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Prez Beez first practice!

Staff Realm Training and Long Range Planning

*For the full revised common lectionary, please click here.

Evening Vespers | Thursday, August 12 | 7:30 - 8:00 PM | Outside @ GCPC

Evening vespers will be outside. In the event of rain, we will use the narthex with all the doors open and canopy in the courtyard. 

You can also join this service via Zoom.



Join Zoom Meeting: https://zoom.us/j/98906064373

Meeting ID: 989 0606 4373 | Passcode: 789

GCPC Compassion Camp | Saturday, August 14 | 9:30 - 11:00 AM 

For Compassion Camp Saturday together, we will meet on the church lawn for a Bible story, community building, music, movement, creating, playing and a sending. The theme for these times is Lovingkindness.  

Lovingkindness is the utmost form of selfless love toward ourselves and others. The practice begins with focusing on self-compassion because once we have compassion for ourselves, we can have compassion for others.

These sessions are designed for families to participate together (no drop-off).

Families with Children 0-5th grade will meet from 9:30-11:00 am.

Please wear comfortable clothes, a water bottle and a blanket to sit on. Masks will be worn by staff and volunteers. As always, this is open to the community, please invite friends to join us!

Please email Amy Kim to let her know you will be coming.

Outdoor Worship Service | Sunday, August 15 | 10:45 AM | GCPC Lawn

On Sunday, August 15, worship will be outdoors on the GCPC lawn. This service will be a hybrid event, so you can come in person or watch the live stream on our youtube channel. Worship will start at 10:45 as usual. 

Writing & Reflection Gathering for Parents and Caregivers | Sunday, August 15 | 6:00 - 8:00 PM | GCPC Courtyard (and Zoom)

Parents and caregivers are invited to a gathering on Sunday, August 15 from 6pm - 8pm to write, listen, share and support each other as we process our experiences through COVID & quarantine. We are meeting in person in the church courtyard, as well as virtually on Zoom. If you are coming in person, please bring a chair, writing pad & drink of choice, and plan to be masked if within six feet of each other.

Join Zoom Meeting

https://us06web.zoom.us/j/84037146630

Meeting ID: 840 3714 6630 | Passcode: 789

Questions? Please email Margaret Tierney (margarettierney6@gmail.com), Anne Turnbow-Raustol (aeraustol@gmail.com), or Kate Shem (kateshem@gmail.com).

GCPC 20s/30s Gathering: "Tubing Down the River" | Saturday, August 21 | 11:00 AM - 3:00 PM | Zen Tubing - Midtown (608 Riverside Dr., AVL)

If you are in your twenties, thirties, or beyond, let's start the new school/program year off with a ride down French Broad River! Please arrive on time and feel free to bring your own tube or borrow one from Zen Tubing. GCPC will cover the cost of all tubes and river transportation. If possible, bring some snacks or drinks to share. Don't forget your bathing suit and water shoes (if you have). Friends are welcome!

Questions? Contact Richard Coble (rcoble@gcpcusa.org) or Alex Holifield (alexandralhollifield@gmail.com)

PLEASE RSVP HERE!

Wisdom in the Woods 2021 | Friday, October 1 - Sunday, October 3 | Lake Logan, NC

“Into the woods I go, to lose my mind and find my soul. “ John Muir

Wisdom in the Woods for the Wise Older Ladies (age 50 and older)

Registration ends August 17th!

Jeannie DuBose is our facilitator this year and the program is entitled "Knowing Self, Knowing Others, Knowing God." We look forward to time for fellowship and also digging deeper into our faith together.

*We are requiring all participants be fully vaccinated for this trip.

Our retreat includes private group meeting space, private group dining & lodging.

Reservations begin with lunch on Friday and check-in begins following that. The program portion will begin on Friday evening after dinner, continue through Saturday and conclude after Sunday breakfast. Check-out is at 10:00 am Sunday. Free time is also built into the schedule to enjoy the beautiful setting.

Cost: Includes meals (Friday lunch – Sunday breakfast) and programming

• EARLY BIRD RATE: (PAID IN FULL by August 17th): $275 (double occupancy); $375 (single occupancy)

• STANDARD RATE: (MUST REGISTER by August 17th and PAY IN FULL by Sept. 15th): $300 (double occupancy); $400 (single occupancy)

Scholarships available upon request.

Click HERE to sign up!

WAYS TO SHARE YOUR SMILING FACES:

• EMAIL: Send your photo to pics@gcpcusa.org and we'll take care of the rest!

