Calendar of Events

Join us July 20th for an introduction to Next.js.

What is Next.js? Let’s ask nextjs.org:

Used by some of the world’s largest companies, Next.js enables you to create full-stack web applications by extending the latest React features, and integrating powerful Rust-based JavaScript tooling for the fastest builds.

In this session, you will learn the pros and cons of using Next.js along with examples of what you can accomplish using the framework. We will give an overview of how a Next.js application is structured, demonstrate a production Next.js website, and build a Next.js website from a starter template.

Big thanks to the Biltmore HR Department who graciously gifted us use of their well-equipped training space. Biltmore Career Center is centrally located with tons of parking, ample snacks/beverages, and reliable Wi-Fi.

As you may know, Asheville JavaScript Meetup has been dormant since January 2020 and recently changed leadership. This session, if successful, will likely lead to more events. The JS world is too exciting to sit by idly – let’s have some fun! 🎉

Your hosts are Jennifer Hill, Front-End Web Developer, and Chad Evans, Web Enthusiast.

Note that Asheville JavaScript Meetup is an independent meetup group. Future events may be held at a different location with different sponsors.

GIVEAWAY: Two (2) Biltmore tickets will be awarded to two (2) lucky attendees – only if you RSVP and are present for the session. Please RSVP if you plan to attend.

We are excited to share that XP League Asheville will have Open House activities on 7/29 from 10-2pm where you can book a free coaching session. All early registrations will receive a Founding Member discount – for life!
Team games we play include Fortnite, Minecraft (bed-wars), Rocket League, Valorant, Apex Legends, Overwatch 2, and League of Legends.
The founders of this NC based franchise created a league where kids ages 7-17 could join a team and enjoy high-level league play against other youth teams across the country, all while enjoying a safe environment, PCA certified coach-led sessions, and receive training on how to play with a positive mindset.
Please scroll to the calendar on this website to book the free coaching session that you want to attend:
https://asheville.xpl.gg/home

Online or in-print, you can’t avoid all the hype around the new AIs like ChatGPT. They are going to take over the world! But first they are going to replace lawyers, doctors, accountants, marketing departments, script writers… and on…

Or maybe… they are yet another tool that will help – in powerful ways – but not replace any of those groups or replace you. In fact, they are already helping in many fields and have been before all the press coverage started. But they are also getting people into trouble. And they can get you into trouble, or hurt your business results, if you don’t understand their limits and uses.

In this class you will learn how Large Language Models (like ChatGPT) work (and how they don’t). You will learn how they can get people into trouble so you will have a better chance to avoid that. And you will learn a few, basic, ways they can be used, after all, to help you with your small business.

If you can, please bring a laptop or tablet so you can setup a free ChatGPT account (if you don’t have one) and can tailor some of the class examples to your own business interests. However, a computer is not required to benefit from the class – we will be running examples and results on the projector screen as well.

This is not a technical class. We will not get into APIs and will only talk about the model parameters as part of showing, in a non-technical way, how the models work. We will also not debate whether they will replace all those professional groups “in a few years” because a) they won’t because they can’t by their very nature and b) we’re going to spend the class time talking about how small business owners can safely and productively use the tools today.

Instructor: Michael Truffa

Michael Truffa has been involved in a range of technology roles starting in the 1970s continuing on to today – doing application scripting, web & back-end programming, data science, error analytics, team management, and more. He also has a wide range of non-computer experience including roles in direct & b2b sales, as a mechanical & electrical technician in the oilfield, retail, and more that help inform his pragmatic view of how computers can, and sometimes can’t, help people do real-world jobs.

Are you curious or even passionate about using advocacy, technology and sensible design to create more equitable social and civic structures in Western North Carolina?
Whether you call yourself an organizer, a technologist, a designer, planner, concerned resident, all of the above or something else entirely, we want to be in relationship and build community together with you.
Check out a list of our current projects: https://github.com/CodeForAsheville/projects
What to expect:
Since project work takes place asynchronously—individually and in smaller squads—the goals of our monthly gatherings are to:

• build relationships and learn about each other’s skills, interests and goals,
• learn what we are doing across the organization (project updates),
• provide opportunities to get involved with and/or initiate projects, and
• shape where we are going as an organization, co-creating the culture and course of our work together.

