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GCPC Alive and Well This Week! |
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Welcome back Samantha! We are delighted that she and Matt have had time together to welcome Javier into the world and to adjust to the joys of parenting and being a family of three. We love you Sam! We've missed you and we are glad you're back! Your GCPC family looks forward to eventually greeting Javier (Javi or JJ, for short) and the whole family in person.
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Worship Preview | Sunday, March 21, 2021
Fifth Sunday in Lent
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Sermon: "Resonating" by Richard Coble
Scripture: John 12:20-33
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We will continue to explore what it means to Make Room in the Wilderness as we journey through Holy Week.
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Families with young children are encouraged to follow prompts for Palm Sunday, Maundy Thursday, Good Friday, Holy Saturday and Easter. Emails will continue to be sent out for each activity. Please contact amykim@gcpcusa.org with any questions.
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Holy Week Drive-Thru ~ Saturday the 27th, 12:00pm | We invite you to a Holy Week Drive-thru in the GCPC parking lot where you will be able to pick up items to enrich your experience of Holy Week including communion elements, palms and more.
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Palm Sunday ~ Sunday, March 28th, 10:45am | We will celebrate the Triumphal Entry of Palm Sunday and the beginning of the difficult week ahead on Sunday, March 28th during our 10:45am worship service on Youtube.
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Maundy Thursday ~ Thursday, April 1st, 6:30pm | We will gather over Zoom to celebrate the Last Supper where we will remember this Holy Meal, the betrayal of Jesus, and the painful events that were to come. Please note: This service honors the ancient story of Jesus’ death while recognizing the ways this narrative repeats itself again and again throughout the past and present. There will be reflections on statements from the Texas Department of Criminal Justice, which chillingly keeps records of the last words of executed offenders. We encourage all families to participate as feels appropriate for the ages of your children.
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Good Friday Tenebrae Service~ Friday, April 2nd, 7:00pm | We will mark Good Friday with remembering the final day of Jesus in word and song with a Tenebrae Service (deepening darkness). Have a candle and join us live on the church’s YouTube channel to immerse yourself in this story of our faith and redemption.
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Holy Saturday ~ Saturday, April 3rd | On your own, we invite you to take time during this Holy Saturday to recall the narrative of Holy Week. Taking time to attend to how it moves in you. We will send out an email with possible ways to mark and interact with the story through journaling, moving in the community, meditation, movement and other opportunities for practice.
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Easter Sunday ~ Sunday, April 4th, 10:45am | On Easter Sunday we will celebrate the empty tomb and the promise of resurrection during our 10:45am worship service on Youtube. Check your email for an opportunity to share videos of celebrations with us.
Please mark your calendars now for these touch-points during Holy Week. We encourage you to share them with your community near and far.
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Glory To God! Easter Challenge
Have you missed singing "Glory to God" these past few weeks in Lent? Well, we intentionally changed things up because Lent is a time of reflection and making room. We also know how exciting it will be to join our voices on Easter and once again sing this exuberant response of praise. That's where you come in--we're challenging everyone to add your voice to our praise -- not just at home -- but in recorded video form! It would be great to have additional voices added to our "Glory to God" menagere for Easter Sunday. So check out the instructions and links below and accept the challenge. We will keep adding voices for Easter Sunday and all the Sundays of Easter that follow (7 all total). . . Let's keep singing and remember that the church's song goes on even in a pandemic!
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Click below to get the video you will use to rehearse and record with: |
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Once you've made your recording, click this Google link to upload your recording of Glory to God and you're done!
Thanks for being a part of our Glory to God Challenge!
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Keeping the Faith
2021 Stewardship Campaign
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2021 BUDGETED PLEDGES MET!
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Great news!! Thanks to increases and new pledges, we now have the pledged dollars we need for the 2021 budget that Session approved. Collectively, we've raised $1,101,440.94 in pledged dollars with 249 pledges.
Funding our 2021 budget is an important way to honor our commitment to sustainability. Your pledges give us ways to plan, to partner, and to dependably resource all the ways God is calling us to be community. Thank you!
Together, with God's help, we can do amazing things.
You may notice that the goal we have reached this week for our 2021 budget is not the ultimate $1.2 million goal we set in our pledge drive this year. That $1.2 million number would mean we could fully fund all of our operating expenses without any additional unpledged giving during the year and have some money to place in reserves as well. We know we will get more pledges this year and we will keep getting closer to that ultimate goal we have as a community.
THANK YOU to each and every one of you who pledged this year- you help make all that we do and are together at GCPC possible. We are so very grateful for your generosity, your engagement, and your faith!
With gratitude,
Joe Brumit, Treasurer
Natalie Weaver, Stewardship and Financial Coordinator
Marcia Mount Shoop, Pastor/Head of Staff
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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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One Great Hour of Sharing is the single, largest way that Presbyterians come together every year to work for a better world.
