GCPC Weekly News | June 17, 2021
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Click "View entire message"
at bottom of email to see the FULL newsletter
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Racial Justice Book Series -
Caste Book Discussion
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Worship Preview | Sunday, June 20, 2021
Outdoor Worship Service
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Sermon: "Wide Open"
by Marcia Mount Shoop
Scripture:
2 Corinthians 6:1-13
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Outdoor Worship Service | Sunday, June 20 | 10:45 AM | GCPC Lawn (also livestreamed on Youtube)
We will have a few outdoor canopies set up outside for shade. For outdoor services please bring:
- A chair
- A mask
- A bottle of water
If you do come into the building for any reason, please wear a mask.
Our outdoor worship service will also be live streamed and available online. In the event of rain, the service will be online only that day.
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| Thursday, June 17 | Memorial Garden Mtg. | 3:00 pm @ GCPC
(Zoom link here) | | Tuesday, June 22 | Session Mtg. | 6:00 pm via Zoom | | Wednesday, June 23 | Bible Study | 10:00 am @ GCPC
(Zoom link here) | | Wednesday, June 23 | Middle School Youth Gathering | 6:00 pm @ GCPC | | Thursday, June 24 | Men of GCPC Gathering | 8:30 am @ GCPC
(Zoom link here) | | Thursday, June 24 | Earth Team Mtg. | 7:00 pm via Zoom | | |
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Bible Study | Wednesday, June 23 | 10:00 AM | Outside @ GCPC
The program year is over, but in an effort to continue our deep study of scripture and to see one another in fellowship, the lectionary Bible study will have two in-person, outdoor meetings over the summer on June 23 and July 14. Bring your Bibles and an open heart as we discern together what God is saying to use through the week’s lesson! All are welcome! You can also join in via Zoom.
Join Zoom Meeting
https://us06web.zoom.us/j/93439349183
Meeting ID: 934 3934 9183 | Passcode: 789
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Middle School Youth Gathering | Wed., June 23 | 6:00-7:30 PM | GCPC Lawn
Hang out with fellow middle school youth (completed 6th-8th grades) for an in-person evening on the GCPC lawn. We'll order some pizzas for dinner and then enjoy games and fellowship. Bring a mask and water bottle, and please invite your friends!
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Men of GCPC Gathering | Thursday, June 24 | 8:30 AM | @ GCPC
The men will gather in person and outdoors on June 24. Bring your own breakfast and coffee and we will gather for conversation and fellowship around important topics of the day. If you are not on the email distribution list, please contact Richard for more information.
You can also join via Zoom.
Join Zoom Meeting
https://us06web.zoom.us/j/95113114391
Meeting ID: 951 1311 4391 Passcode: 789
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from the Creating Sanctuary Team (CST)... | |
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An Urgent Request to Meet Critical Needs of Latinas Seeking Safety in the US.
Stewart Detention Center now detains hundreds of women who were apprehended at the southern border. SDC is processing out 5 - 10 women each night, dropping them off at the bus station in Columbus, GA, where the El Refugio staff and volunteers, in partnership with Paz Amigos and Casa Alterna, work to get everyone to their next place in their journey.
The women desperately need fresh clothes and toiletries. And because they tend to be dehydrated, El Refugio needs powdered drink mix that contains electrolytes.
El Refugio’s Target registry - https://bit.ly/3fFmNPO - specifies items that El Refugio is seeking.
Of course, checks are always welcome. Donors wishing to support this effort should make checks payable to El Refugio. Indicate "Women's Initiative" in the memo line.
Address: El Refugio, P.O. Box 3996, Decatur, GA 30031
If you have questions about this outreach opportunity, please be in touch with Tish Anderson at 19ppanc40@gmail.com. And, of course, you can learn more about El Refugio at its website: elrefugiostewart.org.
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Serve Spotlight...
