Midweek News July 17, 2024

July 17, 2024

 

Announcements and Items of Interest

 

Sunday, July 21, 2024. Worship, 11:00 a.m. We will gather, rain or shine, at 1 p.m. following worship for our annual church picnic. The picnic will be at the pavilion at the Point in Linville Land Harbor. The church will be providing hot dogs, hamburgers and buns, cheese, condiments, and chips. Please bring your favorite side or dessert and a lawn chair. If you are interested in helping on the grill team, please contact John Kehoe This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

The Church Choir meets at 9:30 a.m. every Sunday in the sanctuary for practice before worship. All are welcome to join!

The Crossnore Presbyterian Church Children’s Fund was announced this past Sunday, July 14, 2024. This endowment has been created to benefit the students of Crossnore Elementary School. An anonymous donor contributed an initial gift of $150,000, which has been invested, to establish the endowment in honor of his mother who taught in the public schools for 40 years. An annual grant will be given to Crossnore Elementary School from the earned interest. This grant will help children facing economic and cultural barriers to education by providing a tutor and may also be used to help students afford educational field trips. This endowment honors the legacy of Dr. Eustace and Dr. Mary Martin Sloop who provided needed education for many mountain children through the Crossnore School. Donations to the CPC Children’s Fund will grow the principal and increase the amount of the annual grant. Prayerfully consider contributing. Checks can be made out to Crossnore Presbyterian Church, designated for CPC Children’s Fund, and mailed to P.O. Box 386, Crossnore, NC 28616.

The Knitting and Crocheting Group meets in the fellowship hall on Wednesdays from 1- 3 p.m. Come and enjoy some great fellowship and make winter hats and scarves for the homeless in our area. You can also bring any craft to work on. Contact Janis Kenyon for more information. (828) 898-3339.

The World Class Jazz Concert this past Tuesday evening was spectacular! Bobby Taylor and his jazz musician friends including vocalist, Maggie Lauterer, returned to our Summer Series to play from the Great American Songbook honoring the legacy of Hoagy Carmichael. 150 people attended and gave the band a standing ovation to show their appreciation for such a grand performance. The musicians came from Rock Hill, Hickory, Elizabethton, Hilton Head, and Boone to be a part of such a special evening. A big thank you to Bobby Taylor who makes this happen every year!

Our July Mission Project includes People and Pet Food donations to the Minneapolis Food Pantry and hygiene products and toiletries to Feeding Avery Families. Last summer, we filled the front of the sanctuary with bags of food, and hygiene and toiletry products. Let’s see if we can do it again! You can bring your bags to church until the end of July.

Gayle Culbreath is asking for donations of cookies for our “cookie jar”. We need cookies for Sunday morning coffee fellowship as well as Bible study and the various gatherings during the week. Oreos and Chips Ahoy are favorites or just bring your favorites! Drop them off in the kitchen.

Our Wednesday Bible Study Group will meet Wednesday, July 24, at 3 p.m. in the fellowship hall. Rev. Maggie Lauterer is leading a six-week study on John Philip Newell’s book, The Rebirthing of God; Christianity’s Struggle for New Beginnings. In the midst of dramatic changes in Western Christianity, John Philip Newell offers the hope of a fresh stirring of the Spirit among us. He invites us to be part of a new holy birth of sacred living.

CPC Women’s Gathering will meet at Kaye’s by the River (formerly Kaye’s Kitchen) on Thursday, July 25, 11:30 a.m. Please carpool, if possible.

Are you interested in becoming a church docent to showcase the unique history, architecture, and design of our church? Becoming a docent can be a rewarding experience for those who are passionate about sharing their knowledge and love for the church with others. Training will be offered for those wanting to be a church docent for 2 hours per month or more. If you want to attend an introductory meeting, please text or call Jason DeWitt, 828-413-2482.

