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Worship Preview | Sunday, January 11, 2025

In-person and online service

Called Congregational Meeting on Sunday January 11

The Session has called a congregational meeting directly following worship on Sunday, January 11 to hear a report from the Nominating Committee for the new slate of officers. An email presenting the slate will be in your inbox shortly!

Deacon of the Week:

The Deacon of the Week is available to talk, provide support, and coordinate care if needed. You are not alone. You are loved. Please reach out to our deacon of the week if you have any needs or concerns.

This week (1/4-1/10) John Huie | email: john@johnhuie.com 

Next week (1/11-1/17) Susan Meade | email: rjmsfm@gmail.com  



Deacon of the Week Prayer:

Creator,

We give thanks for the beauty of the created world, the miracle of life itself, and for opportunities to build and to strengthen beloved community in troubled times. We ask for healing, wholeness, and energy to bring love and peace with your guidance to every corner of our lives and to each of our relationships. Grant us both humility and tenacity as we live out the love that heals. In the name of Jesus, Amen.  

~ John Huie

Click here to read the "Envision the Possibilities" Stewardship Letter

How to Make Your 2026 Pledge

• Scan the QR code for a link to the online Pledge Card
• Click here: https://onrealm.org/gcpcusa/-/form/pledge/envision 
• Email your pledge and giving frequency to giving@gcpcusa.org
• Visit Brett in the Finance Office at GCPC Tuesday-Thursday 10am-2pm. 

The Stew Crew has set 5 gathering dates and time for “Congregational Conversation: Finance Fish Bowl.”

This is an opportunity for GCPC community members to come together and learn more about our budget, reflect on giving as a spiritual practice, and have an opportunity to ask questions of the Stew Crew, Finance Council, and Session about GCPC’s 2026 budget.

We hope all community members will register for one of these gatherings.

• Sunday, Jan 11 | 12:30-2:00pm | In person only
• Wednesday, Jan 14 | 6:00-7:30pm | In person only
• Saturday, Jan 17 | 11:00-12:30pm | In person only
• Wednesday, Jan 21 | 6:00-7:30pm | In person only
• Sunday, Jan 25 | 7:00-8:30 | Zoom

GCPC Youth Progressive Dinner | Sunday, January 11 | 4:00 PM | Meet @ Grace Covenant

ALL GCPC Youth (grades 6-12) are invited to join in our first Progressive Dinner! We will travel to and be hosted by 6 GCPC families and a different course will be offered at each house. Come for great fellowship and food and some fantastical fun!

GCPC Choir | Wednesdays | 6:30 PM | Choir Room

The choir is open to all youth and adults who have a love and curiosity for creating music together! No previous experience or training is necessary. You will be welcomed with open arms and supported as you discover or rediscover your singing voice. Childcare is provided for those who have little ones. I hope you will consider adding your wonderful presence and voice to our choir! ~ Ray

GCPC Food Distribution - "Grace Abounds Food Pantry" | Thursday, January 15 | 11:00 AM - 1:00 PM | Sanctuary

Join us as a volunteer to help with food distribution (shopping and restocking) on Thursday! In January we are opening the 15th and the 29th. Beginning in February, we will open on the 2nd and 4th Thursdays of each month.

GCPC Writing Collective | Thursday, January 15 | 5:00 PM | Indie Room

If you love to write and welcome a chance to be creative and supportive around writing in community, come to the GCPC Writing Collective on the third Thursday of the month in the Indie Room (Education Wing) at 6 pm. Come as you are and when you can. Bring a journal and something to write with or your laptop and any food you wish to have.

This will be a supportive, generative gathering that centers the way writing makes space for creativity, expression, connection, and healing. The group will be convened by Marcia Mount Shoop, Margaret Belk and others. Feel free to reach out with questions.

GCPC Ringers (Bell Choir) | Thursdays | 6:30 PM | Choir Room

Would you like to be part of a Hand Bell Choir? Rehearsals will take place on Thursday evenings in the Choir Room from 6:30 - 7:45 pm. All high school youth and adults are welcome! All that is needed is curiosity and joy for making music in community. You will be gently supported on your music journey. Please contact Ray at ray@gcpcusa.org if you are interested!

Would you like to help usher on Sunday mornings?

We are looking for a few more folks to help with ushering on Sundays. It is a great way to get to know folks at GCPC! If you are able to assist, please email Anna Louise at annalouise@gcpcusa.org.

REALM Contact Information Updates!!

Please take a moment to add/update your contact information (including mailing address) in Realm. This helps us stay connected as a community.

Click HERE to login to Realm.

GCPC Nametags

If you are in need of a new nametag,

please email Anna Louise at annalouise@gcpcusa.org.

New Member Breakfast | Sunday, January 18 | 8:30 AM | Fellowship Hall 

This is a chance for anyone interested in learning more about membership to meet members of the Session, get to know other GCPC community members, and enjoy a delicious breakfast. 

At the breakfast there is a chance for people to officially join if you choose to do so. But it is also ok just to come enjoy the event and not join. 

