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the sea is another story
the sea is not a question of power
I have to learn alone
to turn my body without force
in the deep element.
~ Adrienne Rich,
"Diving into the Wreck"
Sunday Preview
Sunday, October 21, 2018
Worship Services @ 8:15 & 10:45 AM
Education Hour (for all ages) at 9:15 AM
Sermon:
"In-Sourcing" by Marcia Mount Shoop
Scriptures:
Job 38:1-7, 34-41; Hebrews 5:1-10
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So, what IS Godly Play? And how can we all grow from it?
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“I wonder.” This phrase is at the very heart of Godly Play, the education model used with GCPC preschoolers and early elementary aged children. Godly Play, based on the methods of Montessori, encourages children to engage in the stories of scripture in ways that invite them into the Story of God’s people, all the while teaching children the sacred language of faith.
Click here to read more.
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J.O.Y. Group Potluck | THIS Sunday, October 21 | after 10:45 worship | Fellowship Hall
Are you 55 or older? Do you enjoy meeting new people, getting to know others better? Come to the JOY potluck in the fellowship hall this Sunday, October 21, after the 10:45 worship service.
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"How Can We Keep From Sharing?" Update
We had a great kick off week with this year's Stewardship Pledge Campaign! As of 10/17/18, here's where we are on our pledging:
86 Pledges Received, 37% of 230 Goal
$462,494 Pledged, 45% of Goal
If you have questions about your gifts or pledge, please contact Natalie Weaver, Stewardship & Financial Administrator, at 828-254-3274, ext. 202 or
giving@gcpcusa.org
.
If you haven't already, please complete your 2019 pledge card, handwritten or
online
, and return to the Finance Office by
October 28th.
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3RD QUARTER CONTRIBUTION STATEMENTS
If you gave July - September, your statements is available now for pick up on the credenza outside the sanctuary in the narthex.
Any statements not picked up by 10/31/18 will be mailed.
Please help us save on postage and pick yours up this week!
A few notes regarding statements:
- The gifts reflected are for the third quarter, 7/1/18 - 9/30/18. Any gifts made in October will be on the fourth quarter statement issued in January. If you did not give during the third quarter, there will not be a statement.
- Due to software reporting limitations, any non-deductible gifts, such as donor advised funds or IRA distributions, will not show in the itemized gift listing at the top of the statement. They are, however, included in the Fund Summary at the bottom and calculated in the pledge balances. If you have given non-deductible gifts and would like to see the details of each gift, we would be happy to print a personal statement for you.
Please check your gifts for accuracy and report any potential errors or concerns as soon as possible!
If you have a question regarding your pledge balance or a gift made, please contact Natalie Weaver, Stewardship & Financial Administrator, at 828-254-3274, ext. 202 or at
nweaver@gcpcusa.org
. She is in the office Tuesday - Thursday and is happy to assist.
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FURTHER QUESTIONS ABOUT THE STEWARDSHIP CAMPAIGN AND 2019 BUDGET?
Following the 10:45 worship service Sunday, October 21, members of the Stewardship Committee and Finance Council member Joe Brumit will be available in the sanctuary to answer your questions about the 2019 GCPC budget and campaign.
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OUR CHURCH BUILDING | HOW CAN WE KEEP FROM SHARING?
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Your generosity allows GCPC to provide financial support to area and international ministry partners. While these direct donations can be tracked in the SERVE budget figures, there is a less obvious way our church contributes to local ministry efforts: free or low-cost use of our church building. Our parking lot is busy day and night with people coming and going to these life-changing programs.
Non-profits currently using the building more or less rent-free are: Aphasia Group, Boy Scouts, two Al-Anon groups, and two other twelve-step groups. Some of the non-profits make a quarterly donation to the church based on the number of people who attend. Additionally, we offer office space for a counseling practice and a spiritual direction practice.
Any of our many local ministry partners can hold meetings in our building rent-free. Recently we began hosting “G.R.A.C.E. for Teens Afterschool”, an enrichment program for students grades 6-12 developed and run by ministry partner Youth Transformed for Life (YTL). Every weekday afternoon in the Atrium, you can see teens do homework, receive tutoring, and learn lessons in life and leadership with caring adults.
