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GCPC Youth MLK Service Day
AVL GreenWorks Swannanoa River Clean-Up and Working Wheels
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Congregational Meeting | Sunday, January 30
The Session is calling a congregational meeting for Sunday, January 30 for the purpose of our GCPC Annual Meeting. The meeting will be contained in our worship service that day. Due to COVID concerns we are doing all worship online only during January. Please plan to be there live at 10:45am on GCPC's YouTube channel for our celebration of God's faithfulness and transforming love in our midst! See you then!
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Worship Preview | Sunday, January 23, 2022
ONLINE ONLY Service
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Sermon:
"For the time being"
by Richard Coble
Scripture:
Nehemiah 8:1-3, 5-6, 8-10
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*For the full revised common lectionary, please click here. | |
| Thursday, January 20 | PW Circle 3 Mtg. | 7:00 pm on Zoom | | Friday, January 21 | Padrino Lunch | 12:45 pm on Zoom | | Sunday, January 23 | Adult Education | 9:00 am on Zoom | | Sunday, January 23 | Kid's Zoom Adventure | 10:15 am on Zoom | | Sunday, January 23 | Livestream Worship
(ONLINE ONLY) | 10:45 am on Youtube | | Sunday, January 23 | Confirmation | 3:30 pm @ GCPC | | Tuesday, January 25 | CHURCH OFFICE OPEN! | 10:00 am - 4:00 pm | | Tuesday, January 25 | Session Mtg. | 6:00 pm on Zoom | | Wednesday, January 26 | Bible Study | 10:00 am on Zoom | | Wednesday, January 26 | Choir Rehearsal Pod | 7:00 pm @ GCPC | | |
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Winter Adult Education: The Difficult Words of Jesus | Sundays | 9:00 - 10:00 AM | January 16 - February 27 | via Zoom
"Jesus provided his disciples teachings for how to follow Torah, God's word; he told them parables to help them discern questions of ethics and of human nature; he offered them beatitudes for comfort and encouragement. But sometimes Jesus spoke words that followers then and now have found troubling."
Using a DVD series from NT scholar Amy-Jill Levine, we will explore the meaning and implications of these difficult texts together. Topics include Jesus's commandments to sell all you own, hate father and mother, be a slave to all, and other texts that have been used to justify anti-semitic, racist, and sexist violence through the ages.
Join Zoom Meeting
https://us06web.zoom.us/j/82353845672
Meeting ID: 823 5384 5672 Passcode: 789
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GCPC Kids Zoom Adventure | Sundays | 10:15 AM | via Zoom
You will receive an email on Friday with the zoom information.
Email Cat Kessler (ckessler@gcpcsua.org) if you would like to be added to the list.
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Lectionary Bible Study | Wednesday, January 26 | 10:00 AM | via Zoom
Join the pastoral staff to read and study our sermon texts for Sunday. No preparation needed; just come ready to open scripture and discuss!
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This year, pledging through Realm is even easier! (Watch a tutorial video here.) Simply CLICK HERE to submit your pledge online, all in one form.
If you would also like to set up automatic eGiving from your bank account or credit card, be sure to checkmark Add a scheduled gift for this pledge after the pledge confirmation and follow the prompts.
You will receive an email confirmation of your pledge and a separate confirmation for eGiving, if applicable. Questions or concerns? Please contact Natalie Weaver, Stewardship & Financial Administrator, at nweaver@gcpcusa.org or leave a message at 828.254.3274.
WAYS TO PLEDGE:
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Online pledge card HERE
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Email Nweaver@gcpcusa.org
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Call 828.254.3274 and leave a message for Natalie Weaver
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Request a mailed pledge card from the office
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Winter Shelter Team Update
The snow storm brought on some urgent ways that we have been able to support our unhoused neighbors. THANK YOU to our congregation for the myriad of ways you are supporting - so many are making donations, responding to calls for volunteering, driving supplies and food, making food and phone calls. This is all possible with you!
