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"Let gratitude be the pillow upon which you kneel
to say your nightly prayer."
~ Maya Angelou
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Sunday Preview
Sunday, October 13, 2019
Sacrament of the Lord's Supper
Worship services @ 8:15 & 10:45 AM
Education Hour (for all ages) @ 9:15 AM
Homily:
"Gratitude Check" by Marcia Mount Shoop
Scriptures:
Psalm 111; Luke 17:11-19
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"This Eucharistic Life": A Grace Covenant Podcast around the Table
In this episode, we introduce our fall theme, this Eucharistic life, and ask how the table supports and challenges our community's life of faith today.
Leaders of each of our adult education classes share powerful insights about how "This Eucharistic Life" shows up in their classes this Fall.
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Invitation to Centering Prayer/Sacred Silence | Wednesdays | 6:30 - 7:00 PM | GCPC Sanctuary
I practice Centering Prayer.
It started over three years ago when I was experiencing multiple challenges in my life, and I went into the sanctuary every Wednesday to pray. During the first time, I picked up the hymnal and opened to a song that goes: “Softly and tenderly Jesus is calling you and me. See on the portals he’s waiting and watching for you and me. Come home. Come home. You, who are weary, come home.” The message arrived. I was in the right place, doing the right thing, and I was going to be okay with God’s help.
So, Centering Prayer for me is a time beyond conversation with to communion with Christ. It is closer than thinking or consciousness itself. It is where I feel an unexplainable peace.
The structure of our time in Sacred Silence:
- A reading where you can take a word or phrase from and use in your silence.
- Silence for 20 minutes. I sometimes use the phrases, Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me or The peace of Christ be with me. I say the words with breathing in and out.
- We come out of our silence with the Lord’s Prayer.
- We leave the sanctuary by passing the peace to each other.
- And yes sometimes your mind can wonder, but just gently bring yourself back to the sacred silence.
Blessings in your silence,
Liz Huesemann
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Dec-O-Jack was a great success!
Thanks to all those that came out for fellowship, food and fun together!
The decorated pumpkins now await their forever homes. You all worked too hard on these, to leave them behind. Please pick up all pumpkins by Sunday or they will go POOF.
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SUSTAINABLE BUDGETING
The church stewardship campaign has gotten off to a great start! As of this morning, we received
62 pledges totaling
$299,640.28. This is
25% of the 2020 stewardship goal of $1, 200,000.
Thank you to all who have reached out and pledged thus far! What a wonderful early response of gratitude for the
Life Abundant we share at Grace Covenant. We are pleased to report that 100% of the Session, Clergy, and Stew Crew have pledged.
The church’s stewardship income budget structure is changing this year based on the giving trends that we have seen. This change is in an effort to build a more sustainable financial system. In the 2019 budget, the pledge goal was based on 89% of our stewardship income coming in from pledges. The remaining 11% of the 2019 budgeted stewardship income was split between unpledged gifts, plate offerings, and prior year pledges paid off late. These other categories are unpredictable and can vary greatly from year to year. And as our pledge numbers continue to go up, Grace Covenant is ready to take the next step toward sustainability in our growing and vital congregation!
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2020 Pledging is in Progress!
As you may know, our
"Life Abundant"
Stewardship Campaign officially kicked off on Sunday, 9/29. Pledge card packets went out the following week with a letter from the Stew Crew, a 2020 pledge card, and a return envelope.
If you did not receive a pledge card packet but would like one, please contact our Finance Office.
Pledge cards are also available in the church narthex or
online here
.
To pledge in 2020, please return your completed card by Sunday, 10/27/19.
You can drop it in the offering plate on Sunday, mail or bring by the church office, or complete one online.
Please note, completing a pledge card
does not automatically authorize our Financial Administrator to set up online payments from your account, even if you are currently giving online. If you would like assistance with setting up automatic drafts through GCPC from your credit card or checking account, please contact Natalie Weaver at 828-254-3574, ext. 202 or
nweaver@gcpcusa.org
.