A Poem from CoThinkk
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This Moment by Tracey Greene-Washington and CoThinkk family
"This bloom, is the moment when we explicitly state that black lives matter, and racism, structural inequities, and oppression will no longer be tolerated;
This bloom, is the moment when black and brown bodies will no longer be devalued, where it becomes unacceptable for oppression, discrimination, and genocide of whole communities;
This bloom, is the moment when the entire world is watching and understands that this is both a civil rights and human rights issue;
This bloom, is the moment when the beauty, strength, and courageousness of our young people is shining through, serving as a catalyst for change;
This bloom, is the moment in American history that is compelling us to raise our vibrations and intentionally calling us into something bigger than ourselves;
This bloom, is the moment when our courage, energy and intentionality becomes a seamless lens for movements, actions, choice points and language;
This bloom, is the moment when momentum shifts our everyday narrative, mental models, conversations, policy and actions across multiple generations through the fabric of our communities, institutions and walk;
This bloom, is a pivotal moment when excuses, short memories, erased and rewritten narratives will not be tolerated;
This bloom, is a pivotal moment when we won't go back to a normal that wasn't working; and
This bloom is the moment when collectively, systemic racism is rooted out and systems are interrupted and re-imagined..this is about the future, about what's to come."
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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.
This week (6/13-6/19): Mike McCauley email: mikemccauley28@gmail.com
Next week (6/20-6/26): Cathy Froehlich email: oremont2@gmail.com
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Prayer requests will stay on the GCPC Prayer List for one month. Please let any staff know if you (or your loved one) would like to remain on the list for longer.
Iglesia Jerusalem congregation
Ryan Lockett (nephew of Denise Lockett)
Jennifer Martin (Yvonne Smith's daughter)
Bertilda Arteta (Marta Alcala-Williams' mother)
Sheldon Smith (Beth Robrechtʼs brother-in-law)
Alyse Pryzant Pribish (Ashley Cooper's mom)
John Maddrell (Martha Seddonʼs step-father)
William Johnson (Marty Johnsonʼs dad)
Denise Currie-Lowe (Karen Rohlʼs sister)
Barb Patterson (Friend of Mount Shoops)
Bob Crouch (Allen and Frances Johnsonʼs brother-in-law)
Marie and Jose Palacios and family (Marie is the presbytery coordinator of Guatemala partnerships)
Sarah (Phil Brown’s daughter)
Libby Shook (Melissa Shook's mother)
Johnnie Hayes' family
Harold Shook (Melissa Shook's father)
Bob Higgins
Florence and Steve Riedesel
Roslyn Carney
Susan Smialowicz
Laura Ross
Bill Williamson
Queen Mother Maggie Belle Gladden
John Mount Shoop
Elizabeth Fisher
Doris Prak
Dan Blake
Betsy Rhodes
Martha Branden
Kimo Hyatt
Angie Everett
Chuck Reiley
William Madamba
A Memorial Service will be held for Virginia "Ginnie" Stevens at 2 p.m. on Sunday, June 27th, in the Memorial Garden at Grace Covenant. This will be mostly a time of prayer and sharing. (Ginnie previously served as PWNC's Associate for Mission and was a member of Grace Covenant Presbyterian Church before her move to Georgia.)
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Volunteers Needed!
Would you like to serve on the Bereavement Team? We provide receptions following funeral services. We ask that you commit to one month, working alongside another team member. You can also be on a call list to help as needed. Please contact Cathy Froehlich, oremont2@gmail.com or 828-775-1016.
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Playground and Popsicles | Saturday, June 26 | 3:00-5:00 PM
Kids 0-11 and their parents are invited to join us on the playground of GCPC for some outdoor community building and popsicles. We will start at 3:00 pm and stick around until 5:00 pm. Please come for a little or a lot of the time! Please bring water bottles for your family.
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The Racial Justice Book Series | June 29 & July 25
The Racial Justice Book Series will return this summer with three books by Black female authors about the systems, consequences, and remedies of the deep entrenchment of white supremacy culture in our country and church.
We will hold our June and July book series meetings in person and outdoors! Both meetings will go 6:30-8:00pm. Bring your own dinner and be ready to discuss these important texts from a faith perspective.
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Presbyterian Womenʼs 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: Third 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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Setting up Zoom Meetings:
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 Anna Louise, and any staff member can help you get set up for your meeting if you have questions.
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Please help us earn compost for our garden!
