View the weekly checklist of important upcoming dates and deadlines for clergy, wardens, and staff.

Prayers and Support for Our Friends in Los Angeles

If there’s one thing we’ve learned through Hurricane Helene, it’s that the spirit of generosity runs deep. We saw it firsthand in the care and support that poured into our communities, reminding us that we serve a God who always provides — and calls us to share that abundance with others.

Right now, our friends in the Diocese of Los Angeles need that same spirit from us. The wildfires there are causing serious damage, and they’ve got a long road ahead. I have been in contact with Bishop John Taylor in Los Angeles and passed along our prayers, love, and commitment to support them. Let’s keep them in our prayers — for strength, for safety, and for peace in the midst of chaos.

And if you feel called to give back, just as others did for us, there’s an opportunity to do so. A little generosity can go a long way toward showing God’s love in real and tangible ways.

Thank you for being the hands and feet of Christ — again and again.

In Christ,

Bishop José McLoughlin

Kelsey Davis Ordained to the Sacred Order of Priests

The Rt. Rev. José McLoughlin ordained the Rev. Kelsey Davis to the Sacred Order of Priests on January 11, 2025, in a joyful service celebrating her call to ministry.

Kelsey has been faithfully serving at the Cathedral of All Souls in Asheville, as well as in her role as the Bishop’s Deputy for Disaster Response and Recovery — a position that has been vital in coordinating relief efforts across our diocese after Hurricane Helene.

Congratulations, Kelsey! We give thanks to God for your faithful "yes" to this calling and for the many ways your ministry has already made an impact.

Disaster Response & Recovery Team | Tip of the Week 

If you would like to provide resources or receive resources, please visit our Hurricane Helene Relief Hub, scroll down to "Community Support & Needs" and fill out our forms. Questions? Contact the Response Team at responseteam@diocesewnc.org.

Note: The Diocesan office will be closed Monday, Jan. 20 in honor of Martin Luther King, Jr. Day.

Family Snowtubing

Join families and youth from around the diocese on Sunday, Feb. 9 from 3–6 p.m. for two hours of snow tubing, a pizza dinner, and compline to complete the evening. The cost includes dinner and is $45 per snow tuber and $10 per spectator. Questions? Email Charlotte at youth@diocesewnc.org.

REGISTER HERE

Sunday, Feb. 9 | 3–6 p.m. | Black Bear Snow Tubing, Hendersonville

Vestry Leadership Day

We invite you to participate in the annual Vestry Leadership Day, hosted by Bishop José and other diocesan leaders at Trinity Episcopal Church in Asheville on February 15th. This event offers new and experienced vestry leadership the chance to gain insights into the various roles and responsibilities of the Vestry. The program will start at 9:30 a.m. and end at approximately 2:30 p.m. Lunch will be provided. Please register below.

REGISTER HERE

To submit an event, please review the submission guidelines and email event details and a photo for consideration to communications@diocesewnc.org. This space is reserved for diocesan, parish, and conference center events.

Martin Luther King, Jr. Day of Service at St. James

Please join the Hendersonville community on Martin Luther King Day, January 20 at noon at St. James Episcopal Church for our annual service project. We will once again bag a ton of dried beans and rice to share with our neighbors in need via the Storehouse of Henderson County. All are welcome; this is a fun multigenerational event. We hope to see you there! MLK Day of Service is a way to honor the life and teachings of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. by engaging in community action and is celebrated each year in communities across the US on the Martin Luther King Jr. federal holiday.

Monday, Jan. 20 | Noon | St. James, Hendersonville

Tate Addis Benefit Organ Recital at St. James

Tate Addis will give an organ recital featuring prominent works of Austrian composer Franz Schmidt on Thursday, Jan. 30 at 7:00 p.m. at St. James Episcopal Church in downtown Hendersonville, NC. The recital will be followed by a beautiful reception in Stillwell Hall. Tate is the Associate Director of Music and Organist at First Baptist, Asheville. An offering will be received to benefit the All Souls' Cathedral Music Ministry. No tickets are required for this event.  

Thursday, Jan. 30 | 7 p.m. | St. James, Hendersonville

Special Delivery (Rescheduled due to weather)

A Nativity sermon drama with Eucharist

A shepherd misses the big event and stumbles upon Mary’s midwife the next day. [Celtic tradition holds that St. Brigid was the midwife at the Nativity. In this original drama, Brigid, weary the morning after the birth, encounters a shepherd who heard of angels in the vicinity. Their mutual suspicion melts over the course of their interaction as they find common ground in the wonder of incarnation in its many forms.] Presented by the St. James Players.