In this meeting, we will:

• gather virtually using Zoom for group video chat,
• do brief introductions, with a prompt,
• share updates about the projects that we’re working on, highlighting deliverables for the next month and areas where additional resources would be useful, and
• discuss proposals and new opportunities to engage with local government and community organizations.

It isn’t all glamorous, but the stakes are low for showing up and we’d be delighted to join together with you in this work.

Free Technology Workshop Lead by “Rent a Millennial”

Topic: Setting Up Your Home Internet
This class will cover your local area network (the internet in your home). How to set it up, how to optimize it, how to troubleshoot common issues. There will be time for Q&A and individual attention.

School is out for a teacher’s work day, so bring your child (age 7-17) to our esports day camp from 8am-4pm – bring their own lunch. Only $70 for the day. (18 spots available)

School is out for a teacher’s work day, so bring your child (age 7-17) to our esports day camp from 8am-4pm – bring their own lunch. Only $70 for the day. (18 spots available)

Do you want to have a date night or just some quiet time at home? Drop off your kids with us anytime between 5-10pm for a fun night of video games and a variety of board games!

The longest night of the year happens at the time of the winter solstice. This event is for all our
friends, neighbors and visitors to the community who may be experiencing sadness or grieving a loss, and struggling to find comfort
and joy during the Advent and Christmas seasons. The Longest Night service offers a reflective, sacred space, holding out healing
and hope.

Join the growing tech scene in Asheville and connect with fellow developers and designers in town. Each event will include a presentation (or two) and the opportunity to discuss technical, design, and product challenges with our talented community of creators and engineers.

Interested in presenting? Apply here: https://forms.gle/bJyj9AK9ruJpXzYX6

AVL Tech Connect starts at 5:30 with 30 minutes of socializing and presentations start at 6:00.

Event series supported by: AVL Digital Nomads, Venture Asheville, and the NC Biotech Center

Hosted at The Track at Asheville, there will be an opportunity to experience the thrill of SIM racing toward the end of the event.
Sign up and help us spread the word!

Are you curious or even passionate about using advocacy, technology and sensible design to create more equitable social and civic structures in Western North Carolina?
Whether you call yourself an organizer, a technologist, a designer, planner, concerned resident, all of the above or something else entirely, we want to be in relationship and build community together with you.
Check out a list of our current projects: https://github.com/CodeForAsheville/projects
What to expect:
Since project work takes place asynchronously—individually and in smaller squads—the goals of our monthly gatherings are to:

• build relationships and learn about each other’s skills, interests and goals,
• learn what we are doing across the organization (project updates),
• provide opportunities to get involved with and/or initiate projects, and
• shape where we are going as an organization, co-creating the culture and course of our work together.

In this meeting, we will:

• gather virtually using Zoom for group video chat,
• do brief introductions, with a prompt,
• share updates about the projects that we’re working on, highlighting deliverables for the next month and areas where additional resources would be useful, and
• discuss proposals and new opportunities to engage with local government and community organizations.

It isn’t all glamorous, but the stakes are low for showing up and we’d be delighted to join together with you in this work.

“The Commissioning” featuring

Christian Hip Hop Artist KB “Kevin Burgess”

This. Will. Be. Transformative! Come and experience a Jesus Movement that will impact the upstate in a historic way. This event exists to gather, mobilize, and empower our generation into their purpose! We believe this monumental event coming Jan 27th of 2024 will be a catalyst to reach not only the upstate but the world with the gospel. No matter where you’re in life, we want you here!

If you’re reading this, we want you to know that this event is not just a one-night moment. We’re inviting your generation into an extraordinary journey that we think will surprise you and compel you. People from all around the upstate and the world will be attending this night for many reasons.

– KB, Evangelist Jacob Ebersole, World Harvest Inc, Jesus Youth, and many other ministries, churches, missions organizations will be represented here. This is a collaboration and a gathering to respond to the need of the Upstate, the Nation, and the World.

– We believe thousands will literally be set on mission right there at the Spartanburg Memorial Auditorium. Not simply because this will be an amazing event, but because of what we will be offering you after. Young people and old will have an opportunity to partner with us on a global scale. Get your tickets fast!

