Grace Covenant Presbyterian Church Asheville, North Carolina

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Grace Covenant Presbyterian Church Asheville, North Carolina www.gcpcusa.org March 2, 2014 10:30 am Youth Sunday Unexpected travel suggestions are dancing lessons from God. Kurt Vonnegut Jr.

1 Grace Covenant Presbyterian Church Asheville, North Carolina March 2, :30 am Youth Sunday Unexpected travel suggestions are dancing lessons from God. Kurt Vonnegut Jr. Youth Ensemble Voluntary * Call to Worship Shout joyfully to the Lord, all the earth. Serve the Lord with gladness; come before God with joyful singing. Know that the Lord is God; it is God who has made us, and not we ourselves; we are God s people and the sheep of God s pasture. Enter the Lord s gates with thanksgiving, and God s courts with praise. Give thanks to the Lord; bless God s name. For the Lord is good; The Lord s loving kindness is everlasting, and faithfulness is for all generations.

2 * Hymn Come, Now is the Time to Worship * Call to Reconciliation

3 * Prayer of Confession Loving God, we have grown frightened by things that feel like more than we can handle; please hear these prayers of our hearts and souls. Forgive us when we rest on our own understanding. Forgive us for believing that we know best - that our plans and desires are sufficient guides. Help us have the ears to hear your call and the eyes to welcome your surprising, amazing grace that we may dwell in your wisdom and knowledge. Help us to experience your kingdom, our home, with the eyes of a child that we might see this world that you love again, for the first time. Amen. * Assurance of Forgiveness Hear the Good News: No matter how old or how young, we are all God s children. God is forever conspiring to surprise us with joy and love. God s forgiveness dwells in our hearts; Christ s love calls us; the Spirit s peace guides our steps. Thanks be to God! * Response Agnus Dei Alleluia, Alleluia For the Lord God Almighty reigns Alleluia, Alleluia For the Lord God Almighty reigns Alleluia Holy Holy are You Lord God Almighty Worthy is the Lamb, Worthy is the Lamb You are holy * Passing of the Peace The Peace of Christ be with you. And also with you. Prayer for Illumination Luke Shealy Psalter The Word of the Lord Thanks be to God! John 11:1-14

4 * Hymn Open the Eyes of My Heart Gospel The Word of the Lord Thanks be to God! Luke 10: Sermon Expect the Unexpected Caroline Parker Mark Tierney Silent Meditation

5 * Hymn Will You Come and Follow Me

6 * Affirmation of Faith (from 2011 GCPC Confirmation Class) We believe that God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit are one. We believe in an exciting and interactive God. We believe that the church is a home away from home, where people can experience peace with God and others. The church is a place where all of God s people are accepted. We believe that baptism is a sign of entrance into God s church family. We believe in the power of prayer. Prayer is a way of communicating with God, anywhere, anytime. It is both a personal and a corporate experience, a time to can express our praises, concerns, and thanksgivings. We believe we have eternal life because Jesus lived and died for us. We believe that, as Christians, we need to accept all people and religions while, at the same time, seek to serve and inspire others by sharing the hope we have in God. We believe that, though there are bad things in the world, God has power to work through these bad things. God provides comfort, teaches us to forgive, and hears our prayers. God gives us the chance to help others in the midst of these hard times. We believe that no matter what happens, God is for us, Always supporting us in both bad times and good. Amen. Our Life Together (Please sign the Friendship Pad located in your pew) SERVE Moment Tracee Laing Healing Art Mission Offering (Please place prayer cards in the offering plate for the Prayers of the People) Prayer of Dedication Offertory Canticle of Turning * Doxology Praise God, from whom all blessings flow; Praise Him, all creatures here below; Praise Holy Spirit evermore; Praise Triune God whom we adore. Amen Prayers of the People and the Lord s Prayer (using debts debtors ) Each section of the prayer will conclude: God, in your grace Please respond: Hear our prayer

7 * Song Trees of the Field You shall go out with joy And be lead forth with peace, The mountains and the hills Will break forth before you. * Charge and Benediction There'll be shouts of joy, And all the trees of the field Will clap, will clap their hands All the trees of the field will clap their hands, The trees of the field will clap their hands, The trees of the field will clap their hands, While you go out with joy. Youth Ensemble Voluntary (For some, the Voluntary serves as festive music to accompany their going back out into the world. Others prefer to remain seated and listen. Please be mindful of these different needs as you depart. Thank you!) * Please Stand in Body or Spirit. All musical pieces used with permission. We gather to worship God who is larger than all our imagination! We encourage all persons to sing the gender nouns and pronouns they prefer in referring to God. Welcome to Grace Covenant Thank you: to the Ushers: Tom and Cathy Byers; Barbara and Jim McLean; Kern Parker ~ Head Usher: Betsy Wilson ~ Musicians: Ellie Propst. Harrison Ungert, Emma Maney, Phoebe Propst, Max Ungert, Meghan Vance, violins; Rhianna Parks, Anne Gerhardt, cellos. and to Al & Jeannette Williams for the flowers that decorate our Sanctuary.

