Photo by RODNAE Productions | |
|
Click "View entire message"
at bottom of email to see the FULL newsletter
| |
Worship Preview | Sunday, March 12, 2023
Third Sunday in Lent
In-person and Online Service
| |
*For the full revised common lectionary, please click here. | |
| Thursday, March 9 | Process Theology Class | 6:30 - 8:00 pm | Fellowship Hall | | Sunday, March 12 | Hybrid Worship
(In-person and online) | 9:30 am @ GCPC
(also on Youtube) | | Sunday, March 12 | Fellowship Time | 10:45 am | Narthex | | Sunday, March 12 | Formation for All Ages | 11:00 am
*please see details below | | Sunday, March 12 | Long Range Visioning Team | 12:00 pm | Indie Room | | Sunday, March 12 | Malawi Project | 12:30 - 4:00 pm | Atrium | | Sunday, March 12 | Middle School Youth Group | 4:30 pm | Youth Room | | Monday, March 13 | PW Circle 1 Mtg. | 10:00 am | Fellowship Hall | | Tuesday - Thursday | Church Office OPEN | 10:00 am - 4:00 pm | | Tuesday, March 14 | Prayer Group | 10:00 am | Jerusalem Room | | Tuesday, March 14 | PW Circle 4 Mtg. | 10:30 am | Offsite | | Tuesday, March 14 | Property Council Mtg. | 6:00 pm on Zoom | | Tuesday, March 14 | PW Circle 3 Mtg. | 7:00 pm | Offsite
(also on Zoom) | | Wednesday, March 15 | Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI) Group | 11:00 am | Jerusalem Room (also on Zoom) | | Wednesday, March 15 | Lenten Bible Study | 12:00 pm |Jerusalem Room (also on Zoom) | | Wednesday, March 15 | Ted Lasso Screening with Grace Episcopal (see details below) | 5:30 pm | Grace Episcopal
(871 Merrimon Ave.) | | Wednesday, March 15 | Just Funding Mtg. | 6:00 pm | Fellowship Hall | | Wednesday, March 15 | Centering Prayer | 6:00 pm | Sanctuary | | Wednesday, March 15 | Choir Rehearsal | 7:00 pm | Sanctuary | | Thursday, March 16 | Men of GCPC Gathering | 9:00 am on Zoom | | Thursday, March 16 | Formation Event | 5:30 pm | Choir Room (also on Zoom) | | Thursday, March 16 | APNC Mtg. | 8:00 pm on Zoom | | Thursday, March 16 | Process Theology Class | 6:30 - 8:00 pm | Fellowship Hall | | |
|
“Feeling Our Way in the Puzzle: God, Evil, and the Human Condition in Process Theology” | Thursday Night Class | March 9, 16, 23, 30 | 6:30 - 8:00 PM | Fellowship Hall | taught by Marcia Mount Shoop
Some of the hardest parts of the life of faith today are making sense of the traditional ways Christianity has explained things like Divine power, the existence of evil in the world, and why humans are the way we are. Process Theology invites us to shed many of the faulty assumptions of the Western philosophical tradition like materialism, superiority, and linear understandings of time for a cosmology and theology that coheres to the realities of the created world. This four week class is an opportunity for us to explore the novel perspectives that Process Theology offers us as we struggle to both understand and embody the life of faith in these trying times on the planet earth.
(both in person and zoom options; some readings will be available but not required)
| |
|
Children's Formation (K-5th Grade) | Sundays | 11:00 AM | Sanctuary
Children will continue to explore the parables and the life of Jesus through Godly Play on Sunday mornings. Every Sunday there will be a special Lent Children’s Bulletin with art and activities to get our kids thinking more about Lent. Each week there will be a Lent Focus Prompt and Activity in the family email.
| |
Adult & Youth (Middle/High School) Formation: "Why Being a More Light Congregation Makes Us a More Faithful Church" | Sundays | 11:00 AM | Fellowship Hall and Zoom (password: 789)
In this class, we will be exploring how GCPC can continue to live into our values as a More Light Congregation. The mission of More Light Presbyterians is a non-profit organization dedicated to allowing the full participation of LGBTQIA+ people in life, ministry, and witness of the Presbyterian Church (USA) and in society. Throughout the study, we will be hearing from leaders in More Light and the greater denomination via zoom.
