GCPC Weekly News | August 13, 2020

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GCPC Alive and Well This Week!
PW Circle 4 Zoom 8/6
Staff Meeting 8/11
Men of GCPC 8/13
Window installation at The Children's Center 8/11
Worship Preview | Sunday, August 16, 2020
Sermon: "Yours, Mine and Ours" by Samantha Gonzalez-Block
Scripture: Genesis 45:1-15


Live Stream Worship Service @ 10:45 AM Sunday


Click for Children’s Bulletin and coloring page for this Sunday!
Grace Covenant's Session invites you to join in a 2020 study of Lalya Saad’s, 
Me and White Supremacy.

This 28-day study supports a deep and honest examination into the ways in which we, as a white-dominant congregation, consciously and unconsciously uphold white supremacy through action and inaction.
There are still two rounds of Reflection Groups available for sign-up!

Click here to register and read about all the ways
to get involved.
Recurring Weekly Zooms:

If you are a part of a group, Team, or Circle at GCPC and you want to have a Zoom meeting, let staff know. We will help you get set up on our GCPC Zoom account for group gatherings and meetings. You can schedule your meeting on the calendar with Sherrie, and any staff member can help you get set up for your meeting if you have questions. 
Spiritual/Pastoral Support
Deacon of the Week
In this time of physical distancing, the deacons of Grace Covenant continue to be available to talk and pray with you by phone or online and to coordinate care. If you have difficulty reaching your assigned deacon or if you do not know who your assigned deacon is, please feel free to reach out to our deacon of the week.
This week (8/9 - 8/15): Peter Rosal email: peterhrosal@gmail.com
Next week (8/16 - 8/22): Nancy Gaskin email: nancy.gaskin@gmail.com
Prayer List

Prayer requests will stay on the GCPC Prayer List for one month. Please let any staff member know if you (or your loved one) would like to remain on the list for longer.
 
Iglesia Jerusalem congregation
Marcia Zuzel (friend of Kim Hottle and Melissa Shook)
Jonathan Hettrick and family (friends of Mary Craig)
Ryan Lockett (nephew of Denise Lockett)
Eveline Damiano (Daughter of Lisette deGroot)
Jennifer Martin (Yvonne Smith's daughter)
Harold Shook (Melissa Shook’s dad)
Fred Schroeder (Penny Ponder's brother)
Brimi Jane Moffmon (daughter of Selena Hilemon and Jill Moffitt)
Debbie Willmschen and Lisa Phillips (mother and aunt of Natalie Willmschen)
John Hamel (Tim Hamel’s dad)
Hettie Lou Garland
Bob Higgins
Cory Hartbarger
Florence and Steve Riedesel
Doris Prak
Roslyn Carney
Bill McNeff
Susan Smialowicz
Laura Ross
Carol Kavalhuna
Carolyn Crew
Bob Walther
Bill Williamson
Amanda Pressley
Leslie Sharpe
Bob Hassall
Queen Mother Maggie Belle Gladden

Our sympathy and support are extended to Joyce Summerlin, Rebecca Summerlin and the rest of the family following Harry Summerlin's death on Sunday, August 9th at The Laurels. Please keep the family in your prayers.

A Service of Witness to the Resurrection for Harry Summerlin will happen on Grace Covenant's YouTube channel ("GCPC Video") at 10:00 am on Saturday, August 29. 
Formation/Education
GCPC Summer Speaker Series
DeWayne Barton (Hood Huggers International) | Thursday, August 27 | 7:00 PM | via Zoom

History. Art. Poetry. Music.
Community green spaces. 
Vivid voices. Grassroots initiatives. 
The past, present, and future of African Americans in Asheville is a story of resilience. 

DeWayne Barton, founder of Hood Hugger's International, is a visionary, culture keeper, and tour guide. As part of our time together, DeWayne will share his story along with the stories of other significant African Americans and their contributions to the livelihood of Black citizens in Western North Carolina.

HHI's immediate focus is the determined re-expansion of I-26 and its continued impact on those who are already marginalized. The Community Action Plan (CAP), which DeWayne will present, is a grassroots roadmap to build and to maintain new economically just enterprises which will benefit the most affected historically African American communities. Further, CAP offers opportunities for citizens at large to participate in the healing process towards resilience and greater sustainability. Join us for the talk and in the community. 

