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Whoever you are, no matter how lonely,
the world offers itself to your imagination,
calls to you like the wild geese,
harsh and exciting
over and over announcing your place
in the family of things.
~ Mary Oliver,
from
Wild Geese
Sunday Preview
Sunday, April 22, 2018
Fourth Sunday of Easter
Earth Day
Worship services @ 8:30 & 10:30 AM
Education Hour (for all ages) at 9:15 AM
Sermon:
"Traction" by
Marcia Mount Shoop
Scriptures:
Psalm 23; 1 John 3:16-24
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Dear Grace Covenant Community,
Asheville is grieving today in the wake of the tragic shooting of Erica Smith and her children. GCPC is connected in many ways to Erica's family. Some of you work in the schools where her children attended. Some of you have worked with Erica as a mother and as someone who worked at Mission Hospital.
Your Grace Covenant staff is here to support you. Samantha and I will be working with children in our Lord's Supper workshop to address this tragedy and how our faith tradition teaches us to help each other be strong, courageous, and to grieve in difficult times. I am also working to gather information about ways to assist the surviving members of the Smith family.
Brothers and sisters, we must also continue our work cultivating sanctuary and healing in our community and in our hearts. Gun violence, domestic violence, and countless other issues we are called to address contributed to this tragedy. Let us continue to be resolved to be a community who does not shy away from being a source of truth, healing, justice, and love.
Peace and love to all of you,
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Lord's Supper Workshop | THIS Sunday, April 22 | 9:15 AM | Sanctuary
We welcome all elementary aged children and their parents to join Marcia and Samantha as we explore this sacrament of our faith. It will be fun and interactive!
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Room In The Inn | May 6 - 13
We have two weeks until RITI begins and over 25 volunteer spots that still need to be filled! Your help is important! We are in need of: morning and afternoon drivers; help with overnight hosting; help in setting the Inn up on Sunday, May 6 and taking it down on May 13th. Sign
up
HERE online
or visit the RITI table on Sunday to sign up. If you have any questions at all please do not hesitate to contact a RITI team member:
Geneva Neerimer
,
Lynne Noble
,
Tish Anderson
,
Nan Clarke,
Susan Presson
,
Beth Kissling
, Sally Booher,
Linda Pyeritz
, or
Beth Philipsen
.
Click
HERE
to read inspirational bios of some of the RITI graduates!
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SERVE Fair | Sunday, April 29 |
GCPC Courtyard
Ever wonder how community organizations use the funds that GCPC donates via the Serve Council? You'll have a chance to interact directly with our Ministry Partners and learn what they are doing to address some of Asheville's biggest challenges. Dozens of our partners -- from longtime recipients like Haywood Street Congregation to the more recently funded Latino Advocacy Coalition -- are sending representatives to our Serve Fair. Come and get to know our amazing Ministry Partners!
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Sunday, May 6th
Church Anniversary Potluck
GCPC turns 65! We will have the traditional church potluck to celebrate our 65 years of ministry in Asheville. We'll provide the fried chicken and drinks. You provide something tasty to share according to the first letter of your last name:
A - H Salads (pasta, fruit, green ,etc.)
I - N Sides (veggies, beans, casseroles, etc.)
O - Z Desserts
We look forward to celebrating together!
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New Stew Crew!
Our new Stewardship Committee has already started its work. You will be hearing more from them soon. We are thankful for our new team: Susan and Jeff Curtis, Nancy Gaskin, Lynne Meacham, Susan and Roger Meade, Heath and Peggy Rada, and Jim and Jean Veilleux. Share your gratitude with them for saying "yes" to serving GCPC in this way.
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1st Quarter Statements Coming Soon!
Your contributions statements are being prepared now and should be
available for pick up beginning Sunday, 4/29/18,
in the narthex.
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Opportunity: “Extending the Table” on Sunday, May 6
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The Creating Sanctuary Team (CST) invites you to extend the communion table on the first Sunday of each month by writing our congressional delegation about how we are called as Christians to respond to specific topics relating to immigration. Beginning on Sunday, May 6, CST will provide at a table in the narthex: pen and paper; congressional addresses; a list of relevant topics; and relevant information about each topic from the PCUSA Office of Immigration.
We hope this monthly opportunity will enable each of us to educate ourselves more fully about the complex immigration crisis and to respond as people of faith who are called to live faithfully in support of others.
