2015 August Communicator

The Communicator ~ August 2015

2 The Communicator ~ August 2015

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

“Come and Get It!” at the Sardis Fish Fry!

Saturday, September 12 at 6:30 p.m. (after Second Saturday worship service) Cost: Adults $6; Kids $4 (12 and under); $20 maximum per family

The famous Sardis Fish Fry is back! Come enjoy a 225 year tradition at Sardis. We will enjoy a traditional fish fry on the Francis Property with slaw, baked beans, cornbread, chips, tea, water,

lemonade. Kids’ pizza is also available at signup. Dessert will be s’mores by the fire. Friends and neighbors are welcome.

Registration begins August 22, and you can register at www.sardis.org, by calling 704.926.1590, or at a signup table offered on August 30. In case of rain, the fish fry will happen indoors in the Education Hall.

New Member Class

A New Member Class begins on September 6.

For more information, contact Rev. Alice Johnson at [email protected] or 704.366.1854.

Sunday Schedule Resumes in September

Our regular Sunday schedule will resume on September 13. Find more info about our services and all we offer on our website.

Women of Sardis Fall Dinner

The Women of Sardis fall dinner will be held Tuesday, October 13 at 5:45 p.m. Our guest speaker will be Helen Weaver. The cost is $10 per person, and registration will be available at www.sardis.org or by calling 704.926.1590.

Project 45—August 30!

Bring some spaghetti sauce and come serve on August 30! All ages are invited to join us at 9 a.m. in the Fellowship Hall to serve our community. There will be service projects benefiting Rama Road Elementary School, our homebound members, and Sardis Sunday School rooms. We’ll have a 45 minute flurry of service!

One of our goals is to assemble 90 first aid kits for Rama Road Elementary School. We need donations of: non latex gloves, band‐aids (all sizes), antiseptic wipes, and sterile gauze pads.

See you on August 30!



August Communion

Communion will be served on Saturday, August 29 and Sunday, August 30.

Consider writing an Advent Devotional

The Fourth of July has passed, time to think about Christmas! It is time to start preparing as we will once again create an Advent Devotional Book for 2015 with devotions written by our Sardis Church family. This year the theme is: The Advent Wreath, a Symbol of Faith.

The Advent Wreath is made of specific components that symbolize primary points of our faith in Jesus Christ: • The round wreath, a circle with no beginning or end, reminds us of the eternity of God’s love. • The evergreen leaves of the wreath remind us that, as the evergreen leaves in winter are a reminder that life

continues even in a season when it appears death has occurred, so in God there is always hope beyond despair. • The lights of the candles are a reminder that fire is a symbol for the presence of God and that God’s light/

presence is greater than any darkness we face.

Share your Advent reflections with the Sardis church family by reflecting on how the themes of the Advent Wreath speak to you in Advent and throughout the year. You may respond to any of the prompts below:

The Circle The never ending love of God comforts me by ________________. OR

The never ending love of God challenges me to ________________.

The Evergreen leaves I have experienced hope in a time of sadness when_____________. OR

I have experienced hope in a time of sadness through_____________.

The Candles God’s constant presence strengthens me to_______________. OR

I am most certain of God’s presence when_________________.

Submissions may be written reflections (200 words maximum), poetry, drawings/illustrations, or photos of art. The deadline for submitting a contribution is October 19. Send submissions to the church office to the attention of Rev. Jane Fobel, or by email: [email protected].

A Reminder About Summer Worship

• Saturday worship at 5:30 p.m. • One worship service at 10 a.m. on Sundays • August 9—Sardis Youth will lead worship and share with the

congregation their faith journeys over the summer. • August 23—The 2015 Haiti Mission team will lead worship and share with

the congregation their experiences in Haiti. • No Sunday School until September 13, when we return to our regular

worship schedule of 9 a.m. and 11 a.m. worship services.


June Financial Highlights

Our Church Family


June June expected This year so far This year so far

expected

Pledges, gifts, and other revenue

$119,620.58 $173,952.57 $995,806.81 $1,043,000.04

Expenses $176,166.82 $178,305.58 $1,082,738.19 $1,112,870.81

Net Total ($56,546.24) ($4,353.01) ($86,931.38) ($69,870.77)

Annual Budget: $2,266,000

Blessing of the Animals

Blessed are the animals! Gather your beloved pets and join us on the Francis Property on Saturday, August 29 from 9 a.m.—noon.

In blessing animals we acknowledge that God’s love for humanity is revealed through them, and we acknowledge our own responsibility in caring for God’s creations. All are welcome.

Questions? Contact Rev. Alice Johnson at 704.366.1854 or [email protected].

Our Christian Sympathy: to Sandra Vaughn upon the death of her son, Henry F. ʺTreyʺ Vaughn III, and to Anne Sweeney upon the death of her nephew, Eric Rider.

Pastor Search Update

The Session wants to be sure that you are aware of the four step process in our search for a new pastor.

The first step is seeking an Interim Pastor to serve during our search. The committee approved by the Session at the June meeting is in that process, reviewing applications and talking with interested ministers.

The second step is reviewing our membership rolls so that we can report with our Church Information Form an accurate number of active members. A committee has been formed to undergo this process and has begun to meet.

The third step comes after the Interim Pastor arrives and involves doing a “vision study” so that church members can communicate about what they particularly like about Sardis and about things you would like to see us do differently or additionally.

The fourth step involves choosing a Pastor Nominating Committee (PNC) who will seek the person God will lead us to call to this place.

Please keep all this in your prayers so that we may do His will in all our endeavors.



