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Praying
It doesn’t have to be
the blue iris, it could be
weeds in a vacant lot, or a few
small stones; just
pay attention, then patch
a few words together and don’t try
to make them elaborate, this isn’t
a contest but the doorway
into thanks, and a silence in which
another voice may speak.
~ Mary Oliver, from
Thirst
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Sunday Preview
Sunday, February 16, 2020
Sacrament of the Lord's Supper
Worship services @ 8:15 & 10:45 AM
Education Hour (for all ages) @ 9:15 AM
Homily:
"More Than Meets the Ear" by Marcia Mount Shoop
Scriptures:
Deuteronomy 30:15-20; Matthew 5:21-37
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Ash Wednesday Services | February 26 | 7:00 AM, 1200 PM and 6:00 PM | Sanctuary
Begin your Lenten journey by joining us for the imposition of ashes. Carry the sign of the cross with you throughout out the day or conclude the day with this sacred ritual. A brief reflective service of prayer, scripture, and the imposition of Ashes will be offered at the times listed above.
*NO Centering Prayer on Wednesday, February 26
th
.
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Session is calling a congregational meeting immediately after 10:45 worship on Sunday, February 23 so that the Personnel Council can present the congregation with updated information.
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Deacon Helpers Wanted!
The deacons have a list of people in our congregation available to provide meals, rides, and other needs to those who can use them, for example, when members have surgery, suffer a loss, or greet a new baby. When we identify a need, a sign-up is sent out to our helpers, and they can choose what dates to provide a meal, etc. It would be wonderful if we could expand this list. If you are interested, please contact Richard Coble (
rcoble@gcpcusa.org
).
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REGISTER NOW!
“We Like Sheep!” A Music, Drama, and Arts Camp at GCPC! | Monday - Friday | June 15-19, 2020 | 9:00 AM - 3:30 PM
For Children 4 Yrs. (potty trained) through Rising 6th Graders
This summer we will be hosting a week of music, drama, and arts at Grace Covenant that will culminate in a musical performance called “We Like Sheep!” Jeff Jones, Ednamae Fisher, Josie Moe, and Heather Ferguson, along with the Children’s and Family Ministry Committee invite children to this full week of fun, friends, and fuzzy, four-legged creatures as we sing, act, create and celebrate the Parable of the Lost Sheep and the One who made the flock complete.
The week will culminate with a Friday (June 19) evening performance of the musical, “We Like Sheep!,” an exhibit of art and creative work by the children, and a reception beginning at 6:30 pm.
Cost: $100/child
EARLY BIRD SPECIAL: $75/child registered and paid in full by Friday, February 28, 2020.
Registration deadline – April 1, 2020
NOTE: Additional information will be requested after the registration deadline (April 1).
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Whoops!
A few weeks ago there was some online stewardship revelry going on. Remember? Folks were celebrating the news that the $50,000 matching challenge had been met. A lot of wonderful, committed GCPC members had increased their 2020 pledges enough to surpass the goal. Yay! Great news! We did it! You could almost visualize happy dancing going on in the church narthex.
Unfortunately, it seems as if many of us have mistakenly assumed meeting the matching dollar challenge meant we had met the overall 2020 stewardship goal. A lot of folks apparently breathed a deep, collective sigh of relief muttering, “Well thank the Lord that’s over!” Nuh-uh. It wasn’t over.
We met the matching $50,000 challenge goal. Yes. However, we are still $101,705 away from achieving the stewardship income budget goal of $1,200,000.
So, since pledges and pledge increases have slowed down to a trickle the past three weeks, this is what’s been done: Cuts! Budget cuts! Members of Finance Council and staff have worked hard going line-by-line seeing where we can reduce costs.
The big cut was the line item for replacing the roof on the education building. That will have to wait another year or until funding is available. Even after removing th
e roof replacement and all the other cuts, we are still left with a budget shortfall of -$42,174.
Now what? Well, for those of you who have never pledged, please consider doing so. For those of you who have pledged in the past but have not yet done so this year, please do so now. For those of you who do pledge but did not increase your pledge, please prayerfully consider whether you can increase your pledge in some way.