Thank you from Jan Akelewicz, How bright the day became when the vase of flowers arrived from my friends at Crossnore Church. My days are so happy watching the blooms open bigger and prettier. It was a wonderful surprise and I thank all of you so very much. Cheers, Jan

Lees-McRae Summer Theater presents From the Mountaintop: The Edgar Tufts Story with 7 p.m. shows on July 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, and 2 p.m. shows on July 20, 21, 23. It is directed by Janet Barton Speer. What did Banner Elk, North Carolina, look like in the 1890s? With the vision of Edgar Tufts, a young seminary student, one tiny town gained a church, college, orphanage, and hospital. Using traditional mountain music mixed with a lyrical style, audiences will be moved and inspired by this great man. You will not want to miss From the Mountaintop: The Edgar Tufts Story.

 

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Midweek News July 10, 2024

July 10, 2024

 

Announcements and Items of Interest

 

Sunday, July 14, 2024, Worship at 11:00 a.m. Please join us for cookies and coffee in the fellowship hall following worship!

The Church Choir meets at 9:30 a.m. every Sunday in the sanctuary for practice before worship. All are welcome to join!

The Knitting and Crocheting Group meets in the fellowship hall on Wednesdays from 1- 3 p.m. Come and enjoy some great fellowship and make winter hats and scarves for the homeless in our area. . Contact Janis Kenyon for more information. (828) 898-3339.

Our Wednesday Bible Study Group continues today, Wednesday, July 10, at 3 p.m. in the fellowship hall. Rev. Maggie Lauterer is leading a 4-week study on John Philip Newell’s book, The Rebirthing of God: Christianity’s Struggle for New Beginnings.

A very big thank you to Yvonne Matlosz, Cheryl Lewis, and Jo Riddle for making the children’s worship bags! The Crossnore cottage children really enjoyed using them this past Sunday.

The next program in our Summer Series will be held on Tuesday, July 16, 7 p.m., in the sanctuary. Bobby Taylor and The Jazz Kings will be performing selections from The Great American Songbook. This group of world-class musicians will honor the legacy of composer Hoagy Carmichael, by performing several of his timeless compositions. Also included will be the performance of a number of other jazz standards! The band, with members hailing from Hilton Head and Rock Hill, SC, to Hickory and Boone to Elizabethton, TN, will come together to combine their individual and unique talents for this concert! They will also be joined by Crossnore native Maggie Lauterer, vocalist! Donations will be accepted.

Our July Mission Project includes People and Pet Food donations that will go to the Minneapolis Food Pantry and hygiene products and toiletries that will go to Feeding Avery Families. Last summer, we filled the sanctuary with bags of food and hygienic products. Let’s see if we can do it again! The food pantries need more groceries, and the hygiene products and toiletries are important because folks cannot use food stamps for these items. You can bring your bags to church until the end of July.

Gayle Culbreath is asking for donations of cookies for our “cookie jar”. We need cookies for Sunday morning cookies and coffee fellowship as well as Bible study and the various gatherings during the week. Oreos and Chips Ahoy are favorites or just bring your favorites! Drop them off in the kitchen.

The next Mayland Fellowship Gathering will be held next Sunday, July 14, at Fletcher Presbyterian Church, 1578 Cow Camp Road, Newland, NC. This is CP Roger Wise’s congregation. Dinner at 5:30 p.m. followed by a business meeting. At 7 p.m., Dave Cohn, the Director of Holston Center and Camp will give an update on Holston Center programs and events. Everyone is invited!

The July potluck is our annual picnic at the Pavilion at the Point in Linville Land Harbor on Sunday, July 21. We will gather at 1 p.m. following worship. The church will be providing hot dogs, hamburgers and buns, cheese, condiments, and chips. Please bring your favorite side or dessert. We need three volunteers to bring an ice chest with ice and a case of bottled water. Please contact Gayle Culbreath if you can help: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. If you are interested in helping on the grill team, please contact John Kehoe: kehoe - This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

The next CPC Women’s Gathering will be a luncheon at Kaye’s by the River (formerly Kaye's Kitchen) in Newland on Thursday, July 25, at 11:30 a.m. Carpool if possible! Parking is limited.

