2017 March Communicator

The Communicator ~ March 2017

Church Life

Ministry is about life in Christ which affects everything we do.

Meeting for Haiti Mission Trip—March 12

There will be a meeting to discuss the next Sardis mission trip to Bayonnais, Haiti on March 12 at 12:00 in the library. The date for the trip is October 25‐31, 2017. Please contact Brenda McKay (brendamckay58@yahoo.com) or Pressly Gilbert (presslygilbert@gmail.com) if you have questions about this meaningful opportunity. Hope to see you there!

March New Member Classes

March New Member Classes will meet on Sunday, March 12 and Sunday, March 19 at the regular Sunday school hour of 10 a.m. in the small dining room located in the Fellowship Hall building. The joining Sunday will be the 19th when you will be recognized in the 11:00 a.m. worship service. If you plan to attend or have any questions, please call Rev. Alice Johnson at 704.366.1854.

Friendship Connection—March 21

Join this fellowship group of retirees on Tuesday, March 21 at 11:00 a.m. in the Sardis House. We will enjoy guest speaker, Cecilia Budd Grimes. Cecilia worked with Our State magazine where she is mentioned as “North Carolina’s resident etiquette expert.” She offers a humorous perspective on growing up in the south.

Reservations for lunch are necessary ($10/person) and need to be made by noon on Friday, March 17. Register online at www.sardis.org or call 704.926.1590 to pay at the door. Questions? Contact Rev. Alice Johnson at alice.johnson@sardis.org.

Women’s Spring Dinner—April 25

Join us at 5:45 p.m. on April 25 to enjoy dinner and guest speaker, Rev. Judi Hunt. Her story of discovering God is a unique and special one – mark your calendars now!

Rev. Judi Hunt is serving as the Adult Discipleship Pastor at Matthews United Methodist Church, and lead pastor at Wesley UMC on Rea Road. At Matthews, she has worked in the areas of Evangelism, Spiritual Gifts and Adult Discipleship, and is especially called to preach and teach. She earned a Masters of Divinity at Gordon‐Conwell Theological Seminary in Charlotte. Judi entered into pastoral ministry later in life and no one is more surprised than her that she gets to serve God in this way! Judi lives in Wesley Chapel with her husband Chad of 16 years, and their little dog Molly Mae. Collectively, Judi and Chad have four children, 11 grandchildren and one great‐granddaughter.

The Women’s Dinner is a special opportunity to fellowship with women of all generations. Hope to see you there!

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Church Life

Ministry is about life in Christ which affects everything we do.

PNC Information Sessions

Easter Lily Order Form Payments Due Friday, April 7

As mentioned in a recent Minute for Mission, the Pastor

Nominating

Committee

(PNC)

has

completed Sardis’ Mission Information Form (the church’s resume and requirements for a Senior Pastor) and it is now posted on the PC(USA)

This form can also be downloaded at www.sardis.org

Your Name (as you’d like it to appear in the bulletin): _______________________________________________

Phone:________________________________________

website. The PNC wants to share the process to date

with you the congregation as well as go over the

Email:_________________________________________

Mission Information Form. There will be two information sessions for you to attend:

Sunday, March 12 at 10:00 a.m. in the Fellowship Hall or Sunday, March 19 at 12:00 p.m. in the Fellowship Hall (Immediately following the 11:00 service)

Number of lilies you are ordering: _______

($11.75 per lily)

Please indicate below how you would like names to appear in the bulletin:

In honor of: _______________________________________________

In memory of:

_______________________________________________

The sessions will contain the same information so you

need to plan on attending only one.

Please choose one.

___ My lilies will be picked up immediately

Also, if anyone knows of someone interested in the Senior Pastor position, please give the name and best contact information to one of the PNC members: Ruth Harris, Les Ingles, Gary Leslie, Mary Lou

following the 9 a.m. Easter worship service. ___ My lilies will be picked up immediately following the 11 a.m. Easter worship service. ___ I will not be picking up my lilies.

Mason, Chuck McKay, Mike Oelz, John Schneider,

Place completed form in the offering plate or

Christa Sumwalt, and Kristen Taylor

return it to the church office with your check made out to Sardis Presbyterian Church. Note “Easter Lily” in the memo line of your check.

Easter Eggstravaganza – April 2

Join us for lunch, an Easter egg hunt, and crafts on Sunday, April 2.

Lunch will be at noon in the Fellowship Hall. Join us on the lawn at 1:00 p.m. for the egg hunt! Lunch costs $5 per child and $6 per adult.

Register and pay for lunch online at www.sardis.org or call 704.926.1590 to register and pay at the door.

Volunteers are needed at this event! Please contact Elizabeth Abernathy at eabernat@yahoo.com if you are able to volunteer.

