“Happiness quite unshared can scarcely be called happiness; it has no taste.”
~ Charlotte Bronte
Sunday Preview
Sunday, October 28, 2018
Worship Services @ 8:15 & 10:45 AM
Education Hour (for all ages) at 9:15 AM
Sermon:
"Even More Loudly" by Marcia Mount Shoop
Scriptures:
Job 42:1-6, 10-17; Mark 10:46-52
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Sung Evening Prayer | This Sunday, October 28 | 6:00 PM | Sanctuary
Please join us as our Cherub and Treble Choirs lead us in this brief contemplative service of scripture, prayer, and traditional evening hymns.
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"How Can We Keep From Sharing?" Update
As of 10/24/18, here's where we are on our pledging:
130 Pledges Received, 57% of 230 Goal
$604,829 Pledged, 59% 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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Sunday after Sunday, I come to GCPC to be encouraged, enlightened, and challenged by and with fellow travelers. I am constantly amazed by the creative, energetic worship services that our staff creates week in and week out. Designed to invite us into a deeper relationship with God, with one another and with the world around us, I am filled and ready to face the world again, to be an encourager in my day-to-day life. Thanks be to God and to our extraordinary staff!
Staff efforts expand weekly beyond our church family to our neighbors and ministry partners and community. They work with and for us to bear witness to faithful work for justice and community action. Effective leadership by talented staff who understand work as ministry is a sacred thing to be appreciated as well as financially supported.
Staff costs represent a sizable percentage of the 2019 budget. GCPC is committed to paying staff a fair wage with reasonable benefits. Here’s a partial list of what we get as a result, with every cent of this expenditure going to direct ministry:
- Pastoral care;
- Visioning and building partnerships in our community;
- Leading programming that helps us all learn and grow and be more faithful followers of Jesus;
- Sacred and inspiring music;
- Worship preparation that leads to prophetic and challenging preaching;
- Assuring that this is a trustworthy place to bring your children to grow in their faith;
- Assuring that this building is a place that is welcoming, clean, and in working order;
- Responding to crises as well as planning ahead for the long haul;
- Managing our finances in cooperation with the Finance Committee;
- Keeping us informed regarding congregational news, service opportunities, and community news/concerns;
- Challenging us to grow and to be transformed by God’s call to justice, to mercy, and to love;
- Cultivating leadership among so that we are all ministers together;
- Loving us and caring for us in life’s hardest times as well as celebrating with us in life’s happiest times.
Meeting our 2019 Stewardship campaign goal of $1,020,000 in pledged funds will enable these ministries to continue uninterrupted. Not meeting our goal will impact the staff members who work for our good and for that of our community.
Join me in inviting God into the conversation about what financial faithfulness looks like among the people of God.
~ Nancy Gaskin
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Creating Sanctuary Team (CST)
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GCPC! Want to hear first-hand what's happening at the border?? Sunday, November 11 | 12 noon | Fellowship Hall
Join us for lunch, stories and pictures from The Rev. Joyce Hollyday, Bill Ramsey, and Becca Heskamp - who spent a week in a UCC trip to the southwest US border this fall. Please come! (This will serve as the CST meeting for November.)
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Nancy Gaskin reports from last week, “What a day of celebration! Laughter and tears and deep gratitude. One staffer told me that our lunches have created a new and very real sense of community among the staff, knitting them together in a way that was not true before Souper Wednesdays.”
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Last week, Glenda Burgin and Beth Kissling stirred up irresistible pots of steaming soup, Anne Callison Stokely offered a variety of fruits, Allison Falk and Dave Blozy provided homemade popovers and sweet treats. The lunch was punctuated by trick-or-treat bags created by the GCPC youth, while Nancy delighted the staff with Halloween decorations and bottles of kiddie bubbles. Also joining the festivities and adding to the spirited gathering were GCPC staffers Samantha, Richard, Heather, and Jeff.
~ Contributed by Tish Anderson
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Power and Race Team (PART)
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Western North Carolina Moral Revival for Voting Rights | Friday, October 26 | 6:00 PM | Blue Ridge Community College Thomas Auditorium (180 W Campus Dr, Flat Rock, NC 28731)
Keynote Speaker:
Rev. Dr. William J. Barber, II
The future of our democracy, health care, voting rights, living wages, and equal protection under the law are all on the ballot this November. When we vote, we shape our own future instead of leaving it in the hands of those who divide us and deny us our rights. Despite furious attempts to suppress the vote, we shall not be moved. We have a sacred responsibility to vote. Click
here
for more information.
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The Racial Justice Book Club |
Thursday, Nov. 8 | 12:15 PM | Jerusalem Room
The Racial Justice Boo
k Club is reading 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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PART Meeting | Thursday, November 8 | 7:00 PM | Garden Room
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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 (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 Rachel and Leah.
Facilitators:
Barbara McLean and Jamie Lloyd
The Improv - God at the Movies and Theater |
*Choir Room (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 Fun Home (graphic novel, NR).
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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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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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
Room In The Inn begins this Sunday evening in our fellowship hall! We are so thankful to all of you who volunteered to assist with this session. All the meal preparers, drivers in the mornings and evenings, and overnight hosts throughout the week are ready to go!!! We appreciate each and every one of you!
Please free to stop in and visit with us this week as we shelter the women in the “Room In The Inn” program from the weather elements of the week and provide our guests with a safe, warm space.
Your RITI Team
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The Steady Collective Teach-In | TONIGHT, 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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CIMA's 16-year Celebration | Saturday, November 3 | 6:30 - 11:00 PM | Land of Sky UCC (
15 Overbrook Pl
)
In October, CIMA-Compañeros Inmigrantes de las Montañas Acción is turning 16 and is inviting community members to learn more about their work and celebrate their victories. This is also a celebration/fundraiser to help continue their programming and sustain the work and leadership of the community. There will be food, music, clowns and raffle items.
