Pastor

Reverend Susan L. Haynes

Susan received her Bachelor of Business Administration from Georgia State University. Prior to attending seminary, Susan held various positions in the business world, including owning and running a small business.

A lifelong Presbyterian. Susan served on the Youth Council of Atlanta Presbytery and was a Youth Advisory Delegate to the 1973 General Assembly. Before entering the ministry, Susan served in many different capacities in local church and church councils, including serving as the Moderator of Cherokee Presbytery in 1987 and a Ruling Elder Commissioner to the 1994 meeting of the General Assembly of the PCUSA.

After receiving her Master of Divinity from Columbia Theological Seminary, she was ordained as a Minister of Word and Sacrament on March 7, 2004. Susan served as an Associate Pastor and Interim Pastor/Head of Staff at several churches in the Greater Atlanta area.

Susan presently serves Cherokee Presbytery as Treasurer, and as a member of the permanent Judicial Commission and the Ministry Support Team.

Director of Music

Dr. Phillip E. Mitchell

Phillip E. Mitchell grew up in the North Georgia area where his father pastored several churches. He received a B.A. in theology from the Baptist University of Florida, an M.A. in English from the University of West Georgia, and a Ph.D. in English from the University of Newcastle upon Tyne in the UK. He learned to play trumpet in grade school and played in college winds as an undergraduate.

Phillip has served as minister of music for roughly ten years. He also writes songs in several genres (including sacred choral music) and won the UK Songwriting Contest in 2021 for his song "Run with a Torch"; he’s also placed seven songs in the finals. Faith performed his Advent cantata, Grace Is Born, in 2022. He’s excited to continue his journey with Faith. He also works as Associate Professor of English at the University of North Georgia. He’s engaged to Arden Ridgely and lives in Marble, NC.

Administrative Assistant

Kathy Smith

Welcome Kathy Smith as our Administrative Assistant. You will find her in the office Monday – Thursday from 9am-2pm.

Kathy comes to Blue Ridge, GA by way of San Angelo, TX (where she was born and raised) and Fort Lauderdale, FL. She enjoyed a long career in Human Resource Management working at companies including Bell Helicopter, Mueller, Inc., Divers Direct, and 1-800-PetMeds. Most recently, she was the HR Manager for Georgia Mountains Health. She is thrilled to be starting a new chapter of her career working with such a wonderful team of staff and volunteers serving Faith Presbyterian Church, its members, and our community. In her free time, Kathy enjoys spending time with her family and 2 golden retrievers, traveling, cooking, hiking, water sports of all kinds, going to the gym and yoga classes, and watching all her favorite sports teams.

Stated Clerk

Candy Frank serves as the Clerk of Session.

The role of the Clerk of Session is to:

Record the transactions of the Session
Serve as secretary of all meetings of the congregation
Keep rolls of membership and attendance
Maintain any required registers
Preserve its records

Administration

Under the leadership of Bill Young (left) and Al Gnann (right), the Administrative Planning Team is responsible for :

The care of our facilities
The management of paid staff
The finances of the church
Volunteer staffing and management of the church office

Congregational Care

Elders Diane Shillcutt (left) and Terri Charron (right) lead the work of the Congregational Care Planning Team. This planning team defines its role as “…to find ways to connect and care for our members in a variety of ways”. That variety of ways includes:

Blue Bird Book Worms
Crafting Groups
Faith, Hope and Hammers
Receptions, celebrations, social events, memorial services and congregational meals.
Recognitions, such as Veterans, Mother's & Father's Day, Graduates, Octogenarians and Nonagenarians, and National Clergy Month.
Social Gatherings, including Movies, Annual Ornament Exchange, and Lunch Bunch.
Monthly Men's Breakfast

Mission

The Mission and Outreach Planning Team is co-chaired by Sylvia Goodyear and Sally Crawford (right). Recognizing the needs of the area we serve, Faith leads or participates in community solutions to address those needs. A sampling of the teams activities is:

Clothing drives
Disaster-relief support
Efforts aimed at the issue of food-insecurity in school age children and adults
Support of residents at local nursing homes
Participation in community arts events
Active support of community programs such as Habitat for Humanity

Outreach

The Outreach Planning Team is chaired by Sandy Cuppia. Recognizing the needs of the area we serve, Faith leads or participates in community solutions to address those needs. A sampling of the teams activities is:

Clothing drives
Disaster-relief support
Efforts aimed at the issue of food-insecurity in school age children and adults
Support of residents at local nursing homes
Participation in community arts events
Active support of community programs such as Habitat for Humanity

Spiritual Development

The Spiritual Development Planning Team, led by Elders Bob Elwell and Greg Duncan, is responsible for all activities aimed at helping a person expand their personal understanding of the teachings of the Bible and making it a part of their lives including:

Regular weekly worship services
Church music program
Small group learning opportunities
Celebrations of Life
Observation of special days during the Christian year
Opportunities for personal spiritual growth.