GCPC Alive and Well This Week!
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for updated information about GCPC.
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"I commend the effort of livestreaming the service. I watched with Annie and told her that it must be bizarre for [the staff] to be in a totally empty sanctuary....but in truth, it wasn't empty. The sanctuary just got bigger. I was able to be there, and Kay's mother in Lexington, KY tuned in."
~ Anthony Cole
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Zoom of the Week - Tues., March 24
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Faith Sharing with Children (and kitties)
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Worship Preview | Sunday, March 29, 2020
Fifth Sunday in Lent
Homily:
"Lament or Lullaby?" by Samantha Gonzalez-Block
Scripture:
Psalm 130
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Upcoming Zoom Meetings This Week
- Zoom Storytime with GCPC KIDS | Fridays | 10:00 AM | Zoom link
- Zoom Education & Formation | This Sunday, March 29 | 8:30 AM | Zoom link
- Virtual Youth Group | Sunday, March 29 | 5:00-6:30 PM | Zoom link
- GCPC 20s/30s Gathering: "Virtual Trivia Night" | Tuesday, March 31 | 7:00 PM | Zoom link
- Choir Chat | Wednesdays | 7:30 PM | Zoom link
- Youth Committee Meeting | Thursday, April 2 | 6-7 PM | Zoom link
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Recurring Weekly Zooms:
(Zoom password is:
789
)
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GCPC's Got Talent!
In this time of social distancing- and now with a stay home/stay safe order in place- the staff invites you to share your hidden talents with your church family. There's a lot of talent out there -- we are sure of that!
Perhaps you play an instrument and want to share a song. Maybe your child or your family wants to sing a hymn, perhaps your child has written a song or created a beautiful work of art while staying at home. A family dance routine, a poem, a soliloquy, a magic trick, pet tricks or sharing a secret recipe. . . the possibilities are endless.
If you and/or your family would like to participate and share your talents then please create a short video using your phone or IPad so we can kick off our very first "GCPC's Got Talent." Please limit your video presentation to 3-4 minutes. Upload your video in an email to Jeff at
jjones@gcpcusa.org
and we will post them for our church family to enjoy. We look forward to seeing and hearing all the amazing ways that you will share your gifts during this time!
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GCPC has started a listserv to receive the Daily Devotionals via email. If you would like to be on this list, please email
Anna Louise
.
Other GCPC mailing lists include Youth, Children & Families, 20s/30s Group, Veterans Restoration Quarters and Community Gardeners. If you would like to be included on any of these lists, email
Anna Louise
and indicate your preferences.
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*If you have pictures of "GCPC life" in these difficult days that you would like to share in the newsletter, please email them to
Anna Louise
.
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Spiritual/Pastoral Support
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Deacon of the Week
I
n 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
[We are happy to pray for anyone who is in need. Concerns will stay on this list for a month unless we hear otherwise. Please keep us updated.]
Iglesia Jerusalem congregation
Pat Cocke (Les Stradley’s friend)
Jeffrey Ferris (Mary Lou Nash's son)
Marcia Zuzel (friend of Kim Hottle and Melissa Shook)
Suzy Carter (David Carter's wife and Yvonne Smith's friend)
Eveline Damiano (Lisette de Groot's daughter)
Joseph Tierney (Paul Tierney's father)
Melissa Matherly Bowers (friend of Rick and Lynne Noble)
Family of Maria Mason (Serge and Carol Kavalhuna's friend)
Howard and Julia Clark (Elaine Blake's parents)
Glen & Tom Kilbourne (parents of Janet Martin)
John Waskey (Anna Hamel's uncle)
Jonathan Hettrick (Friend of Mary Craig)
Mona Johnson (Angie Everett’s mother)
Carrie Gaiser Casey (Robin and Gordon Gaiser's daughter)
Don Pressley (Amanda Pressley’s brother)
Mike Arim (Friend of Ken and Ednamae Fisher)
Hettie Lou Garland
Betty Smith
Margaret Rada
Bob Higgins
Cory Hartbarger
Florence Riedesel
Elizabeth Fisher
Doris Prak
Roslyn Carney
Sarah Frye
Dean Presson
Bill McNeff
Daniel Breen
Susan Smialowicz
Amber White (on the death of her uncle and cousin, Anthony and Cassie Ayers)
Natalie Willmschen (on the death of her grandmother)
Our sympathy and support are extended to Bethany Mannon and family following the death of her mother, Jennifer Ober, on March 23. Please keep the family in your prayers.
Our sympathy and support are extended to Michelle Chromey and family following the death of her father, Manny Arcino, on March 23. Please keep the family in your prayers.
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"Zoom Education & Formation" | This Sunday, March 29 | 8:30 AM
All are invited! We will be discussing the first 2 chapters of Barbara Brown Taylor's book,
An Altar in the World
. You are encouraged to purchase the book, but Richard can also send you a pdf of the chapters if you contact him directly at
rcoble@gcpcusa.org
.
(Password is: 789)
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(All Zoom conferences will require this password to participate:
789
)
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C
ommunity Working Together
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Asheville City Schools Foundation
Here are several ways to show up for our schools and our community in the coming weeks:
- Reach out to teachers and ask how you can support them during online learning.
