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GCPC Alive and Well This Week! |
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20s/30s Pumpkin Carving Event |
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20s/30s Pumpkin Carving Event |
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Worship Preview | Sunday, October 25, 2020 |
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Sermon: "As the World Learns" by Marcia Mount Shoop
Scripture: Matthew 22:34-46
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Baptism of Auden Olivia Coble on October 17, 2020 in the Memorial Garden at GCPC.
Click here to leave a baptism remembrance for Auden.
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Keeping the Faith | 2021 Stewardship Campaign |
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Greetings Faithful and Dah who doraze!
Call or text me if you don't know your Dr. Suess.
Bear with me. All I know I learned on TV as a kid.
Covid is just like the grinch, and GCPC is just like Christmas, right? Because, despite the grinch's herculean effort to steal every gift and every bit of food from the Whos, Christmas happened anyway. And Church is happening anyway in spite of our not being able to get together in the sanctuary on Sunday morning.
We've all become a little bit wiser about what Church really is during this pandemic, haven't we? It's in there - it's in that space. Certainly. I have been moved inside those walls. But, it's also everywhere else. Everywhere. And it happens along with our struggles. God is happening. Church is definitely happening. I can't believe how much we have learned about how to do this and how fast!
Worship is so well done. I can't say that enough. We are meeting and doing serious work. We are dismantling systemic white supremacy in our hearts and in our world. We are learning ways that we can impact climate change and be a part of the solution. We are families and individuals learning how to be loving and patient as we spend time together in new ways.
Last Sunday at worship, Amber said something to the effect of - there's nothing like stressful times to..."assist you", say, to figure out something about yourself. I've been thinking about that. And so, what have I figured out? I would answer that, now, I think I am a bit wiser - a bit more intentional about supporting Church. I support Church because I belong to a faith community that believes Church is everywhere. It's on Amber's porch. It's at home. It's wherever we need to go to be present for someone who is struggling. It's online. I support that. I support that, literally, with money, and faithfully, with prayer.
So, fah who foraze! Dah who doraze! And blessings to you all.
~ Paul Tierney, Stew Crew All-Star
Fah who foraze! Dah who doraze!
Christmas Day will always be!
Just as long as we have we!
GCPC it's time to commit to keeping the faith together in 2021. Pledging is easy on Realm. Any questions, please contact Natalie Weaver.
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Click the video to watch the second installment of the Stew Crew All Stars stewardship videos.
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WAYS TO PLEDGE FOR 2021:
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Sign into your Realm account online or on the Realm Connect mobile app and enter a pledge under the Giving tab. Detailed instructions with photos are here.
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Email Natalie Weaver your total pledge amount and planned giving frequency (i.e. weekly, monthly) to have her enter it on your behalf.
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Contact the Finance Office at 828-254-3274, ext. 202 or nweaver@gcpcusa.org to request a printed pledge card be mailed to your home address.
Click here to watch a video example of how to pledge in Realm.
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We welcome all visitors to join the meeting via livestreaming from a link on PWNC’s website (https://www.presbyterywnc.org/) on the morning of October 27th. If you are a visitor, there is no need to register.
The meeting will begin at 9:00 am with a brief orientation and orders of business. The worship service that will include Rev. Dr. Byron A. Wade's installation as General Presbyter will happen immediately after that.
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GCPC All Saints Eve Extravaganza | Saturday, October 31 | 3-4 PM
It’s another Drive Through Extravaganza!!! Mark your calendar!
Our new Director of Childrens and Family Ministries, Amy Kim Kryemes-Parks will be here in costume--you don’t want to miss it!!!
So you can come in costume too! You can decorate your car, too, if that sounds like fun to you! We’ll have halloween candy!
We’ll also have Communion elements for All Saints worship, votive candles, and you can even check out a hymnal.
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Equal Exchange - No Contact Bulk Sales *ENDING SOON!*
We are accepting orders of the in-stock products and will arrange for no contact pick up/payment during the building closure. You can find the current list of available products here or by going directly to http://bit.ly/EqualExchangeGCPC. Recently expired products available at discounted rates!
If interested in purchasing, please email Natalie with the types and quantities of each from the inventory sheet that you'd like. She will respond with the total due, available pick up dates/times, and payment options.
These orders will require a minimum of 1 case of coffee (6 bags) OR 1 case of chocolate bars (12 bars) per order. Pending availability, you can mix and match your favorites of each and add on additional items once the minimum has been reached.
