Click
"
View entire message"
at bottom of email
to see the FULL newsletter
|
|
It is the whole of nature, extending from the beginning to the end
that constitutes the one image of God Who Is.
~ St. Gregory of Nyssa
|
|
Sunday Preview
Sunday, October 27, 2019
Reformation Sunday
Sacrament of the Lord's Supper
Worship services @ 8:15 & 10:45 AM
Education Hour (for all ages) @ 9:15 AM
Homily:
"Keeping Faith" by Richard Coble
Scriptures:
Joel 2:23-32; 2 Timothy 4:6-8, 16-18
Click
"
View entire message"
at bottom of EMAIL to see the FULL newsletter
|
|
Presbytery Meeting at GCPC
This Saturday, October 26 Grace Covenant will host the Fall meeting of the Western North Carolina Presbytery. We are excited to welcome our Presbyterian siblings to GCPC to do the work of our denomination together and strengthen our connections with one another. Members of the Session, staff, and many other volunteers have been working hard on preparations. You are welcome to join us for worship that day. Worship will begin at 10:00am. What a blessing to be able to extend love and hospitality to our regional governing body of the PCUSA!
|
|
Cherokee Heritage Trail | Saturday, November 2 | All day
8 spots left!!
Reservations required. $50 per person.
Email
Anna Louise
or call her at 828-254-3274 to make reservations.
Carpool from GCPC to Dillsboro at 7:30 am boarding the Cherokee Trail Bus for the Heritage Trail. Click
HERE
for the full schedule.
|
|
Pledges are due this
Sunday, October 27th!
To submit a 2020 pledge,
you can fill out an easy
online option here
or put your completed pledge card in the Sunday plate, bring it by the office, or mail it to 789 Merrimon Ave, Asheville, NC 28804. Pledge cards are available in the pews, narthex, and at the Welcome Desk.
|
|
Stewardship Campaign Update
|
|
SIMPLE WELCOME
I was stopped a couple weeks ago in the middle aisle of the sanctuary by a woman whose face was familiar; but I could not remember her name or the exact circumstances under which we met. Little did I know our encounter would be a Life Abundant moment.
"Hi, I'm Margaret. Maybe you don't remember, but you welcomed me a few weeks ago when I was a visitor and I've been attending Grace Covenant ever since."
"That's great. So glad you are here," I said nodding and smiling at her.
Finally, it struck me who she was and how we met. I am lucky that I can talk to folks easily; often they're visitors, searchers looking for a church. I often spot new faces and have no reservations about asking if they are visiting. Margaret was such a person. Sometimes, I get it all wrong, but that's okay. Like the couple who said they have been members for over 25 years when I asked if they were new. We laughed and went on to get acquainted.
Margaret had more to share. "These are my two friends," she said motioning to the two women beside her. We shook hands and introduced ourselves. "They're coming here to church with me now. We really love this congregation. So friendly."
I was amazed that a simple welcome not only brought one person to GCPC, but that she then brought two more with her. God works through each of us in miraculous and often unexpected ways.
GCPC seeks to reach out in many directions to share our abundance. Besides being welcoming, we can offer our gifts by sharing our monetary resources with a pledge toward the ambitious ministries of our church.
Let us multiply our numbers both in our pews and in our pledges.
~ Robin Gaiser
STEW CREW 2020
|
|
LAST SUNDAY FOR 3
rd
QUARTER STATEMENTS
If you gave during the 3
rd
quarter (July - September),
your contribution statement is available for pick up at the Welcome Desk until
10/27/19
.
Help save on postage by picking up yours this Sunday!
Please check the contribution details and pledge balances for accuracy.
Keep in mind, this statement only includes gifts made
7/1/19 – 9/30/19
; any gifts made in October will be reflected on the year-end statement issued in January.
