I believe in God the Father Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth And in Jesus Christ his only Son our Lord; who was conceived by the Holy Ghost,

I believe in the Holy Ghost; the holy catholic church; the communion of saints; the forgiveness of sins; the resurrection of the body; and the life everlasting. Amen.

was crucified, dead, and buried;he descended into hell; the third day he rose again from the dead; he ascended into heaven, and sitteth on the right hand of God the Father Almighty

from thence he shall come to judge the quick and the dead.

First Presbyterian Church March 12, 2017

We are glad you are with us today!

We welcome all to First Presbyterian Church

as we worship together, knowing that each of us is a beloved part of the body of

Christ.

Our PastorsPendleton B. Peery

Senior Pastorppeery@firstpres-charlotte.org

Erika FunkAssociate Pastor for Missionefunk@firstpres-charlotte.org

Katelyn M. GordonAssociate Pastor

for Christian Formationkgordon@firstpres-charlotte.org

Katherine C. KerrAssociate Pastor

for Congregational Carekkerr@firstpres-charlotte.org

Charles C. WilliamsonParish Associate

cwilliamson@firstpres-charlotte.org__________

William P. Young, IIIDirector of Music Ministries

wyoung@firstpres-charlotte.org

Are you interested in joining our church?

Contact Lucy CaldwellMembership Coordinator

lcaldwell@firstpres-charlotte.org

Pastor on callIf you have a pastoral emergency outside of regular church hours, dial 704.927.0256 for the on-call

voicemail. Your call will be returned promptly.

200 West Trade Street Charlotte, NC 28202

www.firstpres-charlotte.org 704.332.5123

News and Announcements

Sunday Worship Series: The theme for the worship series through the season of Lent is a journey through the Apostles’ Creed entitled People of God, What Do You Believe?

Montreat Worship and Music Conference:March 15 is the deadline for children and youth (current 3rd-12th graders) to register for the Montreat Worship and Music Conference June 18-23. Cost is $375 for the week. For details and registration information, contact Caryn Overbey at coverbey@firstpres-charlotte.org

Children’s Musical, David and the Giants: The Carol and Kirk Choirs will present their annual musical in the Wood Fellowship Hall on Wednesday, March 29 at 6:30 pm. Dinner is available beginning at 5:30 pm and is $8 for adults, $5 for children ages 5 to 11, and children under 5 eat free.

Easter Lilies: Remember or honor a loved one by having an Easter lily placed in the sanctuary on Easter Sunday. Mail your check, payable to FPC for $12 per memorial or honorarium, to Diane Maye, PO Box 1008 Huntersville, NC 28070, by March 31. Include the name of your loved one and indicate if the sponsorship is a memorial or honorarium.

Presbyterian Women Retreat: Register by March 17 (http://bit.ly/PWRetreat) for the annual Presbyterian Women Retreat at Kanuga Conference Center on April 28-30. The Reverend Mary Katherine Robinson, Pastor at Black Mountain Presbyterian Church, will be this year’s retreat leader. Her topic will be Finding Ourselves in the Stories of the Scriptures.

Medicines needed for Haiti: Our mission team is collecting Tylenol tablets, Advil tablets (no liquid gels), Pepto Bismol and pre natal vitamins. These will go directly to the clinic. Please drop items off in the marked box in the hallway behind the sanctuary.

Room in the Inn : Sign up now at http://bit.ly/FPCRITI to help us offer hospitality, warmth and safety for our most vulnerable neighbors. Opportunities are available through the end of March to serve dinner, provide breakfast and bag lunches, as well as to stay overnight with our guests. Detailed instructions will be emailed to all participants two weeks before they are scheduled to serve.

Sunday Formation Series: Mirroring the weekly sermons during the season of Lent, the Sunday morning series What Do You Believe? will dig deeper into portions of the Apostles’ Creed. The group meets at 10 a.m. in S203.

Lenten Study: Based on the Richard Rohr book Divine Dance: The Trinity and Your Transformation, this Lenten Study led by the Reverend Dr. Paul Hanneman will meet 11:45 a.m.-1 p.m. on Tuesdays, through April 18.

FUPC, FPC Conversation: Learning to See Gray in a Black-and-White World.Join members of First Presbyterian and First United Presbyterian Church for this year’s discussion series. All sessions meet 12:15-1:45 p.m. at alternating churches. Lunch is provided for $5. The first program, Understanding Our Perspectives, is at FUPC on March 19. The series continues through April 9.

