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“Exclusion is never the way forward on our shared paths to freedom and justice.”
~ Desmond Tutu
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Sunday Preview
Sunday, October 20, 2019
Sacrament of the Lord's Supper
Worship services @ 8:15 & 10:45 AM
Education Hour (for all ages) @ 9:15 AM
Homily:
"Justice for All" by Samantha Gonzalez-Block
Scriptures:
Psalm 119:97-104; Luke 18:1-8
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Montgomery Pilgrimage 2019
The Montgomery Pilgrimage is underway! Please keep the participants from GCPC and All Souls in your prayers as they travel to
The National Memorial for Peace and Justice and The Legacy Museum: From Enslavement to Mass Incarceration. They will return on Sunday.
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Autumn is here 🍁
...and with it brings beautiful images of changing foliage, fall harvest, and cornucopias overflowing with abundance. It is a season that is ripe for future planning and for embracing change. It is a time for much gratitude, as we celebrate the many ways in which we live Life Abundant!
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Autumn is also stewardship season and and there are ways in which you can help support this amazing campaign. As of today, we have received a total of $546,660 pledged, representing 46% of the stewardship income goal. If you have already reached out and pledged this October,
Thank You! If you have yet to pledge, please consider whether a 5% or more increase is possible to help us reach our stewardship goal of $1,200,000.
Never pledged before? Pledging is a wonderful way to show your support for GCPC and help us continue our ministries with this tax deductible gift! Every penny of your pledge will go directly towards ministry work.
To pledge for 2020, please have your completed card in by
Sunday, 10/27/19. There are many ways to pledge. You can place your pledge card in the Sunday offering plate, mail it or bring it by the church office, or complete one
online here.
We are pleased to report that 100% of the Session, Clergy, and Stew Crew have now pledged. Only 159 more pledges to go by 10/27/19!
~ Laura Ross, Stew Crew Member
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Why I give to GCPC
These last few weeks we have been hearing about why people give to GCPC. Each one has a story… a reason that the feel they belong and want to share their gifts with others. I have my own.
You already know I love being a part of the choir and sharing in the amazing gift of music at GCPC. At times, I have also helped out in the garden. One Saturday, I was asked to take the abundance of produce from our garden to our
ministry partner, Loving Food Resources. Upon arriving there, I was surprised to s
ee one of my students from A-B Tech, waiting in the lobby to receive food for the week. They helped me bring in the produce from my car which gave us a chance to talk. I learned how important Loving Food Resources was to them and how much they valued the healthy fresh produce we provided. It filled me with gratitude that I belong to a church that
cultivates partnerships and shares resources across the community.
~ Jonathan Ross, Stew Crew Member
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3
rd
QUARTER CONTRIBUTION STATEMENTS AVAILABLE NOW
If you gave during the 3
rd
quarter (July - September),
your contribution statement is available for pick up at the Welcome Desk until 10/27/19.
Help us save on postage by picking yours up on Sunday!
Please check the contribution details and pledge balances for accuracy.
Keep in mind, this statement only includes gifts made
7/1/19 – 9/30/19
; any gifts made in October will be reflected on the year-end statement issued in January.
If you gave during the quarter, even if online/automatic, a statement will be generated for you. Statements help catch any errors prior to year-end and give you a more accurate pledge balance status mid-year.
If you have questions or concerns about your statement, please contact Natalie Weaver, Stewardship & Financial Administrator, at
nweaver@gcpcusa.org
or 828-254-3274, ext. 202.
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PAPERLESS STATEMENTS
GREAT NEWS! We’ve switched to a new contribution software called Realm. One of the perks you’ll notice is an easier to read statement, which now includes non-deductible gifts and a more clear pledge balance. We now also have the capability to email contribution statements if preferred, instead of printing and requiring pick-up or mailing. This will help save time and money for GCPC and provide the timeliest delivery to you!
To sign up for paperless statement delivery, please contact Natalie Weaver at 828-254-3274, ext. 202 or
nweaver@gcpcusa.org
with your preferred email address.
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Creating Sanctuary Team (CST)
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Documentary Screening:
"Stories Beyond Borders"
| Sunday, November 3 | 4:00 PM | Ferguson Auditorium - AB Tech (
340 Victoria Road
)
Stories Beyond Borders
includes five short films that show a more complete picture of the attacks on immigrant families and communities. Hosted by Working Films, Carolina Jews for Justice, and the NC/WNC Chapter of the ACLU, these films lift up real stories of resilience and strength, while illustrating some of the ways people can give their time, energy, and resources to support organizing led by immigrant communities. This free event will also include a discussion led by those who are working for immigrant justice in Asheville.
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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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Join UNC-Asheville Associate Professor, Trey Adcock, Director of American Indian & Indigenous Studies and an enrolled member of the Cherokee Nation (Oklahoma), for a wide-ranging discussion on issues, ideas and identity in contemporary Native America. This will not be limited to a history lesson but rather a conversation on indigenous futurism and protecting the future for tribal members of the 577 Federally recognized tribes/ Nations and the numerous additional State recognized tribes. Click
HERE
for more information.
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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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Earth Team Hike to Tennent Mountain | Thursday, October 24 | 8:30 AM | Meet in GCPC parking lot
We will meet at GCPC and carpool to the trailhead. We will hike Black Balsam on the Art Loeb Trail and continue on to Tennent Mountain. (Google Tennent Mountain hike). The hike is about 5 miles and is moderately strenuous. Hopefully we will have spectacular views from both peaks! Bring a lunch and plenty of water, wear good hiking shoes or boots. We should get back to the church about 3:30 or 4:00. Text Les Stradley at (828) 329-3332 to sign up.