The Communicator ~ March 2017 3

Church Life

Stewardship

Ministry is about life in Christ which affects everything we do.

Jeff Wilkinson

“God has given us two hands – one to receive with and the other to give with. We are not cisterns made for hoarding; we are channels made for giving.” – Billy Graham

Wow, what a busy past couple of months we’ve had! It seems like just the other day when we kicked off the 2017 Stewardship campaign and moved right into Advent. After getting an opportunity to take a quick breath, we find ourselves entering the Lenten season. It is this time of the year when we are continually reminded of the gift that each of us has received. “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life” John 3:16.

When thinking of Stewardship, most people initially think of the act of making an annual pledge and honoring that pledge through regular tithes and offerings. However, at Sardis, we are continually reminded that there is so much more. As I read the quote above from the Rev. Billy Graham, it reminds me not only to continue to honor my financial pledge to Sardis but also to give thanks for of all those hands that our members continue to extend to our congregation and those in need. I can see those hands that are extended to our neighbors at Room In The Inn, to the children at Rama Road Elementary, to those Sardis hands who work to make homemade soup and prayer shawls, and those who volunteer on a regular basis to serve as Sunday School, mustard seed group, and youth leaders. These are just a sampling, and there are so many more!

As we enter the Lenten season, let us give thanks to all of those that have gone before us and also to those who continue to give of not only their financial resources, but through the giving of their time and talents for the benefit of others. Let us also be challenged and encouraged to extend our hand to make a difference at Sardis, to our community, and the world.

Session Highlights can be found at www.sardis.org under the News & Events tab.

January Financial Highlights

January

January expected

This year so far

This year so far expected

Pledges, gifts, and other revenue

$215,116.79

$209,664.75

$215,116.79

$209,664.75

Expenses

$157,716.98

$166,556.83

$157,716.98

$166,556.83

Net Total

$57,399.81

$43,107.92

$57,399.81

$43,107.92

Annual Budget: $2,076,000

Our Church Family Our Christian Sympathy: to the family of John Jones; to Bruce Scoggin upon the death of his aunt, Delores Scoggin; to the family of Kathryn (Pinny) Cook‐Yancey; to Margie Lisciani upon the death of her sister, Glenna Kappel; to Lynn Barnhill upon the death of her father, Curtis Edwards; to Tom Kirby upon the death of his father, Charles Kirby; to Caroline Weckel upon the death of her brother, Tom McIntyre; to Linda Cranford upon the death of her father, Fred Brooks; and to the family of Clarence (Clem) Crowther.

Congratulations: to Allison and Matthew Myers upon the birth of their daughter, Rachel Elizabeth Myers, and to the grandparents, Lucinda and Lee Myers.

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The Son of Man came not to be served, but to serve.

Lay Ministry

Your Mission Dollars at Work

You may not be aware that through the Mission Interpretation Ministry, over 20 charitable organizations are supported with funds allocated by the Session for benevolent purposes. The Ministry received letters in January from the following organizations expressing their appreciation for Sardis’ support in 2016:

Charlotte Rescue Mission · Hospitality House of Charlotte Charlotte Family Housing · Presbyterian Disaster Assistance Loaves and Fishes · Women in Transition A Child’s Place · Friends of OFCB Men’s Shelter of Charlotte · Second Harvest Food Bank Northminster Presbyterian Church in Columbia, South Carolina Community Culinary School of Charlotte

Your pledges make possible the ongoing support of these and other Sardis should support with funding, please let any of our members

This is a service event for ALL ages!

Join us for one worship service at 10:00

know: Ed Shoaf, Anne Hollowell, Jane Fobel, Ron Abluton, Cathey Beal,

a.m. then lunch and Stop Hunger Now

Jim Calhoun, Nancy Finlayson, Steve Hoots, Brenda McKay, Kirsta

service project! More information can

Norwood, and Kelly Vass.

be found at www.sardis.org.

worthwhile organizations. If you know of a charity or purpose you feel

Room In The Inn

Felt welcome. Nice food. Hospitable. These are only a few of the compliments that Urban Ministries has received from neighbors about our Room In The Inn ministry. Our RITI teams are amazing with their compassion and concern, our food teams make an effort to provide delicious comfort food, and our faithful drivers are welcoming and helpful with the few possessions that are so important to the neighbors. What an amazing support Sardis has provided to this ministry!

Through the generosity of our Sardis family and the reverse advent calendar donations, our tubs are full of personal items needed by our neighbors. The smile of gratitude for just a pair of socks or underwear warms your heart. With donated robes and t‐shirts, our neighbors have been able to wash the clothes they were wearing so everything would be clean the next day. (We could use more of these two items to get us through the month of March.)