If you gave during the quarter, even if online/automatic, a statement will be generated for you. Statements help catch any errors prior to year-end and give you a more accurate pledge balance status mid-year.
|
|
PAPERLESS STATEMENTS
GREAT NEWS! We’ve switched to a new contribution software called Realm. One of the perks you’ll notice is an easier to read statement, which now includes non-deductible gifts and a more clear pledge balance. We now also have the capability to email contribution statements if preferred, instead of printing and requiring pick-up or mailing. This will help save time and money for GCPC and provide the timeliest delivery to you!
To sign up for paperless statement delivery, please contact Natalie Weaver at 828-254-3274, ext. 202 or
nweaver@gcpcusa.org
with your preferred email address.
|
|
Creating Sanctuary Team (CST)
|
|
“Your monthly soup lunches are about so much more than food,” a Pisgah Legal Services staffer emotionally told the GCPC Souper Wednesday hosts last week. “You have no idea how much these lunches mean to the staff. You’re creating community and providing team-building opportunities. These lunches even give us some respite care from a really hard week.
“I was so happy when I realized that today is Soup Day,” she continued. “I needed to look forward to this in the middle of a long, demanding week.”
Many thanks to Susan Presson, Amber White, Glenda Burgin, and Nancy Gaskin, who hosted and served the tasty soups, breads, fruit, and treats.
The next Souper Wednesday is scheduled for November 20.
|
|
Power and Race Team (PART)
|
|
Racial Justice Book Series | Thursday, November 14 | 7:00 PM | Jerusalem Room
For November
, we are reading
My Grandmother's Hands: Racialized Trauma and the Pathway to Mending our Hearts and Bodies
by Resmaa Menakem.
"
The body is where our instincts reside and where we fight, flee, or freeze, and it endures the trauma inflicted by the ills that plague society. In this groundbreaking work, therapist Resmaa Menakem examines the damage caused by racism in America from the perspective of body-centered psychology. He argues this destruction will continue until Americans learn to heal the generational anguish of white supremacy, which is deeply embedded in all our bodies. Our collective agony doesn't just affect African Americans. White Americans suffer their own secondary trauma as well. So do blue Americans—our police.
My Grandmother's Hands
is a call to action for all of us to recognize that racism is not about the head, but about the body, and introduces an alternative view of what we can do to grow beyond our entrenched racialized divide." (from Amazon)
|
|
PART (Power & Race Team)
Reflections
In our last
PART meeting we heard excerpts from one episode of the Scene on Radio podcast, Seeing White Series, on “White Affirmative Action.” You can listen to the entire episode
here. We also had a handout with many of the important points and dates discussed in the podcast. That handout is available
here.
Members of PART were deeply impacted by the information presented. As you read it remember the questions raised by Marcia ands Samantha in their sermons the past two weeks: What are the injustices we bring to the Table and what is the work we need to do? What does justice look like? And is there enough justice to go around?
I will be available on October 30
th from 6-6:30pm if you would like to process how you felt reading the handout or listening to the podcast. I also invite you to go to Centering Prayer with me at 6:30 that day to seek Christ’s mercy for our world.
~ Liz Huesemann
|
|
Molefi Kete Asante: 400 Years of African American Resilience | TONIGHT, October 24 | 6:00 PM | UNCA, Lipinsky Auditorium
UNC Asheville will commemorate the 400th anniversary of the arrival of the first enslaved Africans in what is now the United States with a series of educational and cultural events beginning Oct. 20 and culminating in a keynote address on Oct. 24 by Molefi Kete Asante, a leading philosopher and scholar of African American studies. Asante, chair and professor of Africology and African American Studies at Temple University, will deliver his keynote address, free and open to everyone, at 6 p.m. on Thursday, Oct. 24 in Lipinsky Auditorium.
|
|
An activist intellectual, as well as poet, novelist, and dramatist, Asante has written scores of books and more than 500 articles, and was the founding editor of the Journal of Black Studies. He created the nation’s first Ph.D. program in African American Studies at Temple in 1988. Asante also founded and leads the Molefi Kete Asante Institute for Afrocentric Studies in Philadelphia, a think-tank, educational and transformative non-profit seeking “to insure that the assertion of African cultural values and traditions will become a standard part of any design involving the cultural, health, social, economic, spiritual, or political discourses about black people.”