– After the event in the lobby, you will have an opportunity to meet the leaders of this initiative. More importantly there will be a team present to greet you, speak with you about details, what your heart cry is, and to pray with you. Right there in the lobby you will have the opportunity to partner with World Harvest initiatives going on not just in the Upstate, but globally.

About World Harvest Inc.

World Harvest is a global missions movement set to reach every continent with the gospel of Jesus Christ. Founded by Evangelist Jacob Ebersole, who is actually from the upstate of SC – World Harvest has witnessed hundreds of thousands attend their crusades around the world. A few years ago the Herald Journey did a full story on Ebersole’s ministry which ended up on the front page of Sunday’s paper. This year, due to the impact of their campaigns, the story continues and his crusades have went viral on CBN, Christian Post, Charisma, and many more. Jacob’s heart cry has never been about social media, but about global impact. With that said, people are beginning to hear and wonder how they can be a part of this Jesus Movement as this is just the beginning.

About KB

KB for His Glory Alone! “To me, resistance carries with it a certain posture,” KB says. “The only way to deal with an unfree world is to become so absolutely free that your very existence is an act of rebellion.”Three studio releases in and KB is at his creative zenith. For years, the Tampa native has been something of an outlier in hip-hop, firmly placing a thumb print on the game while invoking the power of spiritual conviction. His lyricism is impassioned and astute, and he won’t be bent against his will. Given his commanding presence and consistent output, it comes as no surprise that the world has taken notice. The track “100” from the EP of the same name, took home the Dove Award for Rap/Hip-Hop Song of the Year in 2014. And his last LP, 2015’s Tomorrow We Live, garnered both critical and commercial acclaim, earning a Stellar Award nomination for Rap/Hip-Hop Gospel CD of the Year and debuting on the Billboard charts as the No.1 Christian Album and the No. 4 Rap Album overall.

Now — with the world in a social and political frenzy—KB is redefining what rebellion truly means. Today We Rebel, his third full-length album with Reach Records, is an exercise in zeal and imagination. No-frills, no filler. Just raw, uncut transparency through and through. KB follows his artistic impulses to great effect, lending his take on terms that are dominating the cultural conversation.

About Jesus Youth

From small beginnings, Jesus Youth has been focused on building an army! Established in 2022, many of the youth in Spartanburg came together to be the youth of this generation! Joining forces, putting aside differences, and uniting  under the name of Jesus, with strategic development, counsel, and leadership, what has been built up, will forever continue to affect the youth and generations to come!! What we see here is a move of God that cannot be stopped, the transformation of lives that cannot be denied, and the call to Christ that sounds to every age, race, and ethnicity. With Love in the center, Jesus Youth is pressing forward to win many souls for the kingdom of God! Not only do we focus on saving the lost, a revival is needed for the saved! Come join us for this night of being commissioned into the harvest that has been worked on for so long!

For more information and all other general inquiries about this event, please follow the link below to contact a member of World Harvest Inc.

WORLD HARVEST

World Harvest Global Inc. is an international Christian mission organization focused on fulfilling the Great Commission. We do this through large scale, city wide Gospel campaigns that have resulted in hundreds of thousands of people responding to Jesus Christ.

We are embarking on something important, historic, and thrilling – and you are seeing it right from the beginning. God is transforming the lives of people across the globe and entire city populations are encountering the Gospel through our events. Right now, the Holy Spirit has revealed a plan and infrastructure to take the gospel to every continent at large scale.

GriefShare is a Christ-centered support group for all people
experiencing grief and loss of a loved one. The next session is scheduled to start Tuesday
afternoons beginning March 5th from 12:00 (noon) to 2:00 PM for 13-weeks and offered by
Living Savior Lutheran Church & Preschool in Asheville. No fees are required. Interested parties
can join this forum at any time through May 28th
.
GriefShare features nationally recognized experts on grief recovery topics. Seminar sessions
include “Is This Normal?” “The Challenges of Grief,” “Grief and Your Relationships,” “Why?”
and “Guilt and Anger.” Meetings will be held at 301 Overlook Road location in South Asheville
– off of Long Shoals Road.
For more information, email us at [email protected]. Brochures are available to distribute
in your organization.
# # #
About Living Savior Lutheran Church:
Living Savior Lutheran Church’s mission is to share the good news of Jesus Christ with all
people. Started in 1977 with two families meeting in their homes, Living Savior has grown from
a location in Hendersonville to 301 Overlook Road in South Asheville and now a second location
is planned in Hendersonville on 200 Upward Road. Living Savior serves as an important
member in the community, serving those around with camps, study, events, weddings, funerals,
baptisms and worship all centered on the love of God in Jesus Christ our Savior. He and his Word
as written are the focus of all that we do. Through our national church body – WELS, Wisconsin
Evangelical Lutheran Synod, we are able to reach people all over the world. We represent over
370,000 men, women, and children in nearly 1300 congregations in North America alone