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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.
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Spiritual/Pastoral Support |
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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.
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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)
Travis Heck (Brian Cook's brother)
Marjorie Tague (Karen Punta's friend)
Marianne Nash (Dave Nash’s daughter)
David Nash, Jr. (Dave Nash’s son)
Thomas Dellinger (son of Libbie Dellinger and Sharlena Thomas)
Betty Hord (Alexandra Hollifield’s great-grandmother)
Robb Overholt (Matt Wiedle’s friend)
Shannon Johnson (Bill McNeff’s daughter, car accident)
Hettie Lou Garland
Bob Higgins
Cory Hartbarger
Florence and Steve Riedesel
Roslyn Carney
Susan Smialowicz
Laura Ross
Bill Williamson
Queen Mother Maggie Belle Gladden
All those participating in the “Me & White Supremacy” study
Bob Walther
Jan Brunk
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Click here to watch the recorded program: Healing Families: Exploring Trauma Informed & Trauma Responsive Parenting that was livestreamed on Sunday, October 18th on GCPC's youtube channel.
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Sunday Morning Film Series on Voting & Immigration Rights| Sundays | Nov. 1-22 | 9:00 - 10:15 AM
With the help of Brave New Films, a group dedicated to championing social justice issues through media and education, we will be examining voting and immigration rights through the lens of faith this November. Through zoom, we will be watching the films Suppressed 2020: The Fight to Vote and Immigrant Prisons, along with holding discussions about what we are called to do as a faith community in the face of wide-scale voter suppression and immigrant detention. Together we will grieve these wrongs, pray for God’s will, and implement the social change we seek. These sessions are co-sponsored by our Creating Sanctuary and Power and Race Teams.
Facilitators: Kathy Meacham, Alexandra Lusak, and Richard Coble
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PART (Power & Race Team)
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.
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PART chose the white supremacy norm of “systemic gaslighting” to identify in our world.
Gaslighting is a manipulation tactic to create doubt in the minds of others. It is an abuse of power.
White America has been gaslighting Black America since the country was founded. We are living in a time when systemic gaslighting is occurring regularly.
For those of us who are reading, Me and White Supremacy by Layla Saad, she states “color blindness is an act of gaslighting. It is a cruel way of making BIPOC believe that they are imagining they are being treated the way they are being treated because of their skin color, thus keeping them in a position of destabilization and inferiority.
Here is what PART cited as gaslighting:
- The statement “all lives matter”.
- Saying, “Black Lives Matter is a racist statement.”
- In the Breonna Taylor case, the laws themselves are the gaslighter. The laws say BIPOC lives are dangerous and they threaten us as white people. So, state sanctioned violence is manipulated to mean self-defense. BIPOC people are thus disempowered and internalize terror.
PART felt deeply the impact of gaslighting. The descriptive words used by team members included deep-rooted, angry, irritated and felt the complexity.
We ask each of you to do the same, to feel the impact gaslighting has on our BIPOC neighbors, leaders, brothers and sisters in Christ, and all individuals.
Join us on Nov 12 at 6pm for our next meeting. We will continue our work of dismantling white supremacy. All are welcome.
~ submitted by Liz Huesemann PART Member
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Sunday Evening Bible Study & Prayer Group | Sundays | 5:00 PM via Zoom
Our new Bible Study and Prayer Group will be focusing on how selected passages from the Gospel of John speak to our spiritual lives and needs today. With a contentious election looming, the pandemic entering a new phase, and the cold weather approaching, the coming months will be difficult. Our hope is that this group is a time of support, contemplation, and fellowship, where we can feel the movement of the Spirit and ready ourselves for another week. So please, join us as you can. Contact Richard with questions.
Join Zoom Meeting
Meeting ID: 834 6929 0018
Passcode: 789
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Fall Adult Education
Drawdown: Engaging our Faith to Reverse the Climate Crisis | Sundays | *9:00 - 10:15 AM | September 20-October 25
Drawing on the workbook DRAWDOWN: The Most Comprehensive Plan Ever Proposed to Reverse Global Warming, as well as Scripture and our own spiritual experiences with creation, we will examine several concrete solutions to the climate crisis. During our six weeks together, we hope to foster interactive discussions with one another while also inviting community leaders and activists to share their wisdom and practical advice. Come to learn, to recharge your commitment to our good earth, and to fellowship with fellow earth lovers in our community.