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Creating Sanctuary Team (CST) members are encouraged to attend the PART meeting TODAY, October 10 at 7 pm in the Fellowship Hall
to join in strategic planning about next steps in our shared mission of dismantling white supremacy culture and creating a culture of sanctuary for all. Hope to see you there!
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Creating Sanctuary Team Mtg. | Sunday, October 13 | 11:45 AM | Garden Room
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“Angels Unawares,”
a 20-foot bronze sculpture by the Canadian artist Timothy P. Schmalz, depicts 140 migrants and refugees from various historical periods traveling on a boat, and includes indigenous people, Mary and Joseph, Jews fleeing Nazi Germany and victims of war-torn countries. Inspired by Hebrews 13:2, “Be not forgetful to entertain strangers: for thereby some have entertained angels unawares,” the monument to migration currently stands in St. Peter’s Square, Vatican City, as homage to the displaced in the world.
Schmalz strove to create a sculpture showing “a tapestry of people from all historical periods of time” as well as the different emotions: “the joys, the hopes but also the tragic sorrow of leaving one’s home and one’s loved ones.”
As angel wings rise from the center of the work, the spirituality of welcoming migrants emerges. Speaking of the work, Pope Francis encouraged all Christians to “welcome, protect, promote and integrate” migrants, refugees, and displaced persons in order to advance integral human development of all people.
~ Contributed by Tish Anderson
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PART Meeting | TONIGHT, October 10 | 7 PM | Fellowship Hall
It's time for the Power and Race Team to up our game around accountability and transformation in our community of faith and in the larger community. This meeting is an opportunity for anyone who has been doing the hard of dismantling and disrupting white supremacy culture to strategize about next steps together.
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People of faith don't have the option of pleading ignorance or innocence when it comes to the deep wounds of race and white supremacy in our culture. Our work together is healing work. And the more healing hands engaged, the deeper the healing will be.
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Racial Justice Book Series | Thursday, November 14 | 7:00 PM | Jerusalem Room
For November
, we are reading
My Grandmother's Hands: Racialized Trauma and the Pathway to Mending our Hearts and Bodies
by Resmaa Menakem.
"
The body is where our instincts reside and where we fight, flee, or freeze, and it endures the trauma inflicted by the ills that plague society. In this groundbreaking work, therapist Resmaa Menakem examines the damage caused by racism in America from the perspective of body-centered psychology. He argues this destruction will continue until Americans learn to heal the generational anguish of white supremacy, which is deeply embedded in all our bodies. Our collective agony doesn't just affect African Americans. White Americans suffer their own secondary trauma as well. So do blue Americans—our police.
My Grandmother's Hands
is a call to action for all of us to recognize that racism is not about the head, but about the body, and introduces an alternative view of what we can do to grow beyond our entrenched racialized divide." (from Amazon)
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Molefi Kete Asante: 400 Years of African American Resilience | Thursday, October 24 | 6:00 PM | UNCA, Lipinsky Auditorium
UNC Asheville will commemorate the 400th anniversary of the arrival of the first enslaved Africans in what is now the United States with a series of educational and cultural events beginning Oct. 20 and culminating in a keynote address on Oct. 24 by Molefi Kete Asante, a leading philosopher and scholar of African American studies. Asante, chair and professor of Africology and African American Studies at Temple University, will deliver his keynote address, free and open to everyone, at 6 p.m. on Thursday, Oct. 24 in Lipinsky Auditorium.
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An activist intellectual, as well as poet, novelist, and dramatist, Asante has written scores of books and more than 500 articles, and was the founding editor of the Journal of Black Studies. He created the nation’s first Ph.D. program in African American Studies at Temple in 1988. Asante also founded and leads the Molefi Kete Asante Institute for Afrocentric Studies in Philadelphia, a think-tank, educational and transformative non-profit seeking “to insure that the assertion of African cultural values and traditions will become a standard part of any design involving the cultural, health, social, economic, spiritual, or political discourses about black people.”