Remember, pledging is all about funding the ministry and mission of your congregation. When divided among the hundreds of people who are active at GCPC, $42,000 is a manageable amount. Do the math! Maybe we can all do some happy dancing in the narthex very soon to a balanced budget.
Gratefully,
Your 2020 Stew Crew
Lon Bechtel and Amber White, (co-chairs), Laurie Stradley, Robin and Gordon Gaiser, Jonathan and Laura Ross, & Chuck Reiley
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Will you be our Valentine?
Shop at
smile.amazon.com
and AmazonSmile donates to Grace Covenant Presbyterian Church at no cost to you!
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Garden Potluck | Friday, February 21 | 6:00 PM | GCPC Fellowship Hall
All are invited -
new gardeners, veteran gardeners, garden supporters or just folks looking for a good time. Bring a dish to share. Come early and help set up or stay late and help clean up.
A good time is in the making as we sup together then share plans for the 2020 garden season.
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Racial Justice Book Series | TONIGHT, February 13 | 6:00 PM | Jerusalem Room
For February, we will be discussing
An Indigenous Peoples' History of the United States by
Roxanne Dunbar-Ortiz.
The first history of the United States told from the perspective of indigenous peoples.
In
An Indigenous Peoples' History of the United States
, Dunbar-Ortiz adroitly challenges the founding myth of the United States and shows how policy against the Indigenous peoples was colonialist and designed to seize the territories of the original inhabitants, displacing or eliminating them. And as Dunbar-Ortiz reveals, this policy was praised in popular culture, through writers like James Fenimore Cooper and Walt Whitman, and in the highest offices of government and the military. Shockingly, as the genocidal policy reached its zenith under President Andrew Jackson, its ruthlessness was best articulated by US Army general Thomas S. Jesup, who, in 1836, wrote of the Seminoles: "The country can be rid of them only by exterminating them."
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PART Meeting | TONIGHT, February 13 | 7:00 PM | Choir Rm
Everyone is invited to join us TONIGHT for the PART (Power and Race Team) meeting. We will continue practicing Organizing 101 skills and tools of building a more relational culture at GCPC. This is for anyone interested in meeting with and learning more about fellow GCPC members. What keeps us up at night? How do we take our anger and use it to build power and connections in our congregation and beyond the walls of GCPC. For more information, contact
Liz Huesemann
or
Carol Hovis
.
Relational Meetings & Organizing Tools:
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Part of what
PART
does is to inform Grace Covenant about
racial equity work going on in the larger community.
The following are some events that PART recommends.
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"Asheville: 10 Things I've Been Meaning to Say to You" | Wednesday, March 25 | 6:30 PM | Asheville High School Auditorium
Please join Asheville City Schools Foundation and Asheville City Schools for an evening of spoken word and poetry performed by Asheville City high school and middle school students, followed by a presentation from Jason Reynolds, National Ambassador for Young People's Literature and author of Ghost, the Track Series, As Brave As You, and Long Way Down. Click
HERE
for more information and tickets.
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Asheville GreenWorks Valentine's Day Cleanup - Riverside Drive | Friday, February 14 | 1:00 - 3:00 PM
Riverside Drive is a frequently trafficked and polluted road that runs along the French Broad River. Keeping these areas free from litter is important to us as a community, so let's work together to protect the areas we love! All supplies and light refreshments provided. Click
HERE
to register.
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SAVE THE DATE!!
Bill McKibben -
2020's Brown Visionary Lecturer
| Thursday, April 2 | 7:00 PM | UNC Asheville's Kimmel Arena
Bill McKibben is an award-winning author and environmentalist whose 1989 book
The End of Nature is regarded as the first book for a general audience about climate change. He is a founder of 350.org, the first planet-wide, grassroots climate change movement, which has organized twenty thousand rallies around the world in every country save North Korea, spearheaded the resistance to the Keystone Pipeline, and launched the fast-growing fossil fuel divestment movement. *Free and open to everyone.
