The Friendship Initiative

In an effort for our guests, as well as our members, to feel at home at St. George, our Friendship Initiative strives to cultivate the virtue of hospitality. Reaching out to guests and encouraging everyone to participate in the many opportunities that St. George offers for service and fellowship will create many lasting relationships and memories.

From being part of our welcome team to enjoying our golf outings, fashion shows, cocktail parties, trivia nights, or volunteering at the Ocala soup Kitchen – the opportunities are endless to enjoy your membership at St. George.

These efforts include our Greeters giving Welcome Packets to visitors at our Sunday services, organizing breakfast for Coffee Hour between our 8am and 10am services on Sunday, and ensuring new parishioners feel included in our community by organizing dinner engagements with members of the congregation..

The Friendship Initiative’s Hospitality Committee is responsible for the Coffee Hour between services on Sunday. Attendees are always delighted with treats provided by parishioners. They find a relaxed time for fellowship with the added bonus of coffee, juice and food.

The Friendship Initiative also hosts periodic Newcomer’s Socials in order to get to know our new and prospective members of St. George on a more informal basis.

Journeying Through Grief

It has been said that grief is a process. We feel it is better thought of as a journey. It is just putting one foot in front of the other as one works toward healing of any loss. The mission of our support group is to provide, with God’s help, positive, uplifting encouragement for healing in a small group setting; for church members, as well as non-church members.

Anyone going through a separation, divorce, or loss of a family member or close friend, is welcome.

Meetings are held in the Library the first Tuesday of every month at 9:30 a.m. To learn more, please contact Shirl Edgerly at donandshirl@comcast.net.

Library

“Reading ought to be an act of homage to the God of all Truth. We open our hearts to words that reflect the reality He has created or the greater Reality which He is. It is also an act of humility and reverence toward other men who are the instruments by which God communicated His Truth to us. –Thomas Merton

Our Parish Library operates to serve the educational and spiritual needs of the members of our congregation. Our collection contains books, CDs and DVDs. The shelves include Christian fiction, biographies, research material, inspirational works, Bibles in various formats and much, much more. The library also houses a Geneva bible, dating from the 16th century; one of only 150 that were ever produced. The library is open during church hours on Sunday and is available on weekdays during church office hours.

Memorial Garden Committee

The Memorial Garden Committee oversees and coordinates the Garden’s daily operation and maintenance of this beautiful and serene final resting place. Spaces in the Garden, both above and in-ground, are available to registered St. George members.

For additional information such as pricing and availability, please send an email to rwadman@gmail.com or call the church office at 352-750-1010.

Pastoral Care

Persons from St. George who perform Pastoral Care visit those who are sick in hospitals, rehab centers, long-term senior housing facilities, and in their own homes.

These visitors consist of the Clergy Team, including the Rector, the Associate Rector, and the Deacons; it also includes many laypersons from the Parish who visit, who provide transportation, who provide respite care, and who provide food.

If you or someone you know is in the hospital, a rehabilitation center, or homebound that is in need of a visit, transportation, respite care, or food, please call the Church Office at 352-750-1010.

Prayer Chain

Paul tells the Thessalonians to pray without ceasing (1 Thessalonians 5:17), and that is what eighteen members of St. George do. We are known as the “Prayer Warriors”.

When you or someone you know or love has a need for prayer, call the church office at 750-1010.

We will pass the name along to the appropriate person on the Prayer Warrior list. This prayer request will be passed on down the list and within a few hours, eighteen people are passing that need to the Lord. This is the Prayer Chain.

We welcome anyone who would like to be a part of this ministry. If you would like more information or want to become a Prayer Warrior, please email the church office at officemanager@stgeorge-episcopal.net.

Supper Six

Supper Six is an activity that brings to our individual homes all the warmth and fellowship we experience in our Church. Those who participate are assembled into groups of six, usually couples, however single parishioners who would like to participate are welcome to do so. Singles will be paired with another single wherever possible.

Each group meets once a month for three months; participants are then reassigned to another group.

The three month cycles are: February-March-April, June-July-August, October-November-December, with a one month sign up period in between each.

There are no overall rules. Each individual group decides for itself when and how they want to meet. They may have dinners, lunches, brunches or any combination. When necessary, a group of people who want to dine out can be created.

Supper Six provides an excellent way to get to know new people and strengthen friendships within St. George. The only requirement is to meet other parishioners and have a good time.

Communications

Our Communications Committee teams up to organize our various efforts to reach the St. George Community online and in print.  If you are interested in participating in this high energy group, please contact LaVerne Collins at collinslaverne@gmail.com or Dale Dreps at ddreps@gmail.com.  

“Cablegrams” are news and updates about St. George events and parishioners sent directly to your personal email address to keep you informed. If you would like to be added to the list of parishioners receiving the Cablegrams, simply send an email to collinslaverne@gamil.com.

We also offer a podcast series called “Musings on Faith” available on all major podcast platforms.  See our Spiritual Growth page to learn more.