When you pass through the Sardis House kitchen, please read the letter on the bulletin board from two neighbors, which says in part, “…We are blessed to have you in our lives…..just can’t say it enough how much we appreciate all that you do for us and others for the Room In The Inn…God willing, with this, we shall go forward in His Honor and Praise.” So, thank you Sardis family, for reaching out to our homeless neighbors, and remember that there is always room for you at the inn!

The Communicator ~ March 2017 5

Youth ministry

“…set an example for the believers… 1 Timothy 4:12.”

Pancake Breakfast

Thank you to everyone who came out and participated in the Youth Ministry Pancake Breakfast on Sunday, February 12!

Everyone who attended had a wonderful time and plenty of pink Valentine’s Day pancakes!

Through the generosity of the congregation, we were able to raise over $1,000 for the Peru mission trip, Montreat Youth Conference, and The Great Escape. Thank you!

Adopt a Stream

This summer the Sardis youth ministry started an Adopt‐a‐Stream program with Charlotte Mecklenburg storm water. The Adopt‐a‐Stream volunteer service removes nine tons of trash from streams in Charlotte a year.

Our middle school and high school youth have done a great job of cleaning a small section of stream that feeds McAlpine Creek near Sardis Road. This volunteer service has helped our youth learn about taking care of the environment.

Sardis Soup Ministry

Youth Sunday—March 5

The High School Youth Ministry actively supports the

On Sunday, March 5, the youth of the congregation

Sardis Soup Ministry. On Saturday, February 11,

will lead both the 9:00 Contemporary and the 11:00

several youth and adults helped make soup and cookies

Traditional worship services. Six different speakers

for members of the congregation who were in need of a

(Rachel Methner, Abram Magaldi, and Mark Harris at

home‐cooked meal. They then delivered the soup and

9:00 and Charlie Bohlen, Katie Cross, and Chase

cookies on Sunday, February 19 to 17 different Sardis

Hunter at 11:00) will speak about temptation,

members. The conversations between the generations

forgiveness, and becoming new in Christ. Join us for

were as wonderful as the soup and cookies!

worship on this first Sunday of Lent!

Upcoming Dates March 5

Youth Sunday

March 12 March 19

HS to Plantation Estates

HS Gender Dinners

For a complete listing of all of the youth activities, including our weekly devotion schedule, please download our spring semester calendar from either the weekly e‐letter or our website.

March 31‐April 2 MS Beach Retreat

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“Let the little children come unto me.”

March Madness

Elementary Fellowship

Join us on March 12 from 4:00‐5:30 for some basketball fun! We will be doing a basketball themed service

Vacation Bible School

project for Alexander Youth Network, playing games

July 10 ‐ 14, 2017

and making new friends. All kindergarten through fifth grade students are invited to join us for some fun in the Education Hall.

Contact Rev. Katie Harrington at

Sardis Music & Arts Summer Hoopla

704.366.1854 with any questions.

July 31 ‐ August 4, 2017

Sardis Weekday School Updates Preschool Summer Camp at Sardis Weekday School ‐ Better Than Ever

Available for children ages 2‐5 · 9 a.m.‐1 p.m. · Monday‐Friday

Looking for fun for your little one this summer? Look no further than Sardis!

The Sardis Weekday School family is excited to offer you seven separate fun‐filled weeks of camp, five days a week. And it’s flexible ‐ choose just a few weeks that fit your schedule or enroll your camper in all seven.

Camp Dates (weekly themes to be announced soon):

June 19 – 23 · June 26 – 30 · July 17 – 21 · July 24 – 28 July 31 – August 4 · August 7 – 11 · August 14 – 18

Registration is NOW OPEN. Cost: $140/week for the first child and $120/week for each additional child.

The Preschool with Heart is thrilled to offer a safe, fun, joy‐filled place for your children to play with their little friends this summer. Don’t miss out, space is limited.

We are looking forward to a

Please join us for our Book Fair, which will

Don’t forget to sign up for

performance by the Taradiddle

be held in the Preschool building during

Soccer Shots which will

Players, Wednesday, March 15.

March 8–10 sponsored by the PAC.

begin on Thursday, April 20.

They

This is also a great time to purchase Easter

All Thursday sessions will

gifts! More information to follow!

be held on our campus at

will

be

performing

Goldilocks and the Three Bears.

Join us 9:30 a.m. in the

1 p.m. You may sign up at

Fellowship

charlotte.ssreg.org. Hope to

welcome!

Hall.

All

are

see you there!

The Communicator ~ March 2017 7

The Communicator

Non‐Profit Org.

Published monthly by

U.S. POSTAGE

PAID

Sardis Presbyterian Church

Charlotte, NC

6100 Sardis Road Charlotte,

NC

28270

www.sardis.org

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