Sunday, Feb. 9 | 10:45 a.m. | Holy Family, Mills River

Learning to Dance with Dementia

When to Lead, When to Follow and When to Get Out of the Way

Originally scheduled in the immediate aftermath of Hurricane Helene, a free dementia workshop is back on the calendar at The Episcopal Church of St. John in the Wilderness in the Parish Hall across the street from the church, located at 1905 Greenville Highway in Flat Rock.

Unlock the secrets to compassionate and effective dementia care at this workshop with Mary Donnelly, a dynamic dementia consultant. This interactive session offers insight and strategies to help caregivers navigate the delicate balance of communicating with a person whose brain is changing.

Discover how to harmonize your approach with the unique needs of the person in your care, fostering a more fulfilling less stressful caregiving experience. Join us to enhance your skills and learn how to dance gracefully through the challenges of dementia care.

Dementia has and is touching so many of our loved ones, including event organizer Ronnie Doty. “I began this journey of dementia with my husband," Doty said. "I used every resource available so I could know what lies ahead. If you are informed about the disease you can become a much better caregiver."

Limited seating is available for this seminar but participants must RSVP by visiting http://bit.ly/dancewithdementia. For more information call the church office at 828-693-9783.

Thursday, March 13 | 1 p.m. - 3:30 p.m. | St. John in the Wilderness, Flat Rock

RECTOR/PRIEST-IN-CHARGE Part-time

Holy Spirit, Mars Hill

MISSIONER FOR COMMUNICATION Full-time

Diocese of Western North Carolina

VICAR

Part-time

Church of the Resurrection, Little Switzerland

Episcopal Church Women to Welcome Porter Taylor for Spiritual Retreat at Lake Logan

You're invited to join the Episcopal Church Women of the Diocese of Western North Carolina on April 4 & 5, 2025 for a Spiritual Retreat led by former WNC Bishop Porter Taylor at Lake Logan Conference Center. Download the application and send the form and check to Diane Mance, 105 Poppy Lane, Asheville NC 28803 by the deadline, March 22, 2025. Sign up today! Spots are limited.

Registration Form

Retreat Cost:

$150 per person: (includes 5 meals and overnight 

$60 Commuter cost per person (includes 5 meals but no overnight.)

April 4–5 | Lake Logan Conference Center

Also, save the date for these upcoming ECW events in 2025:

ECW Spring Fling & Silent Auction

May 24, 2025 (Saturday)

Community House, Morganton, NC

ECW Outreach & Silent Auction

September 20, 2025 (Saturday)

St. John's Episcopal Church, Asheville, NC

President Jimmy Carter Remembered by All

Presiding Bishop Sean Rowe Officiates Funeral

Family members, friends, former colleagues, members of Congress, and all five living U.S. presidents gathered Jan. 9 to pay tribute to former President Jimmy Carter, who was mourned at his state funeral held at Washington National Cathedral, the landmark Episcopal cathedral in the nation’s capital city.

Carter, a lifelong Georgia resident, served for one term as the United States’ 39th president, from 1977-1981, and went on to work for peace and human rights. In 2002, Carter was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize “for his decades of untiring effort to find peaceful solutions to international conflicts,” most notably in the Middle East.

National Cathedral, the seat of both The Episcopal Church’s presiding bishop and the bishop of the Diocese of Washington, had been chosen for several past presidential funerals, including services for Dwight D. Eisenhower, Ronald Reagan, Gerald Ford and George H.W. Bush. At Carter’s funeral, Presiding Bishop Sean Rowe officiated, with Washington Bishop Mariann Budde and National Cathedral Dean Randy Hollerith.

The funeral’s service program is available here.

“With faith in Jesus Christ, we receive the body of our brother James for burial,” Rowe said before the procession that began the service. “Let us pray with confidence to God, the giver of life, that he will raise him to perfection in the company of the saints.”

The two-hour funeral included posthumous tributes from Carter’s predecessor, former President Gerald Ford, who died in 2006, and Carter’s vice president, Walter Mondale, who died in 2021.

Ford’s son Steven Ford read his father’s eulogy, noting how Carter had delivered the eulogy at Gerald Ford’s funeral at National Cathedral. Despite Ford being a Republican and Carter being a Democrat, they forged a friendship that transcended politics and their respective roots in Michigan and Georgia.

“Distances have a way of vanishing when measured in values rather than miles,” Steven Ford said, quoting his father. “And it was because of our shared values that Jimmy and I respected each other as adversaries even before we cherished one another as dear friends. … I’m looking forward to our reunion. We have much to catch up on.”

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