In-person Covid testing opportunities have now opened on the campus of UNC Asheville on Fridays from 1–8 pm, and Saturday/Sundays from 9 am–5 pm at the Blue Ridge Room in the Highsmith Student Union (2500 University Heights). And more resources for testing are listed at ncdhhs.gov/GetTested, including information about the Harrah’s Cherokee Center testing site (87 Haywood St., Asheville), open 10 am–2 pm Monday to Friday.
Every household in the country can now order 4 free at-home kits through the newly created www.covidtests.gov website. (Expected delivery is 7–12 days.) And the NC Department of Health & Human Services also offers at-home test kits that are delivered at no cost and returned to the lab for processing. Request those here.
At-Home Vaccination Program
In an effort to reach people who may have difficulty leaving their home to get a vaccine, the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services (NCDHHS) has set up a call-in number and online form for anyone to request medical personnel come to their home and provide a free Covid vaccination. (For more information about the at-home vaccination program, click HERE.)
To schedule an at-home vaccination appointment, call 1-866-303-0026 or sign-up online HERE.
If you can get out, you can find a place to get easily vaccinated for free HERE.
To learn about the different vaccines available—what they do and how—go to this helpful FAQ from NCDHHS.
Women's Book Club starts August 22
The women's study group will resume meeting on the fourth Sunday evening of each month at 6:00 pm beginning August 22, 2021. During this time we will be discussing Kate Bowler's NY Times bestselling book, Everything Happens for a Reason: And Other Lies I've Loved. Discussion will be led by Regina Johnson and Jane McCoy. Please purchase your book and be ready to talk about the first chapter at the initial meeting. Let Regina know if you need assistance in obtaining a book or if you have any questions. All ladies are welcome to participate and invite friends.
Kate Bowler is a professor at Duke Divinity School with a modest Christian upbringing, but she specializes in the study of the prosperity gospel, a creed that sees fortune as a blessing from God and misfortune as a mark of God’s disapproval. At thirty-five, everything in her life seems to point toward “blessing.” She is thriving in her job, married to her high school sweetheart, and loves life with her newborn son. Then she is diagnosed with stage IV colon cancer. Frank and funny, dark and wise, Kate Bowler pulls the reader deeply into her life in an account she populates affectionately with a colorful, often hilarious retinue of friends, mega-church preachers, relatives, and doctors. Everything Happens for a Reason tells her story, offering up her irreverent, hard-won observations on dying and the ways it has taught her to live. [Excerpt from book flap]
Coffee Snack Fellowship starts Sunday morning at 9:30am!
If there's one thing we realized during our pandemic year, it's how valuable, important, and fun it is to be with other good people. Since we missed out on so much time together, we're starting a weekly time of connecting and chatting every Sunday morning. At 9:30 am in the Fellowship Hall, there will be coffee, juice, and light snacks to help us touch base and start the day off well. All are welcome!
Women's Mission Group Resuming
The Pauline Snelson Women's Ministry Group will start back on Monday, August 9, at 5:00 pm. We will meet the second Monday of each month. All ladies are invited and welcome to come and join us in the Fellowship Hall.
Resuming More Activities
As more people get vaccinated, it’s now possible to offer more church activities easily and safely.
We will restart Wednesday Night Bible Study on July 7 at 6:00 pm in the Fellowship Hall. Everyone is invited to attend the lessons and discussions, led by Pastor Stuart. And right before, anyone is welcome to bring their own dinner at 5:30 and eat together with other good folks—carry-out, leftovers, brown bag, take-away, whatever you fancy.
We will restart our Sunday morning small groups with one big Sunday School on July 11 at 9:45 am. All adults will meet in the Fellowship Hall as we see who is interested and comfortable participating in Sunday School at this stage of our re-opening. In the weeks that follow, as different people and classes are ready, they can break off and start doing their own thing.
Put those dates on your calendar and plan to come on inside to make new connections with new people, and renew old connections with… people you already know. 🙂
Community Resources
Free Vaccines for Homebound and Caregivers - Buncombe County Public Health is providing in-home COVID-19 vaccinations at no charge to individuals that are homebound, those with limited mobility, and their caregivers. Contact the Buncombe County Ready Team at 828-419-0095. They group individuals by location in the county and contact them by phone to schedule the vaccination.
Laptop/Hotspot Loan Program - Buncombe County Public Libraries is pleased to announce the launch of the Library Laptop Loan Program. Anyone 18 or over that has a Buncombe County library card may check out a laptop and/or an internet hotspot for one month at a time. Call the Ask-a-Librarian line at (828) 250-4700 to request a device. There is no charge for the service but charges may be incurred for late returns or losses. For more information on this new community resource click here.
Be Ready to Get Vaccinated
More vaccines are being made and shipped everyday. We’re so thankful that many in the church have already gotten theirs, and we look forward to everyone else getting one too in due time. To find out when you’re eligible, where you can get it, and more info about the vaccines, go to North Carolina’s vaccine website HERE.