|
Happy Friday Central UMC!
Join us this Sunday as we remember, in community, the Saints who've come before us. We will also be blessing our prayer shawls that serve as a source of comfort and a sign of God's love in times of struggle.
Check out this sermon preview from Pastor Lisa to learn more.
See you Sunday at 10am for worship at Central UMC, then join us after worship for the Table 2 Table meal in the Fellowship Hall.
We hope to see you there!
| | | |
|
Access the latest Stories from Central
(Jot & Tittle) issue, Nov/Dec 2025 here.
| | A Letter from Pastor Mary | | |
At worship on Sunday, November 9 we'll invite you to participate in the ministries of Central UMC with your gifts. This pledge card is a most important tool that can shift your financial contribution
into an act of participation.
We often balk at the idea of completing a pledge card. We're reluctant to commit, especially when it comes to our finances! It might help to reflect on the financial commitments you currently make to cell phone providers, streaming services, gyms, and shopping subscriptions - in addition to essentials like utilities and mortgage/rent. If we can commit to those things, can we also commit to God through an offering?
When you make an ongoing financial commitment to something, you create a relationship. That's a big benefit of a pledge card! It's also a way to make God a priority in a most important area of your
life: your finances.
Please give this prayerful consideration and make an extra effort to join us in worship on November 9. And above all, know that I am deeply grateful for your giving, no matter what! You help the ministries of Central UMC happen.
Much love,
| | |
Instructions for registering your pledge online.
Registering your pledge online is simple!
| | |
2. If you’ve used Realm before, you’ll be logged in automatically. If you have trouble logging in, contact Jan Griffin at JGriffin@CentralUMC.org.
3.Enter your pledge amount.
4.Choose the frequency of your pledge.
5.Select your start and end dates. The default is 1/1/2026 to 12/31/2026, but you may adjust these if needed.
6.Click Save Pledge.
And that’s it—you’re done! It’s that easy.
| | Check out our latest ministry updates! | |
Memorial Service for Mary Beth Tanner
A memorial service will be held for
Mary Beth Tanner on Saturday, November 1st at 2pm preceded by a reception in the Fellowship Hall at 1pm.
| | |
Table 2 Table
Sunday, November 2 @ 11:15 AM (Fellowship Hall)
🍽 Enjoy a delicious meal provided by the Equal Plates Project as we gather around the table for food, fellowship, and learning.
A suggested donation of $10 per person helps support Equal Plates' important work—kids 4 and under eat free. Menu will be: Taco bar.
| | |
Reconciling Ministry Group
Sunday, November 2 @ 11:45 AM (Room 219)
🏳🌈Join us to reflect on our 2025 actions and discuss next steps. Gathering on the first Sunday of each month, this group affirms LGBTQIA+ people, their families, and allies as we continue growing in love, inclusion, and faith together. All are welcome to join the conversation!
| | |
First Fridays Family Fellowship
Friday, November 7 @ 5:00 PM
Join us for First Fridays Family Fellowship, a monthly gathering for families to relax, connect, and enjoy time together.
This month we’ll meet at Whistle Hop Brewery in Fairview at 5:00 PM. It’s a family-friendly spot that features a great play area for kids. Come for fun, food, and fellowship!
| | |
Sharing God's Love Behind Bars - Kairos and BCC Prison Ministry Christmas Outreach
Central’s Kairos Ministry is partnering with BCC Prison Ministry to share Christmas joy with inmates and staff at Craggy Correctional Center.
You can help by donating boxed cookies, candy, nuts, gum, or 16-ounce bottled drinks—all store-bought and unopened. (Please, no homemade goods, fruit, cosmetics, or money.)
A donation box is in the Fellowship Hall. Questions? Contact Stewart Humphrey at jshumphrey1@hotmail.com.
| | |
UWF Upcoming Meetings
Eve Circle | TUES., NOV. 4 | 10:00 AM
Eve Circle will meet on Tues. Nov. 4 at 10:00 a.m. in the parlor at Central. The program will be an update report by Gaston Warner, CEO of Zoe. His presentation will begin at 10:45 following the business meeting. Contact skleduc@prodigy.net if you are interested or have questions. All are welcome!
Ruth Circle | TUES., NOV. 4 | 10:00 AM
Please join UWF's Ruth Circle friends in the CUMC library! Our guest speaker will be Maggie Christy, Director of Children and Youth Discipleship. In November we will collect bottles of gravy and KRAFT Mac and Cheese for the ABCCM Thanksgiving Food Boxes.
Other food items are also welcomed. We believe love in action can change the world! For more information about Ruth Circle or our meetings, please contact Kim Everette at kimeverette525@gmail.com.
Deborah Circle | TUES., NOV. 11 | 10:00 AM
Deborah Circle meets on the second Tuesday of each month in a member's home. All are welcome! This month we'll honor veterans in our families and celebrate the freedoms they've helped secure.
We also give thanks for our participation in the World Thank Offering and Moheto Chicken Project. Join us again on Dec. 9 for Christmas fellowship and on Dec. 17 for the annual United Women in Faith Christmas Brunch.
