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October 18, 2020

10:00 a.m. Livestream Worship

Inviting all generations into a growing life with Jesus Christ

The Gathering

CALL TO WORSHIP Psalm 71:14-17, †CEB

14 But me? I will hope. Always.
I will add to all your praise.

15 My mouth will repeat your righteous acts
and your saving deeds all day long.
I don’t even know how many of those there are!

16 I will dwell on your mighty acts, my Lord.
Lord, I will help others remember nothing but your righteous deeds.

17 You’ve taught me since my youth, God,
and I’m still proclaiming your wondrous deeds!

OPENING SONG
Hymn 625 O Lord My God (How Great Thou Art)

O Lord my God! When I in awesome wonder
Consider all the worlds Thy hand hath made.
I see the stars, I hear the rolling thunder,
Thy power throughout the universe displayed.

Refrain:
Then sings my soul, my Savior God, to Thee:
How great thou art, how great thou art!
Then sings my soul, my Savior God, to Thee:
How great thou art, how great thou art!

When through the woods and forest glades I wander
And hear the birds sing sweetly in the trees;
When I look down from lofty mountain grandeur
And hear the brook and feel the gentle breeze: [Refrain]

And when I think that God, His Son not sparing,
Sent Him to die, I scarce can take it in;
That on the cross, my burden gladly bearing,
He bled and died to take away my sin: [Refrain]

When Christ shall come with shout of acclamation
And take me home, what joy shall fill my heart!
Then I shall bow in humble adoration,
And there proclaim, my God, how great thou art! [Refrain]

The Confession

CALL TO CONFESSION Pastor Kellen Smith

PRAYER OF CONFESSION
Loving God, we are your children.
We are your broken, beautiful children
and we live in a broken, beautiful world.
We come to You for cleaning and healing
For we accept lies as truth,
We exploit our neighbors.
We abuse the earth.
We refuse your justice and peace.
In your mercy, Lord, forgive us.
Give us wisdom to welcome your way,
and to seek what will endure
when Christ comes back to judge
and redeem the whole world.
In His name we pray, Amen

Please continue in silent prayer for confession of personal matters.

DECLARATION OF GOD’S PARDON

[10:00] WORD IN SONG The Word Open Up
by The Brilliance


You heard the cry of our hearts
And You came down
Freely You gave us Your love
Showing us how

Make me an instrument of Your peace
Where there is hatred let me sow love
Where there is darkness let me shine light and
May Your love cause us to open up
Cause us to open up our hearts
May Your light cause us to shine so bright
That we bring hope into the dark

All that we do without love
It means nothing
Grant us the courage to give
As You’re calling

Hope for the hopeless, Your love is
Strength in our weakness, Your love is
May we love, as You love

MESSAGE Pastor Tassie Green

Saying Yes to God’s Yes

Ephesians 1:16-23
John 14:15-17, 25-26, †CEB

Missed a week? Watch past services at firstpreswheaton.org/livestream.

MUSICAL REFLECTION God is Good
by Jonathan McReynolds

PRAYERS OF THE PEOPLE Pastor Kellen Smith

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, for ever.

Amen.

OFFERING

Thank you for giving by text, online, or mailing your gifts
into the church office. Your generosity matters as much as ever.

The Sending

CLOSING SONG
Hymn 410 God Is Calling Thourgh the Whisper

God is calling through the whisper
of the Spirit’s deepest sighs,
through the thrill of sudden beauties
that can catch us by surprise.
Flash of lightning, crash of thunder;
hush of stillness, rush of wonder:
God is calling—can you hear?
God is calling—can you hear?

God is calling through the voices
of our neighbors’ urgent prayers,
through their longing for redemption
and for rescue from despair.
Place of hurt or face of needing;
strident cry or silent pleading:

God is calling—can you hear? Pastor Tassie Green
God is calling—can you hear?

God is calling through the music
of sublime and human arts,
through the hymns of earth and angels,
and the carols of our hearts.
Lift of joy and gift of singing;
days and nights our praises bringing:
God is calling—and we hear!
God is calling—and we hear!

GOOD NEWS AT FIRST PRES

BLESSING


Leading Music

Kedrick Armstrong, Director of Music & Worship Experience
[10:00] Nancy Goodwin & Sharon Urban, vocals

CHURCH LIFE

October 18, 2020

Welcome Rev. Dr. Tassie Green

Temporary Associate Pastor

Pastor Tassie preaches
this morning with the sermon

Saying Yes To God’s Yes

10:00 a.m. Livestream Worship

How can we know and experience God’s amazing power, the mighty wind of the Holy Spirit?
It begins with worship. Living your life in responsive worship is what I call saying YES to God’s
YES. This week, we’ll look at what happens when we say yes.

ADULT Our new Adult Education series focuses
EDUCATION on spiritual wellness and mental health

Wednesdays through November 4
7:00-8:00 p.m. on Zoom

October 21

Led by NAMI DuPage

October 28 & November 4

Led by First Pres member Angela Stephenson,
Living Abundantly Ministries

Join us for engaging conversation on coping with the ambiguity and anxiety of life in these
challenging days. A Zoom link will be provided by email and at firstpreswheaton.org.

Reopening Sunday

A limited reopening of our sanctuary is scheduled for Reformation Sunday, October 25

–– Sanctuary Reservations ––

• Starting Monday, October 19, email or call the church office at 630-668-5147 between 8:30 a.m.
on Monday and 4:30 p.m. on Friday to make a reservation for the upcoming Sunday service.
• Social distancing of six feet will be maintained between attendees who are not part of the same family.
• Every other pew/row will be utilized.
• Seating arrangements will allow for a maximum of four people or one family per pew/row.
• Face masks will be required for everyone over the age of two.
• The sanctuary will be cleaned and sanitized before and after each service.
As the number of Covid-19 infections rise in Illinois again, we will watch our local metrics diligently. In
preparation for our reopening, please follow the necessary precautions not only for yourself, but also for
others’ sake. Particularly if you are on the church campus, we ask everyone to adhere to the mask protocols
and the other advisories so that we may continue moving ahead with our variety of ministry efforts.