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One long-running ministry is the “nursery school” established in 1977 as an outreach to the community. In recent years it has become an independent non-sectarian entity, but the “Green-Certified Five-Star” Children’s Center at Gracelyn maintains a close connection to GCPC. Several of our members are on its board. The church discounts rent for the Center, and with this financial assistance, it is able to offer affordable early childhood education plus need-based scholarships.
Your pledges and gifts to GCPC go much farther than you realize. We aren’t just maintaining this building for our own use, which can be fairly extensive when you consider all the weekly church meetings and gatherings plus Sunday morning and evening activities. We also invite others who are changing lives to make use of this beautiful facility that we have made warm and welcoming for all engaged in the work of the Spirit. And so again we ask ourselves as we consider our pledges for 2019,
“How can we keep from sharing?”
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Creating Sanctuary Team (CST)
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Check out the new
Creating Sanctuary bookshelf and then check out one of the excellent titles to learn more about issues facing undocumented immigrants and residents along our southern border with Mexico. Our offerings include fiction and non-fiction.
Special thanks to librarian Cynthia Keever for establishing this display. You will find the shelf on the second level of the narthex, beside the entrance to the office building.
~ Contributed by Tish Anderson
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Power and Race Team (PART)
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"Twelve Angry Jurors" | October 4 - 20 (Thursdays - Saturdays) | 7:30 PM | Asheville High School Theater Arts Building
*LAST WEEKEND TO SEE THIS!
AHS Theatre is very proud to partner with Different Strokes! Performing Arts Collective to bring their production of
Twelve Angry Jurors
by Reginald Rose.
With the permission of the publisher, Different Strokes! has taken Reginald Rose’s original cast of 12 white men, and swapped it out for a cast of 12 very diverse jurors. Aside from the natural outcomes of obvious casting choices, nothing else has been changed from the original stage play.
Twelve Angry Jurors
has a lot to say about how our own biases, including issues of racism and discrimination, affect the basis on which the American dream, and the American Judicial system were built.
Click here for more information and tickets.
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The three-day event will feature a variety of topics, including race in education, social justice, and history while highlighting regional African American culture, with a theme of “Making the Invisible Visible.” Conference activities are free and open to everyone with
advance registration requested online or by calling 828.255.7216.
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The Racial Justice Book Club |
Thursday, Nov. 8 | 12:15 PM | Jerusalem Room
The Racial Justice Boo
k Club will read a new list of 12 books examining institutional & interpersonal racism and racial equity. Come and join us for all twelve discussions or for just one or two. All are welcome, whether you have read closely or are just interested in learning more about the subject. Copies of the books can be found in the church library.
For November
, we are reading
The Sun Does Shine: How I Found Life and Freedom on Death Row
- Anthony Ray Hinton.
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This Sunday's Education Hour (for all ages)
Adult Education - Fall Term | September 16 - November 18
Pressure Points - Connecting Mass Incarceration and Forced Deportation: A Faithful Conversation about Justice |
*Fellowship Hall (note room change)
Members of two active groups in our congregation, PART (Power and Race Team) and CST (Creating Sanctuary Team), will co-facilitate a 10-week series to explore "Capital J" Justice. We’ll explore connections and commonalities between issues of power and race, mass incarceration, immigrant detention, and forced migration. The discussion-based class will utilize a variety of resources, including segments of two films,
Healing Justice
and
The Genesis of Exodus
. We’ll examine and reflect on how we, as followers of Jesus, can interrogate U.S. practices, laws, and systems while bringing theology into the realm of social justice.
Facilitators:
PART and CST
Digging In - Women of the Old Testament | Jerusalem Room
This class will offer a fresh look at some of the women in the Old Testament who may have unfairly been the recipients of negative press. Many of these women have been portrayed as failures: evil, irrational, unfaithful. Could this be due to an effort to reaffirm the structures of patriarchy in spite of Jesus' explicit affirmation of women?
*This week we will be covering Rahab.
Facilitators:
Barbara McLean and Jamie Lloyd
The Improv - God at the Movies and Theater |
*Choir Room (note room change)
You sit down in your favorite theater, and Jesus walks up and asks to share your popcorn. You think, ‘What is God doing here at the movies?’ In this intergenerational class, Senior high youth and adults will be exploring how movies and plays can deepen or change how we understand our lives and our faith. A list of titles can be found on our website under Adult Education. For information or to host a screening, reach out to
Richard
or
Samantha
.
*
This week we will be covering I Am Not Your Negro (movie, PG-13).
