Grace Covenant Weekly News | November 16, 2017
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Everyone has been made for some particular work,
and the desire for that work has been put in every heart.  
~ Rumi


Sunday Preview

Sunday, November 19, 2017

Worship services @ 8:30 & 10:30 AM
Education Hour (for all ages) @ 9:15 AM

Sermon:  "Toil and Trouble" by Samantha Gonzalez-Block
Scriptures:   Psalm 90:1-12; Matthew 25:14-30

As a part of National Hunger and Homelessness Awareness Week, members of BeLoved Asheville's Homeless Voice have created a poignant art exhibit called No Place Like Home . The art installation makes visible the presence and stories of people struggling with homelessness in our city. The installation's first stop was City Hall this week. The exhibit is traveling to raise awareness about the issue of homelessness through the words of people most impacted by the housing crisis in Asheville and Buncombe County. This Sunday morning, the exhibit will be on display in our courtyard.
2018 Flower Chart (on bulletin board next to elevators)
Please consider signing up to give flowers one Sunday. After signing up, email your bulletin dedication to Anna Louise at almurchison@gcpcusa.org and send in your check to GCPC for $45.
Upcoming events this week:
Creating Sanctuary Team Mtg. | Sunday, Nov. 19 | 11:45 AM | Garden Room
This will be a good opportunity to discuss developments in the wake of the recent affirmative vote by the Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Asheville to become a sanctuary congregation, and to learn about how we can respond to requests, and to share ideas. All are welcome. (Garden Room – formerly known as Marcia’s office on the first floor of the Admin. building)
Earth Team Meeting | Sunday, Nov. 19 | 11:45 AM | Indie Room
Join the EARTH TEAM this Sunday after church at in the Indie Room (2nd floor in the Education Wing) as we meet to plan out winter Sunday School classes, "How to Save the Planet", that begin in January. We are eager for your input!
Our Life Together: A Family Systems Approach  
Sunday, Nov. 19 | 5:00-6:00 PM | Fellowship Hall 
"The leader's main job, through her or his way of being in the system, is to create an emotional atmosphere in which greater calmness exists - to be a less anxious presence. 
'Knowing everything' is not necessary to be a healthy, competent leader. When you can be a less anxious presence, there is often enough experience and wisdom in the group for the group itself to figure out its own solutions to the challenges it faces. When a leader cannot contribute to this kind of atmosphere, the thinking processes in the group are short-circuited, and people become more anxious and more emotionally reactive and make poorer decisions." - Ronald Richardson,  Creating a Healthier Church, p. 173.

Are you a non-anxious leader in your systems? How can you become one? These are the questions we will tackle in our final session. Email Richard with questions. 
Volunteers Needed! | "Downtown Welcome Table Thanksgiving Meal" | Haywood Street Congregation
Grace Covenant has been asked to support the set up and clean up of the Thanksgiving meal at Haywood Street. The Downtown Welcome Table rests on the assumption that food is a primary means of grace, a way to love and connect. 
There are two volunteer dates and ten slots available per shift:
  • Tuesday, November 21 | 8 AM - 12 PM | Assist with meal preparation and set up (Volunteers do not have to stay for full 4-hour shift)
  • Wednesday, November 22 | 1 PM - 2:30 PM | Clean up following the Thanksgiving meal
Click   HERE   to sign up online. Or contact Bill Wolcott at   WFW@wardandsmith.com.
4th Annual Southside Community Thanksgiving Dinner | Tuesday, November 21 | 5-7 PM | Arthur R. Edington Education & Career Center (Gymnasium)
Hosted by Green Opportunities, the Asheville Housing Authority, and Southside community partners.  This is a free, family-friendly event. This year, the Kitchen Ready team will prepare turkey, side dishes, desserts, and drinks. Last year, the GO Kitchen Ready program cooked for 650 guests from across Asheville and the Southside neighborhood. In addition to meals served at the Edington Center, volunteers from the Asheville Housing Authority Residents Council delivered 200 boxed dinners to elderly and home-bound residents. 