Hotel rooms in the storm: Grace Covenant provided hotel rooms for three families when the Trinity Methodist shelter became full during the winter storm. We were able to support a family of three, a family of four (plus two fur babies) and a couple, with shelter and some meals.
Volunteer needs: Trinity Methodist continues to remain open, the weather is going to get cold again(!), and they have asked for our volunteer support!
To sign up, please contact Dustin Mailman at (772) 214-4116 or mailmand79@gmail.com or sign up on your own here: Trinity Code Purple Sign up.
Specific volunteer needs are:
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An on-site manager to oversee volunteers from 3-8pm (today through Monday, Jan 24). Volunteer once or multiple times. Contact Kate Shem for details, kateshem@gmail.com
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Dinner support - both bringing food and/or serving dinner(5-8pm). Dinner needed each evening or Contact Tish Anderson, 19ppanc40@gmail.com, to join the GCPC food team to prepare and serve on Feb 1 & 15 and March 1 & 15.
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Overnight volunteers (10:30pm-8am). Contact Beth Philipsen, onthecove@charter.net, with questions about overnight volunteering.
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Morning transition shift (7:30-10:30am)
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Laundry support- pick up and return bedding (THIS IS A NEW REQUEST FOR SUPPORT). Contact Kate Shem, kateshem@gmail.com, to learn more.
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Supplies: Drop supplies at Grace Covenant (in black bin in the courtyard labeled Code Purple) or delivery directly to Trinity Methodist (587 Haywood Rd, Asheville, NC 28806) from 4-7pm. Contact Robin Gaiser, robingaiser@gmail.com, with questions about donations.
Ongoing supply requests:
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- small warm beverage cups
- small solo cups
- trash bags of all sizes
- paper plates, bowls, cups, napkins
- plastic serviceware
- lysol and clorox wipes
- individually wrapped snacks, treats
- ground coffee
- microwave popcorn
- 2 liter soda
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Warming materials for guests:
- sleeping bags
- blankets
- coats
- socks
- gloves
- hats
- hand/toe warmers
Specific one-time shelter needs:
- 2 large rubber rolling carts
- 2 large dog kennels
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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 (1/16-1/22): Pam Baker | email: pam.dunkin56@gmail.com
Next week (1/23-1/29): Louise Root | email: lcr@rootandroot.com
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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
Debi Miller (friend of Marcia Mount Shoop)
Jeff (Tricia Hynes’ son)
Maria and Esteban Goicoechea (La Mariposa and her husband)
Winnie Martel (Prayers for Winnie and Susie Churchfield)
Jennifer Martin (Yvonne Smith’s daughter)
Buster Carswell (Amanda Pressley’s brother-in-law)
Jack Waskey (Anna Hamel’s father)
Brenda Young (Leslie Sharpe’s mother)
Joel Holtzclaw (Leslie Sharpe’s uncle)
Geraldine Haynes (Libby Kyles’ aunt)
Michael Riedesel (Steve Riedesel's nephew)
Leo (extended family member of Janice Kominski)
Marianne Nash (Dave Nash’s daughter)
Phil Noland (Kelly Spradlin's friend)
Jonathan Crook (Elsie Crook's son)
Seminarians
Bob Higgins
Susan Smialowicz
Laura Ross
Bill Williamson
Doris Prak
The Seddon Family
Sharon
Michelle Chromey and family
Marty Dean
Joe Brumit
GCPC has received the sad news that former GCPC member, Shannan Carlisle, died in her home in Charleston, SC on Sunday, January 9th. Many of you will remember Shannan as the daughter of the late Bill and Charlotte Carlisle, also beloved GCPC members for many years. She was also preceded in death by her brother, Mitchell. Click here to read her obituary.
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~REMIXED~
Sisters at the Sea ... in the Mountains!