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Immediate opportunity to support families impacted by ICE Raids
BeLoved House is coordinating food collections for our neighbors who are afraid to leave their homes because of ICE raids.
* Items needed are: Milk, eggs, cheese, rice, beans, hot peppers, fresh fruit and veggies, oil, tortillas, diapers/wipes, kids' snacks, water/juice/drinks, salt, sugar, and bread.
For drop offs, pull vehicle up to the curb and put on your hazards.
Volunteers: text us at 828-242-8261 and let us know what times you are available. Volunteers please park in the parking lot by the bus station on Ashland Ave. (one block over). BeLoved Asheville's address is
39 Grove St., Asheville, NC 28801.
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What Can You Do Among Family?
Have you felt like an outsider, confused among your own family when talk includes racial slurs, biases, bigoted remarks? A Southern Poverty Law Center study finds that family moments like these represent some of the most difficult situations to navigate.
Appealing to shared values can begin discussions at home with relatives. Try saying, "Our family is too important to let bigotry tear it apart." Or, "Our family always has stood for fairness, and the comments I hear are terribly unfair." Or simply, "Is this what our family stands for?"
If you are among the majority of family members in the US who report that their relatives routinely use racial slurs, ask for God's help and guidance as you approach the delicate business of bringing your discomfort to the table.
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The Creation Care Alliance of Western North Carolina invites you to a vigil celebrating God's creation and calling on people of faith to care for it. We will gather outside of First Baptist Church for an afternoon of song, reflection, and to hear messages of inspiration and action from local faith and community leaders. Our theme this year is taken from the United Church of Christ faith tradition and will explore the intersection and work of loving neighbors, children and creation. All are welcome!
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GCPC BIRD WALK | Saturday, May 19 | 8 AM | Beaver Lake Sanctuary
We will meet at Beaver Lake Sanctuary and bird around the trails in the Sanctuary and Beaver Lake. The walk should last around 2-3 hours depending on the bird activity. Binoculars recommended. Limited to 15 people.
I
f interested or have questions, contact
Rick Pyeritz at
eapyeritz@gmail.com
or 273-5954 (cell) or 254-7080 (home).
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Power and Race Team (PART)
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PART Meeting | Thursday, April 19 | 7:00 PM | Garden Room
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Session has voted to approve the Code for Asheville petition calling for transparency in police reporting.
Code for Asheville hopes to get 1,000 signatures before City Council meets to hear their presentation on April 24th. They request community leaders and citizens to show up &demonstrate support at the Council meeting, April 24, 5:00pm.
Click
HERE
to read the Faith 4 Justice statement on ICE Raids in Western North Carolina.
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A discussion with Ron Eddings, a Grateful Steps author and co-author of the screenplay “From My Eyes: The Ron Eddings Story," about the racism he and his friends and family suffered while growing up in Asheville, the downward spiral his life subsequently took, and his triumph of recovery through faith.
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Fa
mily Book Reading |
Friday, April 27 | 4:00 - 6:00 PM | YWCA of Asheville, Multipurpose Room
An interactive all-ages presentation by Charles Waters, poet and co-author of the children's book "Can I Touch Your Hair? Poems of Race, Mistakes, and Friendship" hosted by Spellbound Children’s Bookshop. Click
here
for more info.
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This Sunday's Education Hour (for all ages)
Adult Education - Spring Term | April 8 - May 20
Pressure Points: Islam 101 for Christians at Such a Time as This | Choir Rm
This adult Sunday School seven-week course will begin with a brief overview of the theology, practices, and history of Islam, the fastest growing religious tradition in the world. Topics to be included over the remaining sessions will include: Women in Islam, the teachings of the Qur’an, the Hadith, and the Shar’iah, Islam and other religious traditions; the varieties of Islam, and contemporary issues in Islam.
Facilitator:
Kathy Meacham
Digging In: Apocalypse Past and Future: The Book of Revelation | Jerusalem Room
With an eye to our current fascination of popular apocalyptic books and movies, this class will examine what drove John of Patmos to write the book of Revelation. How was Revelation a response to the situation of early Christians under the threat of Rome and what does its message of hope, judgement, and the end of time have to say to us today? Is Revelation really about escape and heaven, or is there also a message about how to live our lives today, in this world, in a trying time such as this? Come with your hopes and questions, as we dive into this fascinating, obscure, and exciting book.
