What to Expect

Avalon Grove is a house church located in Weaverville, North Carolina. We meet outdoors when weather permits or indoors during the colder months or when it is rainy.

As well as exploring the traditions of the holiday, services focus on honoring Mother and Father Creator, Jesus, and Mother Earth. Gatherings typically include a Celtic ceremony and can feature any combination of Celtic or Arthurian legends, stories from the Bible, tales and spiritual teachings from the Faerie, and sometimes music.

There is no cost to attend the services, but donations are gratefully accepted. For those who wish, there is time after the service to socialize. Bread, butter, and bottled water are provided, and you are welcome to bring other vegetarian food or drink to share if you wish.

You can read more about Celtic holiday traditions here.

Click here for driving directions or for hotel suggestions if you are coming from out of town.

Basic Beliefs

We hold these services as a way to say thank you to the Mother and Father Creator, our brother, Jesus, and Mother Earth for the many blessings in our lives.

In addition, as do many Native peoples around the world, we believe that Mother Earth is struggling to survive. By performing these simple ceremonies of gratitude, we hope, in some small way, to counter the uncaring attitudes of those who exploit the Earth’s resources for their own gain.

We also believe that if we choose to forget or denigrate the ceremonies performed by our ancestors for thousands of years, we come that much closer to losing our own heritage and connection with Mother Earth.

Here are some of our other beliefs.

The Creator is both our Mother and Father (the Holy Parents, God and Goddess), and they love us very much.

Jesus Christ is the son of our Mother and Father Creator. He is both our Messiah and our loving, elder brother.

Mother Earth is a living being who loves all her children, including us, and she deserves our love and respect in return.

We are related to all Creation, and we believe that all who dwell on Mother Earth should be treated with kindness and respect, no matter who or what they are.

We communicate with Faeries. Though you don’t have to believe in Faeries, we may mention them during a service.

We strive to follow Jesus’ greatest commandment:” 29 And Jesus answered him, The first of all the commandments is, Hear, O Israel; The Lord our God is one Lord: 30 And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength: this is the first commandment. 31 And the second is like, namely this, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. There is none other commandment greater than these.” Mark 12:29-31

About the Ministers

David and Carol are both ordained ministers. David leads the services at Avalon Grove, while Carol assists him, maintains the website and handles email communications. Their home is in Weaverville in the mountains of Western North Carolina.

David sees the world through the eyes of a progressive Celtic Christian who cares deeply about nature. He is a descendant of Reverend David Swing, a controversial 1800’s Presbyterian pastor, professor and author, while Carol is a descendant of Elder William Brewster, religious leader of the Pilgrims. They sometimes wonder what their ancestors would think of today’s world.

David had a desire to become a minister when he was a young man, but judgmental church experiences caused him to step away from the church for a time. Strangely enough, it was his experiences with a group of Celtic Christian Faire Folke that caused him to return to the church. David and Carol hope that Avalon Grove will help people experience the loving face of the Mother and Father Creator and their son, Jesus, and not the scary, judgmental side of religion that runs through some church doctrine.

David has written two books that are a unique combination of Faeries and Celtic Christianity. He hopes to publish more books in the future. When she is not working at a law firm, Carol is a Faerie artist and home gardener. You can read more about their experiences with the Celtic Faerie here.