FAITH PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH

March 14, 2021 at 10:30 a.m.

The 4th Sunday in Lent

Members, friends and other continuing participants receive

zoom links in regular church communications. Please use those

links sent directly to you.

To request the zoom link for WORSHIP CONNECTION or for

any other church activity please email us at:

office@faithpresbyterianusa.org

AGAIN & AGAIN --- GOD LOVES FIRST

PRELUDE “I Want Jesus to Walk with Me” Larson

WELCOME and CHURCH NEWS Dr. Jim Simpson, Pastor

INTROIT # 433 “Sign Us with Ashes” Refrain and v4

Sign us with ashes, merciful God, children of dust, as to dust we return.

Sign us with ashes, merciful God. Mark us and make us your own.

Surely, you alone can heal us. Yours is the will to make us whole.

Soothing with a mother’s kindness, the contrite of heart, you console.

CALL TO WORSHIP Debbie Peterson

Before we were born,

Before we took our first breath,

Before the week started,

Before the year started,

Before we said, “I love you,”

Before we said, “I’m sorry,”

Before we figured out who we really are,

Before we figured out who we want to be,

Before it all—

God loved us.

Unconditionally and freely,

Fully and honestly—

God loved us.

Again and again, this is where our story begins.

Let us worship God!

HYMN #772 “Live Into Hope”

1 Live into hope of captives freed, of sight regained, the end of greed.

The oppressed shall be the first to see the year of God's own jubilee!

2 Live into hope! The blind shall see with insight and with clarity,

removing shades of pride and fear, a vision of our God brought near.

3 Live into hope of liberty, the right to speak, the right to be,

the right to have one's daily bread, to hear God's word and thus be fed.

4 Live into hope of captives freed from chains of fear or want or greed.

God now proclaims our full release to faith and hope and joy and peace

CALL TO & PRAYER OF CONFESSION (silent then spoken)

Rev. Susan Haynes, Pastoral Associate

God of love,

We forget the beginning of the story—

That we were made from love, to be love, to give love.

Instead of rooting our narrative in the goodness refrain of creation,

We skip ahead and find our worth at the fall,

With Cain and Abel, lost in the wilderness.

We forget that first there was you, and you are love.

We forget that out of that love you created us.

We forget that from the very first day, you loved first.

We forget, because a love like that doesn’t make sense to us.

Forgive our low self-esteem.

Forgive our resistance to love ourselves.

Forgive our hesitation to trust

that even we could be made good.

And forgive our tendency to pass that doubt on

from generation to generation.

Write a new beginning for

us that roots our confidence in your unrelenting love.

With hope we pray, again and again. Amen.

ASSURANCE OF PARDON

SONG OF ASSURANCE #465 “What a Friend We Have in Jesus” v2

Have we trials and temptations? Is there trouble anywhere?

We should never be discouraged; take it to the Lord in prayer!

Can we find a friend so faithful who will all our sorrows share?

Jesus knows our every weakness; take it to the Lord in prayer!

OLD TESTAMENT READING Numbers 21:4-9 Debbie Peterson

4 From Mount Hor they set out by the way to the Red Sea,[a] to go

around the land of Edom; but the people became impatient on the

way. 5 The people spoke against God and against Moses, “Why have

you brought us up out of Egypt to die in the wilderness? For there is

no food and no water, and we detest this miserable food.” 6 Then the LORD sent poisonous serpents among the people, and

they bit the people, so that many Israelites died. 7 The people came

to Moses and said, “We have sinned by speaking against

the LORD and against you; pray to the LORD to take away the

serpents from us.” So Moses prayed for the people. 8 And the LORD said to Moses, “Make a poisonous serpent, and set

it on a pole; and everyone who is bitten shall look at it and

live.” 9 So Moses made a serpent of bronze, and put it upon a pole;

and whenever a serpent bit someone, that person would look at the

serpent of bronze and live.

The word of the Lord. Thanks be to God.

ANTHEM “I Will Be With You” Raney

Virtual Choir

PRAYER OF ILLUMINATION Ken and Vicki McKenzie

God of the here and now— We have heard the words,

“For God so loved the world That he gave his only son,”

Time and time again.

We have read them on billboards, heard them in worship,

And seen them on signs. And yet we know,

there is a difference between hearing those words

in passing and truly, deeply listening.

We long to listen, God. We long to hear your truth.