Facilitators:
Richard Coble and Samantha Gonzalez-Block
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Toddlers (ages 2-3) | “God Loves Me”
| 9:15 – 10:15 AM | Toddler Room (downstairs, Children’s Center)
Preschool/Kindergarten (ages 4-5) | Godly Play
| 9:15 –10:15 AM | Preschool Sunday School Room (downstairs, Children’s Center)
Elementary (grades 1-3) | Godly Play
| 9:15–10:15 AM | Temple Room (Education wing, upstairs)
Elementary (grades 4-5) | “CONNECT”
| 9:15–10:15 AM | Indie Room (Education wing, upstairs)
Middle School (grades 6-8)
| 9:15-10:15 AM | Middle School Classroom, (Education wing, upstairs)
Senior Highs (grades 9-12)
| 9:15-10:15 AM |
*Choir Room - note room change
, (Education wing, upstairs)
*Nursery care is available throughout Sunday morning beginning at 8:10 am.
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OTHER EDUCATIONAL OPPORTUNITIES...
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The Spirituality of Parenting | Sundays | 5:00 – 6:00 PM | October 14 - November 4 | Fellowship Hall
Can the every day mundane practices of parenting actually be spiritual practices? Do our lives with children bring us opportunities to practice our faith in new ways? In this class we will explore how parenting (across generations and within communities) helps us learn about ourselves, our humanity, and our Creator. We will also investigate ways to infuse our lives with new practices that enhance our capacity to notice and honor the sacred trust of caring for and living with children. We invite all congregants, of all seasons of life, to come and share your experiences and learn about parenting as a spiritual practice.
Facilitators:
Marcia Mount Shoop, Richard Coble, Heather Ferguson and Carol Hovis.
*Childcare will be provided for these classes.
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Bible Study | Wednesdays | 11:00 AM | Garden Rm
Join the pastoral staff to read and study our sermon texts for Sunday. No preparation needed; just come ready to open scripture and discuss!
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Room In The Inn (RITI) | October 28 – November 4 | GCPC
Grace Covenant—we are almost ready for our guests during our “Room In The Inn” session!
We need help in only a few areas:
1)
We are in need of
drivers throughout the week
—both mornings and afternoons. Please check with the RITI team in the narthex for the exact times if you think you can help drive.
2)
Our guests could use some
new socks
. It’s getting chilly, and we would like to have new ladies’ socks in a variety of styles.
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3)
Also, our guests could use some
gently used ladies’ clothing, both for casual wear and clothes suitable for work or an interview for a job. Please bring your items to the church to the RITI table this Sunday or next Sunday at the information center in the RITI box.
Your kindness and generosity are always wonderful.
Thank you in advance to all of you who have signed up to help with meal preparation, bringing in clothing needs, driving to or from the church, or staying over-night as a host. So many helping hands make for a cordial and welcoming stay for our guests!
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The Steady Collective Teach-In | Thursday, October 25th | 5:30 - 8:00 PM | The Cathedral of All Souls (
9 Swan Street
)
(Lite Vegetarian Meal Included)
Faith 4 Justice in Asheville invites you to The Steady Collective Teach-In.
- Learn about the intersections of Faith, Justice, Harm Reduction and Syringe Exchange.
- Hear about the overdose crisis in Buncombe County, and how Harm Reduction and Syringe Exchange can help save lives.
- Learn what you and your faith community can do to support the work to improve the overall health of our community, reduce the rate of overdose in Buncombe County and better equip yourself to advocate for justice.
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YTL Annual Breakfast Fundraiser | Saturday, October 27 | 9 - 10:30 AM |
Tried Stone Missionary Baptist Church (100 Carroll Ave.)
Join one of our ministry partners, YTL Training Programs, for their Annual Breakfast Fundraiser. This free event is an opportunity for you to hear their year-in-review, and to learn about opportunities to get involved with and/or financially support their programs.
Click here to register.
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Volunteer at St. Nicholas' Toy Store on December 11
Grace Covenant will be volunteering at the Eblen St. Nicholas Toy Store on Tuesday, December 11. This is a FANTASTIC way to support local families to shop for books. clothes and gifts for their families for the holidays AND we can volunteer together in community.
Click
HERE
to sign up for a shift this holiday season.
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Click
HERE
for a link to the 2017-2018 GCPC Ministry Partners brochure.
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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.