We go into the world to seek and serve and walk along-side our family in faith.

serve

careWe aim to provide support, prayer, love and acts of compassion as we seek to draw closer to one another in community.

worshipWe worship in ways that speak of God’s majesty, mystery and love.

Through study at every age and stage, we aim to become more Christlike and deepen our relationship with our Lord.

learn

Town Hall Today Join us after the 11 a.m. service today in the Wood Fellowship Hall for a town hall discussion and update on the Balcony Group strategic plan and the Poplar Street parking lot property. We want to hear your thoughts! Lunch is $5, with a $15 cap per family. Children under 5 eat free.

First Presbyterian

ChurchFounded in 1821

Order of WorshipSecond Sunday in Lent

March 12, 20179 a.m. and 11 a.m.

You are invited to use the time before the service to prepare your heart and mind for worship. In consideration of others, please silence your cell phones.

Preparation

Prelude (9:00 am) Two Voluntaries in G Francois Couperin (11:00 am) Jesus’ Hands Were Kind Hands arr. Sue Ellen Page Jesus’ hands were kind hands, doing good for all, healing pain and sickness, blessing children small. Washing tired feet and saving those who fall, Jesus’ hands were kind hands, doing good to all. Take my hands, Lord Jesus; let them work for you. Make them strong and gentle, kind in all I do. Let me watch you, Jesus, ‘til I’m gentle, too, ‘til my hands are kind hands, quick to work for you.

Words of Welcome The Reverend Pen Peery

Adoration Choral Call to Worship arnsberg God, reveal your presence; gladly we adore you, and with awe appear before you. Holy is your temple; all within keep silence; humbly bow with deepest reverence. You alone now we own as our God and Savior. Praise your name forever. *Hymn No. 35 “Praise Ye the Lord, the Almighty” lobe den herren

For Christ in the Heart of Charlotte

ConfessionCall to Confession The Reverend Katherine KerrPrayer of Confession

All: Creator God, you made us to live together with you. We confess that we are sorely tempted by the opportunity to be our own gods. We admit to you that we have tried shortcuts to wisdom—we think we know what is best, when really we know just enough to do harm to your creation and your beloved people. Forgive us for acting so arrogantly out of our limited human perspective. Forgive our disobedience, and give us ears to hear your word, and hearts ready to obey your will. One: In silent prayer, let us confess to God the things we choose not to speak aloud.

A time of silence will be kept.

Assurance of Pardon One: Friends, believe the good news. All: In Jesus Christ we are forgiven.

*Response (Hymn No. 581) gloria patri Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost; as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen, amen.

Sacrament of BaptismSacrament of Baptism (11 a.m.) Evans Longmire Cook

*Apostles’ CreedI believe in God the Father Almighty, maker of heaven and earth. And in Jesus Christ his only Son our Lord: who was conceived by the Holy Ghost, born of the Virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, dead, and buried; he descended into hell; the third day he rose again from the dead; he ascended into heaven, and sitteth on the right hand of God the Father Almighty; from thence he shall come to judge the quick and the dead. I believe in the Holy Ghost; the holy catholic Church; the communion of saints; the forgiveness of sins; the resurrection of the body; and the life everlasting. Amen.

Children in kindergarten through 2nd grade may leave for First Church. They will return to the sanctuary during the last hymn. Younger children may go to the nursery.

Proclamation Prayer for Illumination

Scripture Genesis 1 and 2 (selected verses) pew Bible pg. 1-2 One: This is the word of the Lord.

All: Thanks be to God.

Anthem (11 a.m.) “Little Innocent Lamb” Spiritual/arr. Ken Berg Carol and Kirk Choirs

Little lamb, little innocent lamb, I’m gonna serve God ‘til I die. This ol’ world says to get all that you can, but my Lord has offered a much better plan. My Lord says to love him above all else, ‘cause there ain’t no dyin’ over there in that heavenly land. There will be joy!

Large-print hymnals and Bibles are available. Please let an usher know if you would like one.

Evans is the daughter of Thomas and Elizabeth Cook.

The 11 a.m. service is televised over WSOC-TV, Channel 9, this morning and streamed live at www.firstpres-charlotte.org.

We're grateful to Kathryn Justis for accompanying the Carol and Kirk Choirs on the flute this morning.

Our soloists today are Davis Flohr and Wells Peery.

Time with Children (9:00 am) Children in kindergarten through 2nd grade may leave for First Church. They will return to the sanctuary during the last hymn. Younger children may go to the nursery.

