www.nativityarden.org
828.684.0352
Nativity Notes: 4/20 /17
+ Worship

On this Second Sunday of Easter our Gospel Lesson (Luke 24) continues:

Two disciples walked on a long road with plenty of time to ponder the incredible events of their week. But, who on earth is this stranger who seems not to have heard what everyone else is talking about? The stage is set for one more surprise.

 Seminarian Jesse Canniff-Kuhn will proclaim the Word this week.  Welcome home, Jesse!

+ choir opportunities 

Nativity Choir:  meets weekly, Wednesday nights at 7 PM. We are rehearsing regularly, but more singers are always welcome to join! 

Young Youth Choir: will meet this Sunday at 3:45 PM. 

Youth Choir:  will meet this Sunday at 4:15 PM. 

Campfire Choir: meets monthly. Check the church calendar for the next meeting. 
+ Care

We hold in our prayers the families of this parish who experienced the loss of a loved one this week, especially:

The family and friends of

Elmer Fitzsimmons - his sons, David and Mark, and Dana, Kyle, and Evan Fitzsimmons

The family and friends of
Kenneth Schoening, especially his wife, Kari, and his daughter, 
Krista Fox

The family and friends of Jeffrey Sifuentes, especially his sister,
Amy McKinney.

As an Easter people, we trust in the sure and certain hope that Christ has redeemed us, and promised resurrection and new life on the last day. 

+ Communion Milestone

Formerly known as First Communion, the Communion Milestone is the first time members of Nativity accept their role as recipients of God's grace in the bread and wine of the sacrament. 

This Milestone is generally for kindergartners, but it's open to any children wishing to learn more. 

We will meet twice, on Wednesday April 26th and May 10th from 5:00-6:30 pm, to prepare for this public act of faith. There will be dinner at our meetings, and a parent/guardian must attend with their child.  Our Communion Milestone Sunday will be May 14th. 

If you're interested, please email Pastor Rachel here
+ Third Grade Bible Milestone

Third graders are invited to learn about the Bible on Wednesday May 17th from 5:00 to 6:30 pm.  

We will have dinner and explore the ins and outs of God's Word, including locating different books of the Bible, finding chapters and verses, and talking about how to use our Bibles at home. A parent/guardian must attend with their child.

We will then present third graders with their Milestone Bibles in worship on May 21.  

If you're interested, please email Pastor Rachel.  

+ nativity women

Ladies Lunch Bunch will meet  Thursday, April 27 , at  1:00 pm at Post 25.  Our hostess is Nancy Seekamp. Please RSVP to her at 687-8265.

The Women's Group of Nativity will meet in the fellowship hall on Thursday, May 18 at 11:00 am. All women are invited to join in the discussion on the tenth chapter of John's Gospel. Each lesson stands alone so feel free to drop in any time. Bring a bag lunch and join Barb Hamilton as she leads us through the Bible study this month.

The Nativity Card Ministry will meet on Thursday, May 18, at 12:30 pm in the church fellowship hall. Men and women are invited to help make cards for the members on the prayer list. No creative talent is needed, just the ability to follow the simple directions of fold, stamp, glue. We like to share the fun!

The 2017 Annual Gathering and 30th Anniversary of the NC Women of the ELCA will be held on  June 23-25, 2017 at Lenoir-Rhyne University in Hickory, NC. More information may be found at 
www.NCWELCA.org or contact Linda Blake, 684-8378. Expenses for one delegate and one participant will be paid by Nativity Women's group.


VBS - SAVE THE DATE!
July 10 - 14, 2017  

Maker Fun Factory
Created By God, 
Built For A Purpose!  
Three special travel opportunities for members and friends of Nativity:
  • Sat., July 29 - Footloose; The Musical. Barter Theater, Abingdon, Va.
  • Sat., Dec. 16 - White Christmas
  • Feb. 28, 2018 - 14 day cruise to Buenos Aires, Argentina.
Click here for details or talk with Dave Lloyd.
+ April  Birthdays vintage_birthday_card.jpg
Click here to see our updated list and find out who's celebrating this month!
+ check us out
on social media!
Like us on Facebook
Follow us on Twitter
View on Instagram
+ give

Calvary Food Pantr y volunteer sign ups are going digital. If you would like to sign up, please click here to view upcoming weeks and select your volunteer position. A sign up sheet remains at the Welcome Desk. To learn more about Calvary Food Pantry, contact  Pastor Rachel or  Heather Neal 

Thank you for all you do to contribute to this ministry. To read about the impact the food pantry has, click here and hear from one of the grateful families.
CHURCH OFFICE
HOURS
Mon-Thurs
9am-2pm
+ Bells will be ringing

Handbells will be playing again on Mother's Day, May 14. Rehearsals are set for Tuesdays May 2 and 9 at 7:00 pm.

No expertise is required - we'd be happy to have you even if you only want to ring one bell! 
Anyone who is interested in playing, please contact director Amber Wollner.