Our guests include:
| |
March 12: Laura Mariko Cheifetz is the Assistant Dean for Admissions, Vocation, and Stewardship at Vanderbilt University Divinity School. She has also served as the Deputy Director of Systems & Sustainability of the National Asian Pacific American Women’s Forum and as Director of Strategic Partnerships at the Forum for Theological Exploration. She will be speaking about how the gift of queerness is that it is expansive of faith and theological insight, not only due to expanding community but also in ways of thinking and believing.
| |
March 16: Eric Thomas is the interim pastor of Siloam Presbyterian Church in Brooklyn, New York. He is the first pastor ordained at Siloam and its first openly same-gender loving pastor. He is also currently completing a PhD in New Testament & Early Christianity at Drew University. His research explores the potential for queer people of color to engage with scriptural texts to articulate and embody their own modes of flourishing. Note: Rev. Thomas will be speaking to us on a Thursday night. We will then be discussing his presentation the following Sunday.
| |
March 26: Adrian White recently graduated from Vanderbilt Divinity School and serves as the interim part-time pastor at Woodland Presbyterian Church in Nashville, TN. Rev. White will be discussing their article in Unbound, "Queer Family Celebration" (https://justiceunbound.org/queer-family-celebration/) and the work of Christians to create possibilities for all people to participate fully with their names and with their bodies at the Lord's Table and in the life of the church. Adrian is also on the board of More Light Presbyterians.
| |
April 5: Bertram Johnson is the Interfaith Minister at Union Theological Seminary in New York. Rev. Johnson is a faith leader who has spent more than two decades serving churches, non-profits, and faith-based organizations dedicated to social justice, spiritual care, and public health. He is a minister in the Presbyterian Church (USA) and was the first openly gay African American to be ordained in the PCUSA. He will be discussing his recent article in Time Magazine about "Finding Resilience As A Queer Person During The Holidays" https://time.com/6242427/lgbtq-loneliness-resilience-holidays/
|  | |
Wednesday Lenten Bible Study | 12:00 PM | Jerusalem Room and Zoom
Throughout Lent during our normal Wednesday Bible Study time (12-1p), we will be discussing Jill Duffield’s book Lent in Plain Sight. This devotional work enables us to see God’s transformative work through the ordinary: “ordinary people, ordinary objects, ordinary grace.” Together we will delve into Scripture and practice together as we delve deeper into our spiritual Lenten journeys.
The Church will order and provide books for all who can participate on these Wednesday meetings, March 1-April 5. Contact Richard (richard@gcpcusa.org) if you would like a copy.
| |
Centering Prayer | Wednesdays | 6:00 - 6:30 PM | Sanctuary
Join us on Wednesdays to sit in sacred silence and feel God closely. If you are not able to join us in person, we invite you to light a candle and hold silence wherever you are.
| |
Important Announcements... | |
An Invitation from Grace Episcopal. . . | |
|
Ted Lasso Season 3 premier | Wednesday, March 15 | 5:30 - 8:00 PM | Grace Episcopal (871 Merrimon)
Grace Covenant please join us at Grace Episcopal on Wednesday, March 15 for the Ted Lasso Season 3 premier on the big screen in our parish hall.
Childcare will be provided and all are welcome!
Please bring a dinner dish to share / BYOB and dress as your favorite character!
| |
Winter Safe Shelter, a collaborative effort between GCPC, Grace Episcopal, and Trinity United Methodist | |
|
The Winter Safe Shelter is still in need of volunteers! You can sign up at this link.
Check out the most current needed items by clicking here.
Safe Shelters’ person-centered, trauma-informed approach shows many promising outcomes. We have consistently provided 10 beds on a nightly basis for the past seven weeks. During that time we have served
23 guests, with an average length of stay of 16 days.
Outcomes at Exit:
71% of housing outcomes at exit have been to permanent housing
82% if you include transitional housing
100% of families transitioned into permanent housing at exit, with support furnishing
100% of children were housed at exit.
82% of BIPOC guests were housed at exit.
100% of Latine guests were housed at exit.
| |
|
Deacon of the Week:
The deacons of Grace Covenant are available to talk and pray with you by phone or online and to coordinate care. If you have difficulty reaching your assigned deacon or if you do not know who your assigned deacon is, please feel free to reach out to our deacon of the week.
This week (3/5-3/11): Pam Baker | email: pam.dunkin56@gmail.com
Next week (3/12-3/18): Emma Maney | email: emmabrynn14@gmail.com
| |
|
Prayer requests will stay on the GCPC Prayer List for one month. Please let any staff member know if you (or your loved one) would like to remain on the list for longer.