Martha Circle Dinner| TUES., NOV. 19 | 6:00 PM
Martha Circle meets on the second Tuesday of each month in Central's Library or at a member's home. We'll welcome Maggie Christy, Central's Director of Children and Youth ministries as our guest. We'll also discuss upcoming plans for our December Appetizer and Dessert Fiesta, January's New Year Soup Supper, service projects for ABCCM and the C4C Angel Tree, and much more. We welcome old friends and new members anytime. Please reach out to Kathy Leftwich at kathleencleftwich@gmail.com with any questions! See you soon!
Unnamed Women's Circle Dinner| TUES., NOV. 19 | 6:00 PM
The Unnamed Women’s Circle will gather for dinner and conversation on Tuesday, November 19. All are welcome to join this time of fellowship and connection. The group plans to meet at a local Asheville restaurant (details to be shared soon). Come enjoy good company, laughter, and meaningful conversation with women of Central! If you are interested, please contact Sarah Caraway at sarahstrickland92@gmail.com.
| | | |
Three Church Concert & Service, Habitat Fundraiser
Friday, November 7th, 7:00PM
Join us for a special evening of music, worship, and community partnership as First Presbyterian Church, Trinity Episcopal Church, and Central United Methodist Church come together for a joint concert and worship service benefiting Asheville Area Habitat for Humanity.
This collaborative event celebrates the shared mission of faith communities working side by side to build homes, hope, and stability for our neighbors. Enjoy inspiring choral and instrumental music from each congregation, a message of unity, and an opportunity to give toward Habitat’s life-changing work right here in Western North Carolina.
Come be part of something that builds more than houses—it builds community. ❤️
| | | |
friendsGIVING Silent Auction & Sponsorships:
Join us for special evening of connection and generosity at Central UMC’s friendsGIVING on Wednesday, November 12 at 6:00 PM. We’ll gather at the Highland Brewing Co. event center to enjoy music, hearty appetizers, and inspiring stories from some of the mission partners that we support. Come ready to bid on some exciting silent auction items!
This will be a meaningful opportunity to make new friends and give to causes that matter.
Suggested donation is $25. Register at centralumc.org/EVENTS or scan the QR Code.
| |
Are you ready for a weekend to relax, recharge, and reignite?
Do you need some time for spiritual renewal?
Join us at Lake Junaluska for a Journey to Joy: Blessed Not Stressed, a time set apart for worship, laughter, learning and deep spiritual connection.
This retreat, led by Leigh W. Young, will offer space to rest, grow, and rediscover the joy that God promises us. Together, we’ll share in community, encourage one another, and leave refreshed for the journey ahead. For more information, visit LakeJunaluska.com/joy. Come ready to be blessed—not stressed. See you at the Lake!
Click Here for more information or go to LakeJunaluska.com/joy.
| |
Filling Emma Elementary's Clothes Closet
Congregations 4 Children (C4C) invites your help in stocking Emma Elementary’s Clothes Closet with essential items for students in need. While our annual drive usually collects coats, Emma Elementary is fully supplied this year. So instead of coats, we’re focusing on stocking their Clothes Closet with other essentials that students need most.
What’s needed:
-NEW Shoes: Sizes 5/6, 7/8, 12, 13, and 1 & 2.
-NEW Pants: Sweatpants or stretchy pants (no jeans). Sizes 5/6, 7/8, 10/12, 14/16.
-NEW Shirts: Boys’ and girls’ sizes Small, Medium, and Large.
-NEW Lunch Boxes: Zippered all the way around, any color.
When to donate: Donations are welcome now through October 31, 2025.
Where to donate: Collection bins for the Emma Clothes Closet are located in the Fellowship Hall.
Thank you for helping meet the needs of children in our community!
| | |
Angel Tree Gift Collection
Central’s Congregations for Children (C4C) committee is once again organizing our annual Angel Tree Gift Collection for children living in foster care through Black Mountain Children’s Home (BMCH).
This year marks our 7th annual collection, and we extend a heartfelt thank you in advance to everyone who participates. Thanks to your generosity, we help provide a joyful and memorable Christmas for 25 local foster children each year. The children and their foster families are always deeply grateful for your kindness.
Gifts will be delivered to BMCH early in December. You can sign up to select a child and participate in the Angel Tree on Sundays throughout November in the Fellowship Hall, or contact Jill Dudley at C4C@centralumc.org for more information.
Your generosity makes this beautiful tradition possible year after year—thank you for helping share the magic of Christmas!
| | |
Central Creation Care Eco-Tip:
Reuse your Hallowe’en pumpkin: bake the seeds, or cook the pulp and make cookies or muffins. Compost what you are not able to eat or use. As always, be grateful for God’s creation and the foods we are given to enjoy.
| | | |
ABCCM Needs Your Food Donations
SNAP benefits expire on November 1. ABCCM needs your food donations. What you leave in the big wooden tub each Sunday is picked up and delivered to ABCCM on Monday. Everything is welcome. If you want to donate fresh things bring them to Crisis at 24 Cumberland.
Another option: Buncombe County is asking for food to help feed our neighbors until SNAP is restored. They are asking that items be dropped off at the Public Libraries in Buncombe County. The food that is collected will go to MANNA. If you buy canned goods be sure they have a pop top on them. Not everyone has a can opener.
| | |
A Message from our
Prayer Shawl Ministry
A shawl from our Prayer Shawl Care Ministry can bring you physical warmth. But it can also warm your heart knowing you are not alone.
We would love to wrap God’s love around you or someone you know when experiencing a difficult period of life. Please contact Pastor Lisa so we can get a shawl out to you.
| | | | | |
