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GCPC Alive and Well This Week! |
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YTL youth working in the GCPC Community Garden! 4/14 |
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Worship Preview | Sunday, April 18, 2021
Third Sunday of Easter
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Sermon: "Seeing Yellow" by Marcia Mount Shoop
Scripture: 1 John 3:1-7
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WAYS TO PLEDGE FOR 2021:
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Sign into your Realm account online or on the Realm Connect mobile app and enter a pledge under the Giving tab. Detailed instructions with photos are here.
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Email Natalie Weaver your total pledge amount and planned giving frequency (i.e. weekly, monthly) to have her enter it on your behalf.
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Contact the Finance Office at 828-254-3274, ext. 202 or nweaver@gcpcusa.org to request a printed pledge card be mailed to your home address.
Click here to watch a video example of how to pledge in Realm.
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Recurring Weekly Zooms:
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Sundays "Adult Education" @ 9:00 am (Resumes April 18th)
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Sundays "Pre-K - 3rd Grade Sunday Morning Adventure" @ 10:15 am (email Anna Louise for zoom info)
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Sundays "4th and 5th Grade Connect Class" @ 5:00 pm (email Anna Louise for zoom info)
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Sundays "Youth Group" @ 5:00 pm - email Cat Kessler for zoom info) (Resumes April 18th)
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Wednesdays “Zoom Bible Study” @ 3:00 pm
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Wednesdays "Choir Chat" @ 7:30 pm
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Every other Thursday "Men of GCPC" @ 8:30 am
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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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Spiritual/Pastoral Support |
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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.
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Prayer List
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
Marcia Zuzel (friend of Kim Hottle and Melissa Shook)
Ryan Lockett (nephew of Denise Lockett)
Jennifer Martin (Yvonne Smith's daughter)
Truly and Eric Mount (Marcia Mount Shoop’s parents)
Bertilda Arteta (Marta Alcala-Williams' mother)
Paul Rogers’ Mom (in Arkansas)
Sheldon Smith (Beth Robrecht’s brother-in-law)
Phil and Pat Cocke (Jerry and Susie Bleckley’s friend)
Jennings Palmer and his family (friends of Kathy Jacobs)
Lynne Norris (friend of Mary Lou Nash)
John Hamel (Tim Hamel’s father)
David Good (Amber Cook’s dad)
Midgie Swartz (Allison Blozy’s aunt)
John Nelson (friend of Steve and Florence Riedesel)
Rhett Milner (Lynn Milner’s nephew)
Adela Gaiser (Robin and Gordon Gaiser’s granddaughter)
Buster Carswell (Amanda Pressley’s brother-in-law)
Family of Patricia Ruthvin (Mary Byers’ sister)
Charles Williams (Libby Kyles' father)
Thomasine Paxton Harkins (Lynn Hollifield’s mom)
The family of Josephine Paxton Green (Lynn Hollifield’s Mom's twin sister, who passed away March 31)
Pam Holcombe and family (upon the death of her son Ian McGrayne)
Emily Middleton (Anna Hamel’s aunt)
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
Susie Wheelis
Dan Blake
Betsy Rhodes
Pam McGill
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Spring Adult Education Series: Responding in Faith to Asheville's Racist History | Sundays | April 18 & 25, May 9 | 9:00 AM | Zoom
Asheville's entrenchment in the legacy of slavery and white supremacy is illuminated and upheld in its names and monuments. How far and how deep do these legacies go? How are white dominant communities of faith called to listen to and support Black voices in our town that call out these legacies? This spring, we will dive deeper into this history and learn more about ongoing efforts for repair and reparation in the city of Asheville.
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April 25: Representatives from the Vance Monument Task Force and the City Council will come to talk about the process of discernment around tearing down the Vance Monument and provide an update on its removal.
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May 2: Youth Sunday / Anniversary Sunday - no adult education
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May 9: The Rev. Tami Forte Logan from Faith4Justice will lead a discussion about the ongoing efforts toward reparations for BIPOC communities following the City Council's vote to make reparation for the devastation wrought by the legacies of white supremacy, including slavery, Jim Crow, and urban renewal. The conversation will include ongoing conversation about the Haywood St. project and other initiatives and obstacles for reparations in our town.
