MINISTRIES AT ST. GREGORY’S

OUR MISSION STATEMENT

God has called us into Christian community and gifted us for ministry:

To worship and glorify God
To transform faith into action
To share the love of Jesus Christ

We accomplish this through a variety of ministries, as follows.

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ACOLYTE MINISTRY

Holly Graham & Tamera Benedict

The Acolyte ministry is open to youth aged 10 and older, and new participants are invited into this ministry anytime during the year. Acolytes assist the priest and congregation during the worship service. The acolyte coordinator and the Rector provide acolyte training. Adults also participate in this ministry at the 8:00am service on Sunday and on Thursday at 10:00am.

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ALTAR GUILD

Holly Graham

Women, men and older youth are invited to participate in this important ministry to the clergy and congregation. Members are responsible for preparation, set-up and cleanup for every service that takes place in the church. Extensive and ongoing training is provided. Many members find this ministry spiritually enriching and an opportunity for reflection and prayer.

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BELL CHOIR

David York

The Bronze Vocality Handbell Ensemble
provides music for the prelude of the 10:15
service once a month. Rehearsals at Wednesday
evenings at 6 pm in the Choir Room. We are
always looking for new members. All that is
needed is good eye-hand co-ordination and a
jovial spirit.

 

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CHANCEL CHOIR

David York

The Chancel Choir sings every Sunday morning at the 10:15 service. They also present seasonal concerts at Christmas and Palm Sunday. The Chancel Choir is always looking for new singers. If you are interested in this important ministry at St. St. Gregory’s, please contact David Feit-Pretzer, Director of Music and Organist.

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CHRISTIAN EDUCATION

Sarah Spencer

Our Christian Education Department provides Sunday School classes for children aged two years old to 8th grade, as well as participates in special church events such as the Christmas Pageant. The Christian Education Department also oversees our Nursery, which provides care of little ones during both Sunday worship services.

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EPISCOPAL CHURCH WOMEN (ECW)

Kathy Stein

The Women of St. Gregory’s Church (ECW) welcomes you and would appreciate your support as they:

1. a) sponsor the annual Holiday Faire in November
2. b) provide receptions for special occasions, such as funerals (gratis unless catered)
3. c) supply and staff the kitchens for refreshment time after most services
4. d) support the United Thank Offering (UTO) for far-reaching programs
5. e) stock and staff the Christian Cove Boutique
6. f) send get-well, sympathy and thinking of you cards to parishioners as appropriate
7. g) support the Sunday School and Vacation Bible School

We invite all women to attend the Board and planning meetings and become an active participant. Our meetings are usually held in the Conference Room on second Wednesdays at 9:30 am, September to June.

Interested? Contact the Church at 562-420-1311.

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FEED MY LAMBS

Tamera Benedict

Feed My Lambs has a long history at St. Gregory’s.   The current program has been in place for over 12 years helping support those who need to eat, shower, and change clothes. We are one of several churches who help at St. Luke’s at 7th and Atlantic. Our turn is the first Saturday of every month, 7 to 10 am. The day before we have a work party in the Parish Hall to put together the amenities, breakfast and lunch materials for the next day. Several of us with vans or SUVs will haul our supplies and collected clothing early on the first Saturday. Check the e-blast on Fridays or the Sunday bulletins to see how you can help. 

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FOOD BANK

Bill Eldon

The St. Gregory’s Food Bank has a long history and is one of the largest outreach programs of the parish. Combining donations of both non-perishable food items and financial contributions from members of the congregation with donations in kind from other local organizations, our group of around a dozen or so volunteers conducts a food distribution the first Wednesday morning of each month, distributing pre-packed bags of staples to members of the community who need our assistance, averaging around 60 bags each month. In addition, we keep a stockpile of smaller and easy-too-open items for distribution to the those who request assistance from the parish office at other times during the month.

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LAY EUCHARISTIC MINISTERS

Cheryl Rodi

LEMs administer the chalice during the Eucharist each Sunday and during other Eucharistic celebrations.  They also assist the clergy in the service logistics as well as act as readers and intercessors.  Women and men of the congregation called to this ministry are trained by the Rector and licensed by the Bishop.

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LAY EUCHARISTIC VISITORS

Holly Graham

If there is a need to take out Holy Communion to someone who cannot attend the church services, the LEV will make a visit to a person at their home. We visit, spend time with the person, engage them in conversation, ascertain if they may need a visit from the priest and we administer Holy Communion. Visits may be weekly or every two weeks depending on the need of the parishioner.

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MEN’S FELLOWSHIP

John Mora

The Men’s Fellowship Mission Statement is “To Worship God and Promote Fellowship among Men” and we sincerely hope that by bringing men together in fellowship it will help make for a stronger parish. We welcome all the men in our congregation to take 2 hours out of your schedule and come by on the second Tuesday of each month at 7pm in the Fireside room and check us out. You will be welcomed with open arms and good fellowship and hopefully YOU will want to continue to be part of this ministry.

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OUTREACH

Dana Lindsay

The Outreach Committee is charged with developing and maintaining opportunities for our parishioners to serve our community. We have regularly scheduled drives and projects that provide a hands-on way for parishioners to help others. These include:

• Soles for Soles – Collection of new and gently-used shoes that are sent to the Soles4Soles organization to be redistributed to people in need.
• LDS Community Food Drive – This annual event sponsored by a local stake of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints collects canned foods that are then distributed to various food banks in Long Beach. Not only does St. Gregory’s help with the collection and sorting of food, we also receive a portion back to help support our own food bank.
• Easter Basket Project – Collection of supplies for making Easter Baskets. We then assemble and deliver the completed Easter baskets to the Lomita Sheriff’s station for distribution to local children.
• Baby Shower for the St. Mary’s Medical Center Foundation – Supplies and gift cards are collected to help support mothers with newborn babies.
• Miller Children’s Hospital Birthday Gifts – Collection of toys and crafts that the hospital’s Women’s Auxiliary distributes to children celebrating birthdays while in the hospital.
• Long Beach Rescue Mission Backpack Project – Collection of backpacks and school supplies that are then assembled and sent to the Long Beach Rescue Mission, which distributes the backpacks to children in need.
• P.D. Pitchford Animal Shelter Collection – Collection of pet food and supplies to help support our local animal shelter.
• Thanksgiving Food Basket Project – The County of Los Angeles Department of Mental Health provides names of eight families and four shut-ins who are in need of assistance. We collect food items and gift cards to provide each family with one to two boxes of food.
• Adopt-a-Family Project – Collection of clothes, toys, and household supplies to provide Christmas gifts to the same families and shut-ins that received Thanksgiving Food Baskets.

With variety of projects throughout the year, we hope there is something that will appeal to everyone.

The Committee meets on the second Sunday of each month in Room 2. Anyone interested in helping is welcome to attend.

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STEWARDSHIP

Holly Graham

The Stewardship Committee coordinates the annual Stewardship campaign designed to help parishioners discern how best to use their time, treasure, and talents to further the mission and ministry of St. Gregory’s parish. The focus of these campaigns is not so much on how much money one contributes to the parish budget, but more on the impact our work in the parish has on the lives of parishioners and those we minister to in the community.

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USHERS

Fr. Michael Fincher

Ushers open the campus, meet and greet guests and parishioners, hand out programs, aid the congregation and priest as needed. Responsible for cleaning and locking up after service.

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