Summertime… and the giving is easy

Summertime often finds us living a slower pace, spending time with family and friends, enjoying vacations and time relaxing. Here at Sardis, we are busier than ever. So far this summer, we have hosted year‐end events for several schools and organizations, our middle school youth were the hands of Christ through mission work in the Charlotte area, our high school youth did the same in Washington, D.C., had an amazing Vacation Bible School, hosted six weeks of Camp Holiday (run by the Down Syndrome Association of Greater Charlotte), held our Faith & Film series, and enjoyed Saturday evening and Sunday morning worship services.

Your gifts to Sardis help make ministry happen. You can give several ways… in person at worship, through the mail, or online. Please take a moment today to invest in ministry!

The Church Mouse Program: Ministering to Our College Students

The Church Mouse Project is designed to help college students continue to feel part of the Sardis family while they are away living on college campuses. Collegians interested in having a “mouse” apply; members of the congregation volunteer to be “mice.” The mice then anony‐mouse‐ly send cards and inexpensive items to their collegian several times during the year.

For more information, please contact Georgia Pressly at 704.364.9299/[email protected] or Mark Weber at [email protected].

Where Did Summer Go? Dale LeCount

Can you believe it? Summer is almost over.

For weeks we planned our vacations. We celebrated the usual summer events – graduations, Memorial Day, wedding anniversaries, Independence Day, birthdays, and high school, college, and family reunions. The list goes on and on. Is it any wonder that in August we take a deep breath only to realize that another school year is upon us and that we will soon resume all of the activities which keep us so busy between September and May?

Where is the church in this scenario? What priority do we place on maintaining a steady stream of income to make sure that Sardis is able to meet its commitments during the summer? If we are honest with ourselves, we will admit that our stewardship commitment often lags playing second fiddle to everything else that occupies our time and money.

Would anyone actually suggest that Sardis close its doors for the summer and reopen in the fall when other activities resume? Surely not. Let’s remember that as Christian stewards, we are in full time ministry as disciples of Jesus Christ no matter the time of year. We pray that our summer offerings will continue to reflect that commitment.


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

Sardis to Host Rama Road Elementary School’s Teacher Orientation

The Rama Planting Seeds of Hope committee will host the Rama Teacher Orientation with breakfast and lunch August 14 at the Sardis House.

We’re looking forward to another great year with Rama!

Spaghetti Sauce Update Over 45 pounds of spaghetti sauce were collected and donated to Loaves & Fishes in the month of July. Please bring your extra sauce (& pasta too) to the narthex any Sunday during August. Your donations feed our neighbors in need.

Pool For Tools

Fill the pool with school supplies for Planting Seeds of Hope, our partnership with Rama Road Elementary School. We will be collecting school supplies for children and staff through August 16.

Items needed include: Dry erase markers · Pencils · Glue sticks · Crayons

Hard cover composition books (wide‐ruled) Pocket folders · Hand sanitizer · Kleenex

A pool for collection will be in the Gathering Place.

Questions? Contact Pat Lazarus at [email protected].

Save the Date for the CROP Hunger Walk!

Start dusting off those walking shoes and pull out those checkbooks, it’s time for the CROP Walk!

Join us on October 18 at 2:30 p.m. for the 2015 Charlotte CROP Hunger Walk! If you can’t be there, we hope you’ll sponsor one of our Sardis walkers.

More information to come!

Spring Food Drive

Thanks to you and your generous donations, the Spring Food Drive’s collection total was 286 pounds! Thanks so much for your generous spirit!


“Let the little children come unto me.”

7

Sardis Weekday School Updates!

We are preparing to welcome our students back to school! Our school year kicks off on August 24, the same day as CMS. We are now following their calendar dates, which adds three weeks to our school year!

Facebook.com/SardisWeekdaySchool

There are spots available for the 2015‐2016 school year! Please contact Louise Lippi for more information or to schedule a tour at 704.366.9681 or [email protected]

Save the Date for our Fall Consignment Sale, which will be held on Saturday, October 3, 8 a.m.—12 p.m.

For more information, please visit www.sardisweekdayschool.org. HT code #3452

Looking Forward to Fall with Christian Education!

Summer is never a slow time for Christian Education! Not only is there Vacation Bible School which we just had in July, there is a great deal of evaluating the previous year programs and making changes that will enhance what is offered to our members and community.

This coming fall, there will be changes in Sunday School, LOGOS and adult learning opportunities. Next month we will be giving more detail about what is going to happen when the year kicks off on September 13. Plan now to learn more about:

Preschool Curriculum—Growing in Grace and Gratitude will be introduced for our toddlers through four year olds.

Elementary Curriculum—we are having a complete change in our format. There will be regular teachers for each grade level, and each grade level will study a particular subject for the entire year. We will enhance some grade level subjects and introduce new ones.

LOGOS—while the format will remain the same, we do have new themes, new guest speakers, and will be blending favorite topics with new themes.

Adults will have Bible study opportunities on Wednesday evenings and Thursday mornings, in addition to Sunday School.

Zone 45 Pool Party

All 4th and 5th grade students are invited to a pool party on August 30.

Bring $5 and come to the Hembstead pool to kick off our Zone 45 year! Please RSVP to Jenni Smith: [email protected].

The Fall Youth Ministry Kick‐Off will be Sunday, August 23 from

5‐7 p.m. beginning in the Fellowship Hall. This whole family event will start the year off right with the various programs that serve our youth. All ages of children are invited to come as we have family photo scavenger hunts throughout the Education Hall, dinner, and age‐appropriate programs for all children. Information on upcoming events, introductions of youth leaders, and much more will be covered for parents. Come and join the fun! If you have any questions, please contact Adrian Martin at 704.778.6432.


The Communicator

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2015 August Communicator