Scripture Psalm 8 pew Bible pg. 492 Sermon “I Believe in God the Father Almighty” The Reverend Pen Peery

*Hymn No. 22 “God of the Sparrow” roeder

ResponseAffirmation of Faith (9:00 am) The Reverend Erika Funk *Apostles’ Creed

Prayers of the People

Stewardship of Life Commissioning of Cuba and Haiti Mission Teams Presbyterian Women Presentation of Tithes and Offering

Offertory Anthem “All Things Bright and Beautiful” John Rutter All things bright and beautiful, all creatures great and small, all things wise and wonderful, the Lord God made them all. Each little flower that opens, each little bird that sings, He made their glowing colors; He made their tiny wings. Each purple headed mountain, the river running by, the sunset and the morning that brightens up the sky; the cold wind in the winter, the pleasant summer sun, the ripe fruits in the garden, He made them every one. He gave us eyes to see them and lips that we might tell how great is God Almighty who has made all things well. All things bright and beautiful, all creatures great and small, all things wise and wonderful, the Lord God made them all. *Doxology old hundredth Praise God from whom all blessings flow; Praise him all creatures here below; Praise him above, ye heavenly host; Praise Father, Son, and Holy Ghost.

*Prayer of Dedication and The Lord’s Prayer Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread; and forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors; and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory, forever. Amen.

Sending Forth *Hymn No. 36 “For the Fruit of All Creation” ar hyd y nos *Charge and Benediction

*Benediction Response “Amen” John Rutter,,l,en” JohnPostlude Voluntary in G Francois Couperin

The sanctuary flowers are given to the glory of God, and in loving memory of Frances Gilbert Browne by her family.

The sympathy of the congregation is expressed to Judy Alexander and herfamily on the recent death of her mother, Luethell (Lou) Meacham.

A time of personal prayer is offered following both services. If you would like to pray with a pastor and a member of our prayer team, please meet them in the sanctuary overflow area after the 9 a.m. service or in the chapel following the 11 a.m. service.

Sunday: Living FaithAs part of your Lenten journey this year, you’re invited to respond to the Word proclaimed each week in worship by engaging in specific ways of living out your faith. This isn’t meant to be another task to complete but rather a way to practice your faith and grow deeper in your relationship with God.

We read in Scripture this morning that God created the world and believed it to be good. Choose to recycle today as an act of caring for God’s world, and enjoy the beautiful earth as weather permits.

Monday: Scripture Read this scripture silently to yourself and then aloud. If you have non-readers in your house, try to have two different people read the scripture aloud. Our LORD and Ruler, your name is wonderful everywhere on earth! You let your glory be seen in the heavens above. -Psalm 8:1 In this week’s scripture the psalmist refers to God as Lord and Ruler, stating how wonderful God’s name is. When you pray or talk about God, what names do you use for God?

Song for the Week: FPC Lent playlist: www.tinyurl.com/fpclent2017

“Trust in You” by Lauren Daigle

How can you practice trusting God this week?

Tuesday: Word Association Reread the Apostles’ Creed printed in the bulletin.

Which statements are easy for you to affirm? Which ones do you have questions about?

i believe.

Wednesday: Embodied FaithAs a community of faith our voices are woven together in the Apostles’ Creed.

As children of God, our hopes and sorrows are woven together in prayer.

Three picnic tables will be in front of the sanctuary every day between now and Easter. Each has a cloth on which you are invited to write a prayer for yourself or someone else. These prayers will be

woven together and used in worship on Youth and Confirmation Sunday, April 23.

We hope all children, youth and adults will visit the tables often and share your struggles and blessings as a way of embodying your faith.

Friday: PrayerO God of life, of all life and of each life,

We lay our lives before you.We give our lives to you, from whom nothing in us is hidden.

You are before us, God, you are behind;You are around us, God, you are within.

O God of life, you know the secret thoughts of every heart.We bring the faith that is in us, and the doubt;We bring the joy that is in us, and the sorrow.

O God of life, you are in the light, and in the darkness.We bring the knowledge that is in us, and the ignorance;

We bring the hope that is in us, and the despair.O God of life, O generous Spirit,

Renew us with your life,Tonight, tomorrow and always.

Amen.—The Iona Community Worship

Thursday: ReflectionReflection on Psalm 8:3-5

3When I look at your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, that you have established, 4 what are human beings that you are mindful of them, mortals that you care for them? 5

Yet you have made them a little lower than God and crowned them with glory and honor.