We long to know your love.

Open our hearts and minds. We are listening. Amen.

GOSPEL READING John 3:14-21 Connie Griggs 14 And just as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must

the Son of Man be lifted up, 15 that whoever believes in him may

have eternal life. 16 “For God so loved the world that he gave his

only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not perish but

may have eternal life. 17 “Indeed, God did not send the Son into the

world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be

saved through him. 18 Those who believe in him are not condemned;

but those who do not believe are condemned already, because they

have not believed in the name of the only Son of God. 19 And this is

the judgment, that the light has come into the world, and people

loved darkness rather than light because their deeds were evil. 20 For

all who do evil hate the light and do not come to the light, so that

their deeds may not be exposed. 21 But those who do what is true

come to the light, so that it may be clearly seen that their deeds have

been done in God.”

The word of the Lord. Thanks be to God.

SERMON “The Divine Locksmith” Jim Simpson

THE OFFERING OF THE PEOPLE Patty Morris

OFFERING HYMN #606 “Praise God, from Whom All Blessings Flow”

Praise God, from whom all blessings flow;

Praise God, all creatures here below;

Praise God above, ye heavenly host;

Praise Father, Son, and Holy Ghost. Amen.

PRAYER OF DEDICATION Connie Griggs

O Lord our God,

again and again we want to follow all your commandments,

to love only you,

not worshiping the things of this world;

to love our neighbor freely,

not desiring for ourselves something they possess.

Accept the offerings of our hearts and lives,

teach us to be generous,

giving fully of ourselves,

as the body of Christ in this world. Amen.

AFFIRMATION OF FAITH Connie Griggs

We believe God is love—

Unconditional, constant love.

We believe this love exists for all,

Choosing each and every one of us,

Day after day,

Again and again and again.

We believe that God’s love is like a river.

Rivers cannot help but flow toward the sea;

God’s love cannot help but move toward us.

We are swimming in it.

We believe that God loved first.

We believe that God breathed life into dust.

We believe that God said, “This is good,”

And because we believe that God loved first,

We strive to build lives that reflect God’s love.

May we begin again here. Amen.

(During the singing of this Hymn you are invited to light a tea light /

candle as we come to offer our Prayers for Wholeness and Healing

and to Bless new Prayer Shawls.)

HYMN #792 “There is a Balm in Gilead”

Refrain:

There is a balm in Gilead to make the wounded whole;

there is a balm in Gilead to heal the sin-sick soul.

1 Sometimes I feel discouraged, and think my work’s in vain,

but then the Holy Spirit revives my soul again. (Refrain)

2 Don’t ever feel discouraged, for Jesus is your friend,

and if you lack for knowledge, he’ll not refuse to lend. (Refrain)

3 If you cannot preach like Peter, if you cannot pray like Paul,

you can tell the love of Jesus and say, “He died for all.” (Refrain)

PRAYERS OF INTERCESSION FOR WHOLENESS AND

HEALING (If you feel you can safely do so, please light a candle

or tea light as a visual symbol of our sharing in these prayers.)

Prayers for specific needs from the Prayer Request Cards will

now be offered…. (All praying for those who seek our prayers…)

May the Holy Spirit of the living God, present with us now,

heal you of all that harms you, in body, mind, and spirit,

and bring you to wholeness. In the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.

Blessing of Prayer Shawls and The Lord’s Prayer (sins and sins

against us)

CHARGE & BENEDICTION Jim Simpson

In the name of God the Lover, the Beloved, and Love itself,

We go as the community moving forward in faith together!

May our mouths speak of God’s goodness.

May our arms hold those in need.

May our feet walk toward justice.

May our lives dance in God’s grace.

And may this be our rhythm— Again and again and again,

Until God’s promised day. Amen.

RESPONSE #292 “As the Wind Song”

1 As the wind song through the trees, as the stirring of the breeze,

so it is with the Spirit of God,

as the heart made strangely warm, as the voice within the storm,

so it is with the Spirit of God.

Never seen, ever known where this wind has blown

bringing life, bringing power to the world,

as the dancing tongues of fire, as the soul’s most deep desire,

so it is with the Spirit of God.

2 As the rainbow after rain, as the hope that’s born again,

so it is with the Spirit of God,

as the green in the spring, as a kite on a string,

so it is with the Spirit of God,

making worlds that are new, making peace come true,

bringing gifts, bringing love to the world,

as the rising of the yeast, as the wine at the feast,

so it is with the Spirit of God.

