Dearest Parishioners & Friends:

This Sunday, July 18, is the Sunday of the Fathers of the 4^th Ecumenical Council. On this day each year, the Church recognizes and celebrates the contributions of these holy people who strove, so long ago (5^th century!), to present a clear picture of Christ’s teaching and Gospel to the faithful. One of the major contributions they made was to clarify that Christ was not only fully divine but also fully human—without His full humanity, His tremendous sacrifice would be rendered an illusion and robbed of its power.z

With these things in mind, if you’re in town this Sunday, I do hope you’ll join us at Saint Gregory for worship and friendship. All are welcome to join us for Fellowship Hour right after Divine Liturgy. Our services will also be streamed via Face Book and You Tube.  

As the summer moves on, I’m excitedly working with our ministry leaders to plan for a wonderful, active fall at Saint Gregory. Events and developments currently in the works include a celebratory “welcome back” BBQ in September, the beginning of Youth Religious Education classes, the re-opening of our book store, a teaching Divine Liturgy, Prayerful Pumpkin Carving Event, parish hike, pet blessing and Orthodox Life/Bible series. In addition, please feed me your ideas and perspectives—I welcome your input and thank you in advance for sharing.

Finally, I will be away for several weeks beginning July 20; I will miss you on the Sundays I’m away but will look forward to rejoining you in early August. I regret that we will not have a substitute for July 25, so we will not have services at our church; however, I encourage you to come spend some time at Saint Gregory on the 25th for personal prayer (9:30 - 10:30 am) or to join one of our local sister parishes for worship. Finally, don’t hesitate to contact me if anything important should arise in your life. I always welcome your contact and want to be there for you.

Have a blessed weekend and see you soon,

Fr. Alex

EPISTLE READER: Our youth are especially encouraged to contact Fr. Alex to read on a coming Sunday, in person or remotely. Parents, please let Father know if your daughter or son might like to read.

ALTAR SERVERS: All servers welcome this Sunday. Contact Fr. Alex or Tom Moustakis if your son is interested in Altar service--we'd love to grow this ministry.

ANTIDORON SERVER: Kyri and Georgia Stavros. Servers are welcome to participate in this ministry throughout the summer. To get involved, contact Kyri Stavros: kyri910@icloud.com 

COMING MEMORIALS: Aug. 8--Father Michael Bird, 7 years. May his memory be eternal!

FELLOWSHIP HOUR: Please join us in the hall following Divine Liturgy for friendship and refreshments--all are welcome to join us. Fellowship Hour sponsorships are open to the entire parish family. Please contact the Church Office to schedule your special day, in memory of a loved one, in honor of a special occasion or just to enable wonderful fellowship at Saint Gregory. 

WORSHIPPING FROM HOME: STREAMING AND INTERNET MINISTRY
ACCESS SERVICES VIA FACEBOOK:
St. Gregory the Theologian Greek Orthodox Church | Facebook

ACCESS SERVICES VIA YOU TUBE:
St. Gregory The Theologian Live - YouTube

STREAMING MINISTRY DETAILS/SOCIAL MEDIA CONNECTIONS
Access Services via You Tube:
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCgvnXFV6xK1Nhm8ID84jFNg
Access Services and join our community on Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/saintgregorythetheologian
Join our community on Instagram
@saintgregorythetheologian • Instagram photos and videos

ORTHROS & DIVINE LITURGY FOR THE 3RD SUNDAY OF MATTHEW, JULY 18
We look forward to worshipping with you at Saint Gregory, whether in person or remotely. Orthros, 8:30 am; Divine Liturgy, 9:30 am. While Youth Religious Education classes have concluded until fall, we hope as many of our beloved children as possible will keep attending services or worshipping online. Worship and community never "break" at Saint Gregory!

FELLOWSHIP HOUR, JULY 18--AND SPONSORSHIPS THIS SUMMER
If you feel comfortable doing so, please join us in the hall for Fellowship Hour following Divine Liturgy. We are grateful for the opportunity to once again enjoy friendship and refreshments in our hall. In addition, all parishioners are invited to pick a special Sunday to sponsor Fellowship Hour this summer. Please sign up this Sunday during Fellowship Hour or simply contact the Church Office. 

FOOD & FRIENDS, JULY 20
For July, we may be preparing "to go" meals or returning to a sit down meal approach. Interested in helping us prepare/serve or making a donation in support of this ministry? All are welcome to get involved. Please contact Cathy Cooper: ccooper126@verizon.net. Each meal we prepare and package feeds about 40-50 people and the total cost per event is about $150. We meet at Saint Gregory's at 12 pm. Everything usually wraps up by 5 pm, but you are welcome to plug in whenever you are able. This is such a rewarding and much appreciated ministry for Saint Gregory's! If you can make the time to take part you'll be happy you did.

