Hello, my friends!

July is halfway over… but we’re already well into planning for our 22nd annual pumpkin patch this October!

If you’re new to StGs (or just want a refresher), the pumpkin patch is by far our largest community outreach of the year… we’re even known in the community as the Pumpkin Church!

We donate ALL the proceeds from pumpkin sales to our local food pantries… which last year was over $15,000!

The patch includes:

• The unloading and sale of a full 53’ semi-truck of pumpkins and gourds of all shapes and sizes, ethically sourced from the Navajo nation!

• A raffle with thousands of dollars worth of prizes donated by local businesses - all proceeds from raffle sales go to the food pantries too!

• Massive free community events with food trucks and live music every Sunday after church! This year we’ll have:

  • Oct 11: Kids & Creatures - a free activity day for the whole family (including your 4-legged friends!), with games and prizes for kids of all ages, an interactive reptile and petting zoo, dog agility demos, face painting, pet adoptions, and booths by local pet service providers!

  • Oct 18: Pumpkin Fest - a street fest at its finest, with booths by a wide array of local shops and artisans, selling and advertising their amazing goods and services! It’s the perfect way to get your holiday shopping done early, and support local business. :)

  • Oct 25: Trunk or Treat & Scout Troop 50’s Haunted House - The Deerfield Park Foundation hosts this amazing event in support of scholarships for children in need who want to participate in park district programs! Plus Troop 50’s Haunted House is a neighborhood tradition, 45 years strong - they decorate the StGs halls and basement for a spooktacular scare for all ages!

While you’ll of course be hearing more about the patch in upcoming months, we’re hosting a kickoff Pumpkin Patch Planning Pizza Party this Sunday, July 19 at 5pm in the Parker Room!

FYI: Attendance at the planning party does NOT mean you are volunteering to DO the things in October (although you can if you want!)… it just means you like brainstorming more great ways that StGs can serve the local community!

Please come by to eat, laugh, and toss ideas around if you:

• Feel strongly about community outreach

• Have never attended a patch event, but think it sounds like fun to hang out with other StGs folks and workshop creative activities

• Attended the patch last year and thought, “this is great… but you know what would be even better?” and want to share your good ideas!

Please RSVP via the button below if possible so I can plan how many pizzas to get (and dietary restrictions!), but just show up anyway even if you forget! ALL are welcome. :)

Education for Ministry chat after church on Sunday!

Are you interested in diving into the Bible and our Episcopal tradition? Education for Ministry (EfM) is here to help us grasp how we’re meant to connect with God, our neighbors, and the world around us, no matter where we are—whether it’s at home, work, or anywhere else we spend our time.

EfM is a great resource for understanding the Hebrew Bible, New Testament, church history, theology, and ethics. Plus, it’s a friendly place for anyone to ask questions, share challenges, or explore their uncertainties.The program encourages us to think theologically, helping us link our readings to our own lives.  EfM comes in two options with the Classic 4 year program or a new 1 year option.  

We’d love for you to join us in the chapel immediately after the service this Sunday, July 19, to learn about what we’re up to. We’ll have the books we’re using this year and be happy to answer any questions you might have.

Godspell Jr. with Ensemble Society!

If you’ve visited StGs during the week, you’ve probably heard the amazingly talented kids of the Ensemble Society practicing in Founder’s Hall! They’ve invited us to attend their production of Godspell Jr. this week (if you loved Michael Potsic’s gorgeous singing on “All Good Gifts” as the offertory last Sunday, Godspell is where that song originated!).

Their remaining performances are TONIGHT and Friday night at 7pm at Baker Demonstration School (201 Sheridan Rd in Wilmette). It runs about 75 minutes with no intermission - and believe us, these kids have truly excellent voices (it’s not your average kids production!).

If you want to support these fantastic kids, they’re offering a discount for StGs folks! Just visit this website and type in STGREG to the price code section for 50% off!

August 30 is RISE AND SHINE*

Morning Prayer, Broadway Flair, Brunch to Share!

*formerly known as Mass on the Grass :)

Mark your calendars now: Dan, Kathryn, and Casey are getting a little wacky again. We’re dreaming up a new incarnation of what was once called “Mass on the Grass.” We’ll still worship outside, but we’re cooking up a creative, interactive Morning Prayer service with singalong showtunes and other surprises that will  delight, inspire, and add pizzazz to your spiritual life as we get ready for the new Program Year.