These few verses sat in the corner of my brain for a few days because they are the kind of verses that are hard to write about without making a cliché out of God. And God isn’t a cliché. What God does rarely looks like something we’d imagine. But how do you describe God’s creations when they are so beautiful and vast?

I feel comfortable saying most of us haven’t seen or been to the smallest fraction of creation. In fact, God’s creation is so vast that NASA’s rovers haven’t made it to the ends of it. What’s cliché about the unknown? Nothing. Creation is booming with color, movement, and power and somewhere among all of this, God made space in the universe for us, his problematic favorites.

The thing that’s so crazy to me is that God does not give up on us. Now that sounds like a cliché, right? The author of Psalms asks what have we done for God, creator of the stars and moon, that God would care for us. We haven’t done anything, and if we are being honest with ourselves, we’ve done a whole lot that would constitute a good reason for God to get rid of us entirely.

That doesn’t sound cliché to me. It sounds hard. It sounds easy to give up on us, but God doesn’t seem to think so. God doesn’t give up on us just like we can’t give up on each other. God expects us to care for each other like he cares for us. That’s hard when we are the gnarly, difficult, unreasonable humans that we are. But the psalm reminds us that God made us knowing that we will be hard to love at times. And I think that’s a cliché I’m the most comfortable with owning.

- Callie Malone, FPC Youth Intern

i believe.i believe.

i believe.

Saturday: Statement of FaithEvery week in worship, we affirm our faith. Sometimes the Affirmation of Faith comes

as part of the celebration of a baptism; sometimes it happens after the sermon is preached. This is a fancy way to describe the time in worship when the congregation

says together what it is that we believe about who God is and who we are called to be. Usually, we affirm our faith with words and phrases written by people who lived a

long time ago and whose lives looked much different than ours do.

This Lent, we’re inviting you to affirm your faith in your own words by writing a Statement of Faith. This exercise can be a meaningful way to reflect on what

it is that you really believe about who God is and who we are called to be.

Unless you’ve been through Officer Training or Confirmation recently, writing a Statement of Faith may seem daunting. That’s okay. Your Statement of Faith is just

that—yours. You can write as much or as little as you like. (As a guideline, we’ll suggest that you write at least three sentences for each topic.)

Since we will build on this activity during the season of Lent, it may be helpful write in the same place (a journal, a piece of paper, a Word document on your computer)

each week, so you can see how your Statement of Faith grows during Lent. Our hope is that the other devotional activities during the week will help you think

about your beliefs in different ways before you put pen to paper.

So, people of God, what do you believe about God?

i believe.

*Hymn No. 35 “Praise Ye the Lord, the Almighty”

1 God of the sparrowGod of the whaleGod of the swirling starsHow does the creature say AweHow does the creature say Praise

2 God of the earthquakeGod of the stormGod of the trumpet blastHow does the creature cry WoeHow does the creature cry Save

3 God of the rainbowGod of the crossGod of the empty graveHow does the creature say GraceHow does the creature say Thanks

4 God of the hungryGod of the sickGod of the prodigalHow does the creature say CareHow does the creature say Life

5 God of the neighborGod of the foeGod of the pruning hookHow does the creature say LoveHow does the creature say Peace

6 God of the agesGod near at handGod of the loving heartHow do your children say JoyHow do your children say Home

*Hymn No. 36 “For the Fruit of All Creation”

1 For the fruit of all creation,thanks be to God.For the gifts to every nation,thanks be to God.For the plowing, sowing, reaping,silent growth while we are sleeping,future needs in earth’s safekeeping,thanks be to God.

2 In the just reward of labor,God’s will be done.In the help we give our neighbor,God’s will be done.In our worldwide task of caringfor the hungry and despairing,in the harvests we are sharing,God’s will be done.

3 For the harvests of the Spirit,thanks be to God.For the good we all inherit,thanks be to God.For the wonders that astound us,for the truths that still confound us,most of all that love has found us,thanks be to God.

*Hymn No. 22 “God of the Sparrow”

1 Praise ye the Lord, the Almighty, the King of creation!O my soul, praise him, for he is thy health and salvation!All ye who hear, now to his temple draw near;join me in glad adoration!

2 Praise ye the Lord, who o’er all things so wondrously reigneth,shelters thee under his wings, yea, so gently sustaineth!Hast thou not seen how thy desires e’er have beengranted in what he ordaineth?

3 Praise ye the Lord! O let all that is in me adore him!All that hath life and breath, come now with praises before him!Let the amen sound from his people again;gladly for aye we adore him.