The Grace Covenant Community Garden is now a garden partner with Compost Now, a local home and business composting service. Customers who sign up for Compost Now's services will have their food waste collected by the company and turned into finished compost. Customers earn back a percentage of finished compost based on the amount of food waste they submitted. They can request that compost for their own garden, or they can share it with a garden partner like the Grace Covenant garden.
If you are interested in diverting your food waste from the landfill AND helping our community garden, please sign up here for this great service. Remember to have your finished compost sent to the Grace Covenant garden.
Already a Compost Now customer? You can now request to have your finished compost sent to the Grace Covenant Community Garden - just contact them at 919-525-0403. Thank you for helping us with this great resource!
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This week Saturday gardeners harvested 74 lbs of chard, cabbage, broccoli, collards, kale, and lettuce for use by YTL families. | |
Community Working Together | |
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Information Sharing and Truth Telling Speaker Series
June 17, 2021 | 6:00 - 8:00 pm
Thomas Wolfe Auditorium | Harrahʼs Cherokee Center Asheville
87 Haywood Street , Asheville, NC 28801
Series moderated by: Dr. Darin Waters, Ph.D.
Honors Director, Direct of for Community Engagement, and Professor of History
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FUTURE: TONIGHT, June 17, 2021 | 6:00 pm - 8:00 pm |Featuring: Tracey Greene- Washington, President, Indigo Innovation Group; Lakesha McDay, Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Consultant; Robert Thomas, Racial Justice Coalition Community Liaison
To register for event, please click here.
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GRINDfest | June 18 - 20 | 346 Depot St.
This year, GRINDfest celebrates that Black Wall Street Still Lives. Let's come together and make this a year to remember.
During the weekend of Juneteenth, we will have GRINDfest - a celebration of black business and entrepreneurship. After slavery was abolished the people held as slaves began to use their skills and talents to do business in an economy that previously thought of them as property. Nonetheless, they made progress and became business owners.
GRINDfest will bring people together to celebrate Black Business and Black Entrepreneurs. It will highlight the progress made by people of color while also connecting people across cultures. Economies do not exist in a bubble. They include everyone.
During this weekend, we will have vendors, food, and events that facilitate the connection of what it means to be human. Click here for more info or to register.
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2nd Annual Juneteenth Celebration | Saturday, June 19 | 12 - 8 PM | MLK Park (50 Martin Luther King Jr. Dr., AVL 28801) | |
To help individuals better understand what Juneteenth is and its importance, the PC(USA) planning team, including the Rev. Carlton Johnson, the Rev. Denise Anderson, the Rev. Shanea Leonard, the Rev. Dr. Alonzo Johnson, the Rev. Dr. Kathryn Threadgill, the Rev. Tamron Keith, Anisha Hackney, the Rev. Michael Moore, Lynne Foreman and the Rev. Shelvis Smith-Mather, has developed a Juneteenth information flyer. | |
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GCPC Ministry Partner, Haywood Street Congregation
Summer Needs
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‘I was in prison …’ – immigration detention and Matthew 25 -
Second episode of Presbyterian immigration webinar series focuses on detention
"The U.S. immigration system as we know it today is predicated on false assumptions about its ability to deter people from migrating to the U.S. and all too often has turned a blind eye to the harm and suffering that it inflicts,” Susan Krehbiel, Associate for Refugees & Asylum for Presbyterian Disaster Assistance, said opening the webinar. “First and foremost is the harm caused to those who are detained, their emotional and spiritual well-being as well as their physical health, even the risk of death. But we know they are not the only ones impacted by our immigration detention system."
Click here to read the full article.
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Photo by Marianne Holohan |
PC(USA) pastors team up for antiracism work in Pittsburgh -
Both say the church has much to learn about the faith of the secular and ‘unchurched’ activists
~ by Paul Seebeck
The Revs. Gavin Walton, 29, and Michael Holohan, 40, believe it’s important for the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) to do more than just talk about racism. They say it’s time for the Church to take action against racial injustice, which from their view is long overdue.
While acknowledging that Presbyterians can always find another book to read, and that there’s value in that, they don’t want the antiracist collective that they started a year ago to “get stuck in that.”