Read Full Reopening Plan Information at
firstpreswheaton.org/updates

As we regather, we welcome your safe return!

Church@Home Gatherings

A new worship initiative to promote small, safe weekly
gatherings in the home of a volunteer host to watch the
Sunday morning livestream, enjoy fellowship together,

and build community with each other

Church@Home gatherings can be set up with an established group or a new group of First Pres friends.
We envision this as a fresh, new way to strengthen our worshipping community and grow our presence
in the community. Simply fill out the online form using the link below to register as a participant or host,
or visit firstpreswheaton.org/church-home.

Church@Home Registration & Hosting Form

Connect with Kedrick Armstrong, Director of Music and Worship Experience, if you have any questions.

We’re excited to offer Church@Home gatherings!

MissionFirst Pres
Abundant Compassion

First Pres has committed to becoming a “Matthew 25” church. A Matthew 25
church is focused on congregational vitality, dismantling structural racism and
eradicating poverty. As a Mission Committee, we selected three priority partners
to give emphasis to this next year. These partners offer us the opportunity to be
creative and engage all generations in serving others and specifically address
the issues of systemic racism and poverty.

Outreach Community Ministries (OCM), Carol Stream
• Older Adult ministry already sponsored by First Pres.
• OCM manages a transitional housing program that First Pres now supports.
• OCM offers many other programs from pre-school through college.

The Bridge, Mission:USA, west side of Chicago
• Mission:USA is a Chicago-based nonprofit nondenominational Christian missionary organization
that helps troubled, disadvantaged, and at-risk people make positive changes in their lives,
fueled by a growing relationship with Jesus Christ.
• The Bridge, specifically, is a weekly program designed to help men and women coming out
of prison.
• The Saturday morning Men’s group has been serving and supporting The Bridge for several
years.

Miss Pearl/Roseland Daycare Center, Roseland community, south side of Chicago
• The Roseland Community “Good News” Day Care provides free day care for children of
teenage moms, college moms, and low-income moms in the Roseland community. Their
mission is to provide Christ-centered child care in a nurturing environment and to give
encouragement and hope back to their community.

Watch for more opportunities to participate and serve.

DuPage Pads

PADS has been operating by housing guests in three local hotels since the pandemic
began. With up to 115 emergency hotel rooms, and a need to provide nutritious meals
for up to 150 families and individuals experiencing homelessness, this is an incredible
opportunity for us to serve with our mission partner!

Tuesdays First Pres is scheduled to provide meals to guests at the Red Roof Inn, 1698 W. Diehl
Road in Naperville, on Tuesdays, November 10 and December 8. We will need up to eight
November 10 volunteers on site at the hotel from 4:00-5:30 p.m. We will provide individual meals for
and 55-65 guests. Meals can be frozen grocer or restaurant (including caterers or other
licensed food providers) prepared dinner meals. The guests have microwaves in their rooms.
December 8
If you would like to contribute, you can send a check to the church office with PADS in
4:00-5:30 p.m. the memo, or donate online at firstpreswheaton.org/onlinegiving. If you, your family or
small group would like to sign up for on-site delivery to each room, please reach out by

emailing [email protected].

These are very difficult times for all of us, and those most in need in our community
are even more cut off from the rest of the world than ever before. Let's not forget them!

– Anth Lechiara
PADS Ministry Leader



Christmas Sharing

As the 51st year of the Christmas Sharing
season begins, we pray you can open
your hearts by taking a small step towards
ending systemic poverty. The executive
board of Christmas Sharing had a unanimous vote to alter our program this year. First Pres, along with seven
other area churches, will be supplying food purchased from the NIFB and purchasing $100 Walmart gift cards
for each family in the program. No used goods will be accepted this year.

Our congregation has demonstrated time after time how strong we are when we serve together by helping
those less fortunate in our own community. Please join together with us once again by donating necessary
funds or volunteering early on Saturday, December 12. All donations will be given without the guest leaving their
car to minimize contact. Please visit firstpreswheaton.org/onlinegiving or mail a check to First Pres Wheaton
with Christmas Sharing in the memo. Your generosity is such a gift to the families in our own community!
Email Sharon Carroll at [email protected] for any questions or to volunteer.

– Sharon Carroll and Tanya Downing
Christmas Sharing Coordinators

Chancel Flowers The Chancel flowers are given in loving memory of my dad,
Robert T. Helmen by Mary Kinsey and husband of Miriam
Helmen of 69 years.

Kids Together

Kids in preschool through 5th grades are
gathering safetly in-person on Wednesdays from

4:00-5:00 p.m. All are welcome to join us
for this time of fun and fellowship.

Students Together

Middle schoolers are invited to join us for our in-person
midweek program on Wednesdays from 5:00-6:00 p.m.
We will spend time in large and small groups (socially distanced)

with fun activities that center around a Bible theme,
followed by a time of interactive games.

High School WF high school students
Ministry
Watch for future scheduling updates
for upcoming gatherings.
Email the church office at

[email protected] with any questions.

FIRST PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH 715 North Carlton Avenue, Wheaton, IL 60187
Phone: 630-668-5147
of Wheaton
Email: [email protected]
www.firstpreswheaton.org