|
|
Earth Team Meeting | Wednesday, November 6 | 5:30 PM | Jerusalem Room
|
|
This Sunday's Education Hour (for all ages)
|
|
Adult Education - Fall Term | Sept. 15 - Nov. 24 | 9:15 AM
Pressure Points - The Church and Native Americans: Grappling with the Past, Facing the Future | Fellowship Hall
This 11-week program will outline a Christian's response to social issues related to Native American Peoples of North America. This will involve educating ourselves about the history of native peoples (from their perspective using The Great Courses as an academic basis for this education) prior to European contact and the philosophical/theological/political concepts that were employed against Native peoples after contact. In the second half of the course's term, we will deal specifically with Cherokee Indian issues as a case in point of our country's and our church's involvement in oppression of native culture, highlighting the Cherokee Nation/ECBI's response to that oppression. Ultimately, we would like to posit for our class how we should prayerfully yet actively respond to these issues in the future.
Facilitators:
Buzz Durham, Mike Fleenor, Jaan Ferree, Mary Berg, Marcia Mount Shoop
The Improv -
The Spirituality of Vulnerability: Brené Brown and Richard Rohr
| Choir Room
“Vulnerability is the birthplace of love, belonging, joy, courage, empathy, and creativity. It is the source of hope, empathy, accountability, and authenticity. If we want greater clarity in our purpose or deeper and more meaningful spiritual lives, vulnerability is the path” (Brené Brown,
Daring Greatly). In this class, we will be discussing how the insights of shame researcher Brené Brown and spiritual writer and Franciscan friar Richard Rohr can inform our spiritual lives.
Facilitators:
Richard Coble, Nancy Gaskin, Paul Rogers
Digging In - Living the Questions | Jerusalem Room
Living the Questions is for those who are looking for a resource that encourages questions they’ve always wanted to ask and sparks open dialogue in a safe place. It’s also for those asking what a meaningful faith can look like today. Living the Questions provides a context where people can pursue their questions and deepen their understanding as part of a life-long spiritual journey. This video-based program (along with downloadable participant guides and readings) includes conversations with scholars and clergy. Spirituality, Bible, God, creation, Jesus, Gospels, Paul, evangelism, evil, suffering and forgiveness are some of the topics we’ll consider.
Facilitators:
Denise Snodgrass and Tim Hamel
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 & Senior Highs (grades 6-12)
| 9:00-10:15 AM | Youth Rooms, (Education wing, upstairs)
|
|
*Nursery care is available throughout Sunday morning beginning at 8:10 am.
|
|
OTHER EDUCATIONAL OPPORTUNITIES...
|
|
Facing the End as a Community of Faith: Grief, Planning, and Funerals | Sundays in November | 5:00 – 6:00 PM | Sanctuary
What does it mean to approach grief and death from a Christian perspective? How we even begin to make sense of advanced planning in light of the multitude of options today? Join us on Sunday evenings in November to learn about the end of life through the lens of faith.
- Nov. 3: All Saints Day, "Voices of Grief" film with Nancy Gaskin with special music by the Threshold Choir (note, this meeting will go until 6:30)
- Nov. 10: Living faithfully in light of today's medical and legal choices with Dr. Eric Mount, Rodes Professor Emeritus of Religion at Centre College
- Nov. 17: Understanding, writing, and notarizing Advanced Directives with Ashley Caswell, LCSW and Johanna Williams of Four Seasons Hospice.
- Nov. 24: Navigating funerals and our options with Frank Starling, RN of the Center for End of Life Transitions
|
|
Bible Study | Wednesdays | 11:00 AM | Garden Room
Join the pastoral staff to read and study our sermon texts for Sunday. No preparation needed; just come ready to open scripture and discuss!
|
|
Telling Secrets: A Memoir
by Frederick Buechner
Frederick Buechner is an award-winning author of more than thirty works of fiction and nonfiction. In this small but infinitely readable book, he shares with eloquence, candor, and simplicity, his darkest secrets – his father’s alcohol abuse and suicide. He traces the influence of these events on his life as a son, father, husband, and minister, and explores the healing, hope, and love to be found in revealing what has long been hidden.