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This Sunday's Education Hour (for all ages)
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Adult Education - Fall Term | Sept. 15 - Nov. 24 | 9:15 AM
Pressure Points - The Church and Native Americans: Grappling with the Past, Facing the Future | Fellowship Hall
This 11-week program will outline a Christian's response to social issues related to Native American Peoples of North America. This will involve educating ourselves about the history of native peoples (from their perspective using The Great Courses as an academic basis for this education) prior to European contact and the philosophical/theological/political concepts that were employed against Native peoples after contact. In the second half of the course's term, we will deal specifically with Cherokee Indian issues as a case in point of our country's and our church's involvement in oppression of native culture, highlighting the Cherokee Nation/ECBI's response to that oppression. Ultimately, we would like to posit for our class how we should prayerfully yet actively respond to these issues in the future.
Facilitators:
Buzz Durham, Mike Fleenor, Jaan Ferree, Mary Berg, Marcia Mount Shoop
The Improv -
The Spirituality of Vulnerability: Brené Brown and Richard Rohr
| Choir Room
“Vulnerability is the birthplace of love, belonging, joy, courage, empathy, and creativity. It is the source of hope, empathy, accountability, and authenticity. If we want greater clarity in our purpose or deeper and more meaningful spiritual lives, vulnerability is the path” (Brené Brown,
Daring Greatly). In this class, we will be discussing how the insights of shame researcher Brené Brown and spiritual writer and Franciscan friar Richard Rohr can inform our spiritual lives.
Facilitators:
Richard Coble, Nancy Gaskin, Paul Rogers
Digging In - Living the Questions | Jerusalem Room
Living the Questions is for those who are looking for a resource that encourages questions they’ve always wanted to ask and sparks open dialogue in a safe place. It’s also for those asking what a meaningful faith can look like today. Living the Questions provides a context where people can pursue their questions and deepen their understanding as part of a life-long spiritual journey. This video-based program (along with downloadable participant guides and readings) includes conversations with scholars and clergy. Spirituality, Bible, God, creation, Jesus, Gospels, Paul, evangelism, evil, suffering and forgiveness are some of the topics we’ll consider.
Facilitators:
Denise Snodgrass and Tim Hamel
Toddlers (ages 2-3) | “God Loves Me”
| 9:15 – 10:15 AM | Toddler Room (downstairs, Children’s Center)
Preschool/Kindergarten (ages 4-5) | Godly Play
| 9:15 –10:15 AM | Preschool Sunday School Room (downstairs, Children’s Center)
Elementary (grades 1-3) | Godly Play
| 9:15–10:15 AM | Temple Room (Education wing, upstairs)
Elementary (grades 4-5) | “CONNECT”
| 9:15–10:15 AM | Indie Room (Education wing, upstairs)
Middle School & Senior Highs (grades 6-12)
| 9:00-10:15 AM | Youth Rooms, (Education wing, upstairs)
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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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Facing the End as a Community of Faith: Grief, Planning, and Funerals | Sundays in November | 5:00 – 6:00 PM | Sanctuary
What does it mean to approach grief and death from a Christian perspective? How we even begin to make sense of advanced planning in light of the multitude of options today? Join us on Sunday evenings in November to learn about the end of life through the lens of faith.
- Nov. 3: All Saints Day, "Voices of Grief" film with Nancy Gaskin with special music by the Threshold Choir (note, this meeting will go until 6:30)
- Nov. 10: Living faithfully in light of today's medical and legal choices with Dr. Eric Mount, Rodes Professor Emeritus of Religion at Centre College
- Nov. 17: Understanding, writing, and notarizing Advanced Directives with Ashley Caswell, LCSW and Johanna Williams of Four Seasons Hospice.
