Help for Our Homeless Students: July 19 - August 14

For the last several years, the Clarke County School System has served its homeless students through the federally-funded McKinney-Vento Program. While these funds have helped ensure that homeless students receive the same school supplies and other services provided for all students, there are many needs unique to this population that federal dollars won’t fund. For example, homeless students and their families often need clothes, food, personal hygiene items and help with transportation that are difficult to anticipate and plan for and are not on the list of items approved for federal expenditures.

Last year, St. Gregory's Outreach Committee spearheaded a Gift Card Drive to help address these often unmet needs among Clarke County’s homeless students. Thanks to your never-failing generosity, last August, we contributed 230 Walmart gift cards, totaling $4,420 in value, to this program. According to Ms. Chrystal Gillis, Director of Social Work for the Clarke County School District, “These cards were instrumental in supporting 20 unaccompanied youth experiencing homelessness by providing access to food, clothing, hygiene, and other necessities. This subgroup of youth is at greater risk because they are experiencing homelessness while not being in the physical custody of a parent/guardian.”

Not surprisingly, the School District has asked for our help again this year. Specifically, we are again seeking donations from our parishioners of $10 and $20 Walmart gift cards. In addition, this year, the Homeless Program has also identified the need for Uber and Lyft gift cards to help some of the students with transportation to and from work. We will collect all gift cards beginning July 19 through Friday, August 14. Please donate only $10 and $20 Walmart cards. Uber and Lyft cards in any denomination are welcome and may be purchased from Target, Best Buy, CVS and other stores that sell gift cards. IN ALL CASES, PLEASE CLEARLY IDENTIFY THE VALUE(S) OF THE CARDS YOU ARE DONATING.

You may hand your donations to Gail Eilers on Sunday mornings through August 9 or leave them with Kendall, our Parish Administrator, through Friday, August 14. If you have any questions, please contact Gail at eilersgail@gmail.com or 904-333-8996. Thank you, in advance, for your amazing generosity.

Volunteer Opportunity: Athens Area Emergency Food Bank

Volunteers are requested to help with the Athens Area Emergency Food Bank. Our work includes logging recent donations and/ or filling bags for recipients to pick up. Minimal lifting is required. Training is provided. Hours are from 9-1 but the work is usually completed in 2-3 hours. The upcoming dates are May 18, June 15, & June 29. To sign up or request additional information please contact Belita Gordon by email or by text 706-255-8707.

Family Promise: June 7-13

Our next Family Promise week is June 7 -13. Here are the current needs of the families in shelter we will be serving that week: 1) Four gift cards to Kroger or Walmart. Visa cards are fine too. Or you can give cash to Annette and she will buy them. 2) Hygiene supplies including baby wipes as the families have young children and one mom just had her baby two weeks ago. Boxes are in the parish hall and the narthex. 3) If you have any used clean still good towels and sheets, that's always helpful. Thank you all in advance for your generosity! This work is so important in our community. Please contact Annette Bates with questions by text or phone, 706-255-5839.

Worship Committee Returns

The Worship Committee has been re-formed and we have several exciting plans for new worship services and feast day observances, and a few ideas to make Sunday mornings at St Greg's that much more impactful and run a bit smoother for everyone involved in making worship happen.

The first thing you'll begin to notice from the pews is the return of a St Greg's practice we haven't seen since before COVID - we will be bringing in some "smells and bells" on feast days! Beginning on Pentecost (May 24th) at the 10:30 service, one of our youth acolytes will take on the role of thurifer and carry incense during the procession and another will ring sanctus bells as we celebrate the Eucharist. 

We will only be using these elements to mark particularly special occasions and dates on our liturgical calendar and it will be our practice to remind the congregation both in our weekly newsletter and during announcements on Sunday mornings so that any parishioners who have sensitivities to scents/smoke may plan to attend the 8am service or sit further away from the aisle so as to avoid close contact with the smoke.

If you have any questions please reach out to the Worship Committee or Mother Nikki.

Young Designers Sewing Program Fashion Show

The Young Designers Sewing Program will present their 2026 fashion show at St. Gregory's on Saturday, May 2, at 3:00PM. The girls are very excited to show all the wonderful creations they have worked so hard on this year. This is an event for the families and friends of the Young Designers and we welcome them into our space to celebrate what these girls have done!

The Young Designers meet every Tuesday and Thursday afternoon to learn sewing and design skills along with life skills for future success. We concentrate on purpose, persistence, patience, planning, and problem-solving, and a lot of fun too! Many parishioners have helped in the past with setting up, bringing refreshments, and cleaning up as well as enjoying the show. Admission is free, donations are welcome! If you can help support this event, please contact Jenifer Borg (706) 614-4895 or Maggie Reinberger (706) 338-1471.

There is a second fashion show on Sunday, May 3rd at 3:00PM at the Classic Center. This is a ticketed event and the major fundraiser for the Young Designers. Tickets are available through https://www.eventsibles.online/YDSP2026 We hope to see you at one of these shows!

Coffee Hour Help Needed

For the past couple of years the Blindspot has worked alongside our Coffee Hour Coordinator, Danielle Vogt, to provide food, serve, and clean up after the 10:30 coffee hour. We volunteered for this because, as a group, we had a desire to meet and socialize with members of the wider parish, and have time and space to meet with visitors, but coffee hour had been slow to recover following the COVID-19 pandemic. While prior to the pandemic it was normal practice for multiple parishioners to sign up and volunteer to bring food and serve during both of our coffee hours, this was not the case once we all returned to in-person worship. Danielle readily accepted the call to serve and fill this gap for our parish and the Blindspot has enjoyed assisting her in bringing attendance back up. There are now, regularly, multiple tables worth of parishioners who stick around for a snack, a cup of coffee, and fellowship. We couldn't be happier about the results!

Now that we are five years beyond our return to in-person worship and coffee hour is once again a thriving ministry, we believe it is time for us to turn our time and resources to other needs in our parish. Danielle will, of course, still be running the show but Blindspot will no longer be making Coffee Hour one of our particular ministries to the wider parish, with our last Sunday serving being on April 26th. We ask, and encourage, all members of our parish to find the sign up sheet posted on the bulletin board in the Christian Ed building and sign up for a Sunday that you can contribute a baked good, cheese plate, or other treat to the table and don one of our St Greg's aprons and give Danielle a hand with serving and clean up duties. Please help keep up the Gregorian tradition of hospitality to visitors and long time members alike!