Update on the CPC Mission Project: UnDue Medical Debt: So far, our donations for the final $4,000 have come to $720. This amazing non-profit called “Undue Medical Debt” helps wipe out medical debt in the United States. In fact, this non-profit has wiped out 12 billion dollars of medical debt for over 70 million people in all 50 states in the past decade. We have an anonymous donor who is giving $10,000 to help pay personal medical debt in Avery, Mitchell, and McDowell Counties. The Session has approved giving $1,000 which will come from monies already collected in the mission fund. With $11,000, we can wipe out over 2 million dollars of medical debt in the three counties and completely cover the unpaid medical debt in Avery County. The Session has set the goal at $15,000, which means we only have less than $4,000 left to raise before the end of 2024. This will wipe out over 3 million dollars of medical debt and may completely cover the unpaid medical debt in all three counties. To qualify for this program, people’s income must be below the poverty line or meet a ratio of their debt to their income. If you would like to make a donation to UnDue Medical Debt, please make your check out to “Crossnore Presbyterian Church” and designate for UnDue Medical Debt. The church’s mailing address is P.O. Box 386, Crossnore, NC 28616.

Lees-McRae Summer Theater presents From the Mountaintop: The Edgar Tufts Story with 7 p.m. Shows on July 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, and 2 p.m. Shows on July 20, 21, 23. It is directed by Janet Barton Speer. What did Banner Elk, North Carolina, look like in the 1890s? With the vision of Edgar Tufts, a young seminary student, one tiny town gained a church, college, orphanage, and hospital. This original musical by the team who brought you The Denim King: The Moses Cone Story, America's Artist: The Norman Rockwell Story, and The [W]right Sister is presented after thoughtful research among the families who have lived here for generations. Using traditional mountain music mixed with a lyrical style, audiences will be moved and inspired by this great man. You will not want to miss From the Mountaintop: The Edgar Tufts Story.

 

 

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Midweek News July 3, 2024

July 3, 2024

 

Announcements and Items of Interest

 

Communion Sunday. July 7, 2024. Worship at 11:00 a.m. Please join us following worship in the fellowship hall to celebrate July birthdays with birthday cake!

The Church Choir meets at 9:30 a.m. every Sunday in the sanctuary for practice before worship. All are welcome to join!

The and Crocheting Group meets in the fellowship hall this Wednesday from 1- 3 p.m. Come and enjoy some great fellowship and make winter hats and scarves for the homeless in our area. You can also bring any craft to work on. Contact Janis Kenyon for more information. (828) 898-3339.

Our Wednesday Bible Study Group is meeting on Wednesday, July 3, at 3 p.m. in the fellowship hall for the second week of Rev. Maggie Lauterer’s 4-week study on John Philip Newell’s book, The Rebirthing of God: Christianity’s Struggle for New Beginnings.

Last Sunday’s God’s Creation worship service was a beautiful celebration with May Wildlife Rehabilitation Center ani-mal ambassadors and staff sharing in the service. We were able to be outside under the canopy of trees on our church grounds as we recognized God’s blessings and our responsibilities in caring for all creation. Thank you to the volunteers who came to set up and take down this past Sunday’s outdoor worship service and also to those who saw a need and just jumped in to help!

CPC Men’s Breakfast Group will meet at Kaye’s Down by the River (formerly Kaye’s Kitchen) this Friday, July 6, at 8:30 a.m.

The next Session meeting is on Tuesday, July 9 at 3:00 p.m. in the fellowship hall.

As part of our Summer Series of Speakers and Music Concerts, on Tuesday, July 16, 7p.m., in the Crossnore Presbyterian Church Sanctuary, 200 Chapel Drive, Bobby Taylor and The Jazz Kings will perform selections from The Great American Songbook. This group of world-class musicians will honor the legacy of composer Hoagy Carmichael, by performing several of his timeless compositions. Also included will be the performance of several other jazz standards! The band, with members hailing from Hilton Head and Rock Hill, SC, to Hickory, Boone, and Elizabethton, TN joined by Crossnore native Maggie Lauterer, vocalist! The concert is free, donations will be accepted.