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This Sunday's Education Hour (for all ages)
Winter Term | January 5 – February 23
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Pressure Points | The Theology and Legacy of Dietrich Bonhoeffer | Choir Room
A German theologian who called out 'cheap grace' and dreamed of a 'religionless Christianity,' Dietrich Bonhoeffer was a vital part of the Confessing Church who stood against Adolph Hitler's Third Reich at a time when most German Christian churches acquiesced to Nazism. He was executed in 1945 by the state for his part in a plot to overthrow the fascist regime. In our class together, we will learn from his theology and discuss why his legacy is currently being fought over by Christians with divergent viewpoints today.
Facilitators:
Marcia Mount Shoop & Richard Coble
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The Improv | Justice, Money and God: Exploring God’s call for right relationship (justice) by considering our relationship to money | FH
A lot of the Bible talks about money. In fact, money was Jesus’ most talked about topic. Money influences and has power in many of our relationships: our faith, our culture, our church. We will explore God’s call for justice and righteousness and wrestle together with where money fits into it all. In this class we'll be deepening relationships with each other, and hopefully seeing possibilities for new ways of relating to God, to ourselves, to each other, and to money.
Facilitators
:
Keaton Hill, Bonnie Parker and Kate Shem
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Toddlers (ages 2-3) | “God Loves Me”
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9:15 – 10:15 AM | Toddler Room (1
st
floor)
Preschool/K (ages 4-5) | Godly Play
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9:15 –10:15 AM | Preschool Room (1
st
floor)
Elementary (grades 1-3) | Godly Play
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9:15–10:15 AM | Temple Room
(2
nd
floor)
Elementary (grades 4-5) | “CONNECT”
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9:15–10:15 AM | Indie Room
(2
nd
floor)
Middle School & Senior Highs (grades 6-12)
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9:00-10:15 AM | Youth Rooms
*Nursery care is available throughout Sunday morning beginning at 8:10 am.
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Bible Study | Wednesdays | 11:00 AM | Garden Room
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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Winter Women's Memoir Series | 4th Monday of month | 6:00 PM | Jerusalem Room
Join us for a series of book talks focusing on memoirs written by people of faith. Open to all women of the church. One copy of each book can be found in the church library. Please pre-read the book to ensure lively discussion.
- February 24 | I Grew Up Little: Finding Hope in a Big God by Patsy Clairmont | Facilitator: Grace Hall
- March 30 | Shameless: A Sexual Reformation by Nadia Bolz-Weber | Facilitator: Amber White
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Ministry Partner News and Events...
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Homeward Bound
is putting on their Save a Life winter clothing + camping gear donation drive.
Want to help out? Donations – like warm sleeping bags, 3-person tents or bigger, heavy-duty waterproof tarps for sleeping, hats, gloves + hand warmers – will go directly to people living outside in the cold. Drop yours off at the Welcome Home Donation Center (
205 Elk Park Dr., Woodfin
).
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Mild Cognitive Impairment Support Group (MCI Group) | Wednesday, February 19 | 12 PM | Garden Room
This support group introduces techniques for daily living with such issues, led by Paul Rogers, a retired physician in our congregation. We meet the 1
st
and 3
rd
Wednesdays of every month.
*New participants welcome at any time.
Contact Richard,
rcoble@gcpcusa.org
, with questions.
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Men of GCPC Gathering | Thursday, February 20 | 8:00 AM | HomeGrown (371 Merrimon Ave.)
The Men of GCPC will be meeting for breakfast and discussion. To prepare, please read the Citizen Times' recent article about the "Asheville City Council Primary Forum" at
http://bit.ly/PrimaryForum
.
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GCPC 20s/30s Gathering: "Little Bites and Deep Thoughts!" | Thursday, February 20 | 7:00 - 8:30 PM | Battery Park Book Exchange (
1 Page Ave., #101, AVL
)
What does the Bible have to say about sex and sexuality? What do Christian traditions say about pornography? How have sacred texts been used to cause shame and control bodies? What does Rev. Nadia Bolz-Weber have to say about all this?
If you are in your twenties or thirties (or nearly these ages),
come out for an evening of delicious appetizers and drinks, as we discuss these questions and more using an excerpt from the book
Shame-less
. Click on the
reading here
and sign up below. All are welcome!
CLICK HERE TO RSVP!
*Childcare will be provided.
