Dear Friends,

There are many things happening at St. Gregory's.

1. On October 6 we will have our choir in place for the year. If you are interested in joining, please see Kevin, our Choir Director. The Choir practices before church at 9:20 am every Sunday they sing, except guitar Sundays which are the 3rd and 5th Sundays of the month.
2. Also, on October 6 we will be joined by a new Field Placement - Abraham Anei. Abraham is currently a deacon in the process to become a priest. Abraham comes from a different culture so serving with us will be a challenge which he is grateful to have. It is our support, encouragement, and help that he will need in the next nine months. If you are interested in serving on his mentor team, please see me. He will need about 3 to 4 people to assist him in this placement.
3. Our first Coffee Talk will be this Sunday. This will be a presentation on the Kenya Mission Trip taken by myself, Kathy Conlon, and Renee Babcock. Many of you have asked if they will get a chance to hear about it and we have promised that we will do this. Coffee Talks happen after church and are very informative. Please attend and show your support.
4. We are looking for a parishioner who might be willing to be an office back-up. With Marit's recent stroke it has become apparent that we need someone who can just slide into her role temporarily if she needs time off. This person will need to have computer skills, and it would require about six hours per week with a very flexible schedule. When Marti gets caught up with work and when she can find some time to train, we would get the person set up to come in and do her job, if needed. There may even be a pool of money we can pull from to compensate this person. If interested, see me.
5. Our Canon Missioner, the Rev. Sunil Chandy will be visiting us on Nov.3. There will be a meeting with the Vestry as well as Sunil's participation in the service and coffee hour. Mark your calendars so that we can have a good showing that Sunday.
6. Right now, the Steak and Salmon Dinner is on and scheduled for Saturday, November 9. It will be Co-Chaired by Marti Johnson and Kathy Conlon. They will need lots of help this year. In past years Marti much of it, for her. Join me in volunteering to do whatever is needed before the event, during the event, and after the event. Thank you!
7. We are looking to do an experiment with the Sunday Worship Service during Advent. We are going back to the Book of Common Prayer. I am just giving people a heads up.
8. I am also curious about the wine distribution during communion. I have been a staunch believer in the one-cup theology of communion. I may need to lighten my conviction. I have noticed other churches entertaining a second cup for dipping. Since the pandemic there are those concerned about how to take the wine and might be avoiding doing so because of how they feel. If you are one of these people, please see me. I am willing to change our approach to communion to accommodate others, but I need to see if this is even an issue before making any changes. 

Wow! we have a great deal going on! Keep Marti in your prayers as she continues to recover. She has a critical role in this church and any support we can give her helps us all. Go Marti! Go St. Gregory's!

Warmly and with much love,

Mother Lily