Our church has been asked to provide savory hors d'oeuvres for the
evening of worship at First Presbyterian Church. Thank you so much!
1st Explorers After-School Ministry Update
Giving the Jesus Way
United Christian Ministries requests that we temporarily suspend providing supplies and instead provide monetary donations. Given the current situation with Hurricane Helene’s suppliers, the needs of clients are changing daily. A monetary donation will allow them to purchase specifically what is needed at any point in time. To donate, please drop off a check at 191 Skyland Drive or mail it to PO Box 188, Sylva, NC 28779. Thank you!
Wednesday Night Bible Study
TONIGHT, Wednesday, November 20
Join us for our Wednesday evening Bible study
TONIGHT, November 20 at 6:00 p.m. in the
Gathering Place Room. There will be no meal. Join us!
Deck the Halls!
Join us as we transform the sanctuary and church grounds with beautiful Christmas decorations on Tuesday, November 26 at 9:00 a.m.
Passport Youth & Passportkids
A $100 deposit is due November 30 for each child or youth attending Passport.
Please take your check or cash by the church office as soon as possible.
Please let Kaitlyn Cabaniss know if you are planning to attend Passport this year.
Spaces are limited, so please hurry and register with her.
A Way You Can Help
The relief needs are changing daily. The immediate needs at this time are: heaters, basement dehumidifiers, Visa cards, cash, and prayers. We do not need any more clothing or cleaning supplies donated for the time being.
That said, there are so many great ways to help our WNC neighbors in need. May I offer what I heard folks saying they needed to better serve hard hit areas like Mitchell and Yancey Counties? HEAT!!!
Please consider this as a possible way to honor a family member or loved one for early birthday or Christmas present.
You can ask that it be shipped to: Helene Recovery Coalition, 2002 Riverside Drive, Asheville, NC 28804 (or you may also leave donations in the Loving Kindness Room at the church). This is the staging warehouse serving WNC counties. Thank you!
Women’s Fall Bible Study
Monday, November 25 at 10:00 a.m.
Women’s Fall Bible Study will continue Monday, November 25 at 10:00 a.m. in the Gathering Place Room. We are studying “Jesus In Me” by Anne Graham Lotz. Books are available in the church office.
Mission Moment 11.20.24
Angel F. Lee
Chaplain, Atrium Health, Wake Forest Baptist Hospital, Winston-Salem, NC
My ultimate desire for my life is peace. I used to understand peace as the absence of conflict and people pleasing. As a Black woman in America, I have learned that there is no peace without conflict. I continue to see people who look like me being killed and treated unjustly. I constantly face microaggressions and oppression in the spaces that I occupy. Choosing not to address injustice fills my being with hopelessness, as it feels that there is no end to injustice. My former understanding of peace is what the dominant culture wants me to believe so that the status quo will remain. Yet, it was leading me to a slow death, and I felt it in my spirit.
What has saved my life is an understanding of holy peace. Jesus says to his disciples, “Do not think that I have come to bring peace to earth; I have not come to bring peace but a sword” (Matthew 10:34). Understanding Jesus as a radical prophet who taught and exhibited God’s love for all creation, contrary to the dominant culture, helped me to understand holy peace.
I get to walk in the footsteps of Jesus in my work as a chaplain educator. I teach clergy to connect with divine wisdom and to care with love and compassion. I advocate for those who are experiencing injustice within the hospital and the community. I love my students and patients with the love of God. True peace comes by acknowledging and combating “the spiritual forces of evil in heavenly places” (Ephesians 6:12) with the love and power of God.
My classroom is a brave space for clergy to identify such forces and process how to address them with divine love. What brings me the most joy is witnessing the transformation in my students’ pastoral care, preaching and leadership due to my radical love and teachings. To know that God uses me to advance peace IS saving my life right now.
Writing also saves my life; for I hear the voice of God when I write. I wrote the poem below several years ago. This piece was healing then and continues to heal me when my spirit is affected by the evil and hate in this world. May the peace of God that surpasses all understanding rest in your heart.
Pray, Practice, Ponder
Read the poem below slowly, meditatively, as a form of prayer.
Woman of Confidence
I look in the mirror and see a woman of worth.
She is so blessed that her cup constantly overflows with riches.
So, she gives her time, wisdom, care and materials so that others can know their worth.
I look in the mirror and see a woman of love.
She is so blessed that she is surrounded by caring communities.
So, she smiles and basks in the glory of her natural and spiritual family.
I look in the mirror and see a woman of strength.
She is so blessed that God sends angels to protect her on all sides.
So, she walks confidently everywhere she goes, knowing that she is God’s anointed.
I look in the mirror and see me.
Pray. . .Give. . .Go.
Women’s Fall Bible Study
Monday, November 18 at 10:00 a.m.
Women’s Fall Bible Study will continue Monday, November 18 at 10:00 a.m. in the Gathering Place Room. We are studying “Jesus In Me” by Anne Graham Lotz. Books are available in the church office.