• MOBILE APP: See attached instructions with step-by-step photos

1. Open your Realm Connect app on your smartphone
2. Select ... More at bottom right
3. Select Profile from the list
4. Click on the pencil logo next to the circle at the top center with your picture icon to edit
5. Select New Profile Photo
6. Choose Take Photo to open your phone camera or Choose Photo to select from your existing photos
7. Scale, move, and frame as desired and click Apply at the bottom right

• COMPUTER: See attached instructions with step-by-step photos

1. Register or Sign In to your account at onrealm.org/gcpcusa
2. Click the drop down next to your Name on the top right and select My Profile  
3. Hover over the photo or photo icon until you see the pencil logo, click to edit
4. Select New Profile Photo  
5. Choose a photo from your computer and click Open
6. Drag and resize the photo as needed, then click Save  

The Eddington Center on Livingston Avenue is a hub of various activities all year long, but the leaders of the Residents’ Council of the City of Asheville Housing Authority always know what’s what. Crystal Reid and Shavonda Harper are two of those leaders who shared some of those activities and their wisdom with me a few weeks ago. It was a blessing to walk through the halls looking at photos on the walls, seeing and smelling the activity in the Southside Kitchen, and being around an actual table with Crystal and Shavonda.

The Residents’ Council has been a GCPC ministry and covenant partner for at least the last five years and is made up of a small paid staff of three and a board of volunteers. Their mission is to support and advocate for all the residents of the eight public housing neighborhoods in Asheville.  

Thanksgiving meals and Christmas toy drives are a long standing passion for Shavonda, who made it happen even in 2020. She looks forward to continuing these traditions and has added “Covid bags” as another vital way to take care of each other. Stay tuned for ways the GCPC community can walk alongside our neighbors during these events. 

Taking care of each other includes environmental safety as well. Safe housing and safe neighborhood gathering spaces are an ongoing priority that involve listening to residents, educating leaders, securing resources, and even filling trash bags. Most of Asheville is feeling some type of growing pains, and these neighbors have the same concerns around development, change, and maintaining safe housing. 

The Residents’ Council was instrumental in getting free basic internet connections to the neighborhoods with school-aged children, a necessity during remote learning. They appreciate Skyrunner and the city leadership for making this connection a priority. The efforts continue with several of the neighborhoods for senior residents and residents with disabilities.  

They also organize and run My Community Matters, a space for children and teens to come together to be seen and heard and loved and nurtured. Both Shavonda and Crystal beam with pride when they share stories of the young people - their insights, their hard questions, their art and creativity, and their determination. They are hopeful that students can return to schools in person and safely. Like many of us, they are hopeful that schools can lean into lessons learned through the pandemic and P.O.D.S. (Positive Opportunities Develop Success).  

Finally, Crystal is organizing socially-distanced gatherings in each of the neighborhoods as a way to share information, listen to concerns, and to build positive relationships. The Klondyke event will happen soon.  

I am so grateful for the leadership of these women and for the opportunity for GCPC to be in partnership with the Residents’ Council. 



~ Amy Wiesner, Serve Council Member

• GCPC Devotionals



• Email prayer@gcpcusa.org 

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 (8/8-8/14): Earl Fowler | email: earljfowler@aol.com

Next week (8/15-8/21): Cathy Froehlich | email: oremont2@gmail.com

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)

Sheldon Smith (Beth Robrechtʼs brother-in-law)

Marie and Jose Palacios and family (Marie is the presbytery coordinator of Guatemala partnerships)

Harold Shook (Melissa Shook's father)

Bill Ross (Jonathan Ross' dad) 

David Good (Amber Cook’s dad)

Rod and Janet Pike (Amy Pike’s uncle and aunt)

Family of Rev. Dolly Jacobs of FPC Greensboro

Kyle Holtz (Tim Hamel's cousin)

Nikita Smart (Eleanor Lane’s friend)

Deanna Fleenor (Mike Fleenor's sister)

Bob Higgins

Florence and Steve Riedesel

Susan Smialowicz

Laura Ross

Bill Williamson

Queen Mother Maggie Belle Gladden

John Mount Shoop

Elizabeth Fisher

Doris Prak

Shelia Chapman

Carolyn Tingle

Irene Richards

Our sympathy and support are extended to Brian Cook and family on the death of his brother, Travis Heck. Please keep the families in your prayers.

Playground and Popsicles | Saturday, August 28 | 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.

Presbyterian Womenʼs Circles are Zoom meetings. ​​Please join us.

Circle 1: Second Monday 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.

• Ann Brown - (828) 279-4917, hbcove@aol.com 
• Heather Hudson - 501-442-6223, hehudson@charter.net

Circle 3: Third Thursday of each month, 7:00 p.m.

• Andrea Rosal- (828) 545-8466, ameach@gmail.com
• Angela Kemper - (828) 301-1475, angela@hunter-kemper.com 

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, 11:00 a.m.

• Lynne Noble – 803-206-3821, lynnesnoble@gmail.com 

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. 

 This week gardeners have harvested beans, squash, okra, jalapenos, eggplant, bell peppers and tomatoes. 

Ten Saturday gardeners harvested 73.7 pounds of produce for use by YTL families and Western Carolina Rescue Ministries (one box of bell peppers). 

Wednesday’s 9-member team harvested 97.9 pounds of produce for use at the YWCA. 

Maintenance, including weeding, fertilizing, pesticide spraying, removal of spent beds, and staking and stringing plants, continues.  

Dear amazing Grace Covenant community,

BeLoved Asheville is so grateful for all the ways that we are living into ever deeper community and partnership. We are coming to you with another way to be the beloved community with and for our children and youth. We URGENTLY need your help to provide the tools that our children need to go "back to school" in the time of the pandemic.

