 And Mary said, “My soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior…” Luke 1:46-47, NRSV Dear Friends, Christians are storytellers. We have an ancient story of faith, one that tells us of the beginning of time and the relationship between God and God’s creation. We see this story grow and develop through the prophetic tradition until our story recounts the life and ministry of the Son of God. But the story doesn’t end with the Resurrection — just as it did not end with the Cross, it continues on in each of us today as we encounter and are transformed by the Good News of God in Jesus Christ. Luke’s Gospel is bookended by the storytelling of two women, both named Mary. At the beginning of the Gospel, Mary the mother of Jesus tells us of her encounter with the angel Gabriel who informs her that she will bear a child who will change the world as we know it. She proclaims her joy: “Tell out my soul, the Greatness of the Lord”, words Christians have prayed and sung for centuries known as the Magnificat. At the end of the Gospel, another Mary, Mary Magdalene, visits the tomb of Jesus only to find it empty, and receives instructions from the risen Christ to go and tell the others. She carries this Good News with joy to the Disciples. What is your Good News — the idea, the dream, the challenge placed upon your heart by God that needs to be told out to others? What are the ministries to which you are called which, great or small, will change the world, as you share your talents, gifts, and love with your neighbors? Our 2026 Annual Giving Campaign focuses on these stories – the ones inside us, the ones we are still writing, the ones we tell about those who have gone before us – as we work toward our goal of $80,000. We are all a part of this ongoing, unfolding story, centered upon our faith in Christ. As you pray about how you will share your gifts for ministry at Saint George’s this year, you are invited to think about how God is calling you to “tell out” your own soul. You are invited to hear the stories shared each week by others who are telling out their own soul — the ways that the love of Christ is being shared by people each day in our neighborhood and our city. Faithfully, The Rev. Spencer D. Cantrell Priest-in-Charge
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 Dear Friends of Saint George’s, Greetings from Astoria! On behalf of the Vestry and our entire congregation, I first want to extend our deepest gratitude for your generous and faithful support of our “Leap of Faith” Capital Campaign (2017-2024). Thanks to your ongoing dedication and generosity, we successfully raised more than $200,000 over the past several years—a remarkable milestone made possible by individuals like you who believe in the vision and mission of our historic church. Your contributions have directly impacted our efforts to make repairs to the roof and other significant structural improvements, as well as to provide for major restoration work to our historic nave, completed this year in partnership with Artech Church Interiors, Inc. These much-needed improvements serve as a lasting witness to the faithful people who support us and have already helped to inspire us on a path of congregational growth and renewal, even as we work to safeguard our legacy here in Astoria. We are inspired by the commitment of our wide family of donors over these past years, whose generosity reflects the love of Christ which surrounds us on every side. Your support has played a vital role in strengthening our church and deepening our impact within the neighborhood and beyond. Please know that your generosity is appreciated beyond words, and we are thankful for your partnership in this holy journey. We look forward to sharing continued updates on how your gifts are making a difference, and we invite you to join us as we look ahead in faith and service. I hope you will plan to join us for our Kickoff Sunday on September 21 at 10am for a time of homecoming and fellowship as we begin this new year of ministry together. May God's blessings continue to abound in your life as you have blessed ours. With heartfelt gratitude, The Rev. Spencer D. Cantrell Priest-in-Charge        “Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children,
and walk in love, as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.” Ephesians 5:1-2 Dear friends, Generosity is a journey. It’s a practice that we learn and nurture within our hearts. It isn’t so obvious to most of us to give away what we have worked hard to acquire or to donate our precious time without compensation. It takes something as radical as Love to inspire us to share our time, talent, and treasure with others. This is a journey we make together, a Walk in Love. As we have lived with the Gospel of Mark this year in church, we have been brought into a world turned radically upside down. The laws and customs that had been in place for centuries were challenged, power and dominion have been questioned, and a culture hemmed in from all sides by oppression and subjugation desperately seeks a way forward. As it turns out, it is not politics or force that cause the change in society, but the simplest concept of Love. Jesus causes a revolution of the heart by daring to reach out to the outcast and teach others to do the same. He walks in love with the marginalized, the poor, and the sick, and brings us along with him on his journey. The most miraculous gift of Love is that actually, it was there within us all along. All we had to do was find it, tap into it, and begin growing it. And look what happened? We have learned to share, to give, to volunteer, to accompany others, to feed our neighbors, to pray, to visit, to strive for change. As our 2024-25 Annual Giving Campaign at Saint George’s kicks off toward our goal of $75,000, we will be intentionally raising up stories of how we Walk in Love with each other in our congregation. I invite you to share your stories of inspiration and connection with our shared ministry in this place and with each other. I invite you to Walk in Love. Faithfully, The Rev. Spencer D. Cantrell  Dear friends,
As our summer activities draw to a close, the school year resumes, and the promise of some lovely fall weather returns, churches too have the opportunity to catch the energy and possibility which is already in the air around us. With that in mind, I write to let you know that you are warmly invited to Saint George’s Church this fall as we begin our 2024-25 Program Year. On Sunday, September 22, we return to our regular weekly schedule of worship: Sundays: Morning Prayer at 8:30am Holy Eucharist at 10am Wednesdays: Morning Prayer at 10am (via Zoom) w/ Holy Days as announced This year, we welcome a new addition to our ministry team: our Seminarian, Jordan Wesley, who is a Master of Divinity candidate at General Theological Seminary and a Postulant for the Priesthood in the Diocese of New York. We are excited to begin a community Choir this season, which will begin singing for us on feast days and other days of importance in the church calendar. If you are a singer, please don’t be shy! Beginning in mid-October, we are blessed to take part in a pilot Food Pantry project in partnership with several local community organizations, which will begin operating on Fridays in the late afternoon out of the Community Room. Volunteers are very much welcome and needed. Adult Forum series and other educational opportunities also resume in October. Be sure to stay tuned for these as they announced. Much is in store for us here in Astoria in the coming year. I hope you’ll join us! Faithfully, Spencer+ |
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