An Asheville NC Church: Who We Are
Land of the Sky United Church of Christ is an emerging, progressive faith community seeking to serve the still-speaking God by living justly, loving abundantly, and walking humbly in the ways of Jesus.
We are young and old, gay and straight and in between. We are single and partnered, happy and sad, confused and inspired. We are street smart and college-educated. Some of us can’t pay our bills and others have more than enough to share.
We are God’s people. We are the Body of Christ. And you are so welcome here.
Here’s what we’re into – and why:
Restorative Social Justice: If you try to cut all of the verses out of the Bible that deal with economic/social justice, our Scripture would be hole-y instead of Holy! God is deeply concerned about issues of justice, and so we are as well. Our denomination – the United Church of Christ – has been a pioneer in the contemporary Christian tradition on justice issues from race and class to gender and sexual identity. We partner with individuals, organizations, and other churches in Asheville NC to make a difference. We take risks for justice!
Love: We believe God’s love, grace, and mercy are the most powerful things in the universe. We want to embody it. We teach it, from cradle to grave. We believe God is love and those who know love know God, and so we want our kids to know love, and to define God as love.
Expansive Images, Inclusive Language: Because God is always beyond words, we love to creatively play with images, language, and metaphors for God that surprise and delight us. Inclusive language means we balance our gendered metaphors/language of God as male with those of God as female. Expansive images move beyond gender and imagine God as beyond any binary we humans have created. God is always more.
Radical Jesus: We believe Jesus is incredibly radical, breaking all kinds of boundaries with his Sabbath-healing, women-touching, tax-collector communing, and more. Jesus is not one who tried to conform to social niceties, who excluded or hated others, who promoted war or war on the poor. Jesus lives in solidarity with those on the margins, and when we preach, teach, or share his Way we want to lift up how radical he is, a reality that gets lost in so many churches.
Creating Beloved Community in our Midst: The Christian faith has managed to convince so many that the most important thing about living is where you go when you are dying. We focus a lot on how we can live into the Divine kingdom (which Jesus said is within us) in the here and now. How can we live out the eternal life we have in Christ – today?
Welcoming Questions and Mystery: We are thinking people who also love that God is beyond our thoughts. So we yield to the mystery that is an inherent part of our faith, and believe that asking good questions can humble us, shape our journeys, and eventually lead us to new truth.
We hope this gives you a snapshot of who Land of the Sky UCC is, what we’re into, and how you might make this your Asheville NC church home. If you want to learn more, we invite you to explore our entire website – and please stay in touch via our email updates, so you don’t miss a thing!
Worship Together
When and where
We worship at 10 am, online for now, due to the pandemic. Our campus is 15 Overbrook Pl, Asheville, NC 28805
Our phone number is 828-575-9050
What to expect
Currently, we are worshipping online at 10 am via zoom due to Covid. Email us for the invite and details: office@landoftheskychurch.org
Our pre-worship music begins at 9:20 AM in the sanctuary, and worship starts at 9:30 AM. Our congregation is fairly casual, so wear whatever makes you feel most yourself. We offer communion the first Sunday of each month, which is also Share the Feast Sunday, when folks are invited to bring food to donate to MANNA food bank. We celebrate communion at an “open table,” by the ancient practice of intinction which means that all are welcome to come forward to tear a piece of bread from the common loaf and dip it in the cup; juice, wine, and gluten free bread are all available.
The flow of our worship includes words of welcome, music, the reading of Scripture, a sermon, sharing our joys and concerns, prayer, and a closing blessing. Worshiping with us, we hope you will encounter warmth and welcome, authenticity and thoughtfulness, drawing near to God who is made known to us in love. Our music is a mix of piano and guitar, inclusive hymns and songs from the wider world. Our worship is often seasoned with the sounds of the many young children who are part of our community.
After worship, all are invited to join us for a time of coffee and fellowship in the Fellowship Hall, which is followed by an education hour for all ages from 11:00 AM – noon.
As an open and affirming congregation, we welcome LGBTQ+ individuals and families into the full life and leadership of our community.
What to Expect with Kids:
Currently, we are worshipping online at 10 am via zoom due to Covid. Email us for the invite and details: office@landoftheskychurch.org
Children of all ages are welcome in worship. Our Kids’ Ministry Coordinator, or an adult volunteer, will greet you in the lobby of the sanctuary as you arrive and can answer any questions you might have. Worship bags for readers and non-readers are available for your child’s use during the service; you can find them in the sanctuary lobby. Nursery care is available for kids three and under from the beginning of the service, located on the upper floor of the education building at the end of the hall. Our nursery is staffed by consistent, professional child care workers who are background checked and paid a living wage.
Toward the beginning of the service, we offer a “Time With Kids,” welcoming our children of all ages to come forward to hear a message especially for them. Following the Time With Kids, infants and toddlers receive care in the nursery, and children ages three -1st Grade use our outdoor playground (in inclement weather they meet in a downstairs classroom). We ask first-time parents to escort their kids and check-in with one of our child care staff.
The children stay outside until 10:30 AM, and then they enjoy a healthy snack (usually fruit/veggies, cheese, and crackers) outside (on a nice day) or in the large indoor classroom (in the event of inclement weather). After their snack, they sing and make music together from 10:45 until 11:00, at which point they transition into their Godly Play classrooms.
Children in 2nd grade and up remain in worship, and we ask that parents help in fostering worshipful behavior as their children grow. On the 2nd and 4th Sundays of the month, our 2nd-5th graders go to DAY Time (Developing Active Youth) following the Time With Kids. DAY Time is led by two adults and offers a time of fellowship and fun for our upper elementary-aged children.
Want to learn more? Contact our Kids’ Ministry Coordinator at kids@landoftheskychurch.org.
Thankful for photography by our incredibly talented folks: Spaces: Maggie Shackelford and Headers: April Tarjick