February 17 - April 4, 2021
As Jesus says in Matthew 25, the Church belongs with those in need — whether it is offering relief from natural disasters or the ravages of war; access to food, water and healthcare; or coping with the pandemic. Through our gifts to One Great Hour of Sharing, we are there because we are the Church, together.
Join with Presbyterians worldwide in sharing God’s love with our
neighbors-in-need around the world.
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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)
Addi Hopkins (friend of the Kyremes-Parks family)
The Hopkins family on the death of their daughter Stephanie (friends of the Kyremes-Parks family)
Phil and Pat Cocke (Jerry 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)
Family of Larry Mueller
Bob Higgins
Florence and Steve Riedesel
Roslyn Carney
Susan Smialowicz
Laura Ross
Bill Williamson
Queen Mother Maggie Belle Gladden
John Mount Shoop
Kimo Hyatt
Elizabeth Fisher
Allen Johnson
Matt Wiedle
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Lenten Adult Education - Lent of Liberation | Sundays | February 21- March 28 | 9:00 AM | via Zoom
Beginning Sunday, Feb. 21 and going through the Sundays of Lent, conveners of the Me and White Supremacy groups will be leading discussions of the daily devotional Lent of Liberation by Cheri Mills.
This Lenten devotional invites readers to understand and reflect on the ongoing legacy of slavery in America today. Each of the forty devotions includes the testimony of a person who escaped slavery through the Underground Railroad, a Scripture passage, and a reflection connecting biblical and historical themes to challenge modern readers to the work of liberation in themselves and their communities.
Join Zoom Meeting
Meeting ID: 917 3507 6887 | Passcode: 789
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Sunday Evening Bible Study & Prayer Group | Sundays | 5:00 PM via Zoom
Our Bible Study and Prayer Group will be focusing on how selected passages from the Gospel of John speak to our spiritual lives and needs today. Our hope is that this group is a time of support, contemplation, and fellowship, where we can feel the movement of the Spirit and ready ourselves for another week. So please, join us as you can. Contact Richard with questions.
Our last meeting together will be THIS Sunday, March 21st.
Join Zoom Meeting
Meeting ID: 914 8271 3055 | Passcode: 789
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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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Due to the Friday Night Virtual Youth Lock-In, there will be NO Youth Group Programming this Sunday evening (March 21)!
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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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SIGN UP FOR SUMMER OPPORTUNITIES! |
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Middle School Massanetta Youth Conference (Week 3: July 8-11):
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Senior High Montreat Youth Conference (Week 5: July 25-31):
This is for youth who have completed 9th, 10th, 11th & 12th grade by this summer. The theme for 2021 is "Called to Connect," and we will be renting a house in Montreat together for the week. The schedule includes morning energizers, music, keynote, small groups, recreation, evening worship, and many other fun activities. The discounted cost is $510 if you register HERE by March 31, 2021 (cost goes up $10 each month). Full/partial scholarships are available.
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Community Working Together |
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Faith 4 Justice’s Invitation to Love: A Community of Praxis
Praxis of embodying love and dismantling white supremacy in ourselves, our families, our communities of faith and the world!
Do you continue to struggle with being loving while you attempt to address the ways white supremacy shows up in you, your family, your church, etc? Rev. Tami Forte Logan and Faith 4 Justice are now offering an opportunity for you to participate in a six-month facilitated intensive. Join us as we build trusting relationships, foster collective healing in community and practice tools to help us dismantle the multiple forms of white supremacy culture in our daily lives and our faith institutions.
Each session will include grounding and body-centered work, historical and contemporary content to advance our shared analysis, individual and group reflection and opportunities to activate and deepen our faith.
The cost for this series is $500. Limited to 12 participants. Deadline to register is April 2nd.
2021 sessions will be held on 2nd Thursdays from 6:00 PM to 8:00PM as follows: April 8th, May 13th, June 10th, July 8th, Aug 12th, Sept 9th
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Equity Over Everything presents
The Folding Chair Session | March 21, 2021 | 6:00 - 8:00 PM | Free Virtual Event
"If they don't give you a seat at the table, bring a folding chair." -Shirley Chisholm
Join members of the Martin Luther King, Jr. Association of Asheville and Buncombe County as they partner with the Asheville View, the Lenoir-Rhyne Equity and Diversity Institute (LREDI), and other equity advocates for the next virtual Folding Chair Session, a community networking event featuring guest speakers and discussions surrounding equity and inclusion. Two of the speakers will be Dr. Stephanie Baker, Assistant Professor of Public Health studies, Elon University, and Dr. Patsy Polston, a public health environmental microbiologist, Department of Health Behavior, Elon University, as they discuss disparities related to the COVID-19 Pandemic in Black communities.
