popcorn.
The first movie will be The Basket on Friday, January 30.
The Basket (1999), rated PG, is a story of opera, basketball, and
resentment in a small town in Washington state during World War
I. As the residents come to terms with the high human cost of war, two German orphans
move to the town as wards of the local minister and become objects of anti-German anger.
Yet those orphans prove essential to pulling the community together, for, "together we will
fly."
The Bishop’s Visit
On December 7, Bishop Robert Wright visited St. Gregory’s. We rejoice with those
baptized at the 10:30am service that day: Isaiah Camoston, Elise Camoston, Logan
Camoston, and Noah Karjian; with those who were confirmed: Isabella Van Giesen, Ian
Van Giesen, Harper Ann Moffett, Olivia Morris, and Julia Dingus; with those received
into the Episcopal Church: Richard Cooper; and those reaffirmed: Sybil Lott.
Happy Birthday!
Children’s Sunday School
January 1
Barbara Johnson
Elijah Gabriel
January 2
Scott Thornton
Grady Linn
January 3
Bill Alworth
Katie Tavernier
Class will be led by the Rector, Beth Long, during the month of January.
January 4
Melissa Hamlin
Adult Discussion
January 5
Sybil Lott
In January the adult discussion will return to the DVD series on the Old Testament by
Professor Amy-Jill Levine.
January 6
Emma Jones
January 10
Anthony Barkdoll
Melinda Jones
Thomas Peck
January 15
Logan Bono
January 18
David Ingle
Paul Welch
January 19
Laurie Hauss
January 20
Alice Hunt
January 22
David Stooksbury
January 25
Ray Herren
Annabelle Coyne
Mayah Etienne
January 27
Sheila Kelley
*Everyone is welcome at all services at St. Gregory’s. Rhythms of Grace is offered as an
alternative for those who desire one.
January 28
Karen Kassinger
Carolyn Howell
Joe Napoli
Healing Grief Group
January 30
Laura Mosley
Rosemary Linn
January 31
McGowan Drewry
Come to Fun-Day School! Kids from
Pre-K – 5th grade will have fun
workshops during January about
Jesus, the Light of the World. Come
explore this special light with us, and
enjoy time with friends from church, 9:15-10:15 each Sunday.
Youth
Parenting Support
Sunday Parenting Support 9:15 - 10:15am. Come and mingle with other parents who face
the same joys, concerns and challenges as you. Our goal is to build community through
listening and sharing parenting experiences with one another. Parenting is wonderful, and at
times can be the most difficult thing you’ve ever done. Working together in community will
keep you motivated and encouraged while you make your way towards less reactive and
more intentional parenting.
New Worship Service Opportunity - Rhythms of Grace
Starting Sunday, February 8, 2015, at 3PM, St. Gregory the Great will begin hosting
Rhythms of Grace, a worship service where all forms of physical and vocal responses are
embraced. Although Rhythms of Grace was created especially to serve those on the autism
spectrum, all families with extra wiggly and extra creative children and adults are
welcome.
An inter-denominational team including the Rev. Gordon Bienvenue, the Rev. Beth Long
and Catherine Drewry, Director of Children's Ministries at St. Gregory's will host Rhythms
of Grace on the second Sunday of each month.
Resuming January 7 / Wednesdays 4-5:30PM
We provide an intimate space for a group of people to share their grief through speaking
and listening to each other’s stories. The meetings allow each person the chance to be heard
and to feel supported in a safe and relaxed environment. Our group meets weekly to help
you face the challenges of loss.
Our condolences
Coffee Hosts
The new 3 month sign up sheet for coffee hosts has been posted on the bulletin board next
to the kitchen. Please consider making it a New Years resolution to take one Sunday on
that schedule. Having a social time after church is a wonderful way to greet old friends at
St. Gregory but even more, to meet new guests and members, but it takes everyone taking a
turn. The past 3 months had very few people sign up to host and yet people did turn up
regularly to enjoy coffee hour.
Thank you in advance!
to Vicky Tavernier, on the
death of her nephew, Cole.
May his soul, and the souls of
all the departed, through the
mercy of God, rest in peace.
St. Gregory the Great Episcopal Church
3195 Barnett Shoals Road
Athens, GA 30605
>>Return Service Requested<<
706-546-7553