Stewardship Corner
Faith Forward Update:
146 pledges totaling $645,448.40

2017 YTD Contribution Statements
Due to the software issue on the previously printed 3rd quarter statements, we had to reprint the contribution statements. Instead of providing just the last quarter, the new statement will show your full year-to-date giving to allow time for corrections and questions prior to year end. These will be available for pick up in the Information Center this Sunday, November 19, through  December 9. Please help us save on postage by picking yours up from the church! 

If you have questions regarding your pledge balance or payments, please contact Natalie Weaver, Stewardship & Financial Administrator, at  giving@gcpcusa.org  or  828.254.3274, ext. 202 .
As you consider, or reconsider, your pledge……remember this:

The Capacity Campaign helped Grace Covenant build capacity to better fulfill the mission to serve members, friends, community and the world. This Campaign ends in March 2018. If you pledged on a monthly basis, please consider rolling that amount into your yearly pledge for 2018. We built capacity, and now we must maintain.

And, remember, many of our “extra” offerings, such as the Guatemala Scholarships, are now part of the total budget. So, if you give each year to the Scholarship, consider adding that amount to your 2018 pledge. Faith Forward!
Creating Sanctuary Team
(Part 1 of 2) Achieving U.S. citizenship demands patient persistence plus legal and financial support, as Grace Covenant’s Omar and Bre Bolivar have discovered.

In 1999 Omar came to the U.S., sponsored by a Presbyterian camp in Ohio. After working together for several summers at the camp, Omar and Bre fell in love. They hired an immigration attorney and began to seek a Religious Worker’s VISA for Omar. Despite presbytery support, Omar faced a complex and increasingly expensive process to gain permanent residency.

Omar and Bre fulfilled copious requirements that finally permitted him to qualify for a Green Card in 2007. At length, in 2010, Omar became a U.S. citizen.
Habitat for Humanity House Update
The GCPC family has a chance to meet our Habitat family this Sunday, November 19th at the 10:30 service.  Prayers are still important and any financial donations are appreciated. The best way is to make the check payable to GCPC with "2017 Presbyterian/ Methodist Habitat House" on the memo line. Many thanks to all our amazing volunteers and for your continued support! Contact Bill Ryan with any questions.

Bill Ryan and Anne Sayers with future homeowners, Nikita Norris and Regina Hunter
Knitters and Crocheters….you are invited to add to the 43 scarves already crafted by four dedicated women. We need 60 scarves to provide a warm and colorful Christmas for the participants at the Senior Opportunity Center. If you have a scarf to contribute, you can put it in the Prayer Shawl Ministry box in the Information Station with a note that indicates it is for this project. Many thanks.
GROW 
This Sunday's Adult Education Classes:
Pressure Points: Religious Violence | Choir Room
Fall Term | We will examine how misreadings of Biblical passages have been used to rationalize and even promote religious violence.   As we conclude our examination of religious violence, we consider if we can use the past to build a just and compassionate future. What are actions we might take to confront religious violence? Is relinquishing our power the best option for peace?

Digging In: Creation Care & Scripture | *Jerusalem Room
Fall Term | Over the nine weeks of this course we will look at Scripture in relation to contemporary concern for Creation Care.  We will conclude our study with two passages. With Isaiah 11:1-6, we will examining God's future for us, animals, and all creation. Then we will turn to Revelation 21-22, asking what God's good future looks like. 