Facilitators: Susan Presson and John Curry
Join Zoom Meeting
Meeting ID: 899 4201 3301
Passcode: 789
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Pre-K - 3rd Grade Sunday Morning Adventure | 10:15 am | Zoom
You'll get an email every Friday with the Zoom link for our Sunday 10:15am check in. Email Anna Louise if you did not receive the link.
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4th & 5th Graders CONNECT Class | Sundays | 5:00-5:45pm | Zoom
Each week, families will receive an email with a unique login for class. If you would like to be on the list, please email Anna Louise.
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Special Joint Youth Group with First Presbyterian Church Asheville!!! | Sunday, Oct. 25 | 5:00 – 6:30 PM on Zoom (**Please arrive between 4:45-5:00 PM!**)
We're teaming up with the youth and advisors at First Presbyterian for a fun evening of fellowship, sharing, song and diving into topics of justice and equity. You don't want to miss this special Sunday gathering with our friends from Church Street!
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Camp Grier Virtual Summer Saving Events
Do you want to earn a discount on summer camp tuition? Join us for a Virtual Summer Savings Event where you can learn about the people, places, and programs that turn a summer at Camp Grier into a lifetime of memories. This is a great opportunity for returning families as well as folks that are new to Camp Grier. You will receive $50 off tuition for each child that you register for camp by attending and can learn how to earn even more savings by helping us host a future event. Events will last between 30 to 45 minutes. Invite friends and join us in helping others to know the great summer opportunities available to kids at Camp Grier! Click here to see how it works!
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Presbyterian Women’s Circles are Zoom meetings.
Please join us.
Circle 1: First Tuesday of each month, 10:00 a.m.
Circle 2: First Tuesday of each month, 7:30 p.m.
Circle 3: Second Thursday of each month, 7:00 p.m.
Circle 4: First Thursday of each month, 7:00 p.m.
Circle 5: First Monday of each month, 11:00 a.m.
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Community Working Together |
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Participation in the electoral process is a part of our responsibility as people of faith. We are called to vote our faith convictions at the polls.
Throughout the month of October, the PCUSA is sponsoring a campaign, PCUSA Votes, in order “…to engage, educate, and motivate people to exercise their right to vote, especially those who are a part of marginalized communities.” Visit http://pcusa.org/vote#PCUSAvotes2020 to learn more.
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October 15th - Early Voting sites open.
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November 3rd - Election Day. You can ONLY vote on this day at YOUR Precinct location.
Three ways to vote
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Absentee. You may vote absentee for any reason. However, time is short at this date to order and return an absentee ballot.
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Early Voting Oct. 15-31. Same day registration is available at early voting locations. For early voting sites and times in Buncombe County, go to https://www.buncombecounty.org/common/election/early-voting-schedule.pdf
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Election Day Nov. 3. On this day you can only vote at your precinct location.
To promote voting in the coming days, go here. Opportunities include:
- Texting
- Phone Banking
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Writing postcards (this is winding down)
- Becoming a poll worker
- Becoming a vote protector or Truth Team member
Candidate Information and Sample Ballots
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The League of Women Voters nationally has created Vote411, a resource for getting information on the candidates on your ballot.
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Common Cause NC and Democracy NC have come out with their 28-page candidate guide for statewide and federal offices. Get your copy here.
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The NC Board of Elections offers this link for getting your sample ballot and finding your polling place on Election Day.
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The NC Council of Churches has created a nonpartisan reflection guide for voting this fall. Here is a link where you can get permission to access a free copy.
~ Submitted with support of CST and PART
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Support Voting with Our LatinX Neighbors
El Centro of Henderson County will be having "safe sites events" at Henderson County Early Voting sites. Their goal is for everyone to feel welcome and safe while they are in line to vote.
El Centro will have coffee and doughnuts for the morning, and in the afternoon, they are having Latin food to give away. They are seeking volunteers for the following dates:
- Oct. 29th at Fletcher Town Hall
- Oct. 30 at Board of Elections Office
- Nov. 3rd (depending on where they see more Latinos voting) which they think will be the Board of Elections Office but will check after the early voting dates.
El Centro will be there from 7:30 am until 7:30 pm. They understand that volunteers might not be able to stay there all day with them, and they have worked out the following schedule of 3 hour shifts.