- Nov. 24: Navigating funerals and our options with Frank Starling, RN of the Center for End of Life Transitions
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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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Calvin for Armchair Theologians
by Christopher Elwood
In this concise and lively introduction of John Calvin’s life and thought, Elwood tells us one of the best adventure stories of the modern era – the story of an outcast, exiled Frenchman who goes on to become one of Europe’s most powerful men. While the book is brief, it covers the whole range of his life and theology. This is an insightful and accessible overview of Calvin’s key teachings within his historical context. Illustrations are interspersed throughout the text, and humorously illuminate key points, providing an engaging introduction to an all-important theologian. Highly recommended for those who want to learn more about the origins of Presbyterian theology in a readable and entertaining format.
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Room In The Inn (RITI) | November 10 – 17 | GCPC
RITI returns to Grace Covenant in just under a month. There are only 4 Sundays to sign-up before their arrival! The sooner we fill the slots, the better prepared we are to host the women. There are so many ways (set-up, food, drivers, overnight hosts, etc.) to help with this important ministry. It takes the whole village.
Please sign up in the narthex on Sunday mornings or online at
http://bit.ly/RITINOV
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Many thanks to all the PRITCHARD PARK VOLUNTEERS
who helped us reach our goal of food donations/prepping/serving for Sunday, October 20! We are ready to serve thanks to this generous congregation!
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Ministry Partner News and Events...
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Exciting News from More Light!
The Presbytery of Western North Carolina and the Board of More Light Presbyterians are delighted to share the news of the ordination of Alex Patchin McNeill as a Minister of the Word and Sacrament in the Presbyterian Church (USA).
Alex will be ordained to the validated ministry position as Executive Director of More Light Presbyterians on Friday, October 11, 2019, at 3:00 pm.
The service will be held at First Presbyterian Church, Asheville, NC, with the Reverend Shawna Bowman preaching. Alex has served as Executive Director of More Light since 2013; the position of Executive Director was validated as a ministry earlier this year. More Light celebrates that Alex is the first openly transgender man to complete the ordination process and be ordained within the Presbyterian Church, U.S.A.
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Working Wheels News
Do you have an extra car that needs to find a new home?
Imagine how difficult your life would be without a car! Working Wheels repairs and recycles donated cars, transforming them into working wheels for working families. The process is simple and the donation is tax deductible, plus your donation benefits local nonprofits whose clients need these cars. We also need volunteer drivers and mechanics. To donate or volunteer, please call (
828) 633-6888
or visit
www.workingwheelswnc.org
.
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BeLoved received their permits to break ground on the BeLoved Village. The BeLoved Village is working to be the pilot model of a housing solution that targets our housing gap here in Asheville. We are working to build a Village of deeply affordable homes at 30% Area Median Income that is community-oriented, sustainable, and creates equity for Village residents. They have just launched a
Go Fund Me page with lots of information that is good for individuals who may want to give and share!
They will have Ultimate Ice Cream, share the story of the Village and how you can help, and offer tours of the Village site! For more info, click
HERE.
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Please join Asheville Area Habitat for Humanity and
Success Equation, an initiative of Children First/Communities in Schools, for a free film screening.
Owned unravels the complicated, painful, and often disturbing history of housing policy in America, shifting perceptions about what the idea of home means.
Watch the trailer here.
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Center for Participatory Change Match Fundraiser | Saturday, October 19 | 11:00 AM - 3:00 PM | Arthur Edington Center (
133 Livingston St
.)
Join us for a celebration and fundraiser with music, kids activities and lunch!
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GCPC 20s/30s Gathering: "HardLox Jewish Food & Heritage Festival" | Sunday, October 13 | 12:00-2:00 PM | Pack Square, Downtown AVL
If you are in your twenties or thirties (or nearly these ages), you are invited to an afternoon of
festival fun hosted by our Jewish neighbors
! We will meet at GCPC at noon and head downtown together (or meet downtown at the Vance monument at 12:15). Get ready to try delicious traditional foods, hear good music, talk and hang out, and visit some fun booths.