The Improv: Boundaries | *Fellowship Hall
Fall Term  | The Boundaries class will explore how to establish healthy boundaries with friends, parents, children, coworkers, self, and God.  This Sunday we will conclude our study on establishing healthy boundaries in specific relationships. We will be focusing primarily on boundaries with God this week.
EDUCATION HOUR (for all ages) at 9:15 AM


Click HERE to see a preview of the full year of
2017-2018 Adult Education classes.
OTHER GROW OPPORTUNITIES
The Racial Justice Book Club | Thursday, December 14 | 12:15 PM | Jerusalem Room
This year, GCPC is committing to reading a book every month by an author of color who examines issues of race and justice. In the fall, we will be looking at racial justice from a systemic perspective. The book club will be meeting the second Thursday of every month. For December , we are reading Ebony and Ivy: Slavery and the Troubled History of America’s Universities by Craig Steven Wilder. Please contact Richard or Marcia for any questions.

Click HERE for the entire year's reading list.
Racial Justice Book Club: Fall Wrap-up | Sunday, December 17 |
3 - 5 PM | Habitat Tavern
This fall, our congregation has been reading three books centered around systemic issues of racial justice by authors of color: Michelle Alexander's  The New Jim Crow,  Carol Anderson's  White Rage , and Craig Steven Wilder's  Ebony and Ivy.  Our Power and Race Team (PART) is hosting a "wrap-up" session open to GCPC and our community partners. If you have read one or all of the books, or would just like to discuss and learn more about the issues they cover, please join us. 
Bible Study | Wednesdays | 11 AM | *Garden Room
*Note room change. Everyone is welcome to join the pastoral staff to read and study our sermon texts for Sunday. No preparation needed, just come ready to open scripture and discuss. (The Garden Room is what was formerly Marcia's office on the first floor of the Admin. building)
Wednesday Sanctuary Open for Prayer 
Each Wednesday from 11:45 AM - 1 PM*, the sanctuary will be open for silent prayer. Some evenings will close with a brief time of centering prayer. *Please note time change.
SERVE
Volunteers Needed | Saint Nicholas Project | Wednesday, December 20 | Different Shifts
The Saint Nicholas Project provides Christmas gifts, clothes, food, and other items to children and families in our community to help ensure that their Christmases are a bit brighter and provide hope for the coming year.  Grace Covenant has committed to filling an entire day on Wednesday, December 20 with volunteers! You must sign up before Nov. 27 or our time slots will be given to the general public.  Please sign up for a shift to help parents and caregivers select holiday gifts for their families. Children 7 to 12 are welcome to serve along side their parent. Middle and high school students are welcome to sign up for a station except for the teen zone. Click here to sign up for a spot. Please consider signing up!
Join the new Facebook group with our sister church in Guatemala!
We are blessed to have a sister church, Iglesia Jerusalem in Coatepeque, Guatemala. We (and they) are hoping to stay more connected. Please join this facebook group to share and see photos, prayers and messages. Let's continue growing closer as sisters and brothers in Christ.  Join here:  "Iglesias Hermanas: Grace Covenant & Iglesia Jerusalem."
      THANK YOU
To All the Overnight Hosts, Drivers, Breakfast & Dinner Preparers and Activity Leaders, Set Up & Take Down Teams and All Who Helped Room In The Inn in your many generous ways!
   Grace Covenant Volunteers, you are the best! The guests we sheltered this week were so appreciative of all your efforts. The smiles on their faces when they found surprises such as shawls, dental and personal care packs, bags, clothing, and more were amazing. Mealtime was a happy time when the ladies were able to relax, talk, and enjoy the marvelous food prepared by your hands. Some of you got up early and were at Grace Episcopal at 6:30 am; some of you drove in the afternoons in the heavy Asheville traffic; some of you stayed through the night and stayed awake for a two-hour shift that included the middle of the night. Some of you came and helped in the kitchen. Some of you brought your talents for the ladies to enjoy your beautiful music and some allowed the ladies to indulge in manicures and pedicures. Without the setup and take down teams we couldn’t even have had RITI. Such a busy week and so many shared in it!
