50 Years at St. Gregory the Great!
Fifty years ago, a group of men and women gathered to do something new for God in Christ through the Holy Spirit in Athens, GA. They wanted to get beyond all the pomp and circumstance to the real thing. So, they started with the essentials: bread and wine; scripture and prayers and one another as well as service to the community.
Fifty years later these are still the core essentials. Yes, the congregation has outgrown meeting in the library, but it’s still about God and community and service. It’s about communion: with one another, with the wider world, with one’s truest self, and with God.
I am so grateful to have been part of this parish. I think of the classes and the fun we had with worship. I think of creating a new worship space together and those I baptized and buried. I think of our laughter and our tears, our classes and guest lecturers, and I give thanks for all of it. Those years are dear and deep to me.
We have no idea what will happen today or tomorrow or the next fifty years. However, we do know if we hold onto God in Christ through the Holy Spirit, as St. Julian of Norwich said, “All will be well, and all manner of things will be well.” I don’t know if I will be above ground today or tomorrow and certainly not for the next fifty years, but I do know that the spirit of St. Gregory will persevere because God has called this parish to do God’s work. For that I give thanks.
+Porter Taylor
3rd Rector, St. Gregory the Great
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My Dear Sisters, Brothers, and Siblings of St. Gregory’s
You likely do not know this about me: but I admired you from afar for years before my time with you. When I was ordained in 2003, I began to hear about this lovely little church in Athens called St. Gregory the Great. Really, just little glimpses of you: Porter mentioning a new initiative, a presentation at Annual Council about your amazing recycling efforts, Bishop Alexander noting the vibrancy of your life, Beth speaking of you with great love. All along, I thought, “Now there is a place that seems like home to me.”
In 2015, I learned how prescient my intuition had been. After eight hard but wonderful years at St. Gabriel’s, I ended my rectorship there, as we had run out of the funds to continue with a full-time priest. It was devastating for them and for me, and I found myself at very loose ends. I felt this tug to come to St. Gregory’s on Sundays – for healing and restoration. I showed up on your doorstep in Lent, wearing a tie for the first time in years, and you welcomed me in. I sat incognito in your midst and felt your gracious warmth, your beautiful music, your lift, and your light. Several months later, feeling somewhat rested and restored, you invited me to be with you for a season in a very different capacity: as your stand-in pastor and priest. Beth had fallen gravely ill in India, and we walked together in our shared grief and uncertainty. You showed strength and resiliency, faithfulness and resourcefulness. I was honored to sit vigil with you as we prayed together for Beth’s restoration and healing, all the while carrying hope for a bright future. Our paths parted in the fall, as I was called to be with the people of Atonement in their preparations to close their doors, and you were called in a path that led to the eventual arrival of Nikki.
In all of this, I have been aware of God’s loving presence with you all. I continue to think of you fondly, and pray for your well-being. May God continue to bless you, and may you always shine with the light of Christ’s love. It is your charism.
Congratulations on your fiftieth anniversary, and may your next fifty years continue to bring the love, joy, healing, and grace that makes St. Gregory the Great “home.”
Yours in Christ,
Bill Combs
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Oh my goodness, so many memories! When Nikki asked me to share “one”, what first came to mind were family baptisms. 4 year old Jenkins didn’t want to wash her face that night because of the chrism that sealed her in the Spirit. Her mother assured her that nothing could wash away the promise that she was sealed with that love forever. I will never forget Miles bouncing up and down in the aisle when it came time and then laughing with glee when it was his sister’s turn. Perfect! And dearly anticipated Mariel, baptized on the Feast of Pentecost was a celebration like no other at that 6 pm service!
I loved “the work of the people” which was our shared celebration: joys, sorrows, challenges and wondrous ordinary life. Much love to you all!
Beth Long
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