Join Zoom Meeting
Meeting ID: 969 6572 5763 | Passcode: 789
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Enneagram Gathering for GCPC Parents | Wednesday, May 12 | 6:30-8:30 PM | via Zoom
Facilitated by Carol Hovis, all parents are welcome. If you don't know your enneagram type, contact Carol. Email Carol if you would like to participate.
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The Racial Justice Book Series returns!
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 meet on zoom during the Sunday school hour the last Sunday of each month. The first book is a great and lengthy one, so go ahead and get started!
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Presbyterian Women’s 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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Children & Youth Formation |
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Pre-K - 3rd Grade Sunday Morning Adventure | 10:15 am | Zoom
You'll get an email every Friday with the Zoom link for our Sunday 10:15am check in. Email Anna Louise if you did not receive the link.
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4th & 5th Graders CONNECT Class | Sundays | 5:00-5:45pm | Zoom
Each week, families will receive an email with a unique login for class. If you would like to be on the list, please email Anna Louise.
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Youth Group | Sunday, April 18 | 5:00-6:30 PM | Zoom
We're looking forward to seeing everyone at Youth Group this week after a few weeks away! We'll play some games and check in with one another before continuing our preparations for Youth Sunday on May 2nd!
**NOTE: Please bring headphones and a smartphone, if you have access to one, to Youth Group this week!
It is vital that all youth taking part in Youth Sunday be present this Sunday evening! If you have any concerns, please email Samantha this week.
Contact Cat Kessler for zoom information or if you have questions.
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SIGN UP FOR CONFIRMATION (Fall 2021): |
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Attention current 8th-11th graders! Because of the pandemic, we are moving Confirmation to Fall 2021, with some special programming in the late Spring and a request to participate in one of the summer conferences (info below).
Our theme for the year is "Faith Voyage." This will be a sacred and exciting time to explore your faith in community. And it is a whole lot of fun!
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Community Working Together |
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Easter Liberation Bible Study | Tuesdays | April 6 - May 18th | 5:30-7:00 PM
Come to some or all!
How we read the Bible matters. Where we come from and our life experiences inform the way we understand what we read in the Holy Bible and shapes the way we follow the teachings of Jesus. Liberation Theology is a theology grounded in the insight that God sides with the poor and marginalized throughout scripture.
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Christians For A United Community Online Book Club | starting Sunday April 18th | 2:00 - 3:30 PM
Hosted by Tyrone Greenlee, Director, Christians for a United Community
The title of the book will be "The Case for Reparations" written by Ta-Nehisi Coates as a piece for the The Atlantic Monthly in 2014 -see attached.
(Please read through page 25 in preparation for the first discussion.)
Reparations is a timely and important topic-in our nation and in our community. All are welcome to be a part of this discussion.
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Racial Justice Coalition News
The Racial Justice Coalition has created this 10-minute video to provide its vision for reparations in Asheville and Buncombe County.
To support this effort and receive periodic updates, sign up here.
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Voices for Economic Justice Training | begins April 21
Just Economics presents this free, virtual, 8-week workshop focused on providing education and skills in community organizing and leadership to people who consider themselves low-income or low-wage workers. The goal is to bring together people who have similar struggles, to build power, and to change the systems that impact all our lives.
As economic disparities are historically intertwined with racial inequities, RJC believes that economic justice is a critical component of racial justice and encourages our supporters to attend this workshop being hosted by another organization in our community doing important work.
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adrienne maree brown’s keynote lecture
The free and virtual lecture will be hosted by UNC Asheville and will be streamed live on Facebook here. This lecture will explore organizing in the context of science fiction and radical imagination, centering the contributions of queer and trans activists, thought leaders, and artists of color as central parts of liberation movements past and present.
Radical imagination is a central component of racial justice. No registration is needed for this event; you can tune in to the Facebook link for the live stream.
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YWCA USA’s 15th annual Stand Against Racism campaign will take place April 22 – 25, 2021.
We invite YWCAs and allied groups to focus their events and organizing on the myriad of racial justice issues that impact the health and safety of communities of color. Most importantly, we invite you to explore how From Declarations to Change: Addressing Racism as a Public Health Crisis can advance the work of justice in your community and empower people of color.