Thank you for caring for these women who do not have a room of their own.
Volunteer for Saturday Sanctuary at First Presbyterian - AVL
Saturday Sanctuary: First Presbyterian opens their fellowship hall to folks without homes every Saturday 9:00 AM - 3:30 PM, October- March. Lunch is served at 12:30 and many hands are needed. This is a great volunteer opportunity for children as long as they are accompanied by their parent (or another adult). For more info or to sign up, click HERE. If enough folks from GCPC wish to volunteer, a training session (1 1/2 hours) can be offered here. Contact Tamara Puffer for more info, puffer61@gmail.com or 828-254-0507.
CARE
Sisters at the Sea | February 1-4, 2017 | Folly Beach, SC | $160 (Early Bird rate)
Are you a women age 25ish-50ish who would like a weekend of connecting and rejuvenating? Mark your calendars for our 9th annual SOS (“save our sanity”/“sisters at the sea”) retreat! Marcia will lead us this year in spiritual practices, energy work and movement in order to fill us with new sensations of our body’s power and promise. Early Bird Registration begins now!!  If you reserve your spot by Dec. 10 with a $40 non-refundable deposit, you will receive the early bird rate. Registration ends on January 14th. Scholarships available upon request. Click HERE to register digitally or you may pick up a registration form at the Info Station.
GCPC 20s/30s Gathering: "Living Liberation" Discussion | Thursday, Nov. 30 | 7 - 8:30 PM | White Duck Taco on Biltmore Ave.
"The church taught me something  in spite of  its own institutional sin and gave me a message which many of its leaders obviously did not mean for me to hear: That  Justice is another name for God ." If you are in your twenties or thirties, join Richard and Samantha downtown for a good discussion over dinner (appetizers on us!). Together we will be discussing Carter Heyward's article " Is a Self-Respecting Christian Woman an Oxymoron? " and what feminist Christianity means to our lives. Contact Sherrie by Wednesday, Nov. 22 if you need childcare.   RSVP HERE  so that we can get a table that is big enough.
Dine With Nine Update
Grace Covenant’s ‘Dine With Nine’ program provides opportunities for small dinner gatherings of nine people to meet and get to know each other over a one year period. Everyone is invited to participate. The current 2017 Dine With Nine groups will continue meeting until February 14th. Don't forget to schedule final gatherings before your groups change. We look forward to finishing the year strong and forming new groups and relationships. New and existing members may sign up for 2018 groups in January. The Dine with Nine year begins on Ash Wednesday, which in 2018 falls on Valentine’s Day. If you have any questions, please email Nancy Kramer at nancykramer1981@gmail.com
Christmas at the Biltmore | GCPC Chancel Choir | December 22 | 5:30 – 9:00 PM
The Chancel Choir will be singing a 30-minute concert of traditional holiday favorites on the half hour. Tickets sell out fast so make your reservations today! Visit www.biltmore.com .
Deacon of the Week
Each Sunday morning there will be a deacon available for everything from praying with you to giving you a tour of the building. This deacon will be wearing a purple sash and stationed in the narthex before 10:30 worship and in the front of the sanctuary after worship. He or she is also available during the week if you or someone you love needs assistance from our board of deacons.
This week:  Sergio Fernandez,  email:   sfyeyo@aol.com
Prayer List
[We are happy to pray for anyone who is in need. Concerns will stay on this list for a month unless we hear otherwise. Please keep us updated.] 
 
