Friends,
Over the past months, we have learned so much about how to be a community at worship amid both pandemic and civil uprising. The lessons have been repeated when we gather for liturgy online when we study together online, and even when we share our joys during online coffee hour.
If you are new at St. Gregory’s or looking to connect with a community, I want you to know that you are welcome here. Among our first principles is what we call, “glorifying the stranger.” When we welcome newcomers, we do so fully, expecting that in their lives, we will encounter God. We want to know more of God in our lives – and we want to know more about you and your story.
Although we are not holding public services at St. Gregory’s, we do gather for prayer. You can find out more about zoom liturgy by contacting the parish office. If you’d prefer to check us out before committing to joining in zoom church, you can find recordings off all our liturgies on St. Gregory’s Facebook Page.
There is also an opportunity to join weekday Morning Prayer. In this time of social distancing, we invite you to gather for morning prayer online on weekdays at 7:30 a.m. via Zoom. Instructions on how to join the weekday call on your computer or phone are here (same each day). The group that has been praying this way regularly has been using the Daily Office app by Argyle Software: all the readings and prayers in one place.
The Sunday service is live-streamed beginning at 10:00 and goes for 45 minutes or so. Following the service, you can stick around for coffee hour. This is a time for everyone to share more of their experiences, tell stories, show off their artwork, and generally enjoy each other’s company.
Because so much of our life is about generously sharing the table, I have put together a service called Agapé Prayers for Meals, which you can use with your household, whether two or twenty. And just to be clear – this isn’t a substitute for the Eucharist. It does many of the things we do liturgically around the Eucharist, such as light candles and bless the light, hear scripture read and sing a psalm, and say prayers of blessing over the food and sharing experiences. I hope that this service will be a way of maintaining a sense of connection around the table while we are apart.
Although I look forward to the day when we can regather in our building, I love to join you for worship online. In all that we do, we can seek God’s glory and the welfare of God’s creation. We can serve those in need. We can reach out our hands in love – even if we can’t make physical contact! In all of this, we continue to be the church of God’s beloved Gregory of Nyssa.
Peace,
Paul
