The Communicator | January 2021

The Communicator ~ January 2021

Church Life

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

Transforming Gifts into Action · Engaging Your Faith in 2021 2020 was a year like none we have ever experienced. As tired as I am of hearing that, 2021 is likely to be another one of those. I pray with confidence that it will be be%er, but I know that it will still be different. The first months will probably feel a lot like the last months of 2020 but after that the challenge for us will be figuring out how to be and what to do as more people are vaccinated and activities gradually become safer—but maybe not for all of us at the same time.

It is hard to know what the timeline will be like. But we do know this: We are called to explore our faith and change lives and we don’t let pandemics get in the way of that.

When God made a covenant with Abraham, God said God would bless Abraham so that through him all the families of the earth would be blessed. God blesses us with gifts because God is good and God loves us. God blesses us with gifts because God loves our neighbors, too, and God calls us to use those gifts for good in their lives.

Each of us is blessed by God in different ways with different gifts. One of the tasks of discipleship is figuring out how to take those gifts and turn them into life-changing actions for others. In 2021, one of our goals at Sardis Presbyterian Church is identifying our individual gifts, interests, and passions and then connecting them with opportunities to have ministry impact. These first months of the year will be spent designing a method to accomplish that in a way that will be effective with or without a pandemic. The Clerks Ministry (which recruits members to serve on Ministry teams) and Membership Ministry (responsible for member engagement) will be working with the church staff to develop a system that will make it easy for you to find the right opportunities to volunteer and will guide ministries as they develop new volunteer opportunities according to the gifts and interests you have.

It will be something that can be easily updated annually as your gifts develop or interests change so that each of us can find ways to engage our faith in a meaningful way and be challenged to make it grow. Whatever 2021 ends up looking like, be ready to engage your faith in it to the glory of God and in the name of Jesus Christ!

Joe B. Martin

What’s Happening with the Administrative Building?

Those tall

Original

yellow block

lighting &

walls were

HVAC

designed for

equipment

SWS

headed to

classrooms

the scrap

back in the

yard

early 60s

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The Communicator ~ January 2021

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

Honor, or Remember Someone with Sanctuary Flowers The two arrangements of flowers that grace our sanctuary for worship service are provided by Roseland Floral Company at a cost of $150 to the donor. The flowers that you purchase may be designated in honor or memory of loved ones or to mark a special occasion. Currently, Sanctuary flowers are on display during the Thursday recording of the church service.

The honorarium/memorial is displayed during the pre- and post-slideshow for the recorded service that is available to watch virtually on Sundays.

If you would like to place flowers in the sanctuary, please contact Sheila Duyck at 704.364.4637 or sheiladuyck@gmail.com.

Church Life

Church Office Closures The church office will be closed Friday, January 1, for New Year’s Day and Monday, January 18, for the Martin Luther King, Jr. holiday.

January Friendship Connection Friendship Connection will meet via Zoom on January 19 at 11:00 a.m. Jonathan Lee, a member of Sardis and a candidate for the ministry, will speak on “Environmental Theology”.

Ordination and Installation On January 10 at 12:00 p.m. on Zoom, join us as we ordain and install our elders and deacons for the coming year. This will be a sacred and special time as they make promises to us and we make promises to them, as we serve Christ and Sardis together.

We will also pray for them as they lead our church. We hope to see you there!

The Communicator ~ January 2021

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Church Life

Ministry is about life in Christ which aects everything we do.

November Financial Highlights Thank you for contributing to Christ’s work through Sardis Presbyterian Church.

November

November Expected

This year so far

This year so far expected

Pledges, gi s, and other revenue

$138,172.13

$140,916.66

$1,761,523.89

$1,698,533.26

Expenses

$161,261.46

$168,890.60

$1,621,131.55

$1,794,182.05

Net Total

($23,089.33)

($27,973.94)

$140,392.34

($95,648.79)

Annual Budget: $2,026,250

Our Church Family Our Sympathy: to the family of Betty Arnold; to the family of Patsy May; to the family of Univee Wallace; to Chris Branner on the death of her sister, Nell Herring; to Chris Lueck on the death of his father, Charles Henry Lueck; to Stacey Wood on the death of his mother, Joan Wood; to Bill & Beth Campbell on the death of their son, Charles Campbell; to John Carriker on the death of his nephew, Thomas Howell; to William Sloan on the death of his mother, Jane Sloan; to Jeff Weston on the death of his mother, Deanna Weston; to Mark Weber on the death of his mother, Ruth Weber; to Doug Dawson on the death of his mother, Virginia Dawson and to staff member, Sam Johnson, on the death of his father, Sam Johnson, Sr. Congratulations to: Maggie & Austin Bartlett on the birth of their daughter, Anne Elizabeth Bartlett. Grandmother is Elizabeth Kincaid.

