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“Community cannot for long feed on itself; it can only flourish with the coming of others
from beyond, their unknown and undiscovered siblings.”
~ Howard Thurman
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Sunday Preview
Sunday, June 23, 2019
Sacrament of Baptism
Celebration of Senior High Graduates
Worship services @ 8:15 & 10:15 AM
Courtyard Fellowship @ 11:15 AM
Sermon:
"Children Will Listen" by Samantha Gonzalez-Block
Scriptures:
Psalm 42; Galatians 3:23-29
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Summer Music Happenings
- Summer Choir rehearses Sunday morning at 9:15am and is open to all. If you'd like to give singing a try, please join us in the sanctuary.
- Instruments of Grace - GCPC is blessed with a number of talented members. Each week this summer a different musician will share their gifts in worship. This week we are fortunate to have J. P. Carney, euphonium and Roslyn Carter, flute.
- Montreat Worship & Music Conferences has started and has daily worship at 11:00am. There are numerous worship services and evening concerts which are free and open to the public. Please click HERE to see the full schedule.
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Sign up for Courtyard Fellowship!
Courtyard Fellowship has begun for the summer and we need volunteers to sign up to host and provide refreshments. This is a great opportunity for your church group to share about their ministry/activities or for families to extend hospitality to your church family.
Click
HERE to sign up for one Sunday this summer!
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Habitat for Humanity News
The 28th Presbyterian/United Methodist Habitat house is about to kick off in Habitat's new neighborhood, Curry Court in Candler.
Volunteer workers will be needed between July 9th and Sept 14th. The partner family we will build with has not been selected but will be soon and the GCPC community will be invited to pray for them until they move in early in 2020. We also hope to welcome them to Sunday worship sometime this summer or early fall. Please be thinking about how you can help!
When the volunteer calendar has been set, Bill Ryan will again be the contact person (
bill73ryan@gmail.com) and you can email him to get a shift scheduled, or to ask questions if you are not sure whether construction work is for you.
Updates will follow.
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Some years ago, I had a neighbor named Fred, a retired teacher with a love of the land and of nature. His beautiful, bountiful, annual vegetable garden was admired by all of his neighbors. It clearly brought him deep pleasure to plant, grow and tend his garden.
Over time, I noticed that his planting pattern shifted a bit each year. I also observed deer munching on his perimeter crop of corn on my early morning walks. One night over dinner, I asked about his plan to prevent the deer from devouring his corn crop. Without missing a beat, he said that he had no such plan, that throughout the season, he observed how much corn was being consumed by the deer annually and considered his own desired share of the harvest. In winter, as he planned his spring planting, he simply adjusted his plantings to accommodate both the deer and himself.
What a lesson in stewardship as a way of life Fred shared at dinner that night. I find myself thinking about Fred’s example as I consider all of the gifts of encouragement, calls to faithfulness, and opportunities for service provided by Grace Covenant Presbyterian Church.
What is being planted, nurtured and harvested here at GCPC that calls for my continuing stewardship? Join me this week in a few moments of reflection of all that is and all that can be done together to bear witness to God’s goodness.
~ Contributed by Nancy Gaskin
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The Community Garden is in need of more volunteers!
It truly takes a village to keep the gardens growing and free of pests and weeds. This important ministry donates tons (10,000 lbs. to be exact) of food throughout the growing season. There are four teams that meet on Wednesdays and Saturdays (2 work days per month/per team) from 8:00am to 10:00am. Come help alleviate food insecurity! Contact Rick Philipsen,
onthecove@charter.net
, if you are interested.
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Power and Race Team (PART)
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The Racial Justice Book Series | Thursday, July 11 | 6:00 PM | Garden Room
For July
,
we are reading
Raising White Kids: Bringing Up Children in a Racially Unjust America
by Jennifer Harvey.
"
With a foreword by Tim Wise, Raising White Kids is for families, churches, educators, and communities who want to equip their children to be active and able participants in a society that is becoming one of the most racially diverse in the world while remaining full of racial tensions. For white people who are committed to equity and justice, living in a nation that remains racially unjust and deeply segregated creates unique conundrums." (Amazon)
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Digging Deeper - Native American History | Getting to know our Cherokee Indian neighbors
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The Native American genocide began with the Doctrine of Discovery penned in 1452:
“Pope Nicholas V issued to King Alfonso V of Portugal the bull Romanus Pontifex, declaring war against all non-Christians throughout the world, and specifically sanctioning and promoting the conquest, colonization, and exploitation of non-Christian nations and their territories.” This Doctrine was and continues to be a destructive justification in USA law and in the World. It was repudiated by PC(USA) last year at the 223rd General Assembly (2018). You can read a copy of the GA report on the Doctrine of Discovery
HERE.
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REGISTRATION OPEN NOW!!
