Central Youth and

C4C Holiday Food Drive

March 5 to April 6 2025

Eve Circle will meet at 10:00 am Tuesday, April1 in the Parlor at Central. At 11:00 after the meeting, members and guests will have a tour of the downtown Asheville Black Cultural ‍Heritage Trail led by Sara Sterling Ansley. Visitors are welcome!! skleduc@prodigy.net if you have questions.

Central’s Youth and C4C are teaming up for the 2025 Lenten Food Drive to support Children First. We are collecting meal kits with specific items requested by the organization.

Meal Kit Options:

Each kit should contain all items listed for that kit.

• Kit #1: Peanut Butter & Jelly, Mac & Cheese, Oatmeal
• 
  
• Kit #2: Rice, Pasta Sauce, Canned Chicken, Canned Vegetables, Mac & Cheese, Pancake Mix & Syrup or Oatmeal
• 
  
• Kit #3: Spaghetti Noodles, Pasta Meat Sauce, Canned Vegetables, Mac & Cheese, Oatmeal or Pancake Mix & Syrup
• 
  
• Snack Kit: Goldfish Crackers, Granola Bars
• 
  

Important Instructions:

✅ Pack complete kits—each kit should include every listed item. (Incomplete kits require C4C to purchase missing items.)

✅ Use sturdy packaging—double-bag or box kits to prevent heavy items from falling out.

✅ Label each kit as Kit #1, #2, #3, or Snack Kit.

✅ Stick to the list—Children First has requested these specific items.

📍 Drop-off Location: Collection bins in the Fellowship Hall

📧 Questions? Contact c4c@centralumc.org 

or Pastor Caroline

Thank you for supporting local children in need!

Mother's Day Remembrance

DEADLINE - May 1st

The Anna Circle will be placing red and white carnations in the Chancel urns on Mother’s Day, May 11th.  We invite you to remember and/or honor your mother, grandmother, mothers of your grandchildren, special aunt, or any woman who has provided nurturing in your life’s journey.  

A donation of $10 for each name remembered or honored will be used in support of local missions. 

A list of names will be provided online and with the bulletin on Mother’s Day. 

Please provide the following information and mail to: Central UMC, 27 Church St. Asheville, NC 28801.  Attn: Anna Circle. 

Please provide: (1) Name of person remembered or honored (2) Mark in memory or in honor. (3) Name of contributor and phone number.    



All checks should be made out to “CUMC-Anna Circle”, marked for “Mother’s Day” in memo line.   

ALL donations must be received by May 1^st.  

For questions, please contact Mary Ann Wansong, wansongma@charter.net. Thank you for your support of local missions. 

Listening Sessions for Families with Youth

SUNDAY, 3/23 @ 11AM

Listening Sessions for Families with Children and Youth With the departure of Pastors Ann and Caroline this June, we know our families have questions about and hopes for the future of our children and youth programs. We want to hear them!

Join Pastor Mary and a representative of our church leadership in the "Youth Arena" on the 4th floor after worship on an upcoming Sunday; choose the one that fits your family best. Can't come? Mary can be reached at mbrown@centralumc.org or 828-557-2773.  

The Rail Project: A Two-Part Educational Event

SUNDAY, MARCH 23 & MARCH 30 | 3:00-4:00PM

Join us to learn about the history of incarcerated laborers who built the railroad into WNC. If you miss session one, you can still attend session two. 

Session One: Sun, March 23, 3:00–4:30 PM, Fellowship Hall at Skyland UMC – Dr. Dan Pierce shares insights on the RAIL Memorial Project.

Session Two: Sun, March 30, 3:00–4:30 PM – Site visit to Ridgecrest/Old Fort with Dr. Pierce.

For more info go to: https://therailproject.org

Open Prayer

WEDNESDAYS DURING LENT | 5:00PM

During Lent, join us for a time of quiet reflection in the Chapel. Pastors will be available to pray with you. We hope you will take advantage of this opportunity. For more information contact Pastor Lisa.

Songs for Senderos: Fundraiser for Guatemalan Youth

SATURDAY, APRIL 5 | 7:00PM (White Horse in Black Mountain)

Join us for an evening of music from three beloved Asheville artists — David Wilcox, Kat Williams, & David LaMotte.

Proceeds will benefit Senderos, a nonprofit organization benefitting youth in Guatamala, founded by David LaMotte and his wife in 2004.

Admission is “donate what you can,” with a suggested price of $30. For more information or to register: https://senderosguatemala.org/

Table to Table Lunch

SATURDAY, SUNDAY, APRIL 6 | 11:15AM

🍽️ Equal Plates will be proving another great meal. Join us after church for Table to Table, where Equal Plates Project will provide a delicious meal.

