September Supper Club:

The next meeting of the Supper Club will be Saturday, September 28th at 5 PM in the Fireside Room. Beth and Bill Eldon will be hosting. The main dish will be lasagna, with both meat and vegetarian options. Please let Beth know what you'd like to bring (appetizer, salad, vegetable, or dessert) and your beverage of choice. For more information, please call Beth at (562) 235-8568 (texts are fine). We look forward to enjoying a meal together!

Blessing of the Animals: 

We will have our annual Blessing of the Animals on Saturday, October 5th at 10:00 AM. The brief service will include several prayers attributed to St. Francis followed by individual blessings of all animals present. For the comfort and safety of all concerned, human and non-human guests alike, we do ask that a few ground rules be honored. Please restrain all animals. They should be on leashes (if appropriate) or in carriers. And please clean-up any messes your pet makes. If you are not able to, or are uncomfortable bringing your pet, or if your pet is uncomfortable coming out, you can bring a picture of your pet or one of your pet’s favorite toys, which we will bless instead.

Outreach Focus: Long Beach Animal Shelter: 

As we move into the upcoming holiday season, we are probably thinking about what we will feed our families. Some of us will include our pets in this meal planning extravaganza. We are reminded of the animals that don’t have a home and need care as well. Or the pets of our homeless who try to include their pets in the food search. In the weeks leading up to the Feast of St. Francis, we are collecting donations for the Long Beach Animal Shelter. The list of their needs can be found on our website, flyers, and in the bulletin at most services. This collection will end with the Blessing of the Animals here at St. Gregory’s on 10/5. We will also include the Project Street Vet pet food pantry managed by the Long Beach Multi-Service Center this year. Monetary donations can be placed in the offering plate or sent in through the usual methods. Please join us in this much appreciated collection, and bring your beloved pets to the Blessing of the Animals in October. Thank you from the Outreach Committee! For more information, please view the flyer HERE.

UTO Ingathering: 

United Thank Offering encourages people to notice the good things that happen each day, give thanks to God for those blessings and make an offering for each blessing using a UTO blue collection box or blue envelope. We at St. Gregory’s would like to continue our own support for UTO through our traditional Ingathering. You can return your donations to the collection plate, the parish office or through the St. Gregory's parish website at http://stgregoryschurch.com/4721-2/. Thank you for your participation. 

On Sunday, October 20th at 4:00 PM, St. Gregory's Music at Four concert series presents a "Virtuosic Piano with Yuki Yokota."

Ms. Yokota's compelling program includes a dreamy keyboard work by African-American composer Florence Price; beloved pieces by Chopin, and a walk through an art gallery to experience Mussorgsky's Pictures at an Exhibition.



A free-will offering will be received

and a reception will follow the concert.

View the 2024-2025 Music at Four Season Brochure HERE.

St. Gregory’s Food Bank has New Business Cards! 

Help get the word out about the Food Bank by giving a card to someone in need. You'll find a stack on the table in the Narthex. Please take a few to distribute and help advertise this valuable ministry.

Altar Flower Donations:

Need a wonderful way to honor or remember a loved one or friend? Make a flower donation. There is a flower donation chart located on the Narthex wall that you can use to sign up for special dates to donate altar flowers. Simply fill out a donation form attached to the bottom of the chart and return the form to the Parish Office. Payment for flowers can be made by check or online at this link. Make sure you specify your donation is for Altar Flowers. The Altar Guild thanks you.

Episcopal News Updates: 

The Diocese provides weekly email updates to help you keep informed about what’s happening all over our six-county diocese. If you want to receive the Episcopal News, visit https://diocesela.org/episcopal-news/contact/ and enter your email address in the box provided.

Feed My Lambs & Food Bank Needs:

THANK YOU for your generosity and your donations.

Here’s the latest news on our parish feeding programs.

• Feed My Lambs has the following needs: 100 HARDBOILED EGGS; HOMEMADE COOKIES
• Homemade cookies can be brought to church on any Sunday, in ziplock freezer bags, labeled “Feed My Lambs” to the kitchen.
• Wednesday, October 2 from 9:00 AM to Noon you can deliver to the office:
• Hardboiled eggs
• Homemade Cookies
• Thursday, October 3 until 11:00 AM you can deliver to the kitchen:
• Homemade Cookies
• Hardboiled Eggs
• Friday, October 4 from 1:00 to 3:00 PM you can deliver to the kitchen:
• Hardboiled Eggs
• Our Guests always need white athletic socks and belts! Which you can put in the Feed My Lambs bin outside the church on any Sunday.
• Volunteers – We need some additional volunteers to help with serving our guests at St. Luke’s on the first Saturday of every month. If you have questions about helping out with Feed My Lambs or dropping off items, contact Tamera Benedict at (tlbenedict4@gmail.com, 562.301.6800).
• Food Bank – The Food Bank relies on your financial support and appreciates any donations of funds or non-perishable food items.
• We also welcome any volunteers at our bagging and distribution the THIRD WEDNESDAY of each month from 8:30 to 11:00 AM. Please contact Kevin at the Parish Office (info@stgregoryschurch.com, 562.420.1311) for more information about the Food Bank.

Your continued support of our feeding ministries, through product and monetary contributions, is greatly appreciated!

Gratitude for Your Support of the Parish:

We continue to be humbled and so incredibly grateful for your generosity in supporting our parish and its ministries! While you may not be able to drop your donation in a real offering plate, there are still ways you can make sure your donation gets to the parish:

• You can mail your check to the parish office.
• Make donations through our online payment account, accessible through the parish website at http://stgregoryschurch.com/4721-2/.
• Scan the QR code found in the Sunday bulletin.

And again, THANK YOU for your continued support!

Online Parish Directory:

Our online parish directory is at https://www.instantchurchdirectory.com/. This is a secure site and can be accessed using the email address you had published in the parish directory. You can also download the "Instant Church Directory" on your smart phone. Versions are available for Android, iPhone, iPad, and Kindle.

One Body & One Spirit Annual Appeal:

The Diocese has established an ongoing campaign focused on raising funds to assist congregations, schools, affiliated institutions, and their communities who are faced with unprecedented challenges. We are invited to prayerfully consider making a donation to help others in our Diocese who may have unmet needs. More information is available at https://diocesela.org/annual-appeal/. 

Forward Day By Day:

For those who use the "Forward Day by Day" booklet for personal devotions and need the newest edition mailed, please contact Kevin: (562) 420-1311 or info@stgregoryschurch.com   

In Case of Emergency...Notify Your Priest! 

With our combined ministry program with St. Thomas of Canterbury comes additional coverage for pastoral emergencies. In the event of a hospital stay, illness, death in the family, or other pastoral emergency, please call Father Michael on his cell phone (909-373-6478) any day except Monday, his Sabbath day. Mother Sharon (562-833-3393) covers emergencies in both communities on Monday, just as Father Michael covers emergencies in both parishes on Friday, Mother Sharon’s Sabbath. And PLEASE, no excuses about not wanting to bother me. That’s why we are here – for YOU!

St. Gregory's Food Bank:

Our monthly Food Bank distribution takes place the first Wednesday of every month. This ministry helps us help our neighbors by providing a supplemental source of groceries. We CANNOT do this without your generosity. CLICK HERE for more information.

This month we served 79 people!