~~ TIME TO CONNECT AND CONVERSE ~~

Service of Wholeness and Healing and Prayer Shawl Dedication.

During this Service we will ask God to bless new prayer shawls,

squares and wraps. If you have some ready to be blessed today

please have them available to be seen and prayed for by the

congregation on zoom.

If you feel it is safe to do so, please have a candle or tea candle

beside you and when we come to our prayers for wholeness and

healing we will all light the candles/tea lights as a symbol of our

desire to pray and of the light we receive from the God whose desire

it is, to bring us all to wholeness.

Thank you to our Liturgists: Debbie Peterson and Connie Griggs

Prayer of Illumination (recorded): Ken and Vicki McKenzie

Invitation to the Offering: Patty Morris

Tech Elders: Janice Glascock and Carl Riggs

Director of Music: Kathy Wills (and lead singer, Harold Wills)

Video editor and creator: Jim Crawford

Bulletin creators: Sylvia Goodyear and Doris Riggs

Lenten Prayer Wall curator: Martha Heffner

Next Sunday, March 21 …. The Fifth Sunday in Lent …

AGAIN & AGAIN “We are reformed”

Scripture Readings: Jeremiah 31:31-34 and John 12:20-33

Sermon Title: “Bilingual”

Services of Worship at 9:15 a.m. and 10:45 a.m. lasting 45 minutes.

Participation options:

> In-person worship in the Sanctuary – maximum of 50 people in

the building including staff/volunteers, advance registration required

as well as social distance, face masks and no singing. (Registration

will be via signup genius and will open at 4:00 p.m. each Sunday

afternoon for the next Sunday, one week at a time.)

> Drive in in the church parking lot at both 9:15 a.m. and 10:45

a.m. No registration required. Tune your vehicle radio to 98.9FM –

bulletins will be provided. Sing as you can!

> Zoom Worship Connection for the 10:45 a.m. Service of

Worship. Uses the customary Worship Connection link. Livestream

on website and YouTube.

Arrival time for each in-person Service is to be in the prior 15

minutes, so between 9:00 and 9:15 a.m. for the 9:15 a.m. Service

and 10:30 – 10:45 a.m. for the 10:45 a.m. Service.

Church Priorities and Theme 2021: Forward in Faith Together

• Identify creative opportunities to safely engage, worship, and learn

together, recognizing the continued challenge of COVID-19.

• Increase membership and participation through connecting with

and serving those who reside in and beyond our community.

• Continue as a spiritual community worshiping God by the sharing

of our time, talent and treasure.

• Equip and encourage all to follow in Jesus' footsteps and to show

God's love, grace and care.

• Develop effective church leaders.

• Expand effective communication to include appropriate use of

technology and social media.

• Pursue a sustainable way, including volunteer support, of video

streaming (Zoom) for worship and other events.

• Continue to transition to our new church facility.

• Invite continuing participation in our “Growing in Faith Together”

campaign (GIFT) supporting ongoing life and witness.

CHURCH FAMILY NEWS AND ANNOUNCEMENTS

This week’s events: March 14-21, 2021 Today The Fourth Sunday in Lent - DST Begins (spring March 14 forward one hour)

AGAIN & AGAIN “God Loves First” 10:15 a.m. Worship Connection opens

10:30 a.m. Worship Connection begins Using the usual WORSHIP CONNECTION link. To request the zoom link for WORSHIP CONNECTION or any church activity please email us at: office@faithpresbyterianusa.org 4:00 p.m. Advance Registration for in-person worship participation opens for next Sunday. Link will be shared in Chat on zoom and via email. Monday 9:30 a.m. Worship Planning Mtg (zoom) Tuesday 11:00 a.m. Session Meeting (zoom) 3:00 p.m. Impact Grant Meeting (zoom) Wednesday 10:00 a.m. Coffee and Conversation – Hangout on Zoom with Susan Haynes To request the zoom link for WORSHIP CONNECTION or any church activity please email us at: office@faithpresbyterianusa.org 1:00-2:30 p.m. Lent Study – Testimony (zoom) Our Lent Study will use the WORSHIP CONNECTION link: To request the zoom link for WORSHIP CONNECTION or any church activity please email us at: office@faithpresbyterianusa.org 4:00 p.m. Mission & Outreach Planning Team Meeting (zoom)

5:00 p.m. Choir practice (zoom) Next Sunday, March 21 …. The Fifth Sunday in Lent … AGAIN & AGAIN “We are reformed” 9:15 a.m. and 10:45 a.m. Services of Worship Offering several participation options – see details elsewhere in these announcements. Scripture Readings: Jeremiah 31:31-34 and John 12:20-33 Sermon Title: “Bilingual”

Faith Presbyterian Church

Session Considerations – March 2021

“We begin with love for God and love for neighbor.

