St. Gregory's Always Has Your Back!

BackPACK that is! The Long Beach Rescue Mission is again partnering with local middle schools to provide backpacks and supplies to children in need. We will run our drive from July 7 – August 4, and our goal is to provide as many backpacks as possible. The list is specific, so please do not add anything extra. Remember, you do not have to provide a full backpack; simply donate what you are able. The flyer will be printed in our weekly bulletins and posted for your convenience on our social media accounts. If you choose to make a cash donation, you may do so from the church website (https://stgregoryschurch.com/4721-2) or in the collection plate; make sure that you designate that your donation is earmarked for backpacks. 

June Musical Highlights:

view the June Highlights flyer HERE.

Sunday, June 9 - Taj Jegaraj, guest soloist

St. Gregory’s Choir will be joined by tenor Taj Jegaraj to sing Tom Trenney’s anthem “Speak, Lord.” Alto section leader Andrea Hilliard and Taj will sing a duet based on the traditional Spirituals “Peace Like a River” and “Kum Ba Yah.”

Sunday, June 16 - St. Gregory’s Brass

Don’t miss the inaugural performance of St. Gregory’s Brass during the Closing Voluntary! St. Gregory’s Brass is made up of 10 parishioners and friends: Trumpet: Ian Bond, Mike Canzoneri, Casey Ramsdell, Jordan Tickner

Horn: Dan Tyler / Trombone: John Kagy, Dylan Wicks / Baritone: Ellen Ramsdell /

Bass Trombone: Craig McKnight / Percussion: Sean Dunnahoe

Sunday, June 23 - St. Gregory’s Final Choir Sunday

Including music by contemporary composer Richard Bruxvoort-Colligan and a selection from the Sacred Harp,a collection of songs originating in America in the 18th century During communion Brianna Zucker and Andrea Hilliard will offer English Renaissance composer Richard Dering’s beautiful duet “Above Him Stood the Seraphim.”

Altar Flower Donations:

Need a wonderful way to honor or remember a loved one or friend? Make a flower donation. There is a flower donation chart located on the Narthex wall that you can use to sign up for special dates to donate altar flowers. Simply fill out a donation form attached to the bottom of the chart and return the form to the Parish Office. Payment for flowers can be made by check or online at this link. Make sure you specify your donation is for Altar Flowers. The Altar Guild thanks you.

Episcopal News Updates: 

The Diocese provides weekly email updates to help you keep informed about what’s happening all over our six-county diocese. If you want to receive the Episcopal News, visit https://diocesela.org/episcopal-news/contact/ and enter your email address in the box provided.

Feed My Lambs & Food Bank Needs:

THANK YOU for your generosity and your donations.

Here’s the latest news on our parish feeding programs.

• Feed My Lambs has the following needs: 100 HARDBOILED EGGS; HOMEMADE COOKIES
• Homemade cookies can be brought to church on any Sunday, in ziplock freezer bags, labeled “Feed My Lambs” to the kitchen.
• Wednesday, July 3 from 9:00 AM to Noon you can deliver to the office:
• Hardboiled eggs
• Homemade Cookies
• Thursday, July 4 until 11:00 AM you can deliver to the kitchen:
• Homemade Cookies
• Hardboiled Eggs
• Friday, July 5 from 1:00 to 3:00 PM you can deliver to the kitchen:
• Hardboiled Eggs
• Our Guests always need white athletic socks and belts! Which you can put in the Feed My Lambs bin outside the church on any Sunday.
• Volunteers – We need some additional volunteers to help with serving our guests at St. Luke’s on the first Saturday of every month. If you have questions about helping out with Feed My Lambs or dropping off items, contact Tamera Benedict at (tlbenedict4@gmail.com, 562.301.6800).
• Food Bank – The Food Bank relies on your financial support and appreciates any donations of funds or non-perishable food items.
• We also welcome any volunteers at our bagging and distribution the third Wednesday of each month from 8:30 to 11:00 AM. Please contact Kevin at the Parish Office (info@stgregoryschurch.com, 562.420.1311) for more information about the Food Bank.

Your continued support of our feeding ministries, through product and monetary contributions, is greatly appreciated!

Gratitude for Your Support of the Parish:

We continue to be humbled and so incredibly grateful for your generosity in supporting our parish and its ministries! While you may not be able to drop your donation in a real offering plate, there are still ways you can make sure your donation gets to the parish:

• You can mail your check to the parish office.
• Make donations through our online payment account, accessible through the parish website at http://stgregoryschurch.com/4721-2/.
• Scan the QR code found in the Sunday bulletin.

And again, THANK YOU for your continued support!

Online Parish Directory:

Our online parish directory is at https://www.instantchurchdirectory.com/. This is a secure site and can be accessed using the email address you had published in the parish directory. You can also download the "Instant Church Directory" on your smart phone. Versions are available for Android, iPhone, iPad, and Kindle.

One Body & One Spirit Annual Appeal:

The Diocese has established an ongoing campaign focused on raising funds to assist congregations, schools, affiliated institutions, and their communities who are faced with unprecedented challenges. We are invited to prayerfully consider making a donation to help others in our Diocese who may have unmet needs. More information is available at https://diocesela.org/annual-appeal/. 

Forward Day By Day:

For those who use the "Forward Day by Day" booklet for personal devotions and need the newest edition mailed, please contact Kevin: (562) 420-1311 or info@stgregoryschurch.com   

In Case of Emergency...Notify Your Priest! 

With our combined ministry program with St. Thomas of Canterbury comes additional coverage for pastoral emergencies. In the event of a hospital stay, illness, death in the family, or other pastoral emergency, please call Father Michael on his cell phone (909-373-6478) any day except Monday, his Sabbath day. Mother Sharon (562-833-3393) covers emergencies in both communities on Monday, just as Father Michael covers emergencies in both parishes on Friday, Mother Sharon’s Sabbath. And PLEASE, no excuses about not wanting to bother me. That’s why we are here – for YOU!

St. Gregory's Food Bank:

Our monthly Food Bank distribution takes place the first Wednesday of every month. This ministry helps us help our neighbors by providing a supplemental source of groceries. We CANNOT do this without your generosity. CLICK HERE for more information.

This month we served 73 people!