A Little History

In the spring of 1989, a small group of folks calling themselves “the JUBILEE! Community,” leased a boarded-up former nightclub called “Asheville Music Hall,” in downtown Asheville. The community had been operating for the previous five years at Central United Methodist on Church Street. JUBILEE! had, in one sense, outgrown Central Methodist and felt it was time to be on their own. This little group described themselves as an “alternative worshipping and service community” with a motto: A Call to Life, and a mantra: The Main Thing is to Keep The Main Thing The Main Thing. It’s still their motto and mantra.

The Music Hall at 46 Wall Street, had featured many prominent musicians over the years, including John Prine, Woody Guthrie and The Byrds. Since JUBILEE! was - and always has been – closely associated with the arts, the place had the right vibes and seemed perfect. Perfect, that is, except for the fact that the building (like so many in 1989 downtown Asheville) was in terrible shape. The ceiling was coming down, the windows were broken out, the plumbing and electrical systems were defunct; and the entire place smelled like beer and urine. At that time, even Wall Street was little more than an alley with only one or two shops operating. “Rat Alley,” which runs beneath Wall Street, was truly a haven for hundreds of wharf-sized rats. The entire situation was daunting, to say the least.
Nonetheless, this brave (and maybe a bit crazy) community jumped in and began to resurrect the building. Two major financial contributors (the Bill Burton and Mark Bennett families) underwrote the initial cost of the reconstruction. The rest came in through individual donations and volunteer labor; and on the second Sunday in August, 1989, JUBILEE! opened with their first celebration.

Today, there are approximately 2000 folks here and abroad, who call themselves, “Jubilants.” Being an inter-faith community, the congregation is composed of Jews, Christians, Wiccans, Buddhists, Native Americans and folks who don’t know what they believe. The average attendance at Sunday celebrations ranges from 600-800, with one of hottest house bands in the Southeast - The World Beat Band - playing each Sunday.
JUBILEE! is committed to service. Every year, the community:
Builds a home with Habitat for Humanity
Sends a rebuilding crew to New Orleans
Houses homeless women
Gives $40,000 to agencies who feed hungry people
Gives a total of between $120,000 - $160,000 to agen-
cies devoted to making the world a better place.

JUBILEE! is committed to making downtown Asheville more earth- and human-friendly. Three years ago, JUBILEE! completely rebuilt their building, making it as green as possible. The community supports all efforts to make Asheville less of an intrusion on this planet.
Likewise, JUBILEE! hosts many concerts, workshops and events with a focus on making life more rich and fun for all humans. Currently, the community offers a parenting workshop, a didgeridoo meditation class, men’s groups, energy healing class, bereavement group, singles’ night, etc.

JUBILEE! heartily supports the Pritchard Park Drum Circle, the street musicians, the art studios and galleries, the musical events and all efforts to feed and house hungry and homeless people. It is the hope of the JUBILEE! Community that Asheville will grow in its openness, its laid-back feel, its friendliness and its small and locally owned shops and restaurants. JUBILEE! hopes that Asheville will keep the main thing the main thing.
- Howard

Sunday Celebrations at Jubilee!
VIA NEGATIVA: Sorrow Songs
October 18, 2009: “Ezekiel Saw the Wheel”
Habakkuk 1: 1—3, 2:1 – 4
The righteous live by their faith.
Luke 17: 1—10
If you had faith the size of a mustard seed...
Celebration Leader: Howard Hanger

VIA NEGATIVA: Sorrow Songs
October 25, 2009: “Dry Bones”
Ruth 1: 1—19
Where you go, I will go.
Luke 17: 11—19
Your faith has made you well.
Celebration Leader: Howard Hanger

VIA NEGATIVA: Sorrow Songs
November 1, 2009: “Standing in the Need of Prayer”
Genesis 32: 22 –32
I will not let you go unless you bless me.
Luke 18: 1—8
I will grant her justice so she will not wear me out.
Celebration Leader: Howard Hanger

Questions about calendar? Call 252-5335 or go to: Calendar

Buy Cool Stuff AND Help Rebuild New Orleans -- On Sunday, October 18th, stop by the Ten Thousand Villages Store at 10 College Street and make a purchase. The store will donate 15% of sales that day to the Jubilee! Service Team to support their next trip to New Orleans to rebuild homes destroyed by Hurricane Katina. The store is open on Sunday from 11 am to 4 pm.

Via Madrona: the Path of the Ancestors - So many of us feel displaced and uprooted in these uncertain times. One way to ameliorate this sense of emptiness is to connect ourselves more deeply to the land we live in and to our literal and honorary Ancestors. On Sunday, October 18, the Care and Compassion Team invites you to join Byron Ballard of Mother Grove Goddess Temple for a pilgrimage on the Via Madrona, a spiritual pathway to the Ancestors. You are invited to bring tokens for a community altar—remembrances of those loved ones that have made the transition from matter to spirit. 7 to 9 pm in the Celebration Center. Questions? Call 215-5842.