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VRQ—BBQ Cook Team |
Next cook date: Tuesday, Nov. 6
| 4:45 or 5:45 PM
| Veterans Restoration Quarters (
1329 Tunnel Rd.
)
Come help us serve a meal to the veterans! Come at 4:45 to help cook or 5:45 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
.
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An Evening with Heart of Horse Sense | Wed., November 7 | 6:30 - 8:30 PM |
WNC Agricultural Center-Sale Barn (
761 Boylston Hwy
)
Special Guest, Tim Hayes, author of
Riding Home: The Power of Horses to Heal
, will address how horses help people heal, resulting in the kind of life-saving results that we see with equine-assisted therapy and learning every day. Heart of Horse Sense horses and some of our Veterans will demonstrate the horse-human connection that plays such a powerful role in human healing.
Come and enjoy great food and beverages from local purveyors, exciting equine-themed raffle prizes, and a chance to meet and mingle with the horses and Bruiser, the mini-donkey, with lively music in the background.
Click
HERE
for more info and to purchase tickets.
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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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GCPC 20s/30s “Room in the Inn: Potluck & Fellowship” | Thursday, Nov. 1 | 5:30 (sharp) – 7:00 PM | Fellowship Hall
We are excited to share food and fellowship with one another and the women of Room in the Inn (our rotating women’s shelter). Please sign up to bring a dish below. We will be eating dinner all together and your children are welcome. We should plan for approx.. 30 people and simple foods are recommended.
RSVP HERE ASAP
to share what dish you will bring.
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SOS ~ Save Our Sanity | Monday, November 5 | 7:00 PM | Anna Hamel’s home
A social, prayer, support group for mothers! Come with an appetizer or dessert; leave the kids at home. To be added to the list, email
Anna Louise
. For questions about the upcoming meeting, email
anna_hamel@yahoo.com
.
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Support Group for Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI Group) | Wednesday, November 7 | 12 PM | Garden Room
This support group introduces techniques for daily living with such issues, led by Paul Rogers, a retired physician in our congregation. We meet the 1
st
and 3
rd
Wednesdays of every month.
New participants are welcome at any time.
Contact
Richard
with questions.
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Moving Beyond the December Dilemma: A Gathering of Multi-faith Families | Sunday, November 11 | 5:00 - 6:30pm | Avenue M (private room) ~ 791 Merrimon Avenue
If you are part of multi-faith [or interfaith] family (in whatever way you interpret this), join Rev. Samantha Gonzalez-Block, Rabbi Batsheva Meiri and Rabbi Justin Goldstein for an evening of building community, asking questions, and sharing experiences as we prepare for the holiday season. We will meet in a private room at Avenue M and share appetizers and stories. All are welcome!
To RSVP or request childcare, email
Samantha
by November 7th.
More info here
.
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2nd Wednesday Dinners | November 14 | 6:00 PM | Fellowship Hall
Take a break from cooking and make some space for connecting with your church community.
These events are intergenerational. (No childcare).
RSVP to
Sherrie
by 12:00 pm on Monday, November 12th
so we can have a rough estimate. But, if you forget to RSVP we hope you'll still come!
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The Men @ GCPC | Thursday, November 15 | 7:00 PM | Location: TBA
Come for fellowship and relationship building. We are hopeful that this gathering will generate a group or groups that meet on a regular basis. Please RSVP to Richard at
rcoble@gcpcusa
. If you cannot make the 15th, but are still interested in being a part of the group, please let Richard know.
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Candlelight Christmas at the Biltmore | GCPC Chancel Choir | Friday, December 14 | 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! Click
HERE
to buy tickets.
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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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Youth Group "Room in the Inn: Ice Cream Social" | This Sunday, October 28 | 5 - 7 PM | GCPC
We are super excited for this weekend's youth group! We will be helping to welcome the women who are staying at our rotating women's shelter (Room in the Inn). We will host an ice cream social and have fun together. Dinner will be provided by the Hill and Plocica/Aikman families. See you there!
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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
by this Sunday, Oct 28th
.
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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
by this Sunday, Oct 28th.
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Parents, Addresses needed for College/School Care Packages 2018
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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)
Louise Seitz (Janet Schifflin's friend)
Hettie Lou Garland
Dot Holladay
Teresa Stern
Betty Smith
Margaret Rada
Steve Dykes
Marty Johnson and Gabe Boehm
Bob Higgins
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Grace Covenant Community Out and About...
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Enneagram learning opportunities with Carol Hovis!
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The weekly enneagram gatherings will not meet Monday, Oct. 29th and Friday, Nov. 2nd. We resume the week of November 5th.
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 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" | TONIGHT, 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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Floral Design Event | Thursday, November 15 | 10 AM | First Presbyterian AVL
Just in time for the holiday season, the flower guild of First Presbyterian Asheville is pleased to welcome Sybil Brooke Sylvester. Sybil
is known throughout the southeast and beyond as a designer for weddings, special events and everyday flowers, and as instructor for floral design classes. Her designs combine European and Southern traditions and have been featured in numerous publications, earning her contributing editorial slots with both Southern Accents and flower magazines.
At 10:00 a.m. Sybil will present her stylish design tips in a demonstration format, using both locally grown and florist materials in a variety of containers. Author of the recently published book
Fresh
, filled with her design philosophy, a how-to section and stunning photographs, she will have copies of the book available for purchase and signing. Click
HERE
to register!
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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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