Join Zoom Meeting

Meeting ID: 839 6548 9625
Passcode: 789

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Summer Women’s Memoir Series | 6:00 – 7:00 PM via Zoom 
Join us for the last in a summer series of book talks focusing on memoirs written by people of faith. Open to all women of the church. Please pre-read the book to ensure lively discussion.

  • August 30 | The Yellow House by Sarah Broom | Facilitator: Amy Pike
PART (Power & Race Team) Meeting | TONIGHT, August 13 | 6 PM | via Zoom

Tema Okun is an author and facilitator who has been helping organizations, communities, and individuals dismantle white supremacy culture for several decades. You can find more about her work here and a full list of her "Characteristics of White Supremacy Culture" here. PART has been engaging for some time with these characteristics and exploring how they show up at GCPC and in each of us. 

We will continue our work on creating new norms to be together that do not harm Brown and Black bodied people.

Join Zoom Meeting

Meeting ID: 841 5167 1957
Password: 789

~ Liz Huesemann, PART member
Enneagram Sessions for GCPC Parents

Wednesday enneagram zoom gatherings for GCPC parents, resume Wednesday, August 19th, 6:30-8:30pm.  We will continue the following Wednesdays: August 26th, September 9th & September 16th. 

Facilitated by Carol Hovis, all parents are welcome. If you don't know your enneagram type, contact Carol. Email Carol if you would like to participate. 
Presbyterian Women’s Circles are Zoom meetings. Please join us.

Circle 1: First Tuesday of each month, 10:00 a.m.
         Carol Kavalhuna – 658-1088, carolkavalhuna@gmail.com
         Cathy Froehlich – 775-1016, oremont2@gmail.com

Circle 2:  First Tuesday of each month, 7:30 p.m.
         Barbara McLean - 254-1034, Barbaram_2@charter.net
         Heather Hudson – 501-442-6223, hehudson@charter.net

Circle 4:  First Thursday of each month, 7:00 p.m.
         Frances Johnson – 628-4742, facjohnson@gmail.com
         Connie Jones – 231-2680, Conjones@charter.net

Circle 5:  First Monday of each month, 10:00 a.m.
         Lynne Noble – 803-206-3821, lynnesnoble@gmail.com




Community Working Together
VOTE 2020
The election of 2020 is probably the most important election in our lifetimes. Three ways to vote:
(1) Absentee
  • Request your ballot by October 27. Note: REQUEST YOUR BALLOT NOW! WITH DELAYS IN MAIL SERVICE, YOU MAY NOT RECEIVE IT IN TIME OTHERWISE. Absentee ballots will be mailed Sept. 4.
  • Return it to the Board of Elections in person or by mail, OR
  • Take the completed ballot to an Early Voting site
(2) Early Voting October 15-31
  • Vote at any one of the 16 locations 
  • Register and vote the same day
  • Drop off your absentee ballot
(3) Election Day November 3
  • Vote at your precinct polling site on election day. Check your polling location here

Important update: On August 4, a federal court issued a preliminary injunction ruling that the NC State Board of Elections must offer voters who submit absentee-by-mail ballots notice and opportunity to be heard before their ballots with correctable errors can be rejected.

~ submitted by the Creating Sanctuary Team (CST)
In these grim and troubling times, we cry out in anguish yet praise God with Habakkuk and the psalmist (of Psalm 57),

“Even though incessant injustice and hatred bring fear and despair to the marginalized, though homelessness and joblessness generate hopelessness, though a pandemic rages mercilessly through every nation, though peaceful protests fracture under violent forces, though children suffer at the hands of evil authority, yet I will rejoice in the Lord. I will be joyful, hopeful in the God of my salvation. In the shadow of your wings will I take refuge until this time of trouble has gone by.”

~ submitted by Tish Anderson of the Creating Sanctuary Team (CST)
Asheville-Buncombe Community Land Trust presents
"Segregated by Design" Virtual Event | Monday, August 17 | 6 PM
Please join us for a conversation rooted in the history of discriminatory policies and practices that took place in Asheville and cities all around the United States. The event will begin with a screening of Segregated by Design - a short film based on the book The Color of Law by Richard Rothstein. Following the screening, we will have a panel discussion and will wrap up by taking questions from the audience.

Four amazing panelists join us for this event: Amber Banks, Julia McDowell, Rob Thomas, and Renee White are all deeply ingrained in the community with a strong focus on social justice and racial equity work. The panel will be moderated by our Executive Director Anna Zuevskaya, who will also be able to answer questions about Community Land Trusts and what ABCLT is doing.