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WCU to name archaeological facility after original Cherokee town name
Western Carolina University has garnered approval from Tribal Council and the Cherokee Speakers group to name the newly re-opened archaeological collections curation facility the Tali Tsisgwayahi Archaeological (Two Sparrows Town) Collections. The name reflects the original name of the area in the Cherokee language. Read the full article here.
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City of Asheville Equity Focused Budget Sessions
The City will host 6 Equity-Focused Budget Sessions
- March 18 - 6:00-7:30 p.m.
- March 24 - 6:00-7:30 p.m.
- March 25 - 10:00-11:30 a.m.
- April 20 - 6:00-7:30 p.m.
- April 22 - 6:00-7:30 p.m.
- April 23 - 10:00-11:30 a.m.
and be sure to share with your friends and neighbors!
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MICROWAVES NEEDED!!
Is there a microwave – still in good condition but currently unused – languishing in your basement while it awaits a new life? We have a great match for that handy appliance – serving residents at the Red Roof Inn. As you know, a number of Asheville residents have been living at RRI since the pandemic struck last spring. These folks need means for heating meals – and your extra oven is an ideal solution.
To give an oven, please drop it off at GCPC Monday – Thursday, anytime between 9 am and 3 pm - ON A CLEAR DAY, please, as we avoid rain. Leave it at the office door where the two large black mailboxes are located. Please contact Cliff at 828-279-2573 when you arrive with your oven.
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Several of you have donated microwaves in excellent condition. Your generosity and open hearts transcend language. We send huge hugs of appreciation.
If you have intended to drop off an oven but have done so yet, please be in touch at your earliest convenience. Next week is our final call.
With gratitude,
Beth Philipsen and Tish Anderson
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Snack Donations Needed!
The virtual learning center at Land of the Sky could use help with snack donations. All nutritious snacks are welcome (please no applesauce). Snacks can be dropped off at 15 Overbrook Place. Questions? Please contact GCPC member, Mesheala Sundblade at 828-273-4166.
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UNC Asheville hosts “Worlds ~ Words” - a multilingual indigenous speaker series
UNC Asheville will host three virtual talks with indigenous activists and writers in March as part of its “Worlds ~ Words” multilingual indigenous speaker series.
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Thursday, March 25 | 12:00 PM - Mexican and indigenous poet and essayist Judith Santopietro will present “Tiawanaku." Santopietro’s work has appeared in publications such as Anuario de Poesía Mexicana 2006 from Fondo de Cultura Económica, Rio Grande Review, La Jornada, and The Brooklyn Rail, and she is the author of Palabras de Agua. She received the National Poetry Award Lázara Meldiú in 2014, and was a finalist in the International Literary Award “Aura Estrada” in 2017.
For more information, click HERE.
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BeLoved Asheville,
GCPC Covenant Partner
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Guatemala Microloan Project Alternative Giving Cards
The Guatemala Microloan Project is a joint project of Presbyterian Women from Suchitepequez and Sur Occidente Presbyteries, and the Presbytery of Western North Carolina.
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For Easter, consider sending these with a note of thanks to people who have encouraged and shaped your faith, and for Mother’s Day to ‘special women’ in your life or in the life of the church.
Featured on the cards is Lety and her two sons. Lety, a single mother, has participated in the microloan project for 5 years and grown in many ways. All donations provide Guatemalan women like Lety opportunities to grow in self-esteem, hope, and freedom and enable them to develop sources of economic income for themselves and their families.
If you have questions or would like to order cards, please contact Mimi Michael by email at mimimichael@charter.net. A minimum donation of $10 per card is suggested; checks may be made out to PW PWNC with “Guatemala Microloan Project” in the memo.
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Caring for creation -
12 ways Presbyterians are taking environmental action
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Although the world’s ecological problems often feel overwhelming and over-politicized, reclaiming our roles as stewards of Creation does not have to be so. In honor of Earth Day Sunday, which is April 25, Presbyterians Today shares 12 ways that Presbyterians are doing their part to “till the garden” and care for Creation. Read the full article here.
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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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Brokerage Account Changes | BB&T Now Truist
As of 2/24/21, BB&T Securities brokerage accounts are now owned by Truist Investment Services. Our DTC and brokerage receiving account number have changed as a part of the transition. If you would like the updated information for stock or mutual fund donations, please contact Natalie.
Don't forget, you should always let Natalie know the quantity, type, and fund designation for donations when you request a transfer into our brokerage account- many times the donor information isn't visible on our end and we may have a hard time getting it properly applied to your account without a heads up.
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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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HOW TO CONTACT STAFF DURING OFFICE 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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