- 8:00 am - 11:00 am
- 11:00 am - 2:00 pm
- 2:00 pm - 5:00 pm
- 5:00 pm - 8:00 pm
They are very excited about these events. Everyone needs to feel safe and welcome to vote! Whoever is interested in volunteering with El Centro should contact Gabby Mendez at gabby@elcentrolac.org or call 828-290-7134, ext. 9.
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“Faith Vote 2020: Answering the Urgent Call of Justice” | Former PC(USA) co-moderator appears in short film about faith and voting
“Faith Vote 2020: Answering the Urgent Call of Justice,” also co-produced by The Resistance Prays, features a number of ordained and lay faith leaders discussing experiences and teachings that led them to believe that voting is an important part of their faith practice. Click here to watch the film.
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Donation Opportunity
Land of the Sky, UCC, in partnership with Buncombe County Schools, has started a virtual learning center. The program is in need of snack donations. If you feel called to donate nutritious snacks, please reach out to GCPC member, Mesheala Sundblade (828-772-6609). Refrigerator space is limited. You are welcome to drop off donations in the sanctuary @ 15 Overbrook Place, Asheville, NC between the hours of 8am-1:30pm, Monday-Friday.
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GCPC Covenant Partner, Bountiful Cities |
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Bountiful Cities has been a presence in Asheville for twenty years, and its mission around long-term, equitable, food security has adapted to the needs of the community. Their three key programs include: a Community Garden Network (CGN) that includes almost 40 community gardens; FEAST - healthy eating, cooking, and gardening education for K-8 students; and Grass to Greens- edible landscaping and gardening consulting services. Bountiful Cities also acts as fiscal agent, and in conjunction with the City of Asheville, manages the Asheville Buncombe Food Policy Council (ABFPC). A myriad of collaborations, incubations, and fiscal sponsorships with organizations like Southside Rising and the Asheville Buncombe Community Land Trust weave together with Bountiful Cities as partners.
A few weeks ago Christi Mobley and I spoke with Cathy Cleary, Bountiful Cities’ Outreach Coordinator, about how Bountiful Cities is making it through a global pandemic.
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Bountiful Cities continues to share food and resources with community members, sourcing produce from farms, businesses, and local gardens. Through grant funding from the City of Asheville and in collaboration with ABFPC they are building little free food pantries in several neighborhoods most at risk for food insecurity. GCPC’s Pandemic Palooza collected supplies that Bountiful Cities distributed to Deaverview residents.
Isa Whitaker, the community garden network coordinator, works hard to partner with Asheville neighbors who live in food deserts. With strong relationships in Shiloh, Pisgah View, Southside, and Hillcrest Apartments, their mission is to partner with neighbors and communities of color without being a burden. They recognize that so many people are feeling the trauma of COVID19 and ongoing violence against brown and black bodies. Bountiful Cities aims to support the leaders of the gardens without centering white voices.
FEAST is a school-based program that is also pivoting to remote learning. School gardens need constant maintenance and without students Bountiful Cities has leaned heavily on community volunteers to carry out the tasks necessary to keep school gardens in their network flourishing. FEAST teachers are no longer fully employed and are adapting using limited resources to continue meeting with students, give garden tours, and virtual cooking classes.
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Similarly, the CGN has turned their monthly free workshops into free virtual classes. If GCPC members have gardening or cooking gifts and skills and a willingness to teach a virtual class, Bountiful Cities would love to highlight your expertise. Also, the CGN continues to hold socially distanced volunteer workdays, and is always in need of enthusiastic volunteers.
Finally, Bountiful Cities tries to raise funds for their mission of long-term food security solutions throughout Asheville. During the instability of 2020, the immediate needs take precedence, and they continue to be “dedicated to teaching sustainable agriculture skills and resources in urban environments to promote social justice and economic viability.” If you think you have gifts you can share, please reach out to me or Christi. We can connect you with the Bountiful Cities as they continue to “envision abundance and food sovereign communities in Asheville.”
~ submitted by Amy Wiesner, Serve Council Member
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PechaKucha Night AVL | adé PROJECT presents: Black STARSEED | Friday, October 30 | 7:00-9:00 PM
On October 30, Artists Designing Evolution (adé PROJECT) is joining forces with PechaKucha Night Asheville to celebrate the voices of those most often silenced and left to bear witness to destruction, then bear the burden of resilience. We are Black women, we are mothers, we are daughters, we are sisters, we are Queens. We are Black STARSEED. This is revolutionary reimagination and #artisourRESPONSE.