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Pisgah Legal 2020 Justice Forum speaker, Clint Smith,
interviewed on NPR's Fresh Air
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Many of you remember the powerful and evocative presentation by Clint Smith at Pisgah Legal's 2020 Justice Forum. Clint recently spoke on NPR's Fresh Air about his book, How the Word Is Passed, where he writes of his travels to eight places central to the history of slavery in America, including Thomas Jefferson's Monticello plantation and Louisiana's Angola prison, which was built on the site of a former plantation.
You can order a copy of Clint's book, How the Word Is Passed.
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A Summer Virtual Sunday School on the Climate Crisis | Sundays | July 11, 18, 25 and August 1 | 4:00 - 5:15 PM | via Zoom
This program is taught by the southern Indiana group Presbyterian Climate Advocates, made up of the Rev. Dr. Trisha Tull and Carol Dunn of Scottsburg (Indiana) Presbyterian Church, Beth Snyder of Jeffersonville (Indiana) First Prez, and Kristina Lindborg, an Indiana Citizensʼ Climate Lobby volunteer.
To register and receive your Zoom invitation, please go to our website: https://www.presbyclimateadvocates.org/upcoming-classes/
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June 2021 Virtual Enneagram Series
The Enneagram & Discernment: All Nine Types
Facilitated by the Rev. Carol Hovis
Wednesdays, 10am-12noon, Wednesdays, 7-9pm & Thursdays, 4-6pm
Each week is stand alone material; you can come once or every week.
You can also mix & match which days you participate.
Scholarships always available
Contact Carol for more information: cmhovis@gmail.com
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Story Medicine Worldwide class offerings | |
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When you shop for Father's Day gifts
at smile.amazon.com/ch/56-0588479,
AmazonSmile will donate a portion of your eligible purchases to
Grace Covenant Presbyterian Church at no cost to you!
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Summertime Stewardship
Are you looking forward to time outside and away
from screens, but concerned about staying on top of your pledged giving? Don't worry, there are ways to give easily remotely, even automatically!
MAIL gifts to the office at 789 Merrimon Ave, Asheville, NC 28804(the office remains closed but we are checking the mail)
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 or through your Realm Connect smartphone app
TEXT "giveGCPC" to 73256 on your mobile device, then follow the prompts
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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.
If you have any questions, please contact Natalie in our Finance office at nweaver@gcpcusa.org or by leaving a message for Natalie Weaver at 828-254-3274.
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IRA Charitable Rollover
Did you know that if you're 70 1⁄2 or older, you can make a tax-free contribution from your IRA? The Protecting Americans from Tax Hikes Act (PATH) allows you to make a charitable gift directly from your IRA without counting the donation as income. You can use your Required Minimum Distribution (RMD) to pay your
church pledge or donate to a charity... all without having to pay income tax on
those dollars!
IMPORTANT: The donation must come directly from the IRA to the charity to avoid being considered taxable income. Contact your investment fund manager to request a Qualified Charitable Distribution (QCD) made payable to Grace Covenant Presbyterian Church, mailed to the office at 789 Merrimon Ave, Asheville, NC 28804. Be sure to remind them to list your name as the donor in the memo line so we can apply it to any pledges you may have.
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HOW TO CONTACT STAFF:
Our staff are all still working remotely as the office remains closed due to the pandemic. To leave a voicemail for a staff member to return your call, follow these steps:
- Beginning in June, the office will be open on Tuesday, 10am - 4pm.
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Call the office at 828-254-3274.
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Listen through the office closure notice, which will then take you to a staff directory.
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Enter the first 3 letters of either the staff member's first or last name on your phone keypad (i.e. to reach Natalie Weaver, you'd enter 628 for NAT or 932 for WEA).
- You'll be directed to the staff member's individual voicemail, where you can leave a message to be returned as soon as possible.
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If you just want to leave a message for the general voicemail box, press 0.
You can also reach our staff by email- please see our website for each staff member's individual email address.
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Grace Covenant Presbyterian Church
789 Merrimon Ave. Asheville, NC 28804
828.254.3274
www.gcpcusa.org
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