Peter Mayer Concert...Sunday, October 25th, 7:30 pm- -Peter Mayer writes songs for a small planet—songs about interconnectedness and the human journey; about the beauty and the mystery of the world. Whimsical, humorous, and profound, his music breaks the boundaries of "folk,” and transcends to a realm beyond the everyday love song, to a place of wonder at the very fact of life itself.
Peter began playing the guitar and writing songs when he was in high school. He studied theology and music in college, and then spent two years in seminary. After deciding that the priesthood wasn't for him, he took a part-time job as a church music director for 8 years, while performing at clubs and colleges, and writing and recording his music. In 1995, he quit his job and started touring full-time. Since then, Peter has gradually gained a dedicated, word-of-mouth following, selling out shows from Minnesota to Texas, New England to California. He has eight CDs to his credit, and has sold over 50,000 of them. Tickets are $15 and available at JUBILEE!
David Wilcox, Singer/Songwriter writes, “There are at least a dozen Peter Mayer songs that I would love to learn myself, but I could never play them as well as he does.”
"I’m a huge Peter Mayer fan, but only when I don’t feel like killing him for being so good. I love Peter’s work, though it irritates me that he plays so much better than I do. If I rocked half as hard as Peter does, I’d own the world by now."
--Janis Ian, Singer/Songwriter
Continuing to celebrate our 20th anniversary, we have invited singer/song writer Peter Mayer to perform on the evening of Sunday, October 25th at 7:30 pm. Watch for more details. Tickets go on sale on Sunday, October 11th for $15.

Didgeridoo Meditation - You are invited to participate in a unique event sponsored by the Jubilee! Spiritual Journey Team—A Didgeridoo Meditation presented by Corey Costanzo —on Thursday, October 22nd from 7 to 8:30 pm. The didgeridoo is considered the world’s oldest instrument and has been used for healing purposes for over 1500 years. Corey Costanzo’s Didgeridoo Meditation is a journey that will guide you through an exploration of rhythm, breath, and soul. The collective spirit of the group will emerge as the vibrations elicit a deep sense of connectedness and creativity. Corey offered the Didgeridoo Meditation at the Esalen Institute’s famed hot tubs, each Wednesday night from 2003-2008. Over 7,000 people have experienced the didgeridoo meditation at Esalen, which is still going on. The cost is $10 per person.

Arts & Crafts Sale for Arts for Life - Several Jubilants are participating in the Arts for Life Arts & Crafts Market on Thursday, October 22 from 4 to 8 pm and on Friday and Saturday, October 23 and 24 from 10 am to 6 pm at 30 Cedarcliff Road in Biltmore Forest. 100 percent of the proceeds will benefit the Arts program, begun by former Jubilant Anna Vogler. Arts for Life is a non-profit dedicated to improving lives and healing of children battling serious illnesses by teaching arts in hospitals and clinics in WNC. For more details, contact Jubilants Mimi Shackelford or Gil Calderwood.

Café Jubilee! - Come enjoy coffee, delicious treats and conversation. Café Jubilee! is hosted by the Community Life Team on the third Sunday of each month, following the conclusion of the 11:15 am Celebration. For more information or to offer to help, contact Wanda Lanier at wandajlanier@gmail.com

Starting Sunday, November 1st, Patton Avenue Doors will be locked from 9:50 to 10:45 am. You may enter from downstairs using the door in the Futon Gallery parking lot...

Safe Sanctuary Policy
Last May, Jubilee's! Board of Directors approved our Safe Sanctuary Policy. This policy is intended to ensure the emotional, spiritual, and physical safety of all Jubilants. It includes clearly defined procedures for reporting instances of harm, establishes guidelines for hiring staff and nurture volunteers, and provides ways to maintain a safe physical space.
One way that we are attempting to increase safety is to reduce traffic flow in the Nurture area during Sunday morning class times. Beginning on Sunday, November 1, we will be locking the Patton Avenue door on Sunday mornings around 9:50 am. It will be unlocked again at 10:45 am. Folks who arrive downstairs in the interim will be asked to enter the building via the Futon Gallery parking lot.
The Safe Sanctuary policy also established a Response Team. This team consists of three Jubilee! members who are prepared to deal with reports of abuse, sexual misconduct, or harassment. To contact the Response Team, please speak to Don Fortuna, Bill Bailey, or Vicki Garlock (if a child associated with the Nurture program is involved.) Copies of the Safe Sanctuary Policy can be found on the bulletin board by the upstairs water fountains, or you may contact Don Fortuna or Vicki Garlock for your own copy. BIG thanks to Stewart Stokes, Melodie Meadows, Ray Raymond, Linda Wayne, Jackie Lalor and the Jubilee! Board for all their hard work in establishing these very comprehensive guidelines.

Board Approves Outreach Requests for 3rd Quarter - The Jubilee! Board of Directors approved the following requests for funding at its September meeting. These checks will be distributed at our Celebrations in the next few months.

African Medical Mission $1000 - This money will go to the Itipini Community Project to provide food for HIV patients. The funds would purchase milk for the patients with HIV and baby formula for the babies of HIV mothers to avoid transmittal of the HIV via breast milk.

