Welcome to The Communicator, your weekly guide to the life at Sardis.

We will collect the Christmas Joy Offering during both worship services this Sunday. You can give anytime online here.

God has blessed the Church with incredible leadership in every time and place, but those leaders often need to be supported by their communities as well. This Offering addresses the support needed by some of our leaders, including supporting leadership development for communities of color, and providing support for Presbyterian church workers in their time of need.

The Salty Fish Fellowship is hosting an Advent series using the book Heaven and Earth by Will Willimon. All are welcome to join this adult Sunday School class on Sundays at 10:00 a.m. in room 210 and on Zoom. Please contact Ed Shoaf with questions or to get the Zoom meeting code.

This service will be a time to remember and give thanks for the life of a loved one who has passed; it will be a time to claim afresh the certain promises that are ours through our Savior, whose birth we celebrate. Join us on Wednesday, December 13 at 7:00 p.m. in the Sanctuary and live on YouTube. 

The 2023 Reverse Advent Calendar will benefit the Salvation Army Women's Shelter of Charlotte. We encourage you to engage the whole family by purchasing items from the priority needs list each week as well as reading the facts about homelessness in our community and praying for our neighbors. You can download the Reverse Advent Calendar here or pick up a copy in the Narthex, Gathering Place, or Church Office.

The 2023 Alternative Gift Market is open! The Sardis Alternative Gift Market gives us the opportunity to help alleviate the burdens of our neighbors, both near and far, during this critical time. We are supporting 7 agencies this year. You can visit the AGM and place an order online or by turning in an order form in the adult Library each Sunday through December 17. This season, consider giving that makes a real difference.

Volunteers are needed on three nights: January 3, February 14, and March 13.

• Greeters are needed 5:00 - 10:00 p.m. One will ride the bus with the driver to pick up neighbors. Two greeters will help prepare for neighbors, eat dinner, and help with laundry.
• Owls are needed 9:45 p.m. - 6:00 a.m. Owls stay overnight at the Sardis House. They will be available to neighbors for nighttime needs. Start breakfast.
• Roosters are needed 5:00 - 7:00 a.m. One will ride the bus uptown with the driver, two will finish breakfast and clean up.

No experience is needed, there’s a check sheet to go by, it’s an easy volunteer assignment, and you will be with at least one other Sardis member.

Use our Sign Up Genuis to learn more and sign up to volunteer. If you have questions about what this entails, please call Kay Taylor (704.975.2588). 

We need two volunteers to help in the nursery during the 11:00 a.m. service on December 24. We also need one volunteer at both the 5:00 p.m. and the 7:00 p.m. Christmas Eve worship services. Your help is very much appreciated! Sign up here.

Questions or need assistance signing up? Contact Amanda Hooks at 704.787.5353.

The 2023 Advent Program Guide and Devotional is now available! You can download it here or pick up your copy from the welcome tables in the Narthex and Gathering Place, or from the church office. Explore how you can be present with hope, peace, joy, and love this Advent through prayer, Scripture, song, and engaging activities.

The holidays bring joy and also…..batteries! Sardis will soon have a used battery collection station. So, save those old dead batteries and watch for news in the weekly Communicator announcing when and where to bring your batteries for recycling.

Congratulations: to Lynne Hester upon the birth of her great-granddaughter, Sydney June Edmundson.

Our Sympathy: to Lisa Tate upon the death of her father, Richard Tate, Jr.

We Remember in Prayer: Kim Weber in Matthews Surgery Center.



Your church family wants to pray for you. If you have a procedure or are in the hospital, please let the church office know so we can, as a church family, be praying for your healing.

We will have one Sunday morning Advent worship service at 11:00 a.m. in the Sanctuary this Sunday, December 24. The nursery will be open for this worship service. There will be no children or youth Sunday School classes. Some adult Sunday School classes will still be meeting. Please contact your class leader if you have any questions.

We hope you'll invite your friends and neighbors to join you at Sardis this Christmas Eve. There is a worship service for everyone:

• 5:00 p.m. Contemporary Family Christmas Eve service in the Fellowship Hall
• 7:00 p.m. Traditional Candlelight Christmas Eve service in the Sanctuary
• 9:00 p.m. Traditional Candlelight & Communion Christmas Eve service in the Sanctuary 

The nursery will be open during the 5:00 and 7:00 services.

The 2024 Sardis Women's Retreat will be February 23 -25 at William Black Lodge in Montreat, NC. We will be led by Rev. Caroline East, chaplain at Sharon Towers, as we focus on Regrouping - Building Community. Registrations open in January. Mark your calendars!

March 2 -9, 2024, a combined group from Sardis and Trinity Presbyterian Churches will be traveling to assist with disaster relief work due to damage by tornados in Kentucky. Our group of adults (ages 18 years+) will be doing home repair (not new construction work) through Presbyterian Disaster Assistance with host, Calvert City Presbyterian Church. 1-2 spots will be available to those who wish to meal prep instead of participating in home repair. An information meeting to learn more will be held on January 21, 2024 at 10:0 a.m. in the Adult Library. Registration is open. The cost will be $125 per person.

The Stewardship Ministry is thankful for all the members who have already made a pledge for 2024. 229 family units have made their 2024 pledge averaging $5,571.21 per unit. We are truly grateful for the support you have shown to Sardis. If you have not yet submitted a pledge card, we encourage you to do so soon. Your pledge is essential as the officers work to create a budget for 2024. You can make your pledge online today by clicking here!

• In addition to your financial contribution in 2023, consider prepaying your 2024 pledge before the end of the calendar year. “Stacking” your charitable giving may help you get over standard deduction thresholds, thereby maximizing your itemized deductions, which can lower your taxable income. It also helps bolster cash flow for church operations as we begin a new fiscal year.
• Qualified Charitable Distributions (QCDs): If you are 70½ or older, you can make a direct transfer from your IRA to Sardis. Giving a QCD also goes toward satisfying your Required Minimum Distribution (RMD). The non‐deductible gift provides a benefit in that your adjusted gross income (AGI) would be lowered.

To learn more, or to make a stock gift, contact Director of Operations, Leigh Anne Duncan, at 704.366.1854 ext. 204.

‘Tis the season….for love, peace, joy, and hope. It’s also the season for generosity and gratitude, and we are grateful for you and the financial support you have given to our church in 2023. We still need your help finishing the year strong. If you have not already done so, please complete your pledge for the year; if you are able, consider giving above and beyond your pledge. With your generous help, we can fulfill our budgeted revenue targets and start the new year in a strong financial position. It’s easy to do:

• Make a secure online contribution at sardis.org/giving (or through your ChurchLife app) – would be great if they can click on the link directly in the email and land on the giving page
• Send a payment through your bank
• Place your gift during worship this Sunday
• Text 'Sardis' + Amount to 73256 

To be deductible in 2023, your gift must be received or postmarked prior to midnight on December 31. Director of Operations, Leigh Anne Duncan, will be available at the church office from 9:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m. on December 29. For questions, including instructions for making a stock gift, please contact Leigh Anne (704.366.1854 ext 204). Our Sardis community and those we serve are grateful for your generosity.

We invite you to continue to uphold our ministry with your gifts as you are able. Sardis depends on your weekly donations to keep exploring faith and changing lives through the work of our ministries. Use the giving option:

• Give Online: From your computer or smartphone give online ››
• Text: Sardis + Amount to 73256
• Mail: 6100 Sardis Road, Charlotte, NC 28270