WELCOME FROM HAYWOOD STREET:


UPDATES:


In response to the needs of our community, the Haywood Street Sunday
schedule will change beginning SUNDAY, JUNE 30
(Wednesdays will remain the same).

Beginning JUNE 30: the Welcome Table Sunday meal will become a breakfast
(and no longer a lunch) served from 8am-10am in a flow format — no
reservation ticket needed, simply take a seat in either the dining room or
hospitality room and be served!

Also beginning JUNE 30: Sunday Worship will begin at 11:00 am.

We give thanks for the voices of our friends, for the listening and discernment
of our staff and companions, and for the guidance brought through prayer
and faith.

Please help us spread the word!

Wednesday brought us a special moment of welcoming and blessing
Haywood Street’s Ministerial Interns — Dustin and Ben. We look forward
to being in relationship with these good folks throughout the summer.
This year’s Ministry WITH training event will be August 21-22.
Learn more and register today!

ANNOUNCEMENTS:


1. The Asheville Street Feet Project foot clinics are now held on the 1st and 3rd Sundays from 11-2 in room 1.

2. Gentle yoga in the sanctuary, Wednesdays from 9:30 – 10:30.

3. The final segment of the Peace Education Program is rescheduled for Wednesday, June 26 at 10:45 in the Haywood Street Sanctuary. There will be no PEP on June 19 due to the festivities of WelcomeFEST.

4. Wednesday, JUNE 19: WelcomeFEST! Learn more and purchase your tickets today! (NOTE: THERE WILL BE NO 12:30 WORSHIP ON THIS DAY)

5. Imagine!: A Benefit for the Haywood Street Fresco. More…


COMPANION CORNER:


For more information about any of the following, please contact Hannah, Haywood St. Companion Coordinator, at hannah@haywoodstreet.org or 828.575.2477 [ext. 106].
Welcome Table:
Prep sheet
– All hands on deck to support Mary leading a baked spaghetti meal!
Clothing Closet:
– Prep: 10-noon Tuesday and Thursdays
– In need of summer items, water proof/resistant shoes, shorts, t-shirts, shorts, tanks, underwear
*** In need of folks to assist with laundry. Please come pick up/drop off laundry Tues/Thurs from 10am-12pm, there is no timeline, just bring them back at your convenience! ***

Garden:
– Vegetable gardening with Joan: Wednesday 10-12 & Sunday 1-3
– Flower gardening with Robert Thursday 9-12
– Garden Wishlist: 3 garden hose nozzles & 10 knockout rosebushes for Haywood Street’s new memorial garden.

Respite: 
*Will be closed June 17 – June 27 while new floors are being installed.

WelcomeFEST:
COME ONE COME ALL!: We have many different ways for companions to participate and serve. Here is a schedule to serve on June 19th:
8:00 – 10:00: set up parking lot, hospitality room, dining room, clothing closet
9:00 – 12:00: clothing closet
10:30 – 1:30: ice cream dessert bar, drink station, or enjoy the event while helping to greet new visitors, pick up trash, etc.
1:30-3:00 take down, clean up


Make a gift to Haywood St.

A HAYWOOD STREET REFLECTION FROM: PAMELA

A place so regularly teeming with disparate activity the word “chaos” made it onto the welcome sign, Haywood Street Congregation is widely known for all that people do there. They cook, they clean, they eat, they sing, they befriend, they clothe, they welcome, they plant, they shop, they create, they drink, they laugh, they cry, they pray, they dance, they serve, they warm up, they cool down…  Haywood Street is unmistakably a place of grace, relationship and faith in action. And yet, for so many, Haywood Street is also a treasured place of rest.  Whether actual slumber, getting a private moment to one’s self, or simply feeling safe enough to rest your mind from the troubles of the day for a little while; rest, in all of its inactive glory, is honored and offered here in abundance.

As someone who safeguards her own “alone time” as a shepherd does his sheep, I was humbled when I came to understand what an absolute luxury solitude is for unhoused members of our community. During one of my early Wednesday visits to Haywood Street a few years ago, I decided to make a quick stop by the restroom between lunch and the church service upstairs. When I reached the breezeway, both restroom doors were locked and a man was in line ahead of me. He had an overstuffed backpack over one shoulder and a well-worn ballcap on his head. We waited. We introduced ourselves to each another. And waited some more. In making idle chitchat, I glanced over at the locked doors and said, “Guess we all had the same idea at the same time.” And he said, “Yeah, and a bathroom stall is the only private space you ever get on the streets, so the lines here move slow. Do you want to go ahead of me?”

His insight and kindness touched me.  I told him I would just go after the service and to take his time. Now, years later, every time I’m in a public restroom, it crosses my mind – What would life be like and how would I feel emotionally, if the only chance I had most days for quiet, semi-private, alone time was in a publicly used “rest” room? I feel anxious just thinking about it.

And what about sleep? It’s well studied and proven that chronic sleep deprivation can cause and exasperate addiction and an array of physical and mental health issues. Without the security of a home, noise, physical discomfort, weather extremes, anxiety and fear are nightly barriers to sound sleep. It’s no wonder the pews, shady spots and climate-controlled hallways of Haywood Street so often become a brief chamber for our unhoused friends.

I’m thankful for the many lessons I’ve learned and the many ways my mind has opened through spending time and building relationships at Haywood Street. Quiet time, privacy, safety, and good, solid sleep are as essential to basic human health and dignity as food and clothing. Haywood Street values them all, and as a congregation, is in action every day to make them accessible to each and every child of God.

Pamela Wright
HSC Companion and Board Member

For more faces & stories from our Congregation, click here.