(These events are family-friendly)
“Unto These Hills”- Outdoor Drama | Monday, July 8 | | 4-10 PM | Cherokee, NC
Carpool or van to Cherokee, NC for an afternoon picnic on the grounds before the play. "Unto These Hills" tells the Cherokees’ rich story from 1780 to the 21st century. You can access the registration form at
http://bit.ly/OutdoorDrama
or there are also some hard copies at the Welcome Desk.
Deadline to register is June 30th!
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SAVE THIS DATE:
(Registration form available soon!)
- Saturday, August 10 | Oconaluftee Indian Village | 12-7 PM | Cherokee, NC An afternoon in the Oconaluftee Village, picnic on the grounds and an evening of Cherokee storytelling around a bonfire.
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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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More Light Teach-In: Racial Justice
Jessica Vazquez Torres is the Lead Trainer for the 3-part series and brings a wealth of knowledge and passion around racial justice. As the National Program Coordinator for
Crossroads Anti-Racism Organizing and Training
, Jessica has years of experience training folks on how to begin the conversation about dismantling systemic racism.
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Part 1 will:
Define racism and white supremacy; Discuss the ways in which white supremacy shows up in our everyday contexts, and distinguish white supremacy from projected notions of racism; Connect the ways in which race and gender are linked, and why it is essential that conversations about gender are also conversations about racism.
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Part 2 will:
Define white fragility and identify how it shows up in conversations about racial justice; Look at how white fragility can be triggered even when we aren't discussing race; Discuss ways to engage our own fragility and that of the people with whom we are working.
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Part 3 will: Distinguish between decentering whiteness and white silence; Discuss the ways white supremacy appears in spaces even when no white people are present; Offer a theological praxis for working to dismantle systems that uphold white supremacy and division.
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Earth Team Meeting | Wednesday, July 3 | 5:30 PM | Jerusalem Room
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Consider the Women: a Provocative Guide to Three Matriarchs of the Bible
by Debbie Blue
This book examines three Biblical women: Hagar, Esther and Mary.
The story of Hagar in the Old Testament is brief. She is enslaved by Sarah, Abraham’s wife, who Sarah gives to Abraham in order to produce a child, as Sarah is past childbearing age. Ishmael is the product of this union. However, when Sarah does finally produce Isaac, she has Abraham banish Hagar and Ishmael to the desert to die. Hagar is ministered to by an angel of God, and she and Ishmael are saved. Ishmael becomes the father of Islam. Debbie Blue examines the story of Hagar and her important place for women of the Islamic faith.
Esther is the subject of an Old Testament book, which many scholars, including John Calvin and Martin Luther, felt should not be in the canon. It is the only book from the Hebrew Bible not found among the Dead Sea Scrolls. The story of Esther is about a beautiful Jewish girl who was taken into the court of the King of Persia, where she found great favor as part of his harem. When one of his princes decides that all the Jews should be wiped out, Esther’s uncle Mordecai begs her to intervene, and through slyness and trickery, she manages to save her people. She is still celebrated by the Jews every year in the festival of Purim.
Mary, the mother of Jesus, is chosen by God to bear his son, and she accepts this charge willingly. The author shows Mary’s subversive side in this very interesting examination of her life. Although she is not of prime importance in Protestantism, she holds an important place in Catholicism, and the author examines her life with new eyes.
The book is a fascinating read, and includes a Readers’ Guide and Group Discussion Questions for groups who would like to use it for a study book.
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Education Hour (for all ages) will resume on September 15th!
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*Nursery care is available throughout Sunday morning beginning at 8:10 am.
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OTHER EDUCATIONAL OPPORTUNITIES...
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2019 Summer Women’s Book Series | Last Monday of the month | 6 PM | Garden Room
Join us for a series of book talks. Open to all women of the church. One copy of each book can be found in the church library. Please pre-read the books to ensure lively discussion.
- June 24 | Heartland: A Memoir of Working Hard and Being Broke in the Richest Country on Earth | Sarah Smarsh
- July 29 | Wearing God: Clothing, Laughter, Fire and Other Ways of Meeting God | Lauren Winner
- August 26 | If Oceans were Ink: An Unlikely Friendship and a Journey to the Heart of the Quran | Carla Power
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Summer Bible Study – The Gospel of Mark | Wednesdays in June and July | 11:00 – 11:45 AM | Garden Room
"How could such a painful story of fear, betrayal, sufferings and death also be the 'good news of Jesus Christ' (1:1)" asks one commentator of the Gospel of Mark. Come join us as we seek to answer this question through a deep reading of Mark, the oldest canonical Gospel in the New Testament. Together, we will examine what Mark believed about Jesus, how he understood this "Good News" for the world, and what this book means for our lives today. Come to every meeting or stop by when you can. Contact Richard,
rcoble@gcpcusa.org
, for more details.