 Click  for Nativity's


Come on out on Saturdays April 22 & 29 to help complete the north bank project.

Mulching, mulching, mulching!
Bring rakes, pitch forks, gloves

We begin at 9:00 am and end at noon. Any amount of time you can spare will be appreciated. All ages are encouraged to help.

This is an Action Team project financed by Thrivent which requires participation by the congregation.
Seminary & Sabbatical


Pastor Mark has been asked to teach a course this fall at our seminary in Columbia, SC.   Read how this teaching opportunity has given a new focus to his sabbatical leave time for this year.

Sabbatical leave:  
Monday May 22 - Sunday July 30

Teaching in Columbia
Tuesdays August 22 - December 5

Giving Update

 Your faithful giving contributes to our mission of Making Christ Known.
Thank you for supporting the ministries of this parish!

If you have any questions, please contact our  Financial Secretary,
Carrie Dahlberg by clicking here

+ learn

Faith Formation:  We will not have Faith Formation this week. Instead, we invite you to enjoy the time between services in fellowship with one another. Intergenerational Faith Formation will resume next week.  

Pastor Mark will be leading the Confirmed Youth & Adult Forum over the next 3 weeks (April 30, May 7, & May 14).  The theme,  Be Open , is about Reading the Bible with . . .
+ Apr 30   . . . Both Eyes Open
+ May 7     . . . An Open Heart
+ May 14   . . . An Open Life
 
Daily Scripture Readings for the Week:
Sunday: Luke 24:13-35
Monday: Acts 4:1-22 
Tuesday: Acts 4:23-31 
Wednesday: Acts 4:32-37
Thursday: Acts 5:1-11
Friday: Acts 5:12-16
Saturday: Acts 5:17-42
Ethan Heilig, second from right with scouts of BSA Troop 8 after completing eagle project.

Ethan Heilig, son of Helene and Michael Heilig and senior scout member of BSA Troop, completed his Eagle scout project successfully on April 2, which consisted of constructing benches for the Kairos homeless shelter located in West Asheville.

The Heilig family are active members of All Souls Cathedral. Ethan is a senior at Asheville High School and will graduate this spring. Congratulations Ethan on a worthy project! 
+ book discussion group

stack_of_books.jpg
The Book Discussion Group will meet in the church fellowship hall on  Tuesday, May 9, at 1:30 pm  and on Thursday, May 11, at 6:30 pm. The book under discussion at both groups is The Kitchen House by Kathleen Grissom. Both men and women are welcome to attend and add your thoughts to the discussion.
 
There will be no meeting in June. The next book,  Iris and Lilly by Angela and Julie Scipione is larger than others we have read and we will allow two months to read it.  Iris and Lilly will be discussed at the meetings on  Tuesday, July 11, at  1:30 pm and  Thursday, July 13 at 6:30 pm. Start reading and come join in the group.

For Discussion Guidelines, click here .
For upcoming books and corresponding synopsis, click here.
+ Pub Theology

Pub Theology  has moved  to a new location for the month of April.  
The next meeting is tonight, 
April 20,  at 

If the weather is nice, we'll be able to move outside for discussion.  
Join us for a beer and conversation!

If you have any questions, 
please contact Andra Nus by calling 828-545-9519 or by emailing her here.

+Nativity Preschool and Kindergarten

Click here to listen in on a conversation about Easter.

Click here for an exciting offer from Remedy Health and Wellness that benefits NPK! 

WISH LIST:
Nativity Preschool and Kindergarten is busy place, which means it goes through an impressive amount of cleaning each week. For those who are willing to donate the following items to the cause, there will be a box near the Welcome Desk:
  • Clorox Wipes 
  • Baby Wipes 

+ greeters

GREETERS! We're looking for you!  If you like to say "Hello"  to friends and strangers, you could be a GREETER. If you like to smile and shake hands, you could share that friendliness on a  Sunday  morning beginning 15 minutes before the service you attend. If you like meeting new people and making them feel welcome, you would make a wonderful GREETER! We're looking for people to be GREETERS for either service  on Sunday  mornings.  
Don't be shy!   
Please contact Nancy Seekamp at 687-8265 or email her here.  


The monthly periodical of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America.  
Read the April issue today!
+ Bulletin Cover Art 

If you are interested in providing art for our bulletin covers, we invite you to check out the online schedule here
We simply ask that you not volunteer for more than one cover per month  and that you submit your art by the Monday before the Sunday for which you're scheduled. 

If you have any questions, 
please email  Pastor Gregg  here .

+ council corner

Tom Dieterly was elected as our fourth new member of the Congregation Council for 2017 in last Sunday's runoff election. He joins Jason Cooper, Doug Phillips, and Amber Wollner as members elected this year. 

The council will vote for two additional members to fill the remaining empty seats. 

Thank you to everyone who has been willing to serve in leadership of Nativity! 
 
Minutes from previous meetings can be found on the church's website here.


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articles, events,  
and updates to:    
by noon on Wednesday  for weekly 
Nativity Notes  and  Son Times .