8 SERVE Annual Art From the Heart Auction TODAY 9:00 AM - 1:30 PM GCPC The annual Art From the Heart auction to benefit the people of Haiti will be Sunday, March 2 from 9:00 until 1:30. You can bid on beautiful works made by Haitian artists knowing that all the money raised from this event goes to the artists themselves or to fund Centre de Santé Communautaire de Dumay where Haitian doctors, nurses and staff provide the only health care available for a community of 20,000 people. Global Village Excursion Saturday, March AM 3 PM Need a hands- on adventure? Need inspiration? Join us at the Global Village at Camp Grier, Old Fort, NC for fellowship, learning, dreaming! Spend the day with the WNC Presbytery's Guatemala Partnership as they train groups for mission in developing countries with a focus on appropriate technologies for better health. Activities: flip tires for tire gardens, make bio- char, explore how to incorporate Global Village themes and activities into our churches, and share ideas for health and educational ministries to develop with our Guatemala church partners. A traditional rice- and- beans lunch and drinks will be provided; consider bringing a side dish to share. Costs/camp fees will be covered by the Partnership Committee (donations accepted); carpools can be arranged. Sign up for the trip in the narthex February 28 - March 9. Contact Lynne Meacham (larkm99@gmail.com) if you have questions. All Church Workday at Johnston Elementary April Childcare Mark your calendars and get ready to get your hands dirty as we work alongside our partners in the Erwin District. We will be planting, painting and doing other odd jobs to beautify this school. Sign ups and more information will be coming in the next few weeks!

9 GROW Needed: Tin / Metal Lids If you have the kind of can opener that leaves the edges smooth instead of sharp, please save us your lids. We are in need of the tops to tin/metal cans (soup, veggies, etc) that will be used for a magnet project. Please drop them off in the narthex in the appropriate bin. Thanks! NEW 8:20 a.m. Service Added, Beginning Sunday, March 30 Beginning Sunday March 30, the Session is initiating a new second worship service. It will begin at 8:20 a.m. each Sunday morning and will include music, scripture, prayers, sermon, and celebration of communion each week. Watch for more details in coming weeks. PW Spiritual Retreat Set For March 22 The Presbyterian Women would like to extend an invitation to all the women of the church to our Spiritual Retreat to be held on March 22, 2014 at the Black Mountain Home for Children and Families.. The presenter is Chaplain Lynn Michie of the Swannanoa Correctional Center for Women. The title of her presentation is Finding Hope In Dark Places. Women from the Center will be sharing their stories. We will begin the retreat with fellowship at 9:30 A.M. with the presentation beginning at 10:00 A.M. It will conclude at noon with a light lunch. The cost is $6.00. We are also having a mission project for the Center by bringing composition/journals (those without spiral binding). There will be sign- up for reservations in the Narthex March 2, 9, and 16. If you have questions contact Laura Janson. She can be reached at (828) or laurajanson4@gmail.com. Summertime Opportunities for Children at Camp Grier Sunday, March 16 during the Education Hour (9:15 AM) Foyer We have exciting things happening at Camp Grier, like our new MONSTER CLIMBING WALL & CHALLENGE COURSE; so come join us in Old Fort as we learn, laugh and grow together! Camp Grier is a beautiful place that borders the National Forest. We integrate lessons from the Bible with service to others, the arts and plenty of outdoor adventures! You ll discover many amazing things about yourself when you join us for a Summer Journey Program; so check us out at Circle Meetings # 1 March 4 10am Sandy Schaefer's Home Leader: Peggy Rada # 2 March 4 7:30pm Robin Gaiser's Home Leader: Barbara McLean # 4 March 6 7pm Susan Bleckley's Home Leader: Betsy Rhodes # 5 March 3 10am Betsy Wilson's Home Leader: M. Kennedy/B. Wilson Marketplace Bible School June Summer seems a long way off, but it s time to start collecting supplies for Marketplace VBS! For our crafts, we always try to recycle as much as we can. Look for labeled collection boxes in the Information Station. Currently we need: Altoid Tins or other small metal tins Glass baby food jars with lids