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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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A Good Provider Is One Who Leaves: One Family and Migration in the 21st Century
by Jason DeParle
A riveting multigenerational tale of one Filipino family dispersing across the globe, from Manila to Abu Dhabi to Galveston, Texas, with many places in between. One of the nation’s most committed immersive journalists, Jason DeParle, spent thirty years with a single family whose lives were defined by immigration, traveling to several countries and seeing children grow up and have children of their own. No matter your politics or home country, this book will change how think about the movement of people between rich and poor countries. Intimate narratives entwine with sweeping, global accounts to produce one of the best books on immigration written in a generation.
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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 3 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. Thank you to all of you who signed up last week! It really does take the whole village!
Please sign up in the narthex on Sunday mornings or online at
http://bit.ly/RITINOV
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Ministry Partner News and Events...
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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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CoThinkk 2019 Annual Awards Night | Saturday, October 19 | 7:00 - 11:00 PM |
Hi-Wire Brewing: Big Top Event Space (
2B Huntsman Place
)
Please join us in celebrating the 4th Annual CoThinkk Community Awards Night,
Shifting the Now: Shaping the Future
. We are looking forward to announcing this year’s grant recipients and recognizing community leaders in Western North Carolina. For more info and to register for this free event, click
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!
CPC’s interCAMBIO/ exCHANGE program is a space for Black, Brown, and Latinx people to learn about each other’s languages, identities, and cultures and build meaningful relationships together. They recently completed their first session, and are planning the next. This is an opportunity to
make a donation
to support it.
A
donation
to CPC helps ensure healing spaces are available for communities most affected by structural inequities. With your help, CPC can raise enough funds to continue creating these potent spaces, advancing their mission of igniting collective power, transforming systems of oppression, and healing in community. The goal of this campaign is to raise $20,000 by November 15. All gifts during this time frame will be matched by an anonymous donor.
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Hood Huggers International Events:
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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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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.
DEADLINE:
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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Men @ GCPC | Thursday, October 31 | 8:00 AM | HomeGrown
We will be discussing Richard Rohr's final chapter in his book
Falling Upward, about the tasks of the 'second half of life.' You can find a link to the chapter
HERE.
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Centering Prayer | Wednesday Nights | 6:30 - 7:00 PM | Sanctuary
Christianity has a rich and ancient tradition of intentional and prayerful silence as a spiritual practice. Sacred silence teaches us to listen devoutly, humbly, and with trust. 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 at
mmshoop@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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Youth Mission Earth Day | Sunday, October 20 | 12:00 - 6:00 PM | Meet/pick up at GCPC parking lot
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Middle School Retreat 2019 ~ Camp Grier | Friday, Nov 1st, 5 PM - Sunday, Nov 3rd, 12 PM | Old Fort, NC
The Presbytery of WNC invites youth (grades 6-8) to this annual highlight! It will be a fun-filled weekend with youth from across our presbytery. Our Presbyterian Youth Council Senior Highs will be leading the way! We will hike, play games outside, do service, have small groups, and creatively explore our faith together. This is a great way to deepen friendships and grow as children of God. The cost is $95 (if you register by Oct 24th) & full/partial scholarships are available.
*
Register digitally HERE ASAP
.
*We are looking for some more parent chaperones. Please contact
Samantha
if you would be interested in attending with GCPC
.
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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! The cost is $200 (full and partial scholarships available).
Trip is currently full, but we are accepting waitlist registrations.
Register for waitlist HERE ASAP
.
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Parents, Addresses needed for College/Service Year
Care Packages 2019
The youth group will be putting together care-packages to send to our young adults who are in college or doing a year of service. We would love to include your youth, if they fall under this category.
Please fill in their mailing address here
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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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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 (David Carter's wife and 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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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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Gospel Music Concert | Saturday, October 26 | 3:00 PM | St. James Episcopal Church (
424 W. State St
., Blk. Mtn.)
The “Original” Thomas Chapel A.M.E. Zion Church presents GospelFest, a multicultural gospel music concert fundraising event. This historic African Methodist Episcopal Church, referred to as the “little church on the hill” at 300 Cragmont Road in Black Mountain, was built by freed slaves in 1892 as the first “Tom’s Chapel.” The current building dates to 1922. Serving as the mother church for the A.M.E. Zion and other dominations in the Valley, it’s been restored to its original splendor.
Advance tickets are $10 for adults and $5 for children 12 and under. Click
HERE
to buy tickets. Click
HERE
to read the Press Release.
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The Asheville Threshold Choir Events
The Asheville Threshold Choir is hosting two upcoming demonstrations of our musical repertoire at two of the facilities where we sing:
- October 29 | 6:30 PM | Heather Glen at Ardenwoods (103 Appalachian Blvd.)
- November 7 | 6:30 PM | NC State Veterans Home (62 Lake Eden Rd.)
About The Threshold Choir:
The voice is the perfect vehicle to convey compassion and comfort at the bedsides of people who are at a threshold; some with living, some with dying.
When invited, we send two to four singers who offer soft, simple, restful songs to comfort, support and honor those at the thresholds of life, as well as their families and caregivers. In over 150 communities worldwide, we offer bedside singing as our gift, at no charge.
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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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