If you have a church related announcement you would like included in this newsletter, you must email it to Harper at admin@uccasheville.org by noon on Mondays.
Join us for a Blessing of the Animals on October 10th at 11am in the Memorial Garden.
We will once again have a table at Blue Ridge Pride on October 3rd at Pack Place. If you can volunteer to help prepare or staff the table, please contact Yolanda. Otherwise, come say hi to us that day if it's not pouring!
Our Interim Pastor, Margot Pickett, will leading worship starting October 4th. Read about her here: http://www.uccasheville.org/our-interim-pastor.html and join us after worship for a special welcome Friendship Time.
From our Interim Pastor, Margot Pickett
Grace and peace to you, the saints of First Congregational United Church of Christ!
“I thank God for every one of you. That’s first. People everywhere keep telling me about your lives of faith, and every time I hear them, I thank God” So begins Paul’s letter to the church in Rome (cf. Romans 1:8, The Message), but it is really true about you at FCUCC also. Everywhere I’ve gone lately when I’ve told people that I am going to be a short-term interim at your church they talk about what a great church you are! Your ministry in the city of Asheville is known far and wide and I count it a privilege to serve among you here.
So while your reputation precedes you, let me tell you a bit about myself. As you have heard, I am coming to you from Durham where my husband, Mark, and I have lived for 20 years. We moved there from Vermont when we were called to be Co-Pastors of Pilgrim UCC. Our daughters, Courtney and Michal, attended middle school, high school, and college in Durham. In fact all four of us and our son-in-law, Ben, are Duke alums, so expect to see me wearing lots of royal blue, especially during basketball season! Courtney is a doctoral student at Duke, studying at the Duke Marine Lab in Beaufort. Michal and Ben live in Lyons, Colorado, near Boulder where Michal works at the University of Colorado. Ben is the full-time dad for our precious grandson, Asher, who was born in January and they are expecting another baby in February!
While I am with you, I have rented an apartment in the lower level of a house on a hillside in Black Mountain. I am enjoying that community and landscape as I try to settle in. Mark plans to come visit and enjoy the mountains with me a couple of times a month as his schedule permits. We’ve been married 38 years so this “commuter marriage” thing is a new adventure for us!
Enough about me! I hope to meet as many of you as possible as soon as possible, to visit when and where needed, and to be the pastor you need me to be during this tumultuous time in the life of the church. Please know that I welcome your calls about routine matters during office hours (9-1) Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays, and that I am always available for urgent pastoral care needs. Because I am not the best “multitasker” in the world, I would love it if you would call the church office [first] or my cell phone, if you would like to arrange a meeting with me at the church or closer to where you live or work. My cell phone is 919-414-6053 (which is turned off after 9 pm) and my email address is Margot.Pickett@uccasheville.org.
I look forward to getting to know you and ministering with you as we all seek to be the faithful church of Jesus Christ together!
Rev. Margot's need: Can you help?
We welcome Rev. Margot to our faith community and Asheville with open arms and gratitude. However, the current office/desk chair is not comfortable due to a back problem she has and there are no more chairs in our office that can help her. Do you have a really comfy chair that you will be willing to loan or donate to us? She needs to be comfortable and healthy during her time with us so please let us know if you can help in any way. I know we have retirees out there what no longer needs an Executive Chair so be a dear and share!
Blue Ridge Pride: Saturday, October 3rd
There is still an opportunity to volunteer to help hand out bags for our church at Blue Ridge Pride this Saturday, October 3rd starting at noon for a two hour shift. We are hopeful that the weather will be good enough to have the event and that hurricane Joaquin will not rain us out. We will be at booth number 93 Yellow section. Come by and see us even if you are not able to work at the booth.
We come to pride festivals both to celebrate our victories and be a beacon of hope to those who still face oppression. Be out and proud for those who aren't able.
We have so much to be grateful for and proud of. Let this be a day of celebration of how far we've come as well as a commitment to the work that still needs to be done.
Special Friendship Time and Reception: Sunday, October 4th
This Sunday will be Rev. Margot's first Sunday with us and we would like to extend Extravagant Welcome by hosting a special "Meet Margot" reception after worship services in the Friendship Hall. Please bring if you can a little something delicious for the Friendship Table to share.
Blessing of the Animals - Saturday, October 10th
Don't forget to bring your pet to be blessed! We will be blessing all kinds of God's Creatures in the Memorial Garden at 11am. If you will not be able to bring your pet, let us know the name and we will remember them in our prayers that day. Pastor Gary Mitchell will be the leader for the service. There will be snacks for all creatures great and small and humans too!
Reading Buddies Program: NEW INFORMATION
Hello Volunteers, I know that you have been waiting a long time for information and I have some now!
The first thing we must determine is when you are available for a little training and orientation tour of the School. The weeks are October 12th and October 19th. Please let me know what dates and times will work best.
ALL Reading Buddies will need to complete the form for background checks as a LEVEL 2 volunteer. This will be the second application form on this page of the website. As volunteers turn them in, I will set up a time to pick them up from you and get them to the school secretary.
More information on Johnston and their needs as detailed by the Student Support Specialist. This is such an important ministry so please help if you can.