Love for neighbor, during a pandemic, requires that all will

necessarily make sacrifices for the few.”

Guidelines for those attending In-Person Worship March to

May 2021

• Prior registration is required.

• In-person attendees are invited to arrive and enter the building

beginning 15 minutes prior to the service.

• Masks covering both the mouth and nose must be worn in the

building at all times.

• After parking, attendee(s) will proceed to the portico entrance

where they will be checked in by a greeter and escorted to their

seat(s) in the sanctuary by an usher. Social distancing is to be

observed.

• Those present in the sanctuary or the narthex, except the

musicians, will not sing the hymns.

• Food and drink will not be available.

• The use of restrooms requires social distancing. Please be mindful

of this and only have one or two people in the restroom at a time

with masks on and maintaining social distancing.

• Everyone must remain in their seats until the conclusion of the

service unless there is an emergency. An usher will also escort

attendee(s) out of the building one family or individual at a time,

with those seated in the narthex exiting first and then those seated in

the sanctuary.

• The pastors will be present in the portico to briefly greet attendees

upon departure. If you require more time with the pastor, a separate

phone meeting can be arranged.

• The ushers may escort attendee(s) through side doors if that is

preferred.

• Attendance is not allowed if any individual is sick or has tested

positive for Covid-19 or been exposed to someone who is sick or

tested positive for Covid-19 over the prior 10 days.

Information provided to the Session by FPC Music Director, Kathy

Wills: When the pandemic began, research was done on the spread

of COVID-19 and the many ways in which it was transmitted,

especially as applies to singing. Even with masks on, the tiny

aerosol particles, smaller than a droplet, can travel through a mask.

The musical style and vocal intensity affect the subglottic pressure

that causes more particulates to be expressed from deep within the

lungs, which then travel further than normal conversation. There is

not enough research to have clearly defined a safe way for a group

of singers to sing together in an enclosed space during the Covid-19

pandemic.

Faith Calendar - We are grateful to Bruce Burn for taking over the

coordination of when folks can access the building. Our aim remains

protecting everyone who has a legitimate need to enter the building

by minimizing access and not having groups of people scheduled at

the same time. bburn4757@gmail.com (404) 520-9291.

SPIRITUAL DEVELOPMENT PLANNING TEAM Elders, Janice Glascock: jcglascock@gmail.com and Carl Riggs campriggs@icloud.com The recording of the Service of Worship from the preceding Sunday is available on the church website by sometime the following day. Make A Joyful Noise during our “Social Distancing”! The choir is making beautiful music – virtually. Please contact Kathy Wills, kathycmac@gmail.com or 828-494-2432 if you would like to hear more or join in! The Reverend Doctor James D. Simpson was installed as Moderator of Cherokee Presbytery for 2021 on Saturday, March 6, 2021. The Presbytery meeting was broadcast via zoom with Pastor Jim and Pastoral Associate, Susan Haynes, participating from our sanctuary. Our prayers are with Pastor Jim as he undertakes this leadership role. “Love Carved in Stone” - Frances Young-Facilitator - We invite each lady to join us for this enlightening study, Love Carved in Stone, A Fresh Look at the Ten Commandments. We meet the 4th Monday of every month at 1:00 p.m. via zoom. Our next gathering will be Monday, March 22, 2021 via zoom. WORSHIP SERVICE TECH VOLUNTEERS -The Worship Service Planning Team is looking high and low for VOLUNTEERS to assist in the audio/video aspects of Zooming, live-streaming, and presenting the upcoming in-house worship services. Prior experience is not required. It would be helpful if you are comfortable with an iPad or tablet. Training will be provided. The concept is to develop a pool of volunteers who would work alternate Sundays so folks traveling can be covered. All Covid-19 protocols

are in place and observed by the team during all rehearsals and presentations. We work in a relaxed and loving environment helping each other put forth the best presentation possible for the blessing of our members and visitors and to the Glory of God. Please consider joining this important work. For more information or to volunteer contact: Harold Wills : Home 828-494-2434 Cell or text: 404-786-7330.