If you have any questions or can join us for breakfast, please email Marcia.

Pride Collective Gathering | Sunday, January 25 | 3:00 PM | The Village Pub

The Pride Collective will watch some football on January 25 at 3:00 pm, The Village Pub, 100 Fairview Rd. There is food and beverages available for purchase. Don’t like football? Come and join us for connection and friendship. Questions? Please contact Leon or Bonnie. 

On February 6 at 6pm, GCPC Fellowship Hall, we will meet and plan for the New Year. Please bring a snack to share.

Newer GCPC Members might be asking, what is the Pride Collective?

The Pride Collective at Grace Covenant Presbyterian Church was established to further support individuals in our congregation who identify as gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender, and/or queer. They also invite those who are questioning their gender identity and/or their sexual orientation. Parent allies are also welcomed. 

GCPC's Pride Collective is a rare community where members work to find a balance with the LGBTQIA+ identities and the thirst for God's continued blessings through shared meals, fellowship, friendship, support, conversation, and love. The group is supported by GCPC's commitment to create an inclusive and hospitable place of spiritual growth by identifying and breaking down white supremacy culture within the Christian context.

What Does it mean to be Presbyterian?:

Presbyterianism 101

 Sundays | February 1,8, 15 | after worship | Fellowship Hall

Marcia Mount Shoop and Dave Cozad will provide an overview of our faith’s history, theology, and governance for new members or those seeking a refresher. It will include fundamental beliefs, church structure (polity), and ways members can participate in the church's mission and community. 

Please come and learn more about our beloved community full of love, mercy, and grace. Bring a bagged lunch! Email Marcia or Dave if you have questions.

Cancer Support Ministry Gathering | Thursday, February 12 | 7:00 PM | Fellowship Hall

Join us for coffee, tea sweet treats and a speaker! We hope anyone that has had cancer, is a survivor, newly diagnosed, or in treatment, will attend. Families and caregivers are also welcome. It is a great opportunity to share our experiences and create some joy in a difficult time.

Dr. Eric Kuehn, a Radiation Oncologist in Asheville will be our speaker. Dr. Kuehn is a board-certified radiation oncologist who has been with Mission Health since he completed his residency back in 1995 and the medical director for the radiation oncology department since 1997. 

What is the Point-in-Time Count?

The Point-in-Time (PIT) Count is an annual census of people experiencing unsheltered homelessness that provides the community with a "snapshot" of data for the last Tuesday in January. While it is imperfect, it does provide comparable year-over -year data. 

Volunteer registration is now open!

The Point-in-Time Count is a community effort that requires participation from many volunteers! In 2025, the CoC sent 135 volunteers to geographies across Buncombe County to administer surveys. Interested volunteers have two options to participate in canvassing:

• Tuesday, January 27, 2026 | 3:30 - 7:00 p.m.
• Wednesday, January 28, 2026 | 9:30 a.m - 1:00 p.m.

Use the buttons below to choose a canvassing location or team for Tuesday night, Wednesday morning, or both! Once registered, you will receive follow up communications from Lead Agency staff with more information about training and day-of details. Please reach out to homelessstrategy@ashevillenc.gov with any questions.

Action Network presents: Standing with our Immigrant Neighbors, A Community Forum | Thursday, January 29 | 5:45-8:00 PM | Black Mountain Presbyterian Church Fellowship Hall

This Community Forum is for everyone concerned about the violent targeting of our immigrant neighbors under current federal immigration enforcement policies, who want to learn ways to support and protect their rights. The evening will include:

• A light, informal dinner before the program
• WNC immigration update
• Training to know your basic constitutional rights, so that citizens can be prepared to protect our own rights and those of our immigrant neighbors
• Practical tools to take home with you
• Initiatives you can join to get more involved

The event is free. Childcare is provided. The program will be in English. A Spanish-language interpreter will be available.

Sacred Jazz for Social Justice | Saturday, January 31 | 7:00 PM | Dreaming Stone Arts & Ecology Center

We are delighted to present Warren Cooper’s night of “Sacred Jazz for Social Justice” and to give North Carolinians the chance to experience his exquisite voice and stunning arrangements of familiar spirituals. As we honor Martin Luther King’s legacy and prepare for Black History Month, Warren will lead us through an experience of the liberatory message of African spirituals and unpack the gifts they offer to all of humanity.

Warren Cooper is a seasoned artist, producer, and broadcaster who runs a production company in Philadelphia that nurtures the movement for non-violent justice and peace. As a performance artist, content creator, and musician, Warren pursues virtuosity as an ultimate vehicle of expression. His wide array of experience and passion for human rights, environmental justice, and spiritual health yield a uniquely flavored approach to putting a message in the music. As a movement activist, he continues to blend boundaries and create safe, open, and intentional spaces for conversations that incubate possibilities and pathways to peaceful ways of being.

His worldview was shaped by the coupled realities of growing up as a Black male in the shadow of Philadelphia’s 1964 race riots and by his father’s commitment to reaching (from a spiritual center) across cultures and sectors to build bridges of Beloved Community.