- Contribute to the Asheville City Schools Foundation's Emergency Assistance Fund for ACS social workers to support struggling families. Donate here or contact acsf@acsf.org
- Join the ACSF list of volunteers willing to shop for, purchase, and deliver groceries for ACS families during the weekend. Send your contact info to rebecca@acsf.org.
- Donate non-perishable food and/or hygiene items in bags or boxes on M, W, F at Isaac Dickson Elementary 1:15-3:30 (*most needed hygiene items are toothbrushes, toothpaste, soap, shampoo, and feminine products)
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Bountiful Cities
Bountiful Cities
would love the support of the Grace Covenant Community to help purchase tools. We are considered essential business because this is food security work. We don't know what the future holds, and we would like to support our local retailers like
ACE hardware
and
Villagers
by purchasing tools and distributing them.
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More than ever growing food=food security, but there are barriers for low wealth communities. Some people have little or no access to tools, seeds and know-how. Bountiful Cities has been supporting low wealth communities in growing food for the last 20 years with our tool library, seed library, and free workshops. Now, in this time of social distancing sharing tools does not seem like the best idea. We want to continue our support by providing "tool kits" with things like gloves, shovels, pruners, pitchforks and rakes. These kits could be used to start new gardens or maintain on-going gardens, but would limit the need to share with the greater community.
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Pisgah Legal "Action Alert"
Lend Your Voice to Protect Housing, Expand Medicaid and Strengthen Unemployment
Pisgah Legal is on the front-lines advocating for protections and policies that ensure the health, safety, housing and income for people affected by this global pandemic. Our staff and attorneys are already working with decision makers to ensure that all North Carolinians can weather this crisis, but community voices are needed to strengthen the call.
When more of our neighbors are protected and covered, it protects all of North Carolina. Thank you for standing up for justice.
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Here are some links to Facebook groups that have been set up for community support via local groups, or those planning grassroots mutual aid in response to COVID-19.
Here is who we know is active organizing in Buncombe County:
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AVL GreenWorks reschedules Hard 2 Recycle Day!
"We've decided to postpone the April Hard 2 Recycle. We know that by following the guidelines put in place by our local leadership, we will come out stronger and healthier, and that's our main goal right now. This central event, which would have been held at the First Baptist Church of Asheville, will be rescheduled for the summer, on a to-be-determined date."
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GCPC Diaspora
Dispatches from GCPC scattered around the globe
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Fear and anxiety are high. The coronavirus is one problem. The fear/anxiety about the coronavirus is another problem.
Speak directly to the fear/anxiety: "Fear/Anxiety have you been to the future? I don't think so. Fear, sit back down and let me live in the present."
When taking care of our mental/emotional health right now, think "Take my meds:
M-editation
E-xercise
D-iet
S-leep
S-upport
Meditation can be 3-5 minutes of deep slow breathing. It could be prayer and/or Bible study. Exercise minimum would be three days a week of 30 minutes of heartpumping exercise. Diet involves 5-7 servings of fruits and vegetables daily. Sleep is 7-8 hours for adults.
Support is staying connected with others. We can do that even in the social distancing we are practicing. This gives your brain what it needs to keep doing its work.
Stick to these basics. Trust the rest to God.
~ David Bradley
Pastoral Counselor and Family & Marriage Therapist
David, who normally sees clients at GCPC, is now seeing clients electronically from home. We are grateful that he is still able to offer pastoral care digitally.
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During the stay at home/stay safe order in Buncombe County tending the Community Garden will go into a one person at a time process
.
Please do not show up at the Garden to work unless a Garden Steering Team member has instructed you to do so.
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It is providential that we built our 2020 budget on pledged dollars at GCPC. And we are grateful that so many of you give online. In this unprecedented and difficult time, your gifts are enabling the church to continue our important work in our community. If you have not signed up for online giving, please do so. As the COVID19 situation sets in in the USA, your gifts will help sustain all of our ministries and the mini-economies that we support without interruption. Thank you for your generosity and your faithfulness!
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Remote Giving & Paperless Statements
Did you know that you can make donations and receive statements online? 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 www.gcpcusa.org/ways-to-give - just click GIVE HERE
- SMARTPHONE with the Give+ Mobile App or by texting 828-266-0126 the amount you’d like to contribute
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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March
-May
2020
Enneagram Gatherings
Due to our current reality of physical distancing,
Monday evening & Friday morning gatherings will occur electronically using Zoom.
Newcomers are welcome! You can participate once or every week.
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Mondays, 6-8pm
Fridays, 10am-12noon
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Awakening the Dreamer Symposium -
Online Version
This free 2-hour, self-guided online version of Awakening the Dreamer is available 24/7 to take when you feel so inspired. During this course you’ll explore what role you can play in bringing forth an environmentally sustainable, spiritually fulfilling, socially just human presence on this planet.
This online course is similar to the in-person Symposium, except that it is missing the interactive exercises, which are a valuable part of the in-person event.
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Grace Covenant Presbyterian Church | 828.254.3274
789 Merrimon Ave. Asheville, NC 28804
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