Please let Heather,
hferguson@gcpcusa.org
, know if you will be needing it by February 16.
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Centering Prayer will meet at its normal time (6:30 pm) next week in the sanctuary. Wednesday, February 26 is Ash Wednesday and there will be no Centering Prayer that night. We will resume on March 4.
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Deacon of the Week
Each Sunday morning there will be a deacon available for everything from praying with you to giving you a tour of the building. This deacon will be wearing a purple sash and stationed in the narthex before 10:45 worship and in the front of the sanctuary after worship. He or she is also available during the week if you or someone you love needs assistance from our board of deacons.
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Youth Sunday is March 29, and we would love to have all GCPC youth participate!
We need ushers, sound technicians, readers, musicians, etc.--and the Youth Choir will be singing, too! If you didn't fill out the yellow form at youth group recently,
please enter your participation preferences here ASAP
. And mark your calendars both for worship at 10:45 a.m. on March 29th and for a
final rehearsal on Saturday, March 28th from 9 a.m. - 12:30 p.m.
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Youth Sunday School:
Youth Choir, Drama & Fun
(6th - 12th graders) | Every Sunday | 9:00-10:15 AM | Youth Rooms
This Spring we will continue to fearlessly dive into our faith in creative ways. We begin at 9:00am sharp with breakfast, followed by Youth Choir, Energizers, Games and an on-your-feet Bible Study. Let's continue having a blast sharing our voices and ideas with one another, as well as supporting each other as we prepare to share things in worship as well!
Questions?
Contact Samantha at
sgblock@gcpcusa.org
.
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Youth Group: "Pray in a New Way" | Sunday, February 16 | 5:00 - 7:00 PM | Fellowship Hall
Join us for an evening of fun and creativity! This Sunday, we're looking at practices of prayer in a new light, and even creating some practices that we can share with the congregation throughout the upcoming season of Lent. Dinner will be provided by the Graham and Seddon families.
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FAITH & SEXUALITY RETREATS ARE NEXT WEEK!!!
Please register ASAP for these upcoming valuable "Faith and Sexuality" retreats sponsored by our presbytery and GCPC. These will be all-important opportunities for sharing and learning. We will engage in healthy and honest discussions about faith, puberty, body image, sex, sexuality, positive relationships, social media, and more.
*
Please note: We highly recommend these retreats, even if you have attended one in the past. GCPC affirms youth of all gender and sexual identities.
Please learn more below and register ASAP.
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Middle School Faith
& Sexuality Retreat
For Youth (grades
5
-8)
&
Parents
Saturday, February 22,
9 AM - 5 PM
Please make this a priority.
Youth (grades
5
-8) and their parent(s) are highly encouraged to attend this impactful retreat. At least one parent must attend for each participating family. This retreat is sponsored by our presbytery, and Rev. Samantha and Katie Smith will serve as two of the facilitators. The cost is $10 per person (full/partial scholarships available) and lunch is included.
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Senior High Faith
& Sexuality Retreat:
For Youth (grades 9-12)
&
Advisors
Sunday, February 23,
3 PM - 7 PM
GCPC
Please make this a priority.
Senior High youth are highly encouraged to attend this valuable retreat. Parents are
not
asked to attend, but they will be informed about the topics covered. Rev. Samantha and Katie Smith will be two of the facilitators, and all adult advisors will be present to help support these important conversations. The cost is $5 per person (scholarships available) and dinner will be included.
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EARLY BIRD DEAL FOR SUMMER TRIPS ENDS SUNDAY!
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Senior High Montreat Youth Conference (Week 5: July 26-Aug. 1):
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SAVE THE DATE!!
The
GCPC Youth Group Lock-in
will be happening on
Friday, February 28!
More details coming soon.
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Prayer List
[We are happy to pray for anyone who is in need. Concerns will stay on this list for a month unless we hear otherwise. Please keep us updated.]