Facilitator:
Richard Coble
The Improv: The Enneagram | Fellowship Hall
The Enneagram is a dynamic system that identifies nine personality types. The enneagram system is spiritually rich because of its commitment to transformative growth and its ability to name personality habits that keep us from living more authentically. Knowing our ennea-type enhances how we show up in relationships, in work and in the world. Rev. Carol Hovis, Presbyterian minister and spiritual director, has studied the enneagram for over 20 years and was recently certified by the Enneagram Studies in the Narrative Tradition (ESNT).
Facilitator:
Carol Hovis
CHILDREN & YOUTH EDUCATION @ 9:15 AM
[Contact
Samantha
]
Preschool/Kindergarten (ages 3-5) |
anytime from 9:10–10:10 AM | Preschool Sunday School Room (downstairs, Children’s Center)
Elementary (grades 1-5)
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9:10–10:10 AM | Temple Room
(upstairs, PZ)
Middle School (grades 6-8)
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9:15-10:10 AM | Middle School Classroom, PZ
Senior Highs (grades 9-12)
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9:15-10:10 AM | Senior High Classroom, PZ
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“Critics of Christianity” Class | Sundays | April 15 – May 20 |
5:00 - 6:00 PM | Fellowship Hall
Three of the most powerful critiques of the Christian faith have come from the disciplines of political science, psychology, and feminism. Covering foundational figures in these areas, Karl Marx, Sigmund Freud, and contemporary feminist scholars, our class will look at how our faith fares under their analysis, and how we can be in conversation with them and learn from them, in order to deepen our faith and to make it more authentic and thoughtful. Each teacher will take two weeks to cover a figure. Come for interesting conversation, new questions, and fellowship.
Facilitators:
Barry Sharpe, Richard Coble and Marcia Mount Shoop
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Bible Study | Wednesdays | 11 AM | Garden Room
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.
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Babies Need Bottoms - Diaper Drive |
Month of May | GCPC
The Serve Council has decided to hold a diaper drive during the month of May to benefit "Babies Need Bottoms". One in three WNC families struggles to afford diapers; and diapers cost an average of $80 per month per child.
Let's cover their bottom(s) and help meet our community's diaper needs. There will be a collection area for diaper drop-off in the GCPC narthex. Click
HERE for more info about the organization.
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Working Wheels
Do you have an extra car that needs to find a new home? Imagine how difficult your life would be without a car! Working Wheels repairs and recycles donated cars, transforming them into working wheels for working families. The process is simple and the donation is tax deductible, plus your donation benefits local nonprofits whose clients need these cars. We also need volunteer drivers and mechanics. To donate or volunteer, please call
(828) 633-6888
or visit
www.workingwheelswnc.org
.
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Click
HERE
for a link to the 2017-2018 GCPC Ministry Partners brochure.
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Saturday in the Garden
—good work and good time to catch up winters news.
Vegetable identification placards are beginning to sprout up in the rows.
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Potato Planting | Sunday, April 22 | 1 PM | Carpool from GCPC parking lot
The forecast is as good as we are going to get! Four weather forecasters agree Sunday will be dry but cloudy. A perfect day for planting potatoes at the Cole Family Farm. Please meet in the Grace Covenant parking area at 1 to carpool to the Cole farm. Bring water, gloves, energy snack and a standard hoe if you have one. Families, folks of all ages welcome! Anthony will have prepared the field and will plow the potato rows, our job will be to drop the potato pieces in the rows and cover with hoes. For the worry in all of us--should the weather sour, we will notify you of the change by email.
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Retired and Senior Adult Potluck | THIS Sunday, April 22 | 12:30 PM (following worship) | Atrium
A special invitation for Older Adults looking for a good time sharing the joy of aging well. *
Critical to Note – the church kitchen is still under construction.
We have very limited refrigeration and no means to heat food up. Each must
bring their fully prepared dish to share, ready to serve, and bring your serving utensils
; (it’s nice to identify your food offering and ingredients.)
Please drop your food in the narthex alcove by the coffee station.
We are looking for a few volunteers to stay after and help take down tables and chairs.
A good time is in the making as we lunch and share time together. Sponsored by the J.O.Y. (Just Older Youth) Group.
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Support Group for Cognitive Impairment | Wednesday, May 2 |
12 PM | Garden Room
A support group for those dealing with cognitive impairment or decline, led by Paul Rogers, a retired physician in our congregation. This group also introduces techniques for daily living with such issues.
*We are now meeting the 1
st
and 3
rd
Wednesdays of every month.
Contact
Richard
with questions.