This book can be read in one sitting, if you have several hours to spend, and is highly recommended.
|
|
Room In The Inn (RITI) | November 10 – 17 | GCPC
Room In The Inn returns to Grace Covenant in just about 2 weeks! After this Sunday, there will be only 1 more Sunday to sign-up before our guests arrive. There are so many ways (set-up, food, drivers, overnight hosts, etc.) to help with this important ministry. Thank you to all of you who have already signed up! It really does take the whole village. Of course, you can sign up online and there a link that follows. Please sign up in the narthex on Sunday mornings or online at
http://bit.ly/RITINOV.
|
|
VRQ—BBQ Cook Team |
Next cook date: November 5
th
| 4:30 or 5:30 PM
Come help us serve a meal to the veterans! Come at 4:30 to help cook or 5:30 to help serve. This mission service has a long history. We would love for you to be a part of the service & camaraderie. Questions? Contact
Bill Neeriemer
.
|
|
Ministry Partner News and Events...
|
|
Hood Huggers International Event:
Join us for a celebration
as part of "An Observance for a Just Future: 1619 to 2019", marking the 400-year anniversary of the arrival of the first enslaved Africans to North America.The day will include live music, wood-fired pizza
from 5-7 p.m.
, plus honoring the ancestors, celebrating
Hood Tours
+ more. This event is free
.
|
|
Christmas at the Biltmore | GCPC Chancel Choir | December 13 | 5:30 – 9 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
.
|
|
Men @ GCPC | Thursday, October 31 | 8:00 AM | HomeGrown
We will be discussing Richard Rohr's final chapter in his book
Falling Upward, about the tasks of the 'second half of life.' You can find a link to the chapter
HERE.
|
|
“Winner Winner Wednesday Dinner” | November 6 | 6:00 PM | Fellowship Hall
(*First Wednesday in November due to RITI at GCPC the following week)
Take a break from cooking and make some space for connecting with your church community.
This meal will be catered from Urban Burrito
.
*RSVP to Sherrie,
smeehan@gcpcusa.org
, by 12:00 pm on Monday, November 4 for an estimate.
|
|
Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI) Group | Wed., Nov. 6 | 12 PM | Garden Rm
This support group introduces techniques for daily living with such issues, led by Paul Rogers, a retired physician in our congregation. We meet the 1st and 3rd Wednesdays of every month.
*New participants welcome at any time.
Contact Richard,
rcoble@gcpcusa.org
, with questions.
|
|
Centering Prayer | Wednesday Nights | 6:30 - 7:00 PM | Sanctuary
Christianity has a rich and ancient tradition of intentional and prayerful silence as a spiritual practice. Sacred silence teaches us to listen devoutly, humbly, and with trust. It is beautifully simple and a spiritual skill whose gifts goes deeper and gets more powerful the more one practices it. This practice is open to all and is come as you are able. Questions? Contact Marcia at
mmshoop@gcpcusa.org
.
|
|
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 10:45 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.
|
|
Youth Group Fun!!! | This Sunday, October 27 | 5:00 - 7:00 PM | GCPC
|
|
REGISTER TODAY FOR LOWEST PRICE!
Middle School Retreat 2019 ~ Camp Grier | Friday, Nov 1st, 5 PM - Sunday, Nov 3rd, 12 PM | Old Fort, NC
The Presbytery of WNC invites youth (grades 6-8) to this annual highlight! It will be a fun-filled weekend with youth from across our presbytery. Our Presbyterian Youth Council Senior Highs will be leading the way! We will hike, play games outside, do service, have small groups, and creatively explore our faith together. This is a great way to deepen friendships and grow as children of God. The cost is $95 (if you register by today) or $105 after & full/partial scholarships are available.