CLICK HERE TO RSVP.
Need Childcare?
Free childcare will be available at GCPC from 11:45 - 2:30pm (let
Heather Ferguson
know that you will be needing it).
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J.O.Y. (Just Older Youth) Group Gathering: “Beer & Hymns” | Tues., October 22 | 6:00 PM | Archetype Brewing (
174 Broadway St.
)
(Retired, empty nesters, qualifying for senior discounts) Our next event is Hymns and Beer! Archetype Brewing is located at 174 Broadway Street near Moog Music just north of I-240. The singing starts at 6 pm. Come even if you aren’t planning to sing! For more information, contact Richard at
rcoble@gcpcusa.org
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J.O.Y. Group Gathering: Gray Line Haunted History Tour | Tuesday, November 12 | 7:00 PM | Pack’s Tavern
Learn about some of the spookier aspects of our town's history during this 75-minute bus tour. Tickets are $25.
Please RSVP to Richard at
rcoble@gcpcusa.org
by October 21.
More information can be found at
http://bit.ly/AVLGhostTour
. If you have the time, join us for dinner beforehand at Pack's Tavern at 5:30pm.
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MCI (Mild Cognitive Impairment) Group | Wednesday, October 16 | 12:00 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 1st and 3rd Wednesdays of every month.
*New participants welcome at any time.
Contact Richard,
rcoble@gcpcusa.org
, with questions.
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Children and Youth Worship Leaders for October
Participating in worship as an acolyte, pouring at the baptismal font, or carrying in the communion cup or bread are all valuable experiences for our children and youth. These holy acts are invaluable to the forming of young faith. Through this participation, children and youth come close to the mysteries of our sacraments and begin a deeper understanding of what is means to be part of the community of followers of Jesus Christ.
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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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THIS WEEKEND:
Youth Group: "Youth Hang Out Night" | This Sunday, October 13 | 5:00 - 7:00 PM | Pick up/drop off at different houses
Get ready for a super special youth group where GCPC youth will get to bond in smaller groups. We hope that all youth will attend. Dinner will be provided. See youth email for contact Samantha
sgblock@gcpcusa.org
for exact addresses.
RSVP HERE
for food and activities plannning purposes.
*Middle School Boys Hang out:
Gavin Duncan's house
*Middle School Girls Hang out:
Emily & Meghan Leahy's house
*Senior High Boys Hang out:
Owen & Alex Gast's house
*Senior High Girls Hang out:
Katie Smith's house
Please note:
GCPC values gender diversity. All youth are welcome to attend whichever house best fits their identity or makes them feel most comfortable.
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Youth Sunday School:
Youth Choir, Drama & Fun
(6th - 12th graders) | Sundays | 9:00 - 10:15 AM | Youth Rooms
This fall we will be fearlessly jumping into our faith in creative ways. We will begin at 9:00am sharp with breakfast, followed by Youth Choir, Energizers, Games and and an on-your-feet Bible Study. See you at the first class and get ready for a fun, meaningful experience!
Questions? Contact Samantha at
sgblock@gcpcusa.org
.
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Raleigh Youth Mission Education Trip | January 17-20 (MLK Jr. Weekend)
Are you ready to be fearless together? We will be heading to our state capital, Raleigh to do transformative service projects, explore how laws impact our society, and consider how our faithful voices can make a difference. Get ready to grow side-by-side and have a whole lot of fun!
We are hoping to charter a bus (and have Eduard as our driver!!) and need 35 people in order to get it, so please claim your spot today
! The cost is $200 (full and partial scholarships available).
Register digitally HERE ASAP and submit your deposit by October 15th
.