Saturday, February 5, 2022
8:30 AM - 8:30 PM | @ GCPC | $25
“Shift Happens”
Are you ages 25ish-50ish and looking to connect and rejuvenate with each other, build friendships, and center your faith in the new year! Join us for our remixed retreat in February! This years theme will be “Shift Happens: Reflecting on Life in the Pandemic” facilitated by Marcia Mount Shoop.
Please plan to commit to this retreat for the day AS IF you were 4 hours away at the beach! Yes… we know… it’s not the beach. But we plan to have some Folly-like fun in store for you, some down / hang time, along with the opportunity to be led by Marcia through contemplation of the times we are in, together. Come with a spirit of camaraderie, support, reflection, and flexibility!
Questions? Contact the planning group:
Andrea Rosal, Anna Hamel, Taryn Duncan, and Elizabeth Mullen
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Winter/Spring Memoir Series | Mondays | Feb. 21, March 28, & May 2 | Location and time: TBD
Join us for a series of book talks focusing on memoirs written by people of faith. Please pre-read the book to ensure lively discussion. The church now has copies of all three books. Please contact Richard or Anna Louise if you would like to come by and borrow one of the copies.
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Presbyterian Womenʼs Circles are Zoom meetings. Please join us.
Circle 1: Second Monday of each month, 10:00 a.m.
Circle 2: First Tuesday of each month, 7:30 p.m.
Circle 3: Varies (Click here to see schedule for 2021-2022), 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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Need to set up a church zoom meeting?
Contact Anna Louise and she can get you all set up!
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Click here to read the 2021 GCPC Garden Impact Report to Volunteers.
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Community Working Together | |
Climate Revival | TONIGHT, Thursday, January 20 | 7:30 PM | Online
After another year of record-breaking climate disasters, environmental injustices are degrading our communities, God’s Creation, and democracy. This year, we’re changing the script. Let’s move from degradation to resilience, from brokenness to restoration, from death to revival! Join the Southeast Faith Leaders Network (SFLN) to launch a year of “Resilient Creation & Restored Communities: Voting for Climate Justice in 2022!" NC Interfaith Power & Light is a co-sponsor for this event.
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The 1968 Kerner Commission Report - JUSTICE DELAYED: The Unmet Promise | Wednesday, January 26 | 3:00 PM | Online
Schott kicks off its 30 anniversary year with a thought-provoking look at the Kerner Commission’s dramatic 1968 report calling out systemic racism — boldly stating it was not a lack of solutions that distances our nation from justice, but the lack of public will to implement them.
More than fifty years later, the report's warning, "Our nation is moving toward two societies, one black, one white—separate and unequal," should remind us of our country's still-unfulfilled promises and spur us to take action today.
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January 18, 2021 was National Racial Healing Day. The National Day of Racial Healing is part of the W.K. Kellogg Foundation’s Truth, Racial Healing & Transformation efforts. They have created comprehensive resources for community members, educators, business leaders, students, and more to guide conversations with family, friends, and peers on racial healing. Click here to access their resources.
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BECOME A DEFENSA COMUNITARIA VOLUNTEER
GCPC Covenant Partner "CIMA" invites you to join them in supporting community members whose lives and safety are at risk. What volunteer activities interest you? Accompaniment, Temporary Housing, Rides, Sponsorship, Food Distribution, Actions, Event Support?
Interested? Fill out the form here.
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Interfaith Initiative - Social Justice Opportunities
CLICK HERE to read the January 9th, 2022 newsletter that outlines news and opportunities for action.
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Celebrating the life and legacy of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. -
Worship service participants display the diversity of the PC(USA)
~ by Gail Strange
“With this faith we shall be able to hew out of the mountain of despair a stone of hope” was the theme for Wednesday’s special online worship service commemorating and celebrating the life and legacy of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. The theme was a quote from Dr. King’s iconic “I Have a Dream” speech delivered at the 1963 March on Washington.
Watch the 56-minute service here.