Iglesia Jerusalem congregation
Pat Cocke (Les Stradley’s friend)
Deborah Strong (Robin Gaiser's cousin)
Nancy Schaadt (Donna Robertson's sister)
Jeffrey Ferris (Mary Lou Nash's son)
Rebecca Wells' brother, Jamey
Jeff Combs (Bill McNeff's friend)
West Asheville Presbyterian Church
Marcia Zuzel (friend of Kim Hottle and Melissa Shook)
Virginia Bibee (Jamie Bibee Lloyd's mother)
Suzy Carter (David Carter's wife and Yvonne Smith's friend)
Arlene Hill (Jay Hill's aunt)
Eveline Damiano (Lisette de Groot's daughter)
Pam Morrell (Penny Ponder’s daughter)
Joseph Tierney (Paul Tierney's father)
Melissa Matherly Bowers (friend of Rick and Lynne Noble)
Maria Mason (friend of Serge and Carol Kavalhuna)
Hettie Lou Garland
Betty Smith
Margaret Rada
Bob Higgins
James Harwell
Joyce Summerlin
Cory Hartbarger
Florence Riedesel
Elizabeth Fisher
Doris Prak
Roslyn Carney
Nell Payne
Amanda Pressley
Allen Johnson
Sarah Frye
Cecil Jividen
A meal train has been set up for Susie Wheelis following her shoulder surgery next week on February 18. Please click
HERE if you would like to help out with meals or rides.
Dr. Horace Adams, Jr., charter member of Grace Covenant, died on Sunday, February 9th.
The Celebration of Life will be held at 2:00 on Thursday, February 20, 2020 at St. Thaddeus Episcopal Church in Aiken, SC. The committal will be held on Friday, February 21, 2020 at 12:30 pm in Lewis Memorial Park, Asheville, NC. Click
HERE
to read the full obituary.
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Grace Covenant Community Out and About...
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2020 Winter/Spring Enneagram Gatherings
Mondays, 6-8pm
Fridays, 10am-12noon
In the A-Frame @ GCPC
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Laura Boosinger & Josh Goforth Concert | Thursday, February 20 | 7:00 PM | GCPC
Acclaimed Appalachian old-time musician Laura Boosinger and outstanding fiddler, guitar-picker and mandolin player Josh Goforth will perform a musical history of the mountains. Based in Asheville, Laura has won glowing reviews wherever she appears. Whether she's singing, playing the clawhammer banjo, the autoharp or guitar, Laura is blessed with an "essence of the mountains" spirit that'll take you back to the days when folks used to huddle around the radio.
Josh is a talented multi-instrumentalist and recording artist who grew up steeped in the old-time Appalachian music traditions of Madison County.
Together, Laura and Josh are two names that fans of Appalachian music already know and love — and the duo's performance, brought to you by the Asheville Symphony Guild, is designed to complement
the Asheville Symphony's Feb. 22 concert
, which features Aaron Copland’s famous Appalachian Spring.
*This performance is open to all. Free-will donations will be gladly accepted.
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To Puerto Rico with love - a benefit for disaster relief | Saturday, March 21 | 5:00 - 9:00 PM | One World Brewing West (520 Haywood Rd.)
Hosted by
Sip and Speak
and
One World Brewing West.
In the wake of recent earthquakes amidst of devastating natural disasters the people on the island feel the government is unprepared to meet the needs of its citizens.
We would like our fellow compadres to know they are not alone. With this benefit. We will have a raffle and a special performance by Sol Rhythms and music by DJ HijX De La Chingada and a Puerto Rican food pop up by Jeremy Salig! also a letter writing station to send messages of hope to the island. We are working with a people and families on Puerto Rico to make sure all proceeds and donations get in the hands of people who need it the most. Click
HERE
for more information.
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POAMN (Presbyterian Older Adult Ministries Network) presents: "Stronger Together: Faith in Action Across Generations" | April 30 - May 1, 2020 | Montreat Conference Center
This conference is for you if:
- You work with older adults in your congregation (lay or clergy)
- You want to build relationships across generations
- You seek to thrive after 55 in body, mind, and spirit
- You seek the latest on current issues of aging and the church
- You are a retired church professional
GCPC community members, Robin Gaiser and Lynn Bledsoe, are presenters at this conference. Please click
HERE for more information.
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Grace Covenant Presbyterian Church | 828.254.3274
789 Merrimon Ave. Asheville, NC 28804
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