Do everything in love. ~ Corinthians 16:14

Our July potluck will be our annual picnic at the Pavilion at the Point in Linville Land Harbor on Sunday, July 21. We will gather at 1 p.m. following worship. The church will be providing Hot Dogs, Hamburgers and Buns, Cheese, Condiments, and bags of chips. Please bring your favorite side or dessert. We need 3 volunteers to bring an ice chest with ice and a case of bottled water, please contact Gayle to let her know if you wish to volunteer to bring water. You can reach Gayle. If you are interested in helping on the grill team, please contact John Kehoe.

Thanks to Jane Sowder for hosting a wonderful Women’s Gathering this past Thursday at her home and her beautiful daylily fields

Update on the CPC Roof Replacement and Sanctuary Repairs: Time to do a “Happy Dance.” The Roof Committee received approval from the National Historic Preservation Fund for the color of our roof tile! The roof tile was ordered last week, and we are on our way to beginning construction in the Spring of 2025. Thanks to everyone who has contributed funds, time, expertise, and prayers for this long journey that will continue through next summer. Our roof funds are still earning over 5%. Our construction manager, Mike Gragg, is working on getting bids for all the different construction pieces.

The next Mayland Fellowship Gathering will be held on Sunday, July 14, at Fletcher Presbyterian Church, 1578 Cow Camp Road, Newland, NC. This is CP Roger Wise’s congregation. Dinner at 5:30 p.m. followed by a business meeting. At 7 p.m., Dave Cohn, the Director of Holston Center and Camp will give an update on Holston Center programs and events. Everyone is invited!

Update from WAMY- one of our partners in mission: “Thank you for helping the World Changers Project with your donation of $1,000. We have received all the funding needed to offer 14 home repairs during the week of July 8th. In Service, Allison Jennings, WAMY Director of Development.”

Feeding Avery Families needs volunteers to help distribute food on Wednesdays. Please check out their volunteer page: www.feedingaveryfamilies.org. Volunteers are also needed at Reaching Avery Ministry (Ram’s Rack) next to the Dollar General in Newland. They need help from volunteers to assist in the thrift store. You can show up and they will put you to work! Mon-Fri: 9:30 a.m.- 4:30 p.m. Sat: 9 a.m.- 3 p.m

 

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Midweek News June 26, 2024

June 26, 2024

 

Announcements and Items of Interest

 

This Sunday, June 30, is our annual “Celebration of God’s Creation” Worship Service in the church’s upper parking lot. The animal ambassadors, along with the staff from May Wildlife Rehab Center at Lees-McRae College, will be joining us for outdoor worship. You can come at 10:30 a.m. and meet the owls, hawks, eagles, birds, and squirrels before 11 a.m. worship. Please bring a chair and something cool to drink and your donations for Food for People and Pets and Daily Change.

The Church Choir meets at 9:30 a.m. every Sunday in the sanctuary for practice before worship. All are welcome to join!

The Knitting and Crocheting Group meets in the fellowship hall on Wednesdays from 1- 3 p.m. Come and enjoy some great fellowship and make winter hats and scarves for the homeless in our area. You can also bring any craft to work on. Contact Janis Kenyon for more information. (828) 898-3339.

Our Wednesday Bible Study Group will resume next Wednesday, June 26, at 3 p.m. in the fellowship hall. Rev. Maggie Lauterer will be leading a 4-week study on John Philip Newell’s book, The Rebirthing of God: Christianity’s Struggle for New Beginnings. The walls of Western Christianity are collapsing. In many parts of the West, that collapse can only be described as seismic. There are three main responses or reactions to this collapse. The first is to deny that it is happening. The second is to frantically try to shore up the foundations of the old thing. The third, which I invite us into, is to ask what is trying to be born that requires a radical reorientation of our vision. What is the new thing that is trying to emerge from deep within us and from deep within the collective soul of Christianity?" In the midst of dramatic changes in Western Christianity, internationally respected spiritual leader, peacemaker and scholar John Philip Newell offers the hope of a fresh stirring of the Spirit among us. He invites us to be part of a new holy birth of sacred living. To reserve a book, email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

The next CPC Women’s Gathering will be held this Thursday, June 27, 4-6 p.m., at Jane Sowder’s home. The daylilies will be in full bloom to stroll through and enjoy! Please bring something salty or sweet to share and your beverage of choice.

