We loved it. The article drew hundreds of people through our doors. It highlighted some of our quirks: tie-dyed vestments, queer clergy, a theology of universal salvation, congregational dance. You know—church.

But the article missed what is actually the weirdest thing about us: our sense of community.

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A Wide Welcome, a Clear Commitment

From the beginning, St. Gregory’s has lived by two principles: a wide-open welcome and a clear commitment to making church together.

If you come through our doors, you’re all in. Everyone is free to receive everything the community offers. But membership here isn’t about privilege—it’s about responsibility, relationship, and authority to help make church happen.

Membership at St. Gregory’s isn’t about perks. It’s about responsibility, love, and shared authority.

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God’s Friends, Together

At the heart of our life together is a simple conviction: we are all God’s friends. That means everyone in our community—and every human being beyond it—is embraced by God’s love.

God’s friendship comes freely. But it also carries an expectation: that our lives will be transformed in love.

Transformation happens in many ways. One of the most powerful is through relationship. Living in community is like living by a rule of life: a mutual commitment to take responsibility for one another and for our shared work.

And just to be clear—nobody has to become a member to share in this life. As soon as you walk through the doors, you belong. But we also want to know you more deeply: your dreams, your questions, your experience of God.

Each Sunday we begin worship with this prayer:

Blessed be God the Word who came to his own and his own received him not, for in this way God glorifies the stranger. O God, show us your image in all who come to us today that we may welcome them and you.

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Homemade Church

Community at St. Gregory’s is built every time newcomers and old-timers share responsibility for making church happen.

We’re not the kind of congregation where clergy do everything for the members. Nobody here buys the line, “Because I’m the priest.” Instead, we ask: What do you love to do? And how can the community support you in expressing that love, both inside and outside church?

Everything we do is homemade:

• We write hymns and Eucharistic prayers.
• We paint icons and sew vestments.
• We cook meals and bake bread.
• We give pastoral care and pray for healing.

At St. Gregory’s, participation isn’t optional. It’s the heartbeat of our life together.

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Sharing the Work

One of our long-standing values is shared leadership. We ask that ministries be led by at least two people, who then invite others to join in.

It’s not always the most efficient way to get things done. But efficiency isn’t the point—relationship is.

When we share work, we share life. That’s what amplifies our identity as friends of God.

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Counter-Cultural, and Real

We know we’re swimming against the current. Many people today resist institutions. They want flexible connections, not long-term commitments. People move more often, join less often, and prefer networks to organizations.

But at the same time, people are searching for what is real.

Institutions want to count people and report growth. Communities want to touch people’s lives.

At St. Gregory’s, we want to be that kind of community: welcoming those who are hungry for relationship, authenticity, and humanity.

People may not want an institution. But they do want their lives touched by real people, doing real work.

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Giving Work Away

Finally, one of our deepest values is giving work away. Some ministries belong properly to ordained priests and deacons. But we believe every person has both responsibility and authority for our common life.

Old-timers are expected to bring newcomers into real work—because that’s where the deepest engagement happens.

Each of us has the authority to help others grow in community. We share our life in common. We give away what we can, so that others can see a clear way in.

And that, still in 2025, is what makes us one weird church.

“Membership at St. Gregory’s isn’t about perks. It’s about responsibility, love, and shared authority.“