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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)
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 (Yvonne Smith's friend)
Hettie Lou Garland
Betty Smith
Margaret Rada
Bob Higgins
James Harwell
Joyce Summerlin
Cory Hartbarger
Mary Ellen Horne
Penny Ponder
Florence Riedesel
Donna Robertson
Elizabeth Fisher
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Grace Covenant Community Out and About...
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2019 Fall Enneagram Gatherings
in the A-Frame @ GCPC
Mondays, 6-8pm
and
Fridays, 10am-12noon
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Pilgrimage to Cuernavaca, Mexico | March 3-12, 2020 (
with Heather Ferguson and Carol Hovis)
This is a
pilgrimage
with the intention of
spiritual retreat
in the context of Benedictine spirituality through a liberation theology lens, and
intellectual discovery
as we learn from guest lecturers about the historical, political and economic realities of Mexico & Central America. We participate in the
daily life of the Benedictine Sisters
which includes daily prayers, communal tasks and entering the lives of local Mexican colonias, Christian Base Communities, womens' cooperatives and more. If you are interested, contact
Carol
and
Heather
. Click
HERE
to see a simple brochure that describes the experience.
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The North Carolina Presbyterian Historical Society's Fall Meeting | Saturday, October 12 |
Davie Street Presbyterian Church
, Raleigh
We’ll be celebrating the very interesting 151-year history of Davie St. and the early history of African-American Presbyterian congregations in North Carolina. Registration is $16, including morning coffee and lunch. The schedule, registration form, and address are on our website
www.ncphsociety.org
or contact our secretary, Flo Durway, 919-977-8897,
floanddan74@gmail.com
.
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Rev. Dr. Brian Blount to Speak in Lenoir | Saturday, October 12 | 3:00 PM | Zion United Church of Christ (
1019 College Avenue SW
)
The president of Union Presbyterian Seminary in Richmond, Virginia, Rev. Dr. Brian Blount, will be a guest lecturer and preacher for First Presbyterian Church of Lenoir. He will speak on “The History of Racism in the Reformed Tradition.”
Dr. Blount has been president of Union Presbyterian Seminary and Professor of New Testament since 2007.
First Presbyterian Church of Lenoir is a member of the Presbyterian Church (USA) denomination. It regularly meets to worship at The Zion U.C.C. building on College Avenue on Sundays at 11:00 a.m. The minister, Rev. Beth Ann Miller, is a graduate of Union Presbyterian Seminary, as have been many of the previous ministers of First Presbyterian of Lenoir, including Rev. T. Hartley Hall IV, who later became the fifth president of the seminary.
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One World Circus presents WEBS | Tuesday, October 22 | 7:30 PM | UUC (1 Edwin Pl.)
A Circus Confronting Sexualized Violence... with humor, tragedy, and empathy. These are stories about negotiating sexual violence with resiliency and grit - descending into the darkness and coming out to find the power to say "No more." Tickets are $15. To purchase click
here.
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Christian Discipleship Center of Asheville - Study Tour of Israel and Turkey | September 19-28, 2020
Tour leader and chaplain: the Rev. Brent Norris, St. Mary’s Episcopal.
Trace the life and ministry of Jesus through historic sites in Nazareth, Galilee, and Jerusalem. Then follow the spread of the Church into Turkey and tour the ruins of the early Christian communities in Ephesus, Smyrna, and Laodicea.
Included: round trip airfare, all lodging, daily breakfast and dinner, licensed tour guide and headsets, air conditioned ground transportation, all museum and entrance fees, service charges and local taxes.
Not included: Turkish visa fee, lunches and drinks, gratuities for drivers and guide, personal expenses and travel insurance. Cost: $3,590 (per person, double occupancy) Deadline for registration: January 8, 2020; Deposit of $200 due February 1, 2020; Balance due June 19, 2020
Informational Meeting | Thursday, October 24th | 7 PM | St. Mary’s (337 Charlotte Street)
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Grace Covenant Presbyterian Church | 828.254.3274
789 Merrimon Ave. Asheville, NC 28804
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