The menu will be meat and vegetarian lasagna, salad, garlic bread and roasted vegetables. A $10 suggested donation per person helps support this initiative, and children 4 and under eat free.

Stay, connect, and enjoy a wonderful time of fellowship! 

Please RSVP to ensure we have enough food at centralumc.org/EVENTS.  

Nature Hike with Alexandra Holland

SATURDAY, APRIL 12 | 10:00AM-12 NOON

Join Alexandra Holland for Nature Hike: Through the Lens of Gratitude, a spiritual disciplines hike for all ages (location TBD). Space is limited—RSVP to Alexandra@wncnature.com. 

Sponsored by the Creation Care Committee. 

Stories of Faith Lenten Devotional

Share your story of faith with the congregation via the devotional email and on our blog.

Tell us something about your faith journey from death to resurrection and everything in between.

Entries can be around 500 words.

Email Pastor Caroline to share your entry and make sure you are signed up for the morning emails. 

Congregational Care Service Opportunities | Check Out centralumc.org/CARE

There are many ways to serve. We invite you to assess how God may be calling you to serve. Contact Pastor Lisa for more information. 

Ongoing Opportunities

•Table to Table helper 

•Circle of Prayer 

•Children’s Care Ministry 

•Homebound Visitor 

•Prayer Shawl Ministry

On-call Opportunities

•Be a Meal Train provider 

•Be a Worship Buddy 

•Set-up & take-down for special 

events 

•Bereavement Receptions

Congregational Care

Ministries News

What do you know about our Recovery Care Resources Ministry? 

“RCR” is a ministry of CONNECTION helping individuals retain their independence with the support of community agencies within their home.” 

*IF you or someone you know (do not have to be a member of Central) could use the support of RCR, please call Pastor Lisa to have a confidential conversation with her about your situation! 

In celebration of National Social Services Month, the Congregational Care Council brings to you Central’s very own social service ministry, Recovery Care Resources, launched in 2023! 

We Need Your Story!

We need your story!

The Reconciling Ministries Group at Central United Methodist Church is updating our book, Come to Me All.

If you gave us a story for a previous edition we need to know if you would like that story to be reprinted. If you want to update your story, please email it to jonathanlmeadows@gmail.com

*note updated email address above!

If you have a story to tell about yourself or a LGBTQ+ family member that has not been printed before, we would love to have you tell it. We all can grow by sharing our experiences. We are particularly interested in experiences you have had – good or bad – with Central UMC.

If you have questions, contact Maggie Charleton at charletonsasheville@gmail.com.

We need to have our stories ready by the middle of May, so we need your story by April 15, 2025.

Anna Circle Meets

Wednesday, April 2 @ 10AM in the Parlor of Central UMC

The Anna Circle will meet in the church parlor at 10:00 am on Wednesday, April 2. At our meeting we will experience the call to prayer and self-denial. Our program will be a discussion of the book All You Can Ever Know: a Memoir by Nicole Chung.

Please consider joining us if you are looking for fellowship with a dynamic group of women. While several members have been together for many years, we have many who are new to the group so know that you would be welcome! And if you don’t have time to read the book before then, that’s ok. Come and listen so you can decide if it is something you would enjoy reading later.

Any questions? Please call me at 706-831-3959 or email rychly2@gmail.com.

GET PLUGGED IN!

WEDNESDAY, APRIL 9 | 5 PM CENTRAL UMC (27 CHURCH ST., ASHEVILLE, NC)

Join us on Wednesday, April 9th, at 5pm to learn about EVs (Electric Vehicles). We'll start with a “show and tell” in the rear parking lot where CUMC members will show us their own EVs. You can sit in one, walk around it, look under the hood, try to hear it with the motor running, but no driving!

Following that, Dave Erb will speak to us in the Chapel about “Electric Vehicles: The Future is Now.” He is a retired engineering professor from UNC-A, a noted proponent of EVs and a well known speaker on that subject.

SAVE THE DATE – Depolarizing Within Braver Angels | SAT, APR 12

For people of faith, civil discourse begins in recognizing the image of God in our conversation partner. Since we are all children of God, our approach should involve mutual respect. Respect, not agreement, is an essential key for a healthy discussion. This workshop addresses how we may inadvertently be complicit in, or possibly even encourage, polarization.

UWF Maureen Carr Memorial Scholarship

United Women in Faith is now accepting applications for the Maureen Carr Memorial UWF Scholarship. Two awards of $1000 each will be given to high school seniors and/or college students who are active at Central UMC. 

Applications are available on the church website or by emailing Alexandra Holland alexandra@wncnature.com. 

The application should be completed and returned by May 1, 2025.