Iglesia Jerusalem congregation
Trey and Alisha Thompson and 3 kids - Gabi, Arlo, and Eldon (Patty and Brent Thompson's son and daughter-in-law and grandchildren)
Cathy Wooten (William High’s mom)
Maria, Esteban, and Erik Goicoehea
Ann Bartlett (friend of Amanda Pressley)
Family of Burch Mixon (Kate Shem connection)
Casey Gunn Newton (Lynn Turnage's friend; Beth Gunn's daughter)
Juanita Lathem (Marilyn Roderick’s mother)
Joseph Tierney (Paul Tierney’s father)
Susan Smialowicz
Doris Prak
Michelle Chromey and family
Andrea Rosal
Sharon Sasse
Reed Carney
Laura and Jonathan Ross
Margaret Rada
Mary Byers
Gloria Moe
Ken Richards
Susie Churchfield
Karen Rohls
| |
SAVE THE DATE!
Asheville Area Piano Forum's 17th Spring Benefit Concert
at GCPC on April 16, 2023
| |
|
Presbyterian Womenʼs Circles are Zoom meetings. Please join us.
Circle 1: Second Monday of each month, 10:00 a.m.
Circle 2: First Tuesday of each month, 7:30 p.m.
Circle 3: Second Tuesday of each month (some Zoom and some in-person), 7:00 p.m.
Circle 4: Second Tuesdays of each month, 10:30 a.m.
Circle 5: First Monday of each month, 11:00 a.m.
| |
|
Need to set up a church zoom meeting?
Contact Anna Louise and she can get you all set up!
| |
|
The Garden season has begun!
On Monday, March 6, eleven garden volunteers convened to get the party started. They harvested 98 lbs. of spinach that was donated to Western Carolina Rescue Ministries! They also planted onions and sugar snap peas.
| |
Community Working Together | |
|
YWCA presents.... CSA Fair | Friday, March 10 | 3:30 - 6:30 PM | YWCA
The YWCA is proud to continue their partnership with the Appalachian Sustainable Agriculture Project (ASAP) and support the work of providing access to fresh, healthy, and local foods. One way they celebrate this partnership is as a pick-up location for Community Supported Agriculture shares (CSA) and by hosting ASAP’s CSA Fair in the YW’s Multipurpose Room. CSA Fairs are a great chance to meet local farmers and learn about CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) in your area. Stop by; the event is free, family-friendly, and open to the public.
| |
Hood Huggers Intl. and Peace Gardens & Market invites you to.... | |
|
COURSE: Racism in Policing
American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) is offering a donation-based course on Racism in Policing, distributed over four weekly emails by teachers Paige Fernandez (she/her) ACLU’s Policing Policy Advocate, and Carl Takei (he/him), ACLU’s senior staff attorney. Throughout the month, students will “gain a foundational knowledge around the critical issues of U.S. policing, its inseparable ties to systemic racism, and solutions for change.”
Download the online syllabus for a full lesson breakdown, and/or register for the course.
| |
|
YWCA Racial Justice Challenge
Previously known as the 21-Day Racial Equity and Social Justice Challenge, the YWCA Racial Justice Challenge is the same program developed by YWCA and adopted nationwide.
Racial Justice Challenge is an exciting opportunity to dive deep into racial equity and social justice while participants investigate different subjects week, Disability, Housing, Mental Health, and Music.
Participation in an activity like this helps discover how racial injustice and social injustice impact their community, connect with one another, and identify action steps to dismantle racism and other forms of discrimination. This is an exciting opportunity to join a learning community dedicated to racial equity and social justice.
The Challenge will begin on April 17, 2023. Register now, and you will receive emails with more information as the start date approaches.
| |
|
Racial Equity Institute (REI) Upcoming Trainings
The Western North Carolina Racial Equity Collective is a collective of volunteers in counties across the mountains working to create more equitable communities. Together we organize to bring the Racial Equity Institute workshops and trainings to our area and beyond, as well as facilitate community conversations about race, racism and how both are operating in our communities.
| |
Exciting news for Medicaid Expansion! | |
Last week, NC lawmakers announced they had reached an agreement on expanding Medicaid. Pisgah Legal has been advocating for Medicaid Expansion for more than a decade. Jackie Kiger, Pisgah Legal's Chief Operations Officer, shared on WLOS that more than a half a million people statewide will benefit from Medicaid expansion. Pisgah Legal is cautiously optimistic as this decision means more people here in our mountains will be able to get access to the care they need.