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The Communicator ~ January 2021

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

Missions Ministry

New Year, New Opportunity Room In The Inn Facilitator One of Sardis’ greatest missions is to serve our homeless neighbors through Roof Above (formerly Urban Ministries). Though our service is different this season due to COVID, we are already planning to resume serving our neighbors at Sardis in 2021/2022.

Sardis needs a RITI Facilitator to kick off this season next fall.

Responsibilities include: communicating and scheduling with staff at Roof Above; leading and supporting Sardis team captains, meal coordinators and bus drivers; communicating with Sardis maintenance staff regarding facilities and deliveries, and reporting concerns and operation status with the Mission Ministry.

Please contact Stacey Champion at otchampion@gmail.com if you are interested in discussing this rewarding opportunity to serve Charlo%eans desperately in need.

Virtual Angel Tree a Success Thank you Sardis for your support of the 2020 Angel Tree. We served 108 angels from 55 different families. This year presented many challenges given our current situation with COVID-19.

Together we prevailed! Everyone, from our wonderful support staff to each one of you who so generously donated gifts, made it happen. It was such a blessing to be able to bring joy to these children at Christmas, especially after the year we had.

Mark Your Calendars!

Sardis will host an American Red Cross blood drive four times in 2021. Please mark these dates on your calendars to donate—

Rama teachers and families help with the Angel Tree

one pint of blood can save up to three lives!

delivery.

February 28 · May 2 · July 18 · October 24

Richard and Chad Tilley are always faithful delivery helpers for the Angel Tree.

The Communicator ~ January 2021

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Youth ministry

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

Weekly Programs Return!

Our regular weekly programs return on Sunday, January 10 with Sunday School, Confirmation Class, Youth Music, and Sunday Night Fellowship.

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Sunday School will meet virtually on Zoom from 10:00-10:45 a.m.

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Confirmation Class will meet in person from 10:00-10:50 a.m.

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Youth Music will meet in person from 4:00-5:00 p.m.

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Sunday Night Fellowship will meet in person from 5:00-6:00 p.m.

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Sabbath will meet virtually on Zoom on Wednesday nights beginning January 13 from 6:00-7:00.

Please see the weekly Youth E-Le%er for Zoom codes and passwords as well updates on our programs.

Lunches with Adrian As you continue to spend time at home with virtual learning, invite Adrian over for lunch! He will bring your favorite fast food with him and sit outside, sharing a meal with you. Adrian is available on Tuesdays and Thursdays for lunches, so reach out to him if you are interested.

Contact Adrian at adrian.martin@sardis.org or 704.366.1854 for more information or to schedule a lunch.

Montreat Summer Conferences Understanding that situations surrounding COVID-19 may change rapidly, the Youth Ministry is currently planning on a%ending the Montreat conferences this summer:

Worship and Music Conference at Montreat, June 20-25 Middle School Montreat Youth Conference at Maryville College, July 14-18 High School Montreat Youth Conference at Montreat, July 25-31 More information on how to register will be available in the near future, but please hold these dates as we hope and pray we will have the opportunity to a%end these conferences this coming summer.

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The Communicator ~ January 2021

“Let the li*le children come unto me.”

Sardis Weekday School Update Sardis Weekday School is gearing up for the 2021-2022 school year registration. We will open registration to current church and school members on January 14 and open to the public on January 21. The registration forms and class offerings are located on our website, www.sardisweekdayschool.org. We will have a SignUpGenius posted in our school communication for our families on the 14th and another posted to our website on the 21st for the public. The Preschool with Heart is looking forward to another spectacular school year. Thank you for all your support in the Weekday School.

The Communicator ~ January 2021

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The Communicator Published monthly by Sardis Presbyterian Church 6100 Sardis Road Charlo%e, NC 28270 www.sardis.org

Here’s your first look at our new website!

We are so excited to introduce you to the new www.sardis.org! Please note this is a living, changing site with room for improvement and growth. We are eager to continue to fill it with all of the wonderful things Sardis has to offer our community as we engage our faith in 2021.

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The Communicator ~ January 2021