*
Register digitally HERE ASAP
.
|
|
Raleigh Youth Mission Education Trip | January 17-20 (MLK Jr. Weekend)
Are you ready to be fearless together? We will be heading to our state capital, Raleigh to do transformative service projects, explore how laws impact our society, and consider how our faithful voices can make a difference. Get ready to grow side-by-side and have a whole lot of fun! The cost is $200 (full and partial scholarships available).
Trip is currently full, but we are accepting waitlist registrations.
Register for waitlist HERE ASAP
.
|
|
Addresses & Candy needed for College/Service Year Care Packages 2019
The youth group will be putting together care-packages to send to our young adults who are in college or doing a year of service. We would love to include your youth, if they fall under this category.
Please fill in their mailing address here
Also, any extra Halloween candy can be left outside of Samantha's office door to be used for this.
|
|
Youth Committee Meeting | Thursday, November 7 | 6:00 - 7:00 PM | Garden Room
All Youth, Advisors and Parents are invited to join the Youth Committee and lend their voice and ideas to the youth program. If you cannot attend, feel free to jump in another month.
|
|
Youth Sunday School:
Youth Choir, Drama & Fun
(6th - 12th graders) | Sundays | 9:00 - 10:15 AM | Youth Rooms
This fall we will be fearlessly jumping into our faith in creative ways. We will begin at 9:00am sharp with breakfast, followed by Youth Choir, Energizers, Games and and an on-your-feet Bible Study. See you at the first class and get ready for a fun, meaningful experience!
Questions? Contact Samantha at
sgblock@gcpcusa.org
.
|
|
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
Pat Cocke (Les Stradley’s friend)
Deborah Strong (Robin Gaiser's cousin)
Nancy and Richard Schaadt (Donna Robertson's sister and brother-in-law)
Jeffrey Ferris (Mary Lou Nash's son)
Rebecca Wells' brother, Jamey
Jeff Combs (Bill McNeff's friend)
West Asheville Presbyterian Church
Marcia Zuzel (friend of Kim Hottle and Melissa Shook)
Virginia Bibee (Jamie Bibee Lloyd's mother)
Suzy Carter (David Carter's wife and Yvonne Smith's friend)
Jon Stone (Madge Francis' nephew)
Hettie Lou Garland
Betty Smith
Margaret Rada
Bob Higgins
James Harwell
Joyce Summerlin
Cory Hartbarger
Mary Ellen Horne
Penny Ponder
Florence Riedesel
Donna Robertson
Elizabeth Fisher
|
|
Grace Covenant Community Out and About...
|
|
2019 Fall Enneagram Gatherings
in the A-Frame @ GCPC
Mondays, 6-8pm
and
Fridays, 10am-12noon
|
|
Pilgrimage to Cuernavaca, Mexico | March 3-12, 2020 (
with Heather Ferguson and Carol Hovis)
This is a
pilgrimage
with the intention of
spiritual retreat
in the context of Benedictine spirituality through a liberation theology lens, and
intellectual discovery
as we learn from guest lecturers about the historical, political and economic realities of Mexico & Central America. We participate in the
daily life of the Benedictine Sisters
which includes daily prayers, communal tasks and entering the lives of local Mexican colonias, Christian Base Communities, womens' cooperatives and more. If you are interested, contact
Carol
and
Heather
. Click
HERE
to see a simple brochure that describes the experience.
|
|
Yahrzeit
for Tree of Life | Sunday, October 27 | 2:00 PM & 3:30 PM | Congregation Beth HaTephila (
43 North Liberty Street
)
Healing from the Tree of Life Shooting & Confronting Antisemitism:
A Memorial Service & Workshop
Tree of Life
Yahrzeit
Memorial Service - 2 pm in Sanctuary
Join your Jewish community for a pluralistic memorial service honoring the victims of the Tree of Life shooting.
Kosher oneg
to immediately follow.
|
|
Confronting Antisemitism Workshop - 3:30 pm in Unger Hall
Join us for a free workshop exploring the relationship between antisemitism, white supremacy, and white nationalism. Learn more about the antisemitism that fueled the shooting and how we can transform our grief into action.