Jerusalem Church congregation
Linda Parker (Anna Jarvis' sister-in-law)
JoAnne Hewett and family (Allison McLamb's co-worker)
Betsy Needle (Robin Gaiser’s friend)
Sherry Harcke (Les and Susan Stradley's friend)
Nikita Norris, Regina Hunter & family (Habitat for Humanity partner family)
Denise, Betty and David Whitt (Mary Ellen Horne's partner and family)
Glen Russell (Robin Gaiser's brother)
Ronda Latrella (Susie Churchfield's friend)
Betty Weller (sister of Lucy Reiley and Margaret Peery)
Rindy Moore (Richard Coble's friend)
Chris Barkley (Kathy Theoharis' sister)
John Harvey (Penny Harvey's son)
Art Brown (Bob Walther’s friend)
Pat Cocke (Les and Susan Stradley’s friend)
Ben Johnston-Krase (Nancy Gaskin's friend and pastor of the Farm Church)
 Virginia Bradley
Hettie Lou Garland
Dot Holladay
Jerry Bleckley
Teresa Stern
Cindy Egerer
Florence Riedesel
Gerry Simons
Pat Cheffins
Jana Watts
Serge Kavalhuna
Bob Busey
Youth News
Thanks for a great trip to Camp Grier for the Middle School retreat.
Enjoy our original GCPC rap!!!
There are TWO gatherings for Senior Highs this weekend. 
There is NO Sunday night youth group for Middle Schoolers. There WILL be Sunday School for Middle Schoolers and Senior Highs on Sunday morning.
Senior High Faith and Sexuality Retreat PART 1 (Movie Night) | THIS FRIDAY, November 17 |    5:30 – 9:00 PM  | Different homes (for youth & parents)
Youth (grades 9-12) and Parents are 
highly encouraged to attend part 1 of this two part retreat focused on examining how to foster healthy relationships with partners, friends and on social media . We will go to separate homes to view and discuss the critically acclaimed Netflix documentary, “Audrie and Daisy.” Advisors and a pastor will be present at each house.The film deals with heavy, relevant high school topics. Feel free to   view the trailer here  (or pre-screen the film on Netflix). Dinner will be provided and there will be a time for prayer, self-reflection and open discussion. Please contact Samantha with any questions or concerns.
Senior High & Youth Group Alumni "Football Watch Party" | This Sunday, November 19 | (after church) 12-3 PM | Molly de Mattos' house | Meet/pick up at GCPC parking lot
If you are a Senior High or a Youth Group Alum, come out for a super fun afternoon of watching the big game, playing pinball and Pac-man, and spending time with some awesome people. We will meet after church and travel there together. Sodas, pizza and snacks will be provided!  For carpool and pizza purposes,  RSVP HERE.
Charleston Youth Mission Education Trip | January 12-15 (MLK Jr. Weekend) 
Last call to register for an adventure to remember! Once a main port for slaves being brought to America, Charleston is a fascinating place that is still wrestling with its past and with current environmental and social concerns. We will engage in meaningful service and learning opportunities around the city and by the sea, as well as worship at Mother Emanual church (where tragedy struck just a few years ago). Get ready to grow in faith and share in the fun. The cost is $150 (full and partial scholarships are available).  Register HERE right away  or turn in a hard copy from the Information Station.
Grace Covenant Community Out and About...
How to Talk to Young Children About Race | Thursday, November 16 | 6:15-8:15 PM | Claxton Elementary School,  241 Merrimon Ave .
Navigating conversations about race with young children can be challenging, but is a necessary part of social justice and progress towards a better world for our future generations. Join us as we partner with United Way to host a thought-provoking, engaging conversation around young children and race. You will hear from panel members, each with unique backgrounds and experiences, as they answer questions and provide insight on how to engage with kids about challenging topics.
Following the panel presentation, there will be an opportunity to break out into discussion groups surrounding real-life scenarios. You will leave with the tools to feel more prepared to facilitate these kinds of conversations with the children in your lives.
Click here to register for this FREE event here  (you do not have to be an educator to attend!).
A Community Celebration of Thankfulness | Friday, November 17 | 6:30 - 9:30 PM | The Edington Center (133 Livingston St.)
Presented by Word on the Street/La Voz de los Jovenes. Come enjoy a night of good food, music and dancing! There will also be readings, performances, and artist presentations. So much to be thankful for! Click here for flyer.
Grace Covenant Presbyterian Church | 828.254.3274
789 Merrimon Ave. Asheville, NC 28804