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LAST CALL!! Youth Group "Indoor Rock Climbing!" | This Sunday, October 21 |
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RSVP ASAP for events listed below:
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Middle School Retreat 2017 ~ Camp Grier | Friday, Nov 9th, 5:15 PM - Sunday, Nov 11th, 12 PM | Old Fort, NC
Youth (grades 6-8) are invited to a fun-filled weekend with youth from across our presbytery. We will hike, play games, do energizers, and creatively explore our faith together. The cost is $95 and full/partial scholarships are available.
*
Register digitally HERE
.
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Senior High Camping Trip | Saturday, November 3rd, 2 PM - Sunday, November 4th, 2 PM | Celo (Meet/pick up GCPC parking lot
)
Senior Highs,get ready for an outdoor adventure camping, hiking, hanging out by the campfire and worshiping in the woods! We will camp near Dean Presson's cabin in Celo. The cost is free and please note if you have a tent we can borrow.
*Register digitally HERE
.
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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.]
Iglesia Jerusalem congregation
Sherry Harcke (Les Stradley's friend)
Pat Cocke (Les Stradley’s friend)
Glenn Russell (Robin Gaiser's brother)
Francis Miller (Nancy Miller's son)
Steve and Joanna Bowman (Mike Fleenor's brother-in-law and sister)
Nancy and Richard Schaadt (Donna Robertson's sister and brother-in-law)
Shaketia Simpson and children (Habitat Partner family)
Hettie Lou Garland
Dot Holladay
Teresa Stern
Betty Smith
Margaret Rada
Steve Dykes
Marty Johnson and Gabe Boehm
Bob Higgins
Caleb Moore Jones (thanksgiving for Ben and Connie Jones' new grandson)
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Grace Covenant Community Out and About...
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Enneagram learning opportunities with
Carol Hovis!
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Weekly enneagram gatherings
on different topics pertaining to all 9 types, will occur
Monday evenings, 6-8pm
and
Friday mornings, 10am-12noon
in the A-Frame Room (October 1st thru December 14th), facilitated by Carol Hovis. For more information, including cost and content, email Carol,
cmhovis@gmail.com
. All are welcome. Click
HERE
to see flyer.
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Free film screening: "Priced Out" | Thursday, October 25 | 6:00 - 8:30 PM | Asheville Habitat ReStore (
31 Meadow Road
)
Join us at the
Asheville Area Habitat ReStore
to watch Priced Out, an hour long film about gentrification in a historically black community in Portland, OR. Doors open at 6, and the film begins following a short introduction at 6:30. At 7:30, a panel will discuss how displacement effects women, how the film relates to Asheville, and potential solutions with an opportunity for audience questions and comments. The evening is hosted by
Asheville Area Habitat for Humanity
and co-presented by
Pisgah Legal Services
.
*Entry is free, with free beer and popcorn during the show!
Click
HERE for more information and to register.
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An Evening with Kate Bowler | Saturday, November 3 | 7 PM | First Presbyterian Church
Kate Bowler, author of
Everything Happens for a Reason (and other lies I’ve loved)
will speak at First Presbyterian Church, Asheville.
Diagnosed with stage IV cancer at the age of 35, Kate writes powerfully about the transformation she has experienced in the face of tragedy. As a young mother living with cancer and a historian of American religion, Bowler frankly address the uniquely American concept that tragedy is a test of character, and looks at the different ways that people try to rationalize suffering and catastrophe, for better or worse.
Dr. Bowler will speak in the Sanctuary from 7-8 pm and allow time for questions. Signed copies of her memoir will be available for purchase. Tickets are $10 in advance and selling fast!
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Presbyterian Disaster Assistance
Presbyterian Disaster Assistance enables congregations and mission partners of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A) to witness to the healing love of Christ through caring for communities adversely affected by crisis and catastrophic event.
After all the recent devastating climate events, there are so many places that could use further aid. Give to a disaster/relief effort of your choice by designating the Disaster Response “DR” project you would like to support.
Click HERE for a full list of accounts
(and online links to donate).
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*You can also donate:
By mail:
Presbyterian Church (USA)
P.O. Box 643700
Pittsburgh, PA 15264-3700
By telephone:
Call (800) 872-3283
to give by credit card
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Grace Covenant Presbyterian Church | 828.254.3274
789 Merrimon Ave. Asheville, NC 28804
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