Structural racism plays a large role in determining the conditions in which people are born, grow, work, live, and age. These factors affect people’s access to quality housing, education, food, transportation, political power, and other social determinants of health. Understanding and addressing systemic racism from this public health perspective is crucial to eliminating racial and ethnic inequities, and to improving opportunity and well-being across communities.
Our collective efforts can root out injustice, transform institutions, and create a world that sees women, girls, and people of color the way we do: Equal. Powerful. Unstoppable.
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BeLoved Asheville ACTION ALERT
Join BeLoved AVL in advocating to City Council and the Asheville City Manager and Assistant City Manager on behalf of homeless campers who are facing eviction in multiple camps in the midst of the pandemic.
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Working Wheels
Do you have an extra car that needs to find a new home? Imagine how difficult your life would be without a car!
Working Wheels repairs and recycles donated cars, transforming them into working wheels for working families. The process is simple, the donation is tax-deductible, and the impact is real. We also need volunteer drivers and administrative help.
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COVID-19 Vaccinations for those who are homebound
Buncombe County Public Health, in collaboration with Buncombe County Emergency Services and Mission Health Partners’ Caramedics, is providing COVID-19 vaccinations at no charge to individuals who are homebound or have difficulty getting out of their home to access vaccine. We can also vaccinate caregivers in the home at the same time.
If individuals would like to be added to the list for homebound vaccination, they (or their caregivers) should contact the Buncombe County Ready Team at 828-419-0095 and provide their name, address, date of birth and phone number. Ready Team staff group the individuals on the list by location in the county and contact individuals by phone to schedule them for vaccination.
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GCPC Community Garden News |
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Yesterday was an amazing day in the garden!
YTL got an orientation to the garden and started getting their hands dirty, planting seeds and believe it or not - enjoying weeding!
A special thanks to Jim McDowell who came a couple hours early to till and prep Bed #1 for the seeds and joined Betsy Wilson and Judy Major in mentoring the young planters.
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Summertime Stewardship
Are you looking forward to time outside and away from screens, but worried 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
TEXT "giveGCPC" to 73256 on your mobile device, then follow the prompts
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2020 Giving Statement Requests
We've received requests for another copy of 2020 Giving Statements as a part of tax preparation. These were emailed via Realm on 1/21/21, but can also be accessed anytime in the software easily. To download directly from Realm, just log in at onrealm.org/gcpcusa.org, click Giving, then select the blue 2020 Contribution Statement button on the top right. That will generate a downloadable PDF.
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If you need assistance or prefer a mailed copy, please contact Natalie and she would be happy to help.
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Remote Giving
Here are a few different ways to stay up-to-date on your giving remotely:
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MAIL gifts to the office at 789 Merrimon Ave, Asheville, NC 28804
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BANK BILL PAY mails checks remotely, one-time or on a recurring schedule - contact your bank to set this up
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ONLINE at https://onrealm.org/gcpcusa/give/now
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TEXT "giveGCPC" and AMOUNT to 73256 (i.e. giveGCPC $100)
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MOBILE through the Connect - Our Church Community app
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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Yearning for Home: The Cry of the Earth (Episode 2 in John Philip Newell’s Series ‘Spiritual Exile & Seeds of Promise’) | Saturday, May 8 | 1:00 PM | via Zoom | Cost: $25
In February 2021 John Philip offered a livestream presentation attended by hundreds of women and men throughout the world on the subject of spiritual exile and promise today. The response was so great that he is planning a series to explore, one at a time, the yearnings that have led countless numbers of people into an experience of exile from the religious tradition of their inheritance, whether in literally leaving church or in looking well beyond its bounds for vision and nourishment. Episode 2 will explore the longing for a spirituality that deeply reconnects us to the sacredness of the earth as home in the belief that paying faithful attention to our yearnings will lead to new beginnings.
All those who register for ‘Yearning for Home: The Cry of the Earth’ will be sent a recording of the introductory Episode 1 as well as a link to the live session for Episode 2 on May 8th 2021.
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HOW TO CONTACT STAFF DURING BUILDING CLOSURE:
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:
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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 | 828.254.3274
789 Merrimon Ave. Asheville, NC 28804
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