| | View the weekly checklist of important upcoming dates and deadlines for clergy, wardens, and staff. | | | |  | |
Banners & Banner Stands
Please bring parish banner and banner stand to line the gym at convention!
Whova
We have not launched the 2025 Convention in Whova yet. We will send an email to all delegates when it is launched. In the meantime, all necessary info is on the convention page, including nominations, resolutions, and Whova tutorials.
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What Kelsey does in her job:
I serve as the Bishop’s Deputy for Disaster Response & Recovery in the Episcopal Diocese of Western North Carolina and am an Episcopal priest. In this role, I coordinate diocesan efforts to prepare for, respond to, and recover from disasters, working with congregations and communities to build resilience and offer compassionate support.
What Kelsey loves about hers job:
Bearing witness to resiliency, compassion, and God's presence in our communities every day.
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We are so thrilled to announce that the Multicultural Center at Church of the Epiphany in Newton led by the Rev. Oscar Rozo has received 1 of 11 Becoming Beloved Community grants approved by the Episcopal Church's Executive Council.
"Projects include renewal of a multicultural center impacted by Hurricane Helene; curriculum and educational programs highlighting race history; health screenings in migrant farm communities; and a youth program partnership that focuses on addressing food insecurity; among many more."
| | We are still accepting orders of the "Bearing Witness: Helene Story Series" cards. You may order them or visit the dedicated the webpage through the buttons below. | | Disaster Response Spotlight | | While food insecurity is a constant, especially in the wake of Helene, it is an imminent crisis as the government shutdown is halting funding for many feeding programs. Thousands of food insecure households in Buncombe County alone are about to lose weekly, necessary food. Two of our critical community partners are Asheville Food Connection and Bounty & Soul. Both face losing significant government funding, and need financial assistance to continue feeding our greater Western North Carolina community. Would you consider generously giving to either of these important nonprofits? | | This Week Around the Diocese | |
Fostering Connections:
Bilingual Eucharist in Hendersonville Deanery
Several times a year, four sister churches in Henderson County gather for a bilingual eucharist and shared meal; the events are a special opportunity to celebrate community in the parish and foster connections among congregants. On the evening of Oct. 16, St. James Hendersonville hosted the Bilingual Eucharist with members from La Capilla de Santa Maria, St. Paul Tabernacle A.M.E. Zion, and St. Paul’s Edneyville. The churches started convening for these events around a decade ago in response to a diocesan anti-bias training. Following the service, a potluck meal was shared by those present.
“In a time of division and partisan rancor, this service is an opportunity for parishes with different backgrounds and languages to show one another support, solidarity, and shared worship of the one living God,” says The Rev. David Henson of St. James. “The service continues to bear beautiful fruit thanks to our lay leadership who have kept it thriving through leadership changes at each of the four parishes involved.”
Read the Full Story on the Diocesan Blog
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High School Fall Conference
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A weekend retreat for high schoolers where we will discover our connection with:
the sky above us - God, Heaven, loved ones gone before us
the earth below us - our responsibility to creation, community, and one another
the fire within us -our calling, passion, and the Spirit moving through us
Email Charlotte Garcia with questions.
Cost: $225 per person
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November 21-23
Lake Logan Conference Center
| | Becoming Beloved Community Workshop | |
This workshop includes interactive exercises, videos, and small group discussions. Participants explore how institutional and systemic racism impedes our ability to create an inclusive community. Facilitators from the Building Beloved Community Committee hope to raise awareness that dismantling racism is a spiritual discipline grounded in our Baptismal Covenant.
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November 14 | 6:30-8:30 p.m.
Online
AND
November 15 | 9:30 a.m. - 3:00 p.m.
Parish of the Holy Communion
Holy Trinity, West Jefferson
| | To submit an event, please review the submission guidelines and email event details and a photo for consideration to katie@diocesewnc.org. This space is reserved for diocesan, parish, and conference center events. | | Linda Lassiter Hill Organ Recital | St. James Artist-in-Residence Tate Addis will play works by McKinley, Cochereau, Gounod, Bingham, Edmundson, and J. S. Bach, including the Toccata & Fugue in D Minor and Passacaglia and Fugue in C Minor. The organ console will be moved for all to see; no tickets are required; reception follows the concert. Wear your spookiest finest! | |
October 30 | 7 p.m.
St. James, Hendersonville
| | | Annual BBQ at Calvary Fletcher | |
Adults eat for $15, children ages 12 & under eat for $5. You can dine in or take out. Menu includes pulled pork, potato salad, beans, coleslaw, and banana pudding. Proceeds this year will benefit the Asheville Habitat for Humanity Episcopal House.
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November 1 | 4-6 p.m.
Calvary, Fletcher
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Join the choir and organist, Dr. Joby Bell for Fauré's Requiem sung in concert format in honor of All Souls Day, with a reading of the necrology.
Focusing on rest and peace, rather than sin and judgement, the work is dramatic as well as uplifting. The church is on Main Street in Blowing Rock, and everyone is welcome.
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November 2 | 3 p.m.
St. Mary of the Hills, Blowing Rock
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St. Matthias Concert series continues with Dinah's Daydream, Asheville's premier gypsy jazz band. Admission is free. Donations will support the restoration of this historic church in the heart of the East End Valley Street neighborhood.
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November 2 | 4:00 p.m.
St. Matthias, Asheville
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The Episcopal Church Women of Grace will be hosting a rummage sale in the parish hall. Proceeds help send our youth to Camp Henry as well as assisting with outreach and church projects.
Everyone is invited to attend!
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November 8 | 8 a.m.-12 p.m.
Grace, Asheville
| | | Centerpiece Jazz Benefit Concert | This is a free concert, but donations are highly encouraged. The Backpack Ministry is currently serving Hillcrest Elementary School with 167 bags filled with food items. This important Ministry enables food-insecure students to have access to nutritious food items on the weekends. | |
December 7 | 5 p.m.
Grace, Morganton
| | | | Leadership in Ministry is a twice-a-year, peer-based clergy leadership development program. It is part of the Pastoral Excellence Program of the Center for Lifelong Learning of Columbia Theological Seminary. Many participants have attended for several years, with some participating for over a decade, reaping the benefits of long-term commitment to person and professional growth. | April 27-29 AND October 12-14, 2026 | | Have a story or event to share? | | Thank you for being a part of our Diocese! | | | | |