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PW May Circle Meetings
#1 | Tuesday, May 1 | 10 AM | Nancy Walter | 4 Crescent Ct., Weaverville | Leader: Sandra Dykes
#2 | Tuesday, May 1 | 7:30 PM | Denise Snodgrass | 40 Dover St. | Leader: Denise Snodgrass
#4 | Thursday, May 3 | 7 PM | Frances Johnson | 23 The Old Run, Fairview | Leader: Lynne Meacham
#5 | Monday, May 7 | 10 AM | GCPC - Jerusalem Room | Leader: Susie Churchfield
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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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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
Sherry Harcke (Les and Susan Stradley's friend)
Nikita Norris, Regina Hunter & family (Habitat for Humanity partner family)
Pat Cocke (Les and Susan Stradley’s friend)
Roy and Maxine Hicks (Melissa Hicks' parents)
Glenn Russell (Robin Gaiser's brother)
Betsy Needle (Robin Gaiser's friend)
Francis Miller (Nancy Miller's son)
Steve and Joanna Bowman (Mike Fleenor's brother-in-law and sister)
Jerri Alexander (Phil Brown’s aunt)
Pam Morrell (Penndy Ponder's daughter)
Virginia Bradley
Hettie Lou Garland
Dot Holladay
Teresa Stern
Cindy Egerer
Susan Stradley
Betty Smith
John Curry
Joyce Summerlin
Madge Francis
Mary Berg
The Sales Family
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Youth Group "Power Play" | This Sunday, April 22 | 5 - 7 PM | GCPC
How do we use our power to move mountains? What does it mean as people of faith in the world today to have power? Pastor Marcia will help us to explore these questions with fun and active exercises. You won't want to miss it! Dinner will be provided by the Davis family.
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Register by TODAY, April 19th for:
Youth Adventure Day! | *Saturday, April 28th | 10:30 AM -7:00 PM | Camp Grier (Old Fort) | GCPC discounted cost $10
Register HERE
and let the adventure begin! The Presbytery of Western North Carolina & Camp Grier are inviting youth from across our presbytery to a Middle School & High School adventure day that includes: canoeing, climbing wall, hiking, mountain biking, horseback riding, dinner and more. This will be our youth group event for the weekend. Full scholarships available.
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Reminder for Montreat & Massanetta....
Thanks to everyone who registered for Montreat (July 29-Aug 4) and Massanetta (July 5-8)!!!
Please turn in your remaining balance to Sherrie by Sunday, April 29th. Checks can be written out to Grace Covenant Presbyterian Church and full/partial scholarships available upon request.
*If you would like to attend, but have not registered, contact
Samantha
ASAP to see about possible availability.
*Cost for Montreat
if you registered by...January 17th: $395; February 17th: $405; March 18th: $415; April 8th: $425.
*Cost for Massanetta
if you registered by March 18th: $235; April 8th: $245.
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Grace Covenant Community Out and About...
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"The Diary of Anne Frank"
: The Play | April 13-29 | Asheville Community Theater (
35 E. Walnut St
.)
Rev. Samantha Gonzalez-Block is performing in the Asheville Community Theater's production of
The Diary of Anne Frank
and she is thrilled to invite her GCPC family to attend. This transcendentally powerful play centers around a Jewish family living in hiding during World World II.
Ticket information here.
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"Open Hearts" - Support Groups for Christian Youth and Their Parents Facing LGBTQ Challenges | 1st and 3rd Thursdays, beginning April 19th | 6 - 7:30 PM | Central UMC (
27 Church St.
)
LGBTQ Youth and parents from all backgrounds, denominations, and beliefs are invited to come listen and share advice with compassion and understanding.
Questions? Contact Deanna at
openheartsasheville@gmail.com or 434-242-7911.
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Presented by Carolina Jews for Justice. Pesah Sheni is known as the
Second Passover, 30 days after the official Celebration of Passover. At Passover we re-enact, and share individual experiences and struggles faced on our path to the freedoms of ‘inclusion-ism’ as “one nation, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all”. For this Seder, individuals from groups currently ‘labelled’, ‘excluded’ or ‘challenged’ in our politically splintered communities are invited to participate in addressing their issues. At each table we will light a candle as a symbol of wisdom; be seated at a common table to symbolize humility; and break unleavened bread as a symbol of open discourse.
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Grace Covenant Presbyterian Church | 828.254.3274
789 Merrimon Ave. Asheville, NC 28804
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