Click HERE to watch movie trailer. Click HERE to join Zoom meeting.
"Racism, Law Enforcement, and The Church" August 20 & 21 | 11:00 AM
Massanetta Springs invites you to a Speakman Online Series Event.
Three respected leaders of the Presbyterian Church (USA) will lead us in a two day webinar exploring issues of race, the law enforcement and criminal justice systems, and the church.
Rev. Dr. Alonzo Johnson
Self Development of People Coordinator, Presbyterian Church (USA)
Rev. T. Denise Anderson
Racial and Intercultural Justice Coordinator, Presbyterian Church (USA)
Rev. Dr. Byron A. Wade
Newly elected
General Presbyter
of the Presbytery of WNC
  • August 20 - Each leader will present on a different aspect of our theme, "Racism, Law Enforcement, and the Church." Their presentations will be followed by Q&A moderated by Mary Newbern-Williams.

  • August 21 - Each leader will give a short reflection on the previous day's topics, and then the three will engage in both discussion with each other and respond to questions from webinar attendees.

Massanetta is making Speakman Online Series Events available free of charge. The webinars will take place via Zoom and we will send out an email to all registered participants approximately 24-48 hours in advance of the first session with a link to the online platform.
Presbytery of Western North Carolina News
The Presbytery of Western North Carolina met in an unprecedented virtual assembly as the 124th Stated Meeting gathered online via Zoom to do the work of the church and elect a new General Presbyter.

Reverend Dr. Byron Wade was elected unanimously and enthusiastically following a thorough examination by Examinations Subcommittee Chair Bob Forsythe.

Dr. Wade currently pastors Davie Street Presbyterian Church in Raleigh NC, where he has served for 24 years. He and his wife Regina have one son, Andrew, who begins college this fall.

Dr. Wade is slated to begin his duties with the Presbytery October 1.

Congratulations Dr. Wade! We are excited to have you in ministry in PWNC!
OLLI's Inclusion Committee
Online Series on Racial Disparity
OLLI's Inclusion Committee has designed a virtual webinar series focusing on four major areas reflecting racial disparity in our community. The presentation of the series is an effort to raise awareness and to inspire personal engagement and advocacy.

  • Wednesday, August 18 | 1:00 PM | Dr. Ameena Batada, Je'wana Grier-McEachin, and Jill Fromewick | Healthcare Disparity: Including the Invisible: Race, Place, and Faith in Rural North Carolina

This webinar features a distinguished team that earned an interdisciplinary fellowship to study the influence of structural racism on healthcare in WNC. This panel includes Dr. Ameena Batada, Associate Professor of Health and Wellness at UNC Asheville, Je'wana Grier-McEachin, Executive Director of the Asheville Buncombe Institute of Parity Achievement (ABIPA) and Jill Fromewick, Social Epidemiologist and Research Scientist at MAHEC. These participants will discuss structural racism, introduce the details of their study and be available for follow up discussion and questions.

  • Thursday, August 27 | 3:00 PM | LeAnn Melton,Todd Williams, Debra Campbell, and LeAnn Melton, moderated by Curry First | Local Government Policies: Addressing Racial Inequities in the Criminal Justice System

Session three will be moderated by OLLI member Curry First and include Asheville -Buncombe County District Attorney, Todd Williams, City Manager, Debra Campbell, and Public Defender, LeAnn Melton.

  • Wednesday, September 16 | 4:00 PM | Jesse Pitts, Tsiana Tovar, and Buffy Fowler | Education Disparity: What is the Path to Achieving Educational Equity for Students of Color? 

This panel will feature professional educators and education advocates including Jesse Pitts, Counselor at Asheville Middle School, Tsiana Tovar, ESL teacher for Buncombe County Schools and Buffy Fowler, Operations Coordinator at Francine Delaney New School.
Cherokee Nation launches 68th Cherokee National Holiday website | September 1-6
The Cherokee National Holiday commemorates the signing of the Cherokee Nation Constitution in 1839. It is an annual celebration of our shared history and heritage.The Cherokee Nation is officially kicking off the 68th Cherokee National Holiday with the launch of a redesigned Cherokee National Holiday website where the public can register to watch Holiday events online and compete for prizes.