Johnston Elementary Reading Buddy Program About Johnston
-Approximately 300 students
- 18 classrooms
-Average class size less than 20 students
-60% minority population
- 33% English as a Second Language (ESL) with students representing 14 countries around the world
- Awarded a grant, along with two other schools, that provides 100% of students with Free and Reduced lunch.
About Reading Buddies
Many of our students could benefit from additional support in school. We currently have 15 students identified as needing a Reading Buddy. That number is sure to grow as our program takes off. Volunteers will work with students individually or with a small group (2-3 students) depending on the volunteer’s preference. Our hope is that volunteers would commit to volunteering 1 hour a week. The best times to work with students are listed below:
If those times do not work for you, but you are still interested in volunteering for our Reading Buddy Program, we will work to find a time for you!
All volunteers must complete a Buncombe County Schools LEVEL 2 Background Check and volunteer training. Volunteer training will be held with Title I Reading instructors. Date is yet to be determined.
Please contact me (Yolanda) for more information and to volunteer.
Do you need a NAME TAG?
If you have lost your name tag or a regular attendee that does not have one please let a deacon know or one of the greeters and ushers and we will have one for you by the following Sunday. You may also request a special "Rainbow" embellishment to show your support of our Open and Affirming Church policy. We want to know who you are so WEAR YOUR NAME TAG!!!! (pretty, please?)
Want to connect with folks in a smaller venue and environment?
Join our Lunch Bunch!
Each Sunday after church, a few of us get together and have lunch together at a local restaurant. The group changes each week but there is always people wanting to eat so just check with Beaver Wyatt as to where we are going and tag along. Come, break bread with us or anything else you want to eat. It's fun!
Join us!
Our Monthly Game Night will be held off campus this month as our church will be in use by the Room in the Inn guests. Dennis and Mary will be hosting at their home! Join them - everyone is welcome! Tuesday, October 13th at 7 pm. 399 Lakeshore Drive Asheville, NC 28804.
Judy Slater wants to borrow an air mattress with pump and sheets for 5 days beginning October 12th,. She is hosting our member, Kathy Hamilton, who is returning from Ohio. Call Judy at 734-679-3497.
We will be taking the Neighbors in Need Offering up on October 11th. Look for special offering envelopes that Sunday.
Neighbors in Need (NIN) is a special mission offering of the UCC that supports ministries of justice and compassion throughout the United States. One-third of NIN funds support the Council for American Indian Ministry(CAIM). Two-thirds of the offering is used by the UCC's Justice and Witness Ministries(JWM) to support a variety of justice initiatives, advocacy efforts, and direct service projects through grants.
Neighbors in Need grants are awarded to churches and organizations doing justice work in their communities. These grants fund projects whose work ranges from direct service to community organizing and advocacy to address systemic injustice. Funding is provided through donations to the Neighbors in Need offering.
A MESSAGE FROM PAM JEFFERS AND PENNY STOKES
We’re actually in Cuenca, Ecuador now and are beginning the process of making this our new home—finalizing our Visas, house-hunting, and attending to the thousand details necessary for settling into a fascinating but unfamiliar culture. First we’d like to say “thank you” to all of you at First Congregational Church. You have been our spiritual community for many years, and leaving was bittersweet. We love you all and will be eternally grateful for your care and compassion.
For those of you who would like to follow our progress, here is the address for our travel blog. If you want to sign up for e-mail alerts, just hit the “Follow” button and put in your e-mail address.
We invite you to join us as we set out on this new adventure, and know that we hold all of you in our hearts.
Love, Pam & Penny
Faith Formation Classes and Workshops
Bible Study with Rev. Brenda Lewis on Sunday mornings through November! "Join us as we study Daniel, one of the most vivid collections of stories and visions in the Old Testament. With fire and lions, mystical creatures and a few vegetarians in the mix, we will explore the way these ancient writings instruct us today as we make our way in the midst of our own decisions to either fit in or to defy the culture around us."
In room E-107
October 3 Hal Jacobs
October 3 Noah Wolfe
October 6 Harper Leich
October 7 Jane Stoffer
October 8 Craig Martin
October 9 Jacque May
October 9 Diane Scott
October 10 Anita Rose
October 10 Kadee Sloan
New Prayer Concerns: Matt Graham had knee surgery on Wednesday and is at home recovering and will be in recovery for about three weeks.
Continuing prayers needed: Crystal Blaylock and family, at the sudden loss of her father. (friends of a church member)
John and Betty Joyner.
John Martin has been moved to the Smoky Mountain Healthcare, 1349 Crabtree Road, Waynesville (in room 108).
Stirring among the Stacks: Be sure to check out our display of Celtic history and worship to get ready for Iona. Also, join us any Wednesday at 2:00 for tea, coffee, conversation or to help out with the mundane library duties.
Stirrings from Iona: The deadline is looming for our pilgrimage - end of October! We have to date 6 persons confirmed, with 4 considering, but we do need 11 to qualify for the cost as posted. If you have questions, or concerns, please let me know as soon as possible so we can negotiate or mitigate the problem. I don't want you to miss this opportunity to step aside and recharge.
PLEASE email me with questions. revltuenge@gmail.com or ltuenge44@gmail.com.
From our Interim Pastor, Margot Pickett
