The Tenth Sunday after Pentecost, August 2

Altar Flowers are given to the glory of God in loving memory of Kevin Lawler by Joni Lawler.

Mass Servers: (8:00 a.m. & 11:00 a.m.) Celebrant – The Rev. Richard Biega (11:00 a.m.) Lay Eucharistic Minister – A. Maynor; Servers – O. Goolsby, O. Tally; Lectors – J. Leichte, M. Rippon; Ushers – ; Hospitality – L. Bullock; Counters – D. Stone, R. Frue (Vestry persons of the day)

Click here for Service Bulletin and August 2 Insert

Adult Forum today is on Mary in scripture: Leading up to our Matronal Feast day on August 16, Brother John will lead a conversation on Saint Mary in scripture. Bring your favorite Bible to hear different translations of the scriptures about Mary, and learn more about her.  

Matronal Feast is August 16. 

Lectionary readings, Lectionary study resources

Prayer for Discernment during Bishop Search:  Almighty God, giver of every good gift: send forth your light and your truth, that they may lead us in discerning who we are as Christ's church now, and who God is calling us to be in our next season of shared ministry; so guide the hearts and minds of those who shall choose a bishop for this diocese, that we may receive a faithful shepherd, who will care for your people and equip us for our ministries; through Christ our Lord. Amen.

St. James the Greater Catholic Church, Concord NH loaves and fishes stained glass by Nheyob

Asheville Buncombe Community Christian Ministry (ABCCM)

ABCCM has many ways you can help to provide individuals an opportunity to grow, mature and express their faith through fellowship and service for the joy set before us in Christ.  You can learn more  HERE.  ABCCM operates seven ministries that provide emergency needs and longer term efforts to help individuals heal and be restored. You can be a part of this. CLICK HERE 

Each One Teach One Through Food, Inc. (E1T1)

Asheville Tourist Baseball Game Church Outing is tonight, July 30. If you are driving yourself and you need a ticket, call the church office as soon as possible today. Grey Line trolley is providing transportation from and to the church. Pick up is 5:30pm. Game is at 6:35pm.  Tickets are $11 each. Please submit your payment as soon as possible.

Adult Forum, Aug. 2 and 9, is on Mary in scripture: Leading up to our Matronal Feast day on August 16, Brother John will lead a conversation on Saint Mary in scripture. Bring your favorite Bible to hear different translations of the scriptures about Mary, and learn more about her.  

The Bishop Search Committee wants you to be part of the discernment of listening to God’s call in our lives and our community, and looking at where we are at this place in time and where we would like to be in the future. An online survey will launch on Sunday, August 2nd and will be open until Sunday, August 30th. Please sign up for communications from the Diocese so that you can participate in the survey. https://www.diocesewnc.org/newsletter

Matronal Feast, August 16th, will be celebrated at both services and with fellowship in the form of a cookout after the 11am service. Hamburgers and hot dogs will be provided. There is a sign up sheet for the rest of the “fixin’s” and to let us know how many to plan for.

ECW meets every 3rd Tuesday – next meeting August 18 at 6:30pm. 

During this season of transition, our diocese continues to rely on the guidance of the Holy Spirit as we begin the process of looking for our next bishop. We are entering a time of discernment where we listen to God’s call in our lives and our community. Part of this discernment is looking at where we are at this place in time and where we would like to be in the future.

We want you to be part of this discernment. We will be launching an online survey on Sunday, August 2nd and will keep it open for your responses until Sunday, August 30th. We will send out reminders each week with the link to make sure everyone has a chance to respond.

If you are not signed up for the Diocesan newsletter, please sign up so that you will receive important information such as the Survey Invitation. 

From the Bishop Search Committee

With all of the interest and activity at the lending library at the Missioner's Corner, I thought it would be of interest to highlight a few of the authors that are focused there.  This week, our focus is on Julian of Norwich (5 books on her at our Lending Library).

Julian lived from 1343 -1416, and was a medieval English anchorite.  An anchorite was a religious sister under strict religious vows, living a secluded life in a room attached to a church.  Her room would have had one window looking into the church, and one window facing the outside world.  Individuals would come to her outer window seeking spiritual guidance and counseling. 

Julian's  writings, known as Revelations of Divine Love, are the earliest surviving English-language works attributed to a woman. At the age of 30, she succumbed to a serious illness and was thought to be near death. It was then that she received a  series of visions or showings of the Passion of Christ.  She recovered from her illness and wrote down two versions of her experiences. Her theology expressed through her writing has been a great influence to Anglican theology.  Her Revelations of Divine Love contains a message of optimism based on the certainty of being loved by God and of being protected by his Providence. A characteristic element of Julian's mystical theology was her equating divine love with motherly love. According to Julian, God is both our mother and our father. Images of her often have her holding her cat and a hazelnut. The hazelnut is symbolic of God's great interest and love in all things great and small in creation, especially each of us. She mentions in her writings her pet that brought her so much company. Her most famous quote is "All shall be well, and all shall be well, and all manner of things shall be well". Julian lived through the plagues, wars, sickness and yet wanted to assure us that despite the presence of sin and suffering in the world, God's love would ultimately reconcile and heal all things.

She is commemorated and celebrated by Anglicans, Lutheran, and Catholic traditions.
+Brother John

Join us for Sunset Paddling Tours, Fridays 6-8pm and Snorkeling Tours, Saturdays 1-3pm from June through mid-September. 

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Subscribe to the Diocesan Newsletter here.

Bishop Transition Webpage

Culminating Bishop José's tenure:

Farewell Party, Aug. 1 from 12:30-3:30pm at Christ School, Arden (if you have photos with the Bishop, share them with Katie at the Diocese)

Hermitage Matching Donation Challenge - Bishop José has invited contributions to match his pledge of $150,000 to construct two or more new hermitages at the Valle Crucis Conference Center. Your donations will help make the new Hermitages a reality AND support the existing ministry of retreat! 

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