Workshop registration requested for planning purposes, but not required. Register
here
or via email to Maia Ross Trupin at
mrosstru@gmail.com
.
|
|
Gospel Music Concert | Saturday, October 26 | 3:00 PM | St. James Episcopal Church (
424 W. State St
., Blk. Mtn.)
The “Original” Thomas Chapel A.M.E. Zion Church presents GospelFest, a multicultural gospel music concert fundraising event. This historic African Methodist Episcopal Church, referred to as the “little church on the hill” at 300 Cragmont Road in Black Mountain, was built by freed slaves in 1892 as the first “Tom’s Chapel.” The current building dates to 1922. Serving as the mother church for the A.M.E. Zion and other dominations in the Valley, it’s been restored to its original splendor.
Advance tickets are $10 for adults and $5 for children 12 and under. Click
HERE
to buy tickets. Click
HERE
to read the Press Release.
|
|
The Asheville Threshold Choir Events
The Asheville Threshold Choir is hosting two upcoming demonstrations of our musical repertoire at two of the facilities where we sing:
- October 29 | 6:30 PM | Heather Glen at Ardenwoods (103 Appalachian Blvd.)
- November 7 | 6:30 PM | NC State Veterans Home (62 Lake Eden Rd.)
About The Threshold Choir:
The voice is the perfect vehicle to convey compassion and comfort at the bedsides of people who are at a threshold; some with living, some with dying.
When invited, we send two to four singers who offer soft, simple, restful songs to comfort, support and honor those at the thresholds of life, as well as their families and caregivers. In over 150 communities worldwide, we offer bedside singing as our gift, at no charge.
|
|
Combatants for Peace
Upcoming Events in Asheville with Israeli and Palestinian Peacemakers:
- Congregation Beth HaTephila (43 North Liberty St.)| Friday, November 8 | 6-7 PM | Welcoming Reception
- Congregation Beth Israel (229 Murdock Ave.) | Saturday, November 9 | 1 PM | Luncheon followed by speakers
- First Baptist Church (5 Oak Plaza) | Sunday, November 10 | 5-7 PM | Program
To support this important peacemaker movement, or for more information, please contact
Asheville@AFCFP.org.
|
|
Informational Meeting | TONIGHT October 24th | 7 PM | St. Mary’s (337 Charlotte St.)
Christian Discipleship Center of Asheville - Study Tour of Israel and Turkey | September 19-28, 2020
Tour leader and chaplain: the Rev. Brent Norris, St. Mary’s Episcopal.
Trace the life and ministry of Jesus through historic sites in Nazareth, Galilee, and Jerusalem. Then follow the spread of the Church into Turkey and tour the ruins of the early Christian communities in Ephesus, Smyrna, and Laodicea.
Included: round trip airfare, all lodging, daily breakfast and dinner, licensed tour guide and headsets, air conditioned ground transportation, all museum and entrance fees, service charges and local taxes.
Not included: Turkish visa fee, lunches and drinks, gratuities for drivers and guide, personal expenses and travel insurance. Cost: $3,590 (per person, double occupancy) Deadline for registration: January 8, 2020; Deposit of $200 due February 1, 2020; Balance due June 19, 2020
|
|
Making Room for Joy – an Advent Retreat with Jeannie Dubose | December 6-7 | Lake Logan
Enter the Advent Season with this 24-hour retreat facilitated by Jeannie Dubose. Whether you are in the midst of a sunny stretch or a blue patch, come explore how “Making Room for Joy” can draw you closer to God. We will reflect on the theological context for this topic, as well as addressing how part of accessing our delight includes a willingness to acknowledge our losses. In addition, we will engage music, images, poetry, scripture, and interactive questions — all as portals for awakening, as John O’Donohue says, “to what your heart would love to say.”
Click
HERE
for more details.
|
|
Grace Covenant Presbyterian Church | 828.254.3274
789 Merrimon Ave. Asheville, NC 28804
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