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Room In The Inn (RITI) | July 7-14 | GCPC
Room In The Inn returns to Grace Covenant in just 3 weeks!
- We need drivers and overnight hosts for Monday, July 8th, Tuesday, July 9th, Wednesday, July 10, Thursday, July 11th, and Friday, July 12th.
Will you consider hosting or driving? We have an orientation every night (conducted by a RITI coordinator) so that the overnight hosts are keenly aware of information for a pleasant night for everyone who stays that night.
Your RITI Team has been busy. In addition to regular tasks ahead of guests coming, the team hosted a county-wide Room In The Inn Volunteer potluck supper last week at Grace Covenant. Over 85 folks attended!
Members of the RITI team will be in the narthex on Sunday for sign-ups. Remember you can also sign up online
HERE.
RITI team members are happy to answer any questions you may have.
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VRQ—BBQ Cook Team | First Tuesday of each Month
On the First Tuesday of each month, a team of folks gather at the Veterans Restoration Quarters (1329 Tunnel Road) to grill hamburgers and prepare supper for more than 200 US Armed Forces Veterans living in transitional housing at the VRQ— an ABCCM Ministry. Team volunteers begin to gather at 4:45 to prepare the meal and fire up the grills; to help serve the meal come at 5:45. The evening meal is served at 6 and the team joins with the veterans at their table for supper. Commitments can be for one Tuesday or more.
Harry Summerlin serves as the meal shopper earlier in the day. When the volunteers arrive they begin grilling, chopping onions, cooking beans, preparing cole slaw, and assembling hamburgers or working on the serving line. Those who arrive early can self-select their favorite work. Our GCPC team is joined by Black Mountain First Baptist Church folks each month.
Our next cook date is Tuesday, July 2nd.
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Pritchard Park Breakfast Ministry
Thanks again to all who contributed time, food, and prayers. We served 150 plates of food!
Stay tuned for our next opportunity on August 18........help again and/or encourage others to help by sharing your experience. Everyone can help in some way and eventually our goal is for everyone at GCPC to be able to say they "participated" in Pritchard Park.
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Ministry Partner News and Events...
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News from CIMA
The General Assembly is expected to quickly move
HB 370, NC’s Show Me Your Papers Law
, through the Senate and onto the desk of Governor Roy Cooper. Once on his desk, the Governor will
only have 10 days
to veto the bill. As you may well know, if passed, HB 370 would be devastating for immigrant communities and communities of color, who would be subject to increased surveillance, interrogations, detentions and deportations by sheriff offices assisting immigration agents.
Join the #StopHB370 coalition
in urging
all
NC elected officials to oppose HB 370 and any other anti-immigrant law that requires police to operate as Trump’s deportation force.
- Contact your State Legislator by email (Link) or phone (Link)
- Ask your sheriff to publicly oppose the bill: Link
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GCPC Softball Team - "The Prez-Beez"
TWO GAMES LEFT!!!
Everybody come out and have some fun supporting our WINNING church softball team! All games are only an hour long and are played at the ball field behind the Montford Recreation Center.
For the full Prez-Beez schedule, click
HERE
.
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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 or suffer a loss. 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 at
rcoble@gcpcusa.org
.
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Centering Prayer | Wednesday Nights | 6:30 - 7:00 PM | Sanctuary
Sacred and shared silence is a profound gift of many religious traditions of the world. And Christianity has a rich and ancient tradition of intentional and prayerful silence as a spiritual practice. There are many gifts in these practices that touch every part of who we are as human beings. Centering silence calms the nervous system and positively supports all body systems. It teaches the mind to quiet and to open itself up to mystery and creativity. Centering silence strengthens our connections to each other and to the world around us. Sacred silence teaches us to listen devoutly, humbly, and with trust. It helps us befriend the unknown.
It is beautifully simple and a spiritual skill whose gifts goes deeper and gets more powerful the more one practices it. This practice is open to all and is come as you are able. Questions? Contact
Marcia.
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Nursery Volunteers Needed
In the past year, for one reason or another, several of our wonderful Grace Covenant members who served as volunteers in our nurseries needed to take a break. In most cases, our substitute volunteers have helped to fill the holes. On occasion, we have needed to bring in extra members of our paid Nursery staff.
As we look toward populating the Nursery Volunteer Schedule for 2019-2020, would you consider volunteering for one of our teams? Being part of a team means that you serve alongside our Nursery Staff for 6 Sundays (out of 52 Sundays) in one of our three nursery rooms (Infants, Toddlers or Preschoolers). The time commitment is 10:15AM-12:00PM September through May and 10:00AM-11:30AM June-August.