This event is a re-routing of sorts, a ceremony and celebration, of our circling back to our own truth and telling it for ourselves. Each story weaver who will be sharing, is a healing artist in her own way. It is our honor to welcome them and hold space for this very sacred and necessary moment in community together.
The lineup features::
Ann-Lee Waite | Cortina Jenelle (MC) | Lucia Daugherty
Michele Ashley | Miranda Williams | Olufemi Lewis | Sasha Mitchell
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‘When Home is a Dangerous Place’ panelist challenges white Christians to ‘Step up, and not just in ways you’re comfortable with’
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Hannah Drake, a Louisville, Kentucky-based author, activist, storyteller, spoken word artist, blogger, public speaker and poet.
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Dana Purdom, a student at the seminary.
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The Rev. Dr. Brandon McCormack, an associate professor and director of undergraduate studies at the University of Louisville.
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Dr. Rodney S. Sadler Jr., associate professor of Bible at the seminary and director of the Center for Social Justice and Reconciliation.
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The Rev. Melanie C. Jones, an instructor of ethics, theology and culture at the seminary and director of the Katie Geneva Cannon Center for Womanist Leadership. Jones was the webinar’s host and moderator.
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GCPC Community Garden News
On October 16, Mary B, Louise, and Betsy W harvested 51 pounds of collards, 2 pounds of kale, and 34 pounds of cabbage. The greens were taken to the Western Carolina Rescue Mission.
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On October 20, Mary Boynton, Bob Burgin, Susan Curtis, Eugene Donaldson, Beth Kissling, Janice Kominski, Judy Major, Chris Peterman, Rick and Beth Philipsen, Betsy Richards, Louise Root, and Betsy Wilson joined Anthony Cole at his farm to harvest 1300 pounds of potatoes. Bags of potatoes will go to the YMCA, YTL, and Southside Café. |
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Thank you for your generous giving! Your gifts are enabling the church to continue our important work in our community. We appreciate your faithful support!
Remote Giving & Paperless Statements
Here are a few different ways to stay up-to-date on your giving remotely:
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MAIL gifts to the office at 789 Merrimon Ave, Asheville, NC 28804
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BANK BILL PAY mails checks remotely, one-time or on a recurring schedule - contact your bank to set this up
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ONLINE at https://onrealm.org/gcpcusa/give/now
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TEXT "giveGCPC" and AMOUNT to 73256 (i.e. giveGCPC $100)
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MOBILE through the Connect - Our Church Community app
Interested in setting up online recurring giving? 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.
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
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GCPC Out and About Online |
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Autumn Lecture Series:
A Story Medicine Fundraiser
We all carry our stories within us. When we use them for stewing, ranting or giving up, we get stuck in this gooey energy and wonder why we cannot move forward. Our Indigenous ancestors knew that the stories of humanity, of the human condition, would heal the earth and the world. During these days of contagion, we have had to forego our annual Gala Fundraiser, the financial life-blood of Story Medicine Worldwide and its healing work. Instead we are offering this Lecture Series with presentations by two artists and two scientists, all Story Medicine certified facilitators. Join us in an interactive exploration of how story can guide us through the deep troubles of our times.
Each Lecture Topic will be in two parts, Monday nights, 6:30-7:30.
Click HERE for more information about each topic.
For each lecture, the suggested donation is $25 or more. No one will be turned away, any contribution is appreciated. Click HERE for flyer.
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Crossroads Antiracism Training | October 23-25, 2020 | Online or in Montreat!
What’s Essential: Discerning the Church’s Work Amid the Twin Pandemics of Structural Racism & COVID-19
Our goal is to provide participants with capacity-building tools and resources to work for antiracist transformation in their churches and institutions. Participants will finish this antiracism training with concrete action steps for their congregations and local communities.
This Crossroads antiracism training will specifically address the political challenges facing the church in light of how the coronavirus pandemic has laid bare the acute structural inequities of the USA and their impact on communities of color, particularly Black, Indigenous, and Immigrant communities. Given the coronavirus pandemic and its disproportionate impact, our antiracism training will also address how the church is called to be a political actor. What and where is the Church being called to do and be?
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Grace Covenant Presbyterian Church | 828.254.3274
789 Merrimon Ave. Asheville, NC 28804
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