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This women’s saddle, constructed from cottonwood/willow (portion of the stirrups) and covered in rawhide, is one of the artifacts from the Wetxuuwíitin’ collection. The saddle also includes “saddle fenders” made of bison rawhide, painted and original rawhide rigging.
(Photo courtesy of the National Park Service and Nez Perce National Historical Park)
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The long road home -
Nez Perce Tribe celebrates the return of historical artifacts
~ by Gail Strange
It has been said that “justice delayed is justice denied.” However, after a great injustice against the Nez Perce Tribe, the Nimiipuu people recently celebrated the correction of a grave injustice.
On June 26, 2021, tribal members celebrated the 25th anniversary of the return and the renaming of a collection of 21 Nez Perce artifacts crafted by Nez Perce men and women in the 1800s. This collection was renamed WetxuuwÍitin’, which means “returned home after a period of captivity,” and was another important step to help shed the colonial legacy surrounding the history of these items and reclaim this important part of Nez Perce culture.
According to the 25th anniversary planning committee, the Rev. Henry Spalding, a Presbyterian missionary assigned to the Nez Perce reservation in 1836, worked to convince the Nez Perce people to convert to Christianity. As part of that conversion process, he urged — or perhaps forced — his followers to divest themselves of their traditional regalia.
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The Rev. Cyreta Oduniyi (left) and Ruling Elder Broderick Williams (right) during Good Medicine on January 12, 2022. |
Decolonizing the dream -
'When the root is deep, there is no reason to fear the wind'
~ by Pam Wineman
As Martin Luther King Jr. Day approached, a panel of young leaders gathered for the January broadcast of “Good Medicine,” hosted by the Rev. Gregory Bentley and Ruling Elder Elona Street-Stewart, Co-Moderators of the 224th General Assembly (2020).
The panel included the voices of Rev. Cyreta Oduniyi and Ruling Elder Broderick Williams from Liberty Community Church in Minneapolis; Geanna Capitan, working in community health at Laguna United Presbyterian Church at Pueblo Laguna, New Mexico; and Raine Cloud, a member of the Sisseton Wahpeton Oyate tribe on the Lake Traverse Reservation, which overlaps South and North Dakota.
Their discussion focused on how these young leaders view the world based on the work of those who came before them, grounded in this African proverb: When the root is deep, there is no reason to fear the wind.
Street-Stewart posed this: How is it that you learn how deep your roots are? “Our discussion is … not just about accessing knowledge, but it’s about ensuring that new teachings are emerging,” she said. “If we’re going to decolonize the dream, we’ve got to make sure we have the space to share this information because otherwise what’s out in the media or presented in terms of history is faulty … and not letting us see the wholeness of how rooted we are.”
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Poems for a Dangerous Time: A Gathering around the Psalms | February 20-22 | Montreat Conference Center
Inspired by the students and family of Patrick Miller, this gathering will explore the rich and varied ways biblical Psalms give voice to the cries of the believer: in lament, in anger, in praise, in rejoicing.
According to Pat’s family and his students at both Union Seminary (VA) and Princeton, nothing could honor him more than a gathering around the Psalms, exploring the way they sustain communities of faith, even – or especially – in dangerous times.
Leaders include: Brent Strawn, Nora Tubbs Tisdale, Aisha Brooks Johnson, and Martin Tel. Commuter rates are available.
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2021 Giving Statements Emailed 1/20/22
Year end giving statements for tax purposes were emailed on 1/20/22 from notifications@onrealmmail.org - please click on the blue link at the end of the email to view the PDF statement. You do not have to have a Realm log in to view the statement.
If you would prefer a hard copy of your statement printed and mailed, please call 828.254.3274 and leave a message for Natalie Weaver or email a request to nweaver@gcpcusa.org.
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HOW TO CONTACT STAFF:
The church office is open weekly for walk-ins on Tuesdays, 10am - 4pm. Our staff can also be reached by email or voicemail Monday - Friday. To leave a voicemail for a staff member to return your call, follow these steps:
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Call the main 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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