Welcome from Haywood Street:

UPDATES:

A reminder that the Companion Fellowship Event is this Tuesday, June 21st from 5-7 pm in the dining room. This is a chance for companions to spend time with one another and have dinner together. Following the meal will be a behavioral health training with Lois Simpson, a Crisis Clinician at RHA’s Behavioral Health Crisis Center here in Asheville.

WE’RE FULLY FUNDED!!

We are happy to announce that the patio project is now fully funded! With a grant from the Cannon Foundation and the generous contributions from our community, we are finally able to move forward with the project. Look out for more updates.

A special thank you goes out to Asheville Youth Mission for their presence on campus the past couple of weeks. They have been hard at work in the gardens with Robert and will be passing out popsicles on these hot days we have coming up. Thank you for being with us this summer!

We have Haywood Street hats, shirts, patches, and more for sale! Visit the merchandise page to see what’s available in the main office.

On Wednesday, June 22nd, we will be holding a special moment of remembrance for Virginia in our worship service. We invite all who knew and loved her to join us at 12:30 pm in the sanctuary.

 COMPANION CORNER:

  • UPCOMING: Mark your calendars for a Companion Fellowship Event Tuesday on June 21 in the dining room 5:00pm-7:00pm. Dinner will be provided! More information to come.
  • Art Room Companions Needed! – The I Am Home Art Project is in need of weekly companions. Click here to learn more about the project and how you can get involved!
  • Mark your calendars for July 11th! Haywood Street will be holding a community viewing of Theirs is the Kingdom. More details to come.
  • NEW MINISTRY UPDATES – Starting the week of May 1
    • Sunday Bible Study – 11:00am in the sanctuary
    • Tuesday Prayer Group – 12:00 in the sanctuary – Gather for a time of communal prayer
    • Thursday Card Making Group – 10:00am in Room 1 (off the main lobby) – Gather together to make cards for our community and friends in prison or in the hospital.

Reflection

Welcoming Pastoral Intern, Grace Olson

Hey, my name’s Grace (she/they). I’m currently in my second-year of the M.Div program a Duke Divinity School. This summer, I’m joining Haywood St. as a ministry intern, exploring the nature of pastoral care and how storytelling can amplify voices at the margins.

What brought me to Haywood St?

This journey to ministry began (roughly) in 2017, my first year of undergrad at the University of Minnesota – Twin Cities. In my city, it doesn’t take long to pick out intentionally hostile designs. From park benches with metal sub-divides to bridges that forgo the use of pre-installed heating elements, we seemed to actively deter shelter for those living on the streets, even amid brutal winters.

In studying scripture and theology, I discovered that the Christian tradition provides imagination and telos for a different kind of response—a new city.

I encountered the counter-cultural call of Christ to downward mobility; how Jesus warmed cool indifference at the plight of those suffering into seas of compassion. Jesus went “directly to the people and places where suffering was most acute and [built] a home there,” (1) standing with the outcast and those relegated to the margins (2).

I continue to feel gripped by this vision of being with, rather than being for, or horizontal justice—a value I see at the heart of Haywood St. Congregation, from the sanctuary fresco and conversational homilies, to the round-table meals and commitment to ‘relationship first.’

In my time here, I’m encountering a God who both delights in Her creation and unfailingly holds space in the dark; I’ve experienced, viscerally, that suffering need not equate to disconnection—that being in the right place can be more important than saying the right thing. And I’ve witnessed profound moments of love and inclusion: a new face offering their last cigarette; sharing depth of knowledge about gardening, marine life, and family; inviting me to participate in the ordinary magic of operating a forklift.

I feel incredibly grateful for the love, support, and hospitality of the staff and congregation at Haywood St., as well as at my host site, Christmount Christian Assembly. I look forward to continuing the summer with you and living into a shared, theological vision of a just and caring world.

1. Henri Nouwen, Compassion: A Meditation on the Christian Life, 27
2. Greg Boyle, Tattoos on the Heart: The Power of Boundless Compassion, 72