Please consider this opportunity to serve Grace Covenant by helping to grow our children. If you have questions, contact Heather Ferguson,
hferguson@gcpcusa.org
.
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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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Congratulations to our GCPC 2019 Senior High Graduates!
This Sunday during 10:15am worship we will celebrate this year's graduates, followed by an informal reception during Courtyard Fellowship.
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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 and Richard Schaadt (Donna Robertson's sister and brother-in-law)
Louise Seitz (Janet Schifflin's friend)
Jeffrey Ferris (Mary Lou Nash's son)
June Collins (Carolyn Tingle’s mother)
Robin Smith (Beth Robrecht's sister)
Rebecca Wells' brother, Jamey
Natalie C.
Jennifer Moore (Amanda Pressley's daughter)
Dorothy Zuck (Pat Durham's mother)
Richard Stump (Marcia Mount Shoop's friend)
Michelle Elhert (Bill McNeff's friend)
Jennifer Vaughn (Mary Berg's friend)
Jim Wyrosdick (Caroline Wyrosdick-Webb's father)
West Asheville Presbyterian Church
Hettie Lou Garland
Betty Smith
Margaret Rada
Bob Higgins
James Harwell
Joyce Summerlin
Cory Hartbarger
Mary Ellen Horne
Sherrie McCleary-Small
Penny Ponder
Doris Prak
Jack Smith
Steve and Florence Riedesel
A Service of Witness to the Resurrection and Thanksgiving for the Life of Dot Holladay will be held this Saturday, June 22 at 2pm at Grace Covenant. All are welcome.
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Grace Covenant Community Out and About...
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The Opioid Crisis: The Faith Community Responds Clergy Breakfast | Thursday, June 27 | 9:30 - 11:30 AM | First Congregational Church (20 Oak St.)
Are you interested in learning more about the state of our state when it comes to opioids? Are you interested in learning more about ways your congregation can get involved with the Opioid Crisis?
If so please join the NC Council of Churches at one of their Clergy Breakfasts for the Opioid Crisis the Faith Community Responds. At these breakfasts, you will learn about the state of our state, what is harm reduction? what congregations can do to get involved? and what resources are available in your community.
If you have any questions feel free to email elizabeth@ncchurches.org
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Spiritual LGBT: An Interfaith Panel | Thursday, June 27 | 6:00 - 7:30 PM | AB Tech Auditorium
Join us for a discussion of the intersection of spiritual and LGBTQIA+ identities. Presented by Youth OUTright WNC and sponsored by PFLAG, Asheville Jewish Community Center and Open Hearts.
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The Lavender Scare -
Local Premier and Community Mixer
| Thursday, June 27 | 7:30 PM | Asheville Fine Arts Theater
This is the first documentary film to tell the story of the U.S. government’s decades-long effort to identify and fire gay and lesbian employees.
Directed by Josh Howard and narrated by Glenn Close, “The Lavender Scare” was screened at more than 70 film festivals around the world and opened at theaters in New York City and Los Angeles in 2019.
Following the film, the Aloft Hotel is sponsoring a mixer to encourage conversation on what we hope will be a moving and enlightening experience.
Tickets for the June 27 event are $20. This covers both the film and a complementary drink at the mixer afterwards. All proceeds will benefit the Blue Ridge Pride Community Partner Fund [
link
].
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SAVE the DATES:
July & August Enneagram Gatherings
in the A-Frame at GCPC with Carol Hovis:
- Mondays, 6:00-8:00pm: July 8, 15, 22, 29, August 5 & 12
- Fridays, 10am-12noon: July 12, 19, 26, August 2, 9, & 16
Stay tuned for more information in the coming weeks.
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CoInspire - Liberating Imagination, Eviscerating Racism | October 7-10, 2019 | Montreat Conference Center
Montreat Conference Center will host CoInspire, the second in a series of conferences addressing systemic racism in the church. Their first conference, DisGrace, lived in lament for the ways in which the sins of racism thwart individual people and institutions, infecting congregations and denominations with death-dealing dehumanization.
In response to the racism and violence in our world, this event seeks to bring together people of faith in order to disarm prejudices that divide us and equip each other for practicing resurrection as new creations in Christ. We will delve into the questions around the toxicities we are currently breathing into our bodies and exhaling into the shared air. CoInspire will examine ways that we, as members of Christ’s body, might co-inspire one another to liberate imagination for new ways of being, and examine ways we can conspire to eviscerate the racism within our church. We will seek to identify those things we want to breathe in to precipitate a pathway to eviscerating the racism in our country and our world.
Traci Blackmon, executive minister of justice & local church ministries for The United Church of Christ and senior pastor of The Kind United Church of Christ, will be the conference’s preacher.
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Grace Covenant Presbyterian Church | 828.254.3274
789 Merrimon Ave. Asheville, NC 28804
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