Pisgah Legal will help educate and navigate what these changes mean as details around the decision are decided.
| |
|
Interfaith Initiative -
Social Justice Opportunities
| |  |
Buncombe Community Remembrance Project | | |
|
PC(USA) Special Offerings -
One Great Hour of Sharing
February 22 - April 9
Millions of people lack access to sustainable food sources, clean water, sanitation, education, and opportunity.
The three programs supported by One Great Hour of Sharing - Presbyterian Disaster Assistance, the Presbyterian Hunger Program, and Self-Development of People - all work in different ways to serve individuals and communities in need. From initial disaster response to ongoing community development, their work fits together to provide people with safety, sustenance, and hope.
| | |
 | |
Columbia Theological Seminary to host ‘Just Creation’ conference March 16-18 -
More than 40 speakers are taking part in this hybrid gathering
~ by Columbia Theological Seminary
Following environmental concerns brought about by last month’s train derailment in Ohio, Columbia Theological Seminary in Decatur, Georgia, is offering the national conference “Just Creation — Shalom for Our Common Home” March 16-18. The conference is available both in person and online.
Focused on environmental justice, the conference brings together nationally known theologians, scientists, activists and artists to reflect on ways for the church to move forward during a time of precipitous climate change, catastrophic loss of biodiversity and rapid proliferation of pollutants, especially as the costs of such changes are distributed inequitably around the world.
Centering the conference are opening and closing keynote addresses by nationally known speakers and three plenary sessions. Each plenary session will feature a theologian, a scientist and an activist who will dialogue and guide conferees’ reflections on “Earth,” “air” and “water.” Conferees will also have opportunities to take part in a range of workshops and worship opportunities as well as engage artists and their work.
| | |
 | |
‘This is work all Presbyterians can benefit from’ -
Dr. William Yoo, author of ‘What Kind of Christianity,’ is the guest on ‘Leading Theologically’
~ by Mike Ferguson
Dr. William Yoo, whose book “What Kind of Christianity: A History of Slavery and Anti-Black Racism in the Presbyterian Church” was published last year by Westminster John Knox Press and received almost instant acclaim, including from members of the Presbyterian Mission Agency Board and from a local gathering, was the guest of the Rev. Dr. Lee Hinson-Hasty, senior director of theological education and funds development with the Committee on Theological Education and the Presbyterian Foundation Wednesday on the broadcast “Leading Theologically.”
Listen to their half-hour conversation here or here.
“This is important work,” Hinson-Hasty told Yoo, Associate Professor of American Religious and Cultural History and Director of the MDiv program at Columbia Theological Seminary. “’It debunks persistent myths,’ says one reviewer. It gives me chills when I read that,” Hinson-Hasty said. “This is work that has to be done so we can imagine a different kind of future.”
| | |
Stewardship & Sustainability | |
|
IT'S NOT TOO LATE TO SUBMIT YOUR 2023 PLEDGE!
Submitting your pledge is quick and easy! Simply CLICK HERE or scan the Qr code to the right to submit your pledge online, all in one form. You will receive an email confirmation of your pledge.
Questions or concerns? Please contact Natalie Weaver, Stewardship & Financial Administrator, at giving@gcpcusa.org or leave a message at 828.254.3274.
Keep in mind, anyone can pledge any amount - every single penny helps support the ministry and mission at GCPC!
WAYS TO PLEDGE:
-
Online pledge card HERE
-
Email giving@gcpcusa.org
-
Call 828.254.3274 and leave a message for Natalie Weaver
-
Fill out a pew pledge card and put in the Sunday offering plate
-
Request a mailed pledge card from the office
| |
Click here for a Primer for Christian Nationalism Discussion | |
|
The church office is open Tuesday - Thursday, 10am - 4pm.
We recommend calling ahead or emailing to set up an appointment if you are wanting to meet with a specific staff member. Please note, many staff are off or work remotely on Monday and the office is not open on Friday.
Coming to visit? We have a new video doorbell to assist with security. To access the building or office, please enter through the far left glass doors off the courtyard (labeled Enter). Ring the doorbell to have the door unlocked. The GCPC office is down the hall to the right, just past the Sanctuary.
You can also reach our office by phone at 828.254.3274. Follow the prompts for the staff directory to dial by name or press 0 for the main office.
| |
|
Grace Covenant Presbyterian Church
789 Merrimon Ave. Asheville, NC 28804
828.254.3274
www.gcpcusa.org
| | | | |