Village Partners International $1000 - This money will go to the “Food for Healing” program in the village of Mombin Crochu in Haiti. Terry Deal of Jubilee! is part of a team that visits that village every year to provide medical care, and there is a strong need to provide a reliable program to feed patients both before and after surgery. Our contribution will be used to purchase food for the patients in this program.

Just Economics $1000 - This money will be used for the Voices for Economic Justice program by providing food, transportation, and training for low-income people attending this 8-week series of workshops. Each class has 10-15 low-wage workers involved, with intentional focus on people of color, immigrants, and women who are concentrated in low-wage jobs.

Asheville High – Hands Up Program $1000 -This money will be used to fund lunches for teaching programs such as a college planning program aimed at students who would be the first generation in their family to attend college. The money would also be used to help pay for college tours so these students can visit a college and see what college life is like. The Hands Up program at Asheville High Is aimed at exposing low-income students to new opportunities and making sure students leave high school with a plan for the future.

"Outside In, Inside Out" - How successful are you on your daily journey in living your life in balance, from your true purpose? In this experiential workshop, Rev. Heidi Peck will guide us in exploring the why, how, and when to do just that in ways that are right for each of us. In the process, she'll help us to balance our own aspects of health, creativity, abundance, and love - in order to recreate an empowered experience of our own life "from the Inside Out"!
Join us Tuesday, October 20, 7-9 p.m., in the Creation Room; suggested love offering of $20. FMI about Rev. Heidi Peck, Minister of Religious Science, spiritual teacher and writer, see her website www.revheidi.com. This event is sponsored by the Spiritual Journey Team.

Plan Ahead - If you didn't catch the first class, we are happy to offer another End of Life Documents Workshop presented by Caroline Yongue of the Center for End of Life Transitions, 6-9 p.m., Thursdays, Oct. 22, 29 and Nov. 4 downstairs at Jubilee!. For further info, contact Linda Siegal, or Roger Beaumont.

“Flock” a Friend! - Send a flock of pink flamingos to someone’s front yard for a donation of $20 or more to the Service Team to support their trip to New Orleans. Please do not send our flock to a location where there are large dogs, shotguns or other hazards. Pick up a Flocking Form in the Hospitality Room or call Dale Hughes, Coordinator of the Service Team at 298-2195. AND, if you are interested in working in New Orleans in early November with the Team, let Dale know.

On Retreat - The Jubilee! Board of Directors will be “retreating” on Friday night, October 22 and Saturday, October 23. The event, hosted by Jubilant Terry Deal at her mountain retreat in Madison County, will give the Board an opportunity to look into their crystal balls, see the future and make plans!

Take a Stand! -October 17th is International Day for the Eradication of Poverty. Join us as we take a stand against Poverty here at Jubilee! Program starts at 1pm on Saturday, Oct. 17 in the Creation Room, and will include a talk by Paul Farmer of Mountains Beyond Mountains. We will take an action for Global Health, and then march to Pritchard Park to stand up against poverty. All are welcome!! Don’t miss this important moment in time! Contact Caroline Fleming carolinepieters@yahoo.com, Co-sponsored by the Gandhi Team.

Prayers Requested
Judy Bennett asks for continued prayers as she returns to Texas to be with her sister and brother-in-law in their ongoing journey with his inoperable brain tumor. Please pray for her safety while driving and Roy's continued healing.

Learn How to Make Good Choices -The Jubilee! Nurture Program, in conjunction with First Congregational Church, is co-sponsoring a one-woman show featuring Susie Vandrlip. She is a prevention specialist with a powerful anti-drug, anti-under age drinking, anti-unsafe sex message. Her presentation motivates people to make positive choices and is great for kids 10—16 years of age. The event is Saturday, October 24 from 9 am to noon at the UCC church at 20 Oak Street in downtown Asheville. Jubilants may participate for free.

Fall Family Outing - All Jubilee! families are invited to come out for a fun-filled afternoon on Sunday, October 25th at the Elida Corn Maze. There will be family attractions, a hay bale maze for toddlers and three corn mazes of varying difficulty. The gates open at noon, so we will provide a light lunch from 11 am to noon. The cost is $2 per person. Call Vicki at 252-5335, VMB 2#.

What a Party! -The 20th Anniversary Party was a smashing success. Well over 250 folks enjoyed a delicious catered dinner, danced, laughed, purchased items from the silent auction and so much more. Thanks to the Jubilee! Board who sponsored the event and especially to Dave Charlton who was the coordinator of the festivities.

More Little Words of Wisdom

As I was nursing my baby, my cousin's six-year-old daughter, Krissy, came into the room. Never having seen anyone breast feed before, she was intrigued and full of all kinds of questions about what I was doing. After mulling over my answers, she remark-ed, 'My mom has some of those, but I don't think she knows how to use them.'

Working as a pediatric nurse, I had the difficult assignment of giving immunization shots to children. One day I entered the examining room to give four-year-old Lizzie her needle. 'No, no, no!' she screamed. 'Lizzie,' scolded her mother, 'that's not polite behavior.' With that, the girl yelled even louder, 'No, thank you! No, thank you!