News and Updates

October 20, 2023

Remembering the Allen School, October 21st

The Allen School provided a high-quality college preparatory education for African American girls, during segregation, until 1974. It was a boarding school supported by the Women's Division of Christian Service of the United Methodist Church. Many high school girls from Western North Carolina and other regions of the United States attended that school when it was impossible to receive a quality education in their own hometowns.

A North Carolina State historical marker memorializing the Allen School will be installed in downtown Asheville tomorrow, October 21st at 2 PM.

More information can be found HERE.

Building Closed Monday, October 23rd

Haywood Street staff will be away for a retreat and training on Monday, October 23rd. Because of this, the building will be closed.

We'll return to normal hours on Tuesday, opening the doors at 7 a.m.

Mobile Clinic is back this Wednesday, October 25th

The Public Health Mobile Team will return to Haywood Street this Wednesday, October 25th, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

The vaccines included will be COVID, Flu, MPOX, Hep A & B, Tetanus, and Shingles. The team will also work with folks to connect them to other county resources and clinical services. 

New Campus Open Hours

Since our beginning, Haywood Street has felt the call to be a refuge for those on the margins with nowhere else to go. Our campus open hours have been defined as "dawn to dusk" daily. With a recent increase in after-hours activity, this has become more challenging, prompting us to more specifically name open hours as Sunday through Thursday, 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. 

Outside of those hours, our campus will be closed unless folks are attending scheduled 12-step meetings inside the building or recovering in our medical respite community. 

We will continue offering a meal of abundant grace every Wednesday for lunch and Sunday for breakfast, where all are welcome, and the intention is to remind each person of their belovedness while breaking down barriers that commonly divide the haves from the have-nots.

The many activities that take place alongside these shared meals will also continue -- haircuts, sanctuary worship, acupuncture, resource navigation, mental health counseling, wound care, foot care, pet clinics, and more -- with gratitude to all the partners who join us on this journey.

Street Dog is Back on October 22nd

Street Dog Coalition is back on campus this Sunday, October 22nd, from 9-12. They'll be providing free veterinary care for pets of people experiencing or at risk of homelessness.

Services Offered:

Physical exams

vaccinations

parasite control

pet supplies

and more...

Precautions: Dogs should be on leashes, and cats in carriers.

All Saints Day Services

On Sunday, October 29th, and Wednesday, November 1st, Haywood Street will hold special All Saints Day services to remember and honor all those we have lost in our community.

If you have a loved one who passed away this year and would like them to be recognized, contact Pastor Jody with their name and a photograph.

On-going opportunities to participate at the Welcome Table:

• Have a meal! - Join us on Sunday or Wednesday to enjoy a meal with our community!

• Dining Room Clean Up - As always, clean up is one of the places that we need companion support. We promise to make it fun! On Sundays, we need companions from 10:00-12:00, and on Wednesdays from 12:00-2:00

• Kitchen Clean-Up - On Sundays from 10:00-12:00 and Wednesdays from 12:00-2:00, we would love for a couple of companions to help us clean up the kitchen and help serve the folks who come in during that time for a meal. You can sign up for this role on the sign-up sheet below!

Haywood Street in Photos

Folks from the Walnut Cove group helped paint a bedroom in Respite and rehang artwork in the lobby. Thanks for all your hard work!

This week's Habitat for Humanity workday crew! There's always an open invitation to join Pastor Seth on the third Thursday of each month.

This is Leigh and her little dog, Buddy. They have pretty exciting news to share--this coming week, they will be moving into their very own home! We're so excited for you, Leigh!

Weekly Ministry Opportunities:

Worship:

Sundays at 11:00 and Wednesdays at 12:30 p.m. in the sanctuary

Tuesday Haywood Street Holy Ground Keepers:

8:30 a.m. in the parking lot. Walk the grounds of the church campus and our local neighborhood, cleaning up along the way.

Tuesday Prayer Group: 12:30 p.m. in Room 6. Gather for a time of communal prayer.

Wednesday Card Making: 8:30 a.m. in the Sanctuary. Gather together to make cards for our community and friends in prison or in the hospital. 

Weekly Sermons

Read each week's sermon and previous sermons on the sermons page of the website.

Community Resources

Click below to see a list of places in the community to donate and find clothes, and when recovery meetings are held.

Fresco Viewing Hours:

Sundays 9:00 a.m.-12:00 p.m.

Monday-Thursday 10:00 a.m.- 2:00 p.m.

By appointment, contact April at april@haywoodstreet.org.

POEM

God...

Send me to the sad, the angry, the slow talkers, and the hard to understand,

I will listen.

Send me to the jittery, the hard to look at, the ill, and the unwashed,

I will hold them.

Send me to the wounded, the scary, the ones "talking crazy," and the "psychotic,"

I will look them in the eyes.

Send me to the complicated, the too much to handle, the stressed, and the overwhelmed,

I will help them get something done.

Send me to the inconsolable, the volatile, the violent, and the wasted,

I'll take them for a walk and give them a cigarette,

Send me to the guilty, the regretful, the ashamed, and the ones who have caused harm,

I will offer accountability and forgiveness.

Send me to the breathless,

I will breathe for them

I have seen and grieved the lifeless,

Now I will live for them. 

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Kim is a Peer Support Specialist working at Haywood Street Respite.

A witness to include the most excluded, Haywood Street not only welcomes every child of God–especially sisters and brothers of every mental illness and physical disability, addiction and diagnosis, living condition and employment status, gender identity and sexual orientation, class, color, and creed–but we celebrate your presence, certain that the kingdom of God is coming closer because you are here.