PHILOPTOCHOS SCHOOL SUPPLIES DRIVE
Philoptochos will once again be collecting school supplies and monetary donations to support the Mansfield Public Schools. Please bring your donation physical donation (new backpacks, books, binders, pens, pencils, crayons, etc) to the drop off box in the Narthex. Online school supply shopping lists will soon be available for your convenience via Amazon and Target.com. Further, you can give a monetary donation through GivePlus(noting it is for the school drive) or directly to a board member. Monetary  donations will be used to purchase backpacks through a special promotion offered by Ocean State Job Lots. Last day to donate is Aug. 22. As always, thanks for your support! 

STEWARDSHIP IN 2021--AN IDEAL TIME TO COMMIT AND ENACT GIVING
Many thanks to all of our Saint Gregory parishioners who have already committed for 2021. If you haven't had an opportunity to do so yet, with the "lean" nature of summer giving, now is an ideal time not only to commit for the year but also enact the financial aspect of your Stewardship. 2021 Commitment Cards can be completed online, and we can also give online via our website Stewardship Page: ​www.saintgregorythetheologian.org/stewardship/. GivePlus is another great option for parish giving: Home | St Gregory The Theologian Church (myvanco.com)

GARDEN CLUB MINISTRY THIS SUMMER AND FALL
Calling at Saint Gregory parish green thumbs! In addition to our regular professional landscaping efforts, we would love to form a ministry effort around beautifying and nurturing our expansive campus. Everything from weeding to flower planting is a possibility, and this will be a fantastic way to do something hands-on at our parish. Please contact Lou Zagami for details: Lzagami@iocc.org

MEMORIAL GARDEN EFFORT
If you would like to add a memorial brick to our outdoor walkway this spring/summer, please fill out the form in our Narthex and Church Office. With the funds we raise, we would like to refurbish and install the iron fencing from our previous iconostation to frame the walkway, as well as add some outdoor icons and landscape features to update this wonderful area. Contact Cathy Cooper for further details and with questions: ccooper126@verizon.net. 

ANTIDORON SERVERS MINISTRY
In addition to reading the Epistle, this ministry is a great way for the girls and young women of our parish to actively engage our worship services. Please contact Kyri Stavros to learn more and/or confirm service dates. 

CONGREGATIONAL SINGING LEADERS
Singing leaders are needed to help our parish get familiar with our new hymnal, as well as lead congregational singing of the Divine Liturgy this summer and fall. Please contact Fr. Alex to learn more about coming practices and how you can be a part of this vital ministry of Saint Gregory. 

SAINT GREGORY PARISH BOOKSTORE
Parishioners are invited to visit our bookstore by appointment or otherwise receive assistance by contacting the Church Office. Cathy or Fr. Alex would be happy to help you find that encouraging book or meaningful gift for a loved one. In addition, we expect our bookstore to open up with wonderful updated stock--and smiling faces--in September. We look forward to this wonderful renewal of this important ministry. 

WHAT'S NEW ON OUR WEBSITE?
Within our Youth Ministry pages, you'll now see two new resources under "Youth and Family Resources": "Saintly Lives" and "For Your Home." Both can be a resources for parents as they strive to bring the life of the Church into their homes. New entries for May will soon be available. 

CHURCH OFFICE HOURS
Fr. Alex: Tue. (9 am – 1 pm), Wed. (11 am – 3 pm) & Thur (9 am – 1 pm); or by appointment when convenient for our faithful. Please note that on occasion, Fr. Alex may be seeing to a pastoral situation, visitingn with another parishioner, attending a Metropolis event or otherwise engaged in Church life during office hours. Cathy Cooper: by Appointment. 

Our faithful are invited to submit the names of the living to be lifted up in prayer by Fr. Alex and our entire parish family. Please contact the Church Office or Father to add or remove names. 

Please pray for the servants of God: 

Nicole; Alexa; Tony; Amanda; Nicholas; Lea; Irene; Diana; Jeanne; Sam; Michael; Teddy; Annette; Johanna; Joyce; Elaine; Joseph; David; George; Elaine; Gia; Michelle; Kay; Maria; Andreas; Nicholas; Barbara; Timothy; Mark; Bonnie; Andrea; Marissa; Helen; Bessie; Peter; Gina; Christopher; Ginny; Stella; Dorothy; Jack; Dorothy; Ethel; Greg; Vesallie; Helen; Benjamin; Andonea; Diana