The

Gregorian

Chant

"Human."

When I asked our youth gathered yesterday to cook a meal for the children and parents at the Athens Area Homeless Shelter who or what they pictured when they thought of people experiencing homelessness, one of them answered simply - human. 

I was fishing for misconceptions and stereotypes or things they had overheard from others, (and we did talk through a lot of those too,) but before we began our conversation the table agreed that everyone we talked about - they who are in the shelter, sleeping in cars, couch-surfing, sleeping rough in camps and on benches and sidewalks, children, adults; folks with disabilities or suffering from serious mental illnesses and/or difficult backgrounds - they are human, and therefore beloved by God, entitled to dignity, respect, and compassion.

We discussed demographic information and less visible forms of homelessness (like many youth who might be our classmates in school,) dispelled some misconceptions, thought through logistical day-to-day circumstances for individuals and families without place. We know there are no easy solutions, but we also know that our mission is to strive for justice and peace among all peoples, and to respect the dignity of every human being, and to feed and love our neighbors.

And then we cooked! And boy - this was going to be an experiment because I'm not a gifted cook and this was my first time coordinating 10 cooks - but it turned out great! (Thank you parents - our sixth and seventh grade boys can chop an onion and when I was that age I had never held a knife in the kitchen before.) Everyone worked together and made a really tasty baked ziti with so much love (and seasoning) that I'm really proud of the result. (Not possible without my wife Lillian and volunteer Elizabeth Davidson too, thank you 💟) 

As Lillian and I left the shelter after delivering the food that afternoon one of the unhoused children joyfully exclaimed "OHH they brought ROLLS!" Thank you all, I hope this experience was as meaningful for all of our participants as it was for me.

Jeff Balance, 

Lay Minister for Youth Formation: EYC and Sunday School 

We had a great time cooking dinner for the families at the homeless shelter! I heard back that dinner turned out great and they really appreciated it. Thanks to all the youth who participated and to Lillian and Elizabeth for chaperoning!

St Greg's Youth (6th-12th Grades) have the following activities planned:

• Sunday, September 6 - Youth Sunday School - 12:00pm-1:30pm 📚
• Sunday, September 13 - Youth Sunday School - 12:00pm-1:30pm 📔
• Youth Sunday School takes place on the first two Sundays of the month after the 10:30 service from 12-1:30 in the youth room, lunch provided! 
• Sunday, September 20 - YOUTH SUNDAY ✝️
• Wednesday, September 23 - EYC Game & Craft Night - 6:30pm-8:30pm 👾🧶
• Sunday, September 27 - Interfaith Field Trip to Drepung Loseling Monastery in Atlanta. 🪷

Please reach out to Jeff Ballance (stgregathensyouth@gmail.com - 478.278.3628) for more details/questions and to be added to our email list.

Adult Sunday School

Adult Discussion Group: (Parish Hall)  The Adult Spiritual Formation Sunday morning Bible study is currently discussing of the book of Genesis. This class welcomes anyone seeking a thoughtful investigation of the book of Genesis and will include time for discussion of our personal responses to the Bible and how it applies to our life of faith. We will meet in the Parish Hall at 9:15am.

Lectionary Class: (Office #1) The lectionary class meets in Office #1 (next to Kendall's office) at 9:15AM. We study the assigned readings for each Sunday. Please contact Les House at 478-733-2939 or via email if you have any questions. 

Spiritual Self Discovery (Library) This discussion group focuses on lived experiences, exploration of faith, and theological fundamentals. The class aims to offer an accessible space for both new and longtime members that are seeking a space to explore personal faith and the stories and practices of others. Grab a warm beverage and a snack, get comfortable, share your story, and learn from someone else's. We will meet in the library.

intent

making a pledge  

for giving can

help our vestry

to better plan

how much support

we can provide

for ministries

to circle wide

both in our church

and in our town

to neighbors who

live all around

so that the love

that we all share

goes out beyond

our here to there

alice mohor

Instructions for Live Streaming

• Just go to the St. Gregory the Great Episcopal Church YouTube Homepage

• Near the time for service, underneath our channel logo, you will see our video for that day, with the word ‘live’ on it. The page will look like this:

• If you don’t immediately see the video that says ‘live’, (for instance, if you opened YouTube before the service begins) keep refreshing it.  

• When you see the video square that says ‘live’, click on it. 

Welcome to worship!