The online portal of content for the Cherokee National Holiday is available at holiday.cherokee.org. Events that will be broadcast online include the annual Cherokee art show, a virtual tour of the tribe’s heirloom garden, cultural demonstrations, traditional food and games, live genealogy including a question-answer session, the annual Holiday quilt show, Principal Chief Chuck Hoskin Jr.’s annual State of the Nation address, and much more.
Pisgah Legal Services invites you to attend the 
10th Annual Justice Forum | Thursday, October 1 | 7:00 PM | via Zoom

  • 6:00pm Virtual Reception featuring a musical performance by Kat Williams and a live poetry reading by Clint Smith.

  • 7:00pm Virtual Forum with Clint Smith

The Justice Forum is free to attend thanks to our generous sponsors.
Tickets to the pre-forum reception are $25.
Both events will be held online via Zoom and registration is required.

Questions? Call 828-210-3773.

Say Their Names exhibit arrives at YMI Cultural Center

The show will "utilize calligraphy in both prose and art form to depict Black experiences” and will be viewable Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays, 1-4 p.m. Masks are required, and social distancing is enforced. Free to attend.
Swannanoa Valley Museum screens history films online

Inspirational Cragmont Community Ancestors: Strength Stems from Struggle uses short films to elevate the lives of remarkable folks from the Swannanoa Valley, with an emphasis on African Americans. The films are free to watch online. 
GCPC Still Growing
Planting cabbage at Jasperwood Farm
The special event this week was cabbage planting. On Tuesday morning a team of 13 gardeners including Anthony Cole planted 1300 cabbage plants in a large beautifully tilled bed at Anthony’s farm. Later that same day a team of 4 planted more than 200 additional cabbage plants in beds prepared by Rick Philipsen in the garden at GCPC. Anthony reported on Wednesday that the team successfully hit a narrow window for planting before a good soaking rain fell on our plants.

Saturday and Wednesday teams harvested tomatoes, yellow squash, peppers, green beans, collards, okra, eggplant, and zucchini for distribution by Loving Food Resources and Southside Kitchen.
Team 1 Wednesday Gardeners
Only 6 gardeners from our team (Les S, Paul S, Bob B, Ellen F, Lisa F and me) were able to make it yesterday but none-the-less we stayed on task and harvested more than 108 lbs of produce (mostly tomatoes - several weighing more than a pound each!), yellow squash, beans and collards and a small amount of okra, eggplant and zucchini). Pretty impressive for such a small group! Thank you Team members for all you did! 

Cabbages planted yesterday and last Wednesday were happy to have this afternoon's rain!      


Stewardship & Sustainability GIVE HERE
Thank you for your generous giving! Your gifts are enabling the church to continue our important work in our community. If you have not signed up for online giving, you can do that here. You can also mail your checks to the church. Without you, the church could not continue its ministries in these difficult times. Thank you, again, for your generosity and your faithfulness! 
Remote Giving & Paperless Statements 

Here are a few different ways to stay up-to-date on your pledge remotely:

  • MAIL gifts to the office at 789 Merrimon Ave, Asheville, NC 28804
  • BANK BILL PAY mails checks remotely, one-time or on a recurring schedule - contact your bank to set this up
  • ONLINE at https://onrealm.org/gcpcusa/give/now
  • TEXT "giveGCPC" and AMOUNT to 73256 (i.e. giveGCPC $100)
  • MOBILE through the Connect - Our Church Community app


Please note, the church office is closed and staff is not there to receive payments left on-site or in the mailbox.

To sign up for paperless statements or if you have any questions, please contact Natalie in our Finance Office at 828-254-3274, ext 202 or nweaver@gcpcusa.org
Realm eGiving Transition | Self Set Up How To
Did you know that you can now to manage your directory profile, register for events, view contribution records in real time, and manage online giving, all in one place? Our new software, Realm, is a one stop shop!

Interested in setting up online recurring giving for the first time? Follow these simple step-by-step instructions to self-manage eGiving through Realm or return this signed authorization form to have our Finance Office set up on your behalf.
GCPC Out and About Online
Final August 2020 Enneagram Gathering 

Friday, August 14th, 10am

Topic: Relationships between different types

Contact Carol for more information:  cmhovis@gmail.com
STAY CONNECTED
Grace Covenant Presbyterian Church | 828.254.3274 
789 Merrimon Ave. Asheville, NC 28804