And a brunch picnic to follow!

What Are Your BIG Questions?

At St. Gregory’s our core pillar is a commitment to Lifelong Spiritual Growth: To create safe spaces within which we can ask the biggest, hardest, most important questions of life. We seek to do that in everything we do as a church, and we also have intentional classes and groups to really do that wrestling with questions.

We need your help to plan our Spiritual Growth classes for the next program year.

What are the BIG QUESTIONS you have about everyday life and religion that we could wrestle with together?

Options for Submitting Questions

1. Use this online board to post your Big Questions.

2. Post your Big Question at church in the hallway.

A True Partnership for Our Parking Lot

We are excited to announce that we are entering an agreement with the Deerfield Park District and District 109 Public Schools, that includes complete reconstruction of our parking lot, as well as ongoing resurfacing, striping, plowing, and maintenance for 15 years, renewable by mutual agreement. We expect the rebuilding to be completed this fall.

St. Gregory’s share of all these expenses is $0.

We are very thankful for the Park District and the School District’s commitment to working with us, and for their investment in our neighborhood and this congregation. A huge thank you to LoriLee Bielski, Rafael Orsi, Sarah Kettlewell, Susan Hitch, Jim Millspaugh, Peter Holtz, Bob Pederson, Art Bielski, and David Schaper, for their leadership and insight that has gotten us to this point and made this remarkable achievement possible!

Discerning Our Gifts Update

This past spring, we conducted a survey and had great parish meetings about potential uses for the proceeds from selling the Rectory house and adjacent land.

The Vestry has decided that the next phase of this discernment is to develop a multi-year plan for growing the membership of St. Gregory’s. Decisions about the use of the money will be aligned with that plan.

The Vestry has begun and will continue working on that plan this summer. They will share that plan and a full proposal for use of the money this fall.

July 26 is next Community Meals!

Thank you to the 3 people who have volunteered to bake cookies for July 26th Community Meals. We still need a few more people to help in Waukegan. We meet at 12 noon to prepare the meal. Summer is still a time when there are food insecure people and our meals make a big difference to them. Please sign up in the Sign Up Center or…

Save the Date: AGT Finalist Leo High School Choir performing on Oct 17!

Leo High School Choir, America’s Got Talent finalist in 2025, will be performing at a concert hosted by Religious Leaders United on Saturday, October 17! The concert will take place at Holy Cross Catholic Church in Deerfield. Put it on your calendars now, with details to come as it gets closer!

Coffee with Dan on Mondays

Have something weighing on your heart, mind, or spirit? Want to connect more deeply with Dan? Not sure exactly what you want to talk about? It’s all good. No RSVP, no appointment needed. Drop-in to the Starbucks at Deerfield & Waukegan every Monday from 3-6pm. As always, he’s also available by appointment on Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Sunday afternoons. Send him an email to schedule!

Midweek Prayer

Every Wednesday | 8:00am

Need a midweek spiritual boost?

Join a lovely small group of folks who gather online every week for spiritual renewal and to pray intentionally for everyone in our community who is in need.

Meeting ID: 750 552 357 
Password: 587299

Common Threads

Second Tuesday of the month  |  7:00pm

Bring a new or ongoing craft project to work on while you enjoy fun and fellowship with other parishioners in the newly revamped Parker Room at StGs. Whatever your craft - whether your medium is knitting, embroidery, painting, calligraphy, etc - and whatever your skill level, all are welcome! Please reach out to Kathryn at kathryn@stgregoryschurch.org to get on the mailing list!

Book Club

Wed, August 19  |  7:00pm

August 19: The Correspondent by Virginia Evans

The Correspondent by Virginia Evans is a bestselling epistolary novel about 73-year-old Sybil Van Antwerp, a retired lawyer who communicates through letters and emails to explore her past, relationships, and a painful secret, ultimately finding forgiveness and connection. The book, praised for its skillful character development and emotional depth, became a word-of-mouth hit, won the 2026 Women's Prize for Fiction, and is being adapted into a major motion picture.

Upcoming reads…

September 16: Hamnet by Maggie O'Farrell

October 21: Daughter of Egypt by Marie Benedict

November 18: Brighter Than Her Fears by Lisa Ard

Meeting ID: 817 1184 3180
Passcode: 893734

Prayers