MISSION & OUTREACH PLANNING TEAM Elders, Randy Griggs hrandallg@gmail.com and Lynda Ray lyndaray01@gmail.com Welcome to Faith Presbyterian’s new Little Free Library! We have officially joined the registered Little Free Library book exchanges going on all around the world. Our Little Free Library is located next to our church on Blue Bird Road and is part of a nation-wide, non-profit program designed to build communities, inspire readers, and encourage a love of reading by expanding access to books for readers of all ages. We are spreading the love of Jesus by encouraging the love of reading! New Website for sign up for vaccine - The state of Georgia has launched a new method for vaccine sign up information even for those who are not currently eligible. The website is myvaccinegeorgia.com. The first part of the website is for those who are currently eligible. The second part of the website are for those who are currently ineligible so that they will be notified when they are eligible. Those currently ineligible will receive a reply email verifying that it has been received. If you don't get the reply email you should check you junk mail. COVID19 Vaccinations: COVID19 Vaccinations: Debbie Peterson (770-656- 0237) and Patty Hampton (706-0632-.5502) have agreed to be point people to receive reliable information relating to scheduling covid19 vaccines and to assist anyone who needs help navigating the signup process. Transportation Information: Some of our members and friends in the identified categories have already received their vaccinations, others have them scheduled for incoming weeks. We want to support anyone who has more difficulty seeing the communications or having technology to schedule an online appointment. Harry Chambers 678-576-3734 is available for transportation needs.

CONGREGATIONAL CARE PLANNING TEAM

Elders, Lynn Hayes lynnhayes18@gmail.com and Chris Martinez

ccjmii@etcmail.com

Blue Bird Book Worms Our upcoming books are:

April 12 A Gentleman in Moscow by Amor Towles

May 10 Redeeming Love by Francine Rivers

All are welcome to join us!

If you have needs and require some assistance, contact your

Shepherd or Susan Haynes Susan.Haynes@faithpresbyterianusa.org

ADMINISTRATION PLANNING TEAM

Elders, Rick Borden: rgborden450@yahoo.com and Bill Young

captainclds@aol.com

Faith Presbyterian Church 1349 Blue Bird Road, Mineral Bluff GA 30559

Mailing address:

Faith Presbyterian Church PO Box 2668 Blue Ridge GA 30513

Please remember, except for a very few essential activities, the

church office is closed.

Our Church Staff

Pastor: Dr. Jim Simpson

office@faithpresbyterianusa.org

Pastoral Associate: Rev. Susan Haynes

Susan.Haynes@faithpresbyterianusa.org

Director of Music: Kathy Cardwell Wills, MM

kathycmac@gmail.com

SESSION OF FAITH PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH

CLASS OF 2021: Rick Borden Janice Glascock Lynn Hayes

CLASS OF 2022: Randy Griggs Chris Martinez Carl Riggs

CLASS OF 2023: Candy Frank Lynda Ray Bill Young

“At Faith, ALL are ALWAYS WELCOME”

Want to get connected and involved? Please send us your email

address to receive our weekly newsletter.

Streaming of the Sunday Worship Connection – March 14, 2021

We will plan to stream this Service from zoom to YouTube and

from YouTube it will be streamed on the church website to this

page: https://faithpresbyterianusa.org/livestream

We will share the link to this page on Facebook but this does mean

at least for this one Service, Facebook Live will not work – but by

linking from Facebook or elsewhere to the church website anyone

will be able to share in this Service. We appreciate everyone’s

patience and feedback as we continue to learn how best to provide

ways for people to connect.

13:49

Please remember the life of our church and the needs

of the community before God in your prayers, at

13:49 each day and in your normal and continuing

prayers. And as we all normally do, as you hear

about opportunities and plans, look for the ways you

can be engaged and involved. There will be many

ways to participate from home, as well as in person.

Faith’s Lent Prayer Wall will allow all

of us to submit prayer requests and see

them woven into the Prayer Wall

display - Thank you, Martha Heffner, for

the live update on the Prayer Wall during

the March 7, Worship Connection. All are

encouraged to participate in sharing

prayers so that Martha can weave them

into our Prayer Wall.