Looking to be challenged physically and spiritually?… join us for the 2024 Carry Your Cross 5K, 1K Kid’s Run, and Little Kid’s (Ages 2-5) Fun Run – Saturday, March 30, 2024.  – 5K participants carry a 4ft length of 2×4 lumber across your back for the final 2/10 of a mile – uphill! Come join us for a run that you won’t soon forget. * 5K AWARDS & AGE GROUPS Special Commemorative Awards to: * Top 3 Male/Female Overall * Top 3 Male/Female Masters [40+] * Top 3 Male/Female in the following Age Groups: * 12+ under, 13-15, 16-18, 19-24, 25-29, 30-34, 35-39, 40-44, 45-49, 50-54, 55-59, 60-64, 65-69, 70 + KIDS 1K AWARDS to the Top 3 Male/Female Overall  Schedule Saturday – March 30th * 7:00 – 8:45    Packet Pick Up and Onsite Registration in the Family Life Center (gym). * 9:00              5K START * 9:45 +/-         Little Kids Fun Run START * 10:00 +/-       Kids 1K START * 10:30            5K Awards Ceremony

Come eat, drink, and be merry at Beacon’s Spring Town Square event, where we will connect across Asheville’s many communities. Join us Saturday, March 30th from 12 to 3 pm at One World West in West Asheville. This is an opportunity for locals to learn and share about what’s happening in their communities. Attendees will have an opportunity to make announcements, requests, and offers during our Community Forum portion of the evening.

Donations are requested but not required. Food and drink will be available for purchase.

The Episcopal Church of St. John in the Wilderness welcomes children
of all ages to participate in an Easter Egg Hunt at 10:00am on Easter Sunday, March 31. The
annual event is hosted by St. John's Young Family Ministry. Participants are encouraged to
join the fun in the Rector’s Garden and Parish Hall lawn at 1905 Greenville Highway, across
Rutledge Drive from the church. Parking is available.

"Since our founding, St. John in the Wilderness has been at the heart of fellowship and
community in Flat Rock and beyond,” said Fr. Josh Stephens, Rector. “We invite our friends
and neighbors to join us for Holy Week as we make our journey toward the cross and for
Easter Sunday as we discover that Christ is risen. We also invite children to our Easter Egg
Hunt between our worship services on Easter Sunday. We are so blessed to have such
wonderful neighbors and a beautiful place to live. It will truly be a gift to come together at
this sacred time.

Holy Week begins March 24 with Palm Sunday services at 8:45 and 11:00 a.m. A special
foot washing service is scheduled at 7:00pm on Maundy Thursday, March 28. Good Friday,
March 29 outside and leading to the church, Stations of the Cross begins at 11:00am with
Good Friday Services inside the church at 12:00pm and 5:30pm.
On Easter Sunday, March 31, services will be held at 8:45am and 11am with the Easter Egg
Hunt in between.

Maker Faire is a gathering of fascinating, curious people who enjoy learning and who love sharing what they can do. From engineers to artists toscientists to crafters, Maker Faire is a venue for these “makers” to show hobbies, experiments, projects.

We call it the Greatest Show (& Tell) on Earth – a family-friendly showcase of invention, creativity, and resourcefulness.

Glimpse the future and get inspired!

Tech Time is a drop-in program where you can receive one-on-one help from library staff. To the best of our ability, we will help you solve a tech related problem or accomplish a specific task. We can work together on the library’s computers or your device. Anyone is welcome to stop by, we will help

Kids Camp is a free event for children who have completed kindergarten-completed 5th grade. Each evening, the kiddos will have a time in music, games, crafts, missions, and Bible. Dinner and snacks are provided with sign-up. Camp will take place on-campus Mon-Thurs with a pool party on Friday. Individual children must be registered to attend.