10 Experiments with Worship Space News from the Calvin Grant Committee During the Sundays in Lent the Calvin Grant Committee will be engaging the congregation in some experiments with worship space. On March 9, 16 and 23 the platform at the front of the sanctuary will be extended into the center aisle and will feature the baptismal font. The Table and pulpit will be in the center of the existing platform. Chairs will be arranged to face the platform extension. On March 30, April 6 and 13 the platform extension will be in a triangular shape. The Table and pulpit will be brought forward and chairs will be set in angled rows along the triangle. As we engage in these experiments, the Calvin Committee wants to hear how the arrangement of worship space affects worshipers. We will announce some "worship conversation" times and are eager to hear from you. CARE Spaghetti & Charades! Be Loved House Tuesday, March PM Please sign up to join us on Tuesday, March 4 from 6-8 pm at the Beloved House for Spaghetti and Charades. We will be taking dinner to the 8 residents where we will eat with them before having a family fun night playing charades. We need 4-6 volunteers to help with the following items. Please Leah Madamba atleahmadamba@hotmail.com to sign up for the event and food. Spaghetti and sauce for 12 Bread for 12 Salad and salad dressing for 12 Iced Tea for 12 Dessert for 12 Willingness to lead us in Charades SUPPORT Grace Covenant Welcomes the New Hymnal, Glory to God! Beginning March 9, we will be using our new hymnal, Glory To God. This hymnal includes music from around the world and from a broad array of Christian traditions, while keeping the Presbyterian tradition at its central core. We are very excited to be making this transition! Would you like to dedicate one of our new hymnals to a loved one? If so, find the table in the narthex and sign- up. They are $20 apiece and will bear a bookplate with names of honoree and donor inside. Would you be willing to help us swap out the old hymnals with the new ones? If so, please join us Thursday, March 6, at 9 AM. The old hymnals will be arranged alphabetically by donor to be reclaimed through March 23. Please contact Lynne Meacham (larkm99@gmail.com) if you can help out.

11 Next Sunday During the Education Hour at GCPC Bertha Lewis (Sunroom) For March 9, the texts are Mark 8:27-33 and Matthew 4: Journeys (Library) This will be the final week we discuss the book What's the Least I Can Believe and Still Be a Christian? During this time we will have an open discussion about Jesus' promise, who is the Holy Spirit and did Jesus have a vision. These are not questions we can answer in 50 minutes but the idea is to get us talking, discussing and thinking. Each week the conversations are lively and fun. Come join us! Pressure Points (Jerusalem Room) We continue with Living the Questions, Painting the Stars: Science, Religion and an Evolving Faith. Each class will begin with a short video followed by discussion. The goal of this curriculum is to create some space for us to inhabit the mystery around us, and explore the relationship between science, evolution and religion. All are welcomed to join this adventure; no reading is required, though a study guide will be available. Preschool The Wedding Banquet, Matthew 22:1-4 K- 5th grade Walking on Water. We will explore this story through Music, Science and Art. Middle School Is divorce a sin? High School Youth (High School Room) The High School Youth will meet for fellowship, lively discussion, and donuts. Next Wednesday, March 5, 2014 Ash Wednesday Sacrament of the Lord s Supper & Imposition of Ashes Worship at 7:00 p.m. Sermon: God Is Where? A dialog sermon between Mark and Kristy Scriptures: Matthew 6:1-4, Joel 2: 1-17 *** Daylight Savings Time Begins! Move FORWARD One Hour *** Next Sunday, March 9, 2014 First Sunday in Lent Worship at 10: 30 a.m. Sacrament of the Lord s Supper Education Hour at 9:15 a.m. Sermon: It s Tempting by Mark Ramsey [Continuing the series on exile] Scripture: Mark 8:27-33; Matthew 4: 1-11

Calendar Sunday 2 Youth Sunday 9:00 AM Haiti art auction 9:15 AM Education hour 10:10 AM Pick up children 10:30 AM Worship 4:30 PM Cherub choir 5:30 PM Youth Group Monday 3 7:00 PM Young Adults

12 Calendar Sunday 2 Youth Sunday 9:00 AM Haiti art auction 9:15 AM Education hour 10:10 AM Pick up children 10:30 AM Worship 4:30 PM Cherub choir 5:30 PM Youth Group Monday 3 7:00 PM Young Adults Tuesday 4 9:00 AM Prayer Group 6:00 PM VRQ dinner Wednesday 5 11:00 AM Genesis Bible study 7:00 PM Ash Wednesday service 7:00 PM Chancel choir Thurs- Sun 6-9 SOS retreat Sunday 9 9:15 AM Education hour 10:10 AM Pick up children 10:30 AM Worship 4:30 PM Treble/Cherub choirs 5:30 PM Youth Group

Grace Covenant Presbyterian Church Asheville, North Carolina

Grace Covenant Presbyterian Church Asheville, North Carolina www.gcpcusa.org April 5, 2015 8:15 and 10:30 am Easter Day God, sink your generosity deep into our lives so that the world may be made Easter