Next Summer Series Program: This Tuesday, July 2 , 7 p.m., Church Sanctuary Dr. Jim Goff, a scholar of American religious history at Appalachian State University, will present “Elvis and Religion.” Dr. Goff will discuss Elvis Presley’s complicated and contradictory relationship with his Christian faith. Elvis was raised as a member of the Assemblies of God Church and was enamored by the rhythms and the message of gospel music. His earliest musical heroes were gospel singers, both Black and White. As his musical career took off, Elvis was both influenced and haunted by the decidedly evangelical and Pentecostal strictures of his youth. Despite his hedonistic lifestyle, he never completely abandoned his Christian beliefs. On the day of his untimely death in 1977, Elvis was reading a book titled A Scientific Search for the Face of Jesus and listening to a Christian album by the Stamps Quartet titled “Sweet, Sweet Spirit.”

Update on the CPC Mission Project: UnDue Medical Debt: So far, our donations for the final $4,000 have come to $600. This amazing non-profit called “Undue Medical Debt” helps wipe out medical debt in the United States. In fact, this non-profit has wiped out 12 billion dollars of medical debt for over 70 million people in all 50 states in the past decade. We have an anonymous donor who is giving $10,000 to help pay personal medical debt in Avery, Mitchell, and McDowell Counties.  The Session has approved giving $1,000 which will come from monies already collected in the mission fund. With $11,000, we can wipe out over 2 million dollars of medical debt in the three counties and completely cover the unpaid medical debt in Avery County.  The Session has set the goal at $15,000, which means we only have $4,000 left to raise before the end of 2024. This will wipe out over 3 million dollars of medical debt and may completely cover the unpaid medical debt in all three counties. To qualify for this program, people’s income must be below the poverty line or meet a ratio of their debt to their income.  If you would like to make a donation to UnDue Medical Debt, please make your check out to “Crossnore Presbyterian Church” and designate for UnDue Medical Debt. The church’s mailing address is P.O. Box 386, Crossnore, NC 28616.

Update on the CPC Roof Replacement and Sanctuary Repairs: Time to do a “Happy Dance.” The Roof Committee received approval from the National Historic Preservation Fund for the color of our roof tile! The roof tile will be ordered this week and we are on our way to beginning construction in the Spring of 2025. The photo shows the color of our roof tile. Thanks to everyone who has contributed funds, time, expertise, and prayers for this long journey that will continue through next summer. Our roof funds are still earning over 5%. Our construction manager, Mike Gragg, is working on getting bids for all the different construction pieces.

The next Mayland Fellowship Gathering will be held on Sunday, July 14, at Fletcher Presbyterian Church, 1578 Cow Camp Road, Newland, NC. This is CP Roger Wise’s congregation. Dinner at 5:30 p.m. followed by a business meeting. At 7 p.m., Dave Cohn, the Director of Holston Center and Camp will give an update on Holston Center programs and events. Everyone is invited!

Update from WAMY- one of our non-profit partners in mission: “Thank you for the World Changers Project with your donation of $1,000. We have received all the funding needed to offer 14 home repairs during the week of July 8^th. In Service, Allison Jennings, WAMY Director of Development.”

The Congregational Fellowship Committee needs volunteers to host Coffee Hour after worship on the first and second Sundays of the month this summer. If you would like to help, you can choose a date or two or serve once a month. Please contact Gayle Culbreath at: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Feeding Avery Families really needs volunteers to help distribute food on Wednesdays. Please check out their volunteer page: www. feedingaveryfamilies.org. Volunteers are also needed at Reaching Avery Ministry (Ram’s Rack) next to the Dollar General in Newland. They need help from volunteers to assist in the thrift store. You can show up and they will put you to work! Mon-Fri: 9:30 a.m.- 4:30 p.m. Sat: 9 a.m.- 3 p.m.