We will be sharing school supplies, backpacks, children's masks and sanitizers, equipment and tools (calculators, headphones, musical instruments, usb drives, project creating materials) with families. We will also give supplemental materials for families to share local black history, accurate people's history, and materials that celebrate people of different cultures and give our youth a sense of cultural proudness including educational local black history trading cards, cultural lessons, and Indigenous history booklets and coloring books. 

Collection boxes will be located outside the Administration Building for you to contribute school supplies before or after our outdoor Sunday service on August 15th. Or you can drop off at BeLoved's donation center at 15 Overbrook Place 28805 from 11-1 each day.

This is also a wonderful way to invite your friends and neighbors into loving action with you!  

Presbyterians for Earth Care Conference 2021 "Creation Care Buffet: Come to the Table" | Sunday | August 15 | 4:30 - 9:00 PM | Online

No driving or flying or using fossil fuels to enjoy this Presbyterians for EARTH CARE online conference Sunday nights in August. Just stay in your ‘jami’s (or bikini!) and learn from some amazing national faith leaders how we, who believe in a creative, loving God are going to turn Climate Change around. It’s inexpensive - $20/Sunday evening.

Click HERE to see the conference schedule.

Defecting from Supremacy: Joining the Struggle for Collective Liberation (An Online Course for White Men with White Awake) | Sundays | August 15, 22, 29 & September 12, 19  | 4:00 - 6:30 PM 

This course is designed to support men who are socially categorized as white in defecting from the roles we have been groomed to play while constructing renewed identities grounded in a commitment to anti-racism, feminism, and economic justice.* Incorporating political analysis, mindfulness, expressive practices, and strategies for taking action, our goal is to help participants break free from this socialization and join with people of color and people of all genders in building a society that works for all.

Sliding scale $100 - $300 fee for course. No one turned away for lack of funds.

Click HERE for more information

Buncombe Community Remembrance Project

Click here to read the August, 2021 Edition

Did you miss our challenge last time around and still want to join? Or, maybe you took the challenge and want to participate again? Our next cohort of the 21-Day Racial Equity and Social Justice Challenge begins September 6th.

Join us as we continue to engage our community on issues of race, power, privilege, and leadership. Sign up to receive daily emails with the option to read an article, listen to a podcast, or reflect on a personal experience on social justice topics like reparations, sports, gender-based bias, and environmental racism. Based on the premise that it takes 21 days to build a habit, the 21-Day Challenge aims to continue heightening our community’s wisdom on the numerous racial and social injustices still present today, and, most importantly, how to end them—until justice, just is. 

SIGN UP TODAY

NC Poor People's Campaign | ADVOCACY 101 FOR MEDICARE EXPANSION | Tuesday, August 17 | 7:00 - 8:00 PM | Online

NC Poor People's Campaign is part of the NC Medicare for All Coalition and you are invited to join an Advocacy 101 webinar on Tuesday August 17th from 7-8 PM focused on Medicare expansion and improvements! Join to learn more about Medicare for All and what you can do right now to improve and expand Medicare. The webinar will also offer an opportunity to practice advocacy strategies for Improved Medicare for All to use when interacting with our elected representatives. RSVP here for the Zoom link for next Tuesday's NCM4A advocacy training.

Just Talk/Talk Just

As a response to the George Floyd Uprisings in the summer of 2020, and as a way to shape conversations around Race and Justice from a theological perspective, Union Presbyterian Seminary, the Katie Geneva Cannon Center for Womanist Leadership and the Center for Social Justice and Reconciliation collaborated together to create a webinar a series – named Just Talk/Talk Just - which dealt with related topics. Due to the success of the series in the summer of 2020 the production team determined to continue indefinitely.

Pledge Check In | 2nd Quarter Giving Statements

If you gave April 1 - June 30, you should have received an email on 7/22/21 with a link to your 1st quarter giving statement. These will come through our software from notifications@onrealm.org with a blue link towards the bottom, which will open your contribution statement in a PDF. This shows the details of all donations made in the 2nd quarter and your pledge summary at the bottom, if applicable. 

As a reminder, you can access your giving history and YTD gifts in real time by logging in at onrealm.org/gcpcusa and clicking the Giving tab. You can adjust the filter to show specific dates or funds. 

Questions or concerns? Contact Natalie Weaver in the Finance Office at nweaver@gcpcusa.org or leave a message at 828.254.3274 and she will return your call. 

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

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. 

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:

1. The Church Office is open on Tuesdays, 10am - 4pm.
2. Call the office at 828-254-3274.
3. Listen through the office closure notice, which will then take you to a staff directory.
4. 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).
5. You'll be directed to the staff member's individual voicemail, where you can leave a message to be returned as soon as possible.
6. 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. 

• Click for the Online Calendar
• Click to Make a Secure Donation or Give a Gift  

Grace Covenant Presbyterian Church

789 Merrimon Ave. Asheville, NC 28804

828.254.3274 

www.gcpcusa.org