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

Wednesday, December 14, 2022

Service of Hope & Remembrance Tonight

This service will be a time to remember and give thanks for the life of a loved one who has died; 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 14 at 7:00 p.m. in the Sanctuary and live on YouTube

This Week at Sardis
This Sunday's 9:00 Playlist
Sardis' Advent Playlist
9:00 Worship All Time Playlist

Friendship Connection Registration Deadline Tomorrow

Friendship Connection is our fellowship group for older adults and retirees. Come join us on Tuesday, December 20 at 11:00 a.m. in the Sardis House. We will enjoy a program of Christmas harmonizing by the barbershop quartet, Sage Advice. They will present both sacred and secular songs as well as some opportunities for sing-a-longs. Lunch, at noon, is $11.50. Register online or register through Sue Chowning (704.366.1854 ext 208) by 5:00 p.m. on Thursday, December 15.

Sunday School Classes for All Ages

There will be Sunday School classes for all ages at 10:00 a.m. in the Fellowship Hall and Education Hall. Click below to explore more details on classes available: 

Angels of Christmas - An Advent Series

You are invited to join the Salty Fish Fellowship for our study of The Angels of Christmas by Susan Robb. We will consider the roles of angels in the Biblical stories of Advent and Christmas and the place of angels in our own worlds. All are welcome in room 210 or by Zoom at 10:00 a.m. on Sunday mornings

Opportunities to Serve

Alternative Gift Market Deadline for Acknowledement Cards is Tomorrow!

This year's Alternative Gift Market features eight designated ministries, and a unique opportunity to do all of your Christmas shopping in one place!

 

Visit our website for more information and to place your orders, or download the 2022 catalog and order form. You may also pick-up a copy of the catalog and order form in the Gathering Place and Narthex on Sundays (through December 21). Orders for acknowledgement cards are due by Decemer 15.

Reverse Advent Calendar

Each day during Advent, purchase one of the items on the calendar or use the prayer or fact about homelessness for reflection. Drop-off donation items in the new Missions Corner blue donation shelves in the Gathering Place by January 8, 2023. Download the 2022 Reverse Advent Calendar here.

9:00 Worship AV Volunteer Sign-ups Open

We are looking for volunteers to join the AV and tech team for our 9:00 Contemporary Worship service. We need one volunteer each Sunday to help advance slides and assist with other easy AV and tech support tasks. Our Technical Arts Coordinator, John Nipe, will provide instructions and training. Click here to sign-up for a Sunday (or two)! 

Volunteer in the Nursery

The nursery is open for both the 9:00 a.m. and 11:00 a.m. worship services and we need your help to keep it running smoothly! We're so excited about our new nursery location, the former Resource Room next to the Adult Library, and hope that you'll check it out! Sign up to volunteer here! Contact Sarah Dianne Jones with any questions. 

Church Life News & Announcements

Advent Devotional Week 3

This week, you are encouraged to witness the light as you pray over and read through Luke 2:25-38, and reflect on those words with the reflection questions. View this week's devotional pages here. Engage with the first week of the Reverse Advent Calendar and listen to this week's Traditional and Contemporary songs.


Our Advent artwork this week is I am the Voice by Hannah Garrity | Sanctified Art.

The Chrismon Tree

If you'd like to learn more about what each ornament on the tree means, you can view our Chrismons and Their Meanings booklet here, or pick up a copy in the Narthex.

Sardis Youth

Sardis youth will not be meeting again on Sunday evenings until January 8th, but Youth Sunday School is still happening at 10am on Sundays. Click here to read on for some important information to get us set up for the New Year!

Our Church Family

Our Sympathy: to Donna Harwood upon the death of her mother, Mary Mason; to the family of Leila Babb; and to staff member, Mark Slimer, upon the death of his mother-in-law, Evelyn "Mee-Maw" Caldwell.


We Remember in Prayer: Sam Beeman, son of staff member Danelle Kime, in Atrium Main.


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 your healing.

Coming Soon

December 23: Christmas Movie Night

All are welcome to join us for a double feature Christmas Movie Night on Saturday, December 23 at 5:30 p.m. We’ll start with “A Charlie Brown Christmas” and then watch “Elf”. Bring a picnic dinner and your chairs and blankets. We’ll provide a festive dessert. RSVP to Sarah Dianne Jones. Don’t forget to invite your friends to join you!

December 24: Christmas Eve Services

Invite your family and friends to join us in celebrating the birth of our Savior on Christmas Eve. We will have the following services:

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

December 25: Christmas Day Service

On Sunday, December 25 we will have one worship service at 11:00 a.m. in the Sanctuary. There will be no Sunday School.

December 31: Preschool Families Noon Year's Eve Party

Preschoolers and their families are invited to come ring in 2023 with crafts, cookies, party hats, and more fun! Join us on Saturday, December 31 at 10:30 a.m. - 12:30 p.m. for our first Noon Year's Eve Party! There is no cost, but please click here to register your family by December 26.

Save the Date for the 2023 Women's Retreat

The 2023 Sardis Women's Retreat will be February 17 -19 at William Black Lodge in Montreat, NC. We will be led by Rev. Martha Kearse, Senior Pastor at Peakland Baptist Church in Lynchburg, VA. Our Contemporary Worship Leader, Beth Williams, will be leading the music for the weekend. Registrations are now open! Click here to register.  

Click here to explore our church calendar and see all the meetings and events coming up at Sardis. Don't forget to add anything of interest to your calendar!

Opportunities to Share & Updates

Where we Stand with the 2022 Budget

How Sardis can Finish the Year Whole

Many have fulfilled their 2022 pledges early and, for that, we are deeply grateful. Every pledge is integral to Sardis being able to explore faith and change lives in our community and around the world. Between now and the end of the year, we are counting on receiving the $190,466 of yet-to-be fulfilled pledges to achieve our annual budget.


What You Can Do

Please consider a tax-deductible contribution in these ways:

  • Make a secure online contribution at sardis.org/giving (or through your ChurchLife app)
  • Send payment through your bank
  • Place an offering during worship on Sunday
  • Make a gift of stock
  • If you already completed your pledge, you could prayerfully consider increasing your 2022 giving


To be deductible in 2022, your gift must be received or postmarked prior to midnight on December 31. For questions, including instructions for making a stock gift, please contact Art Kite (704.366.1854 ext 204).


Sardis and those we serve are grateful for your continued support.

2023 Pledging Update

The Stewardship Ministry is thankful for all the members who have already made a pledge for 2023. We have 224 pledges with $1,316,360 pledged. We are truly grateful for the support you have shown to Sardis. When we take pause from our busy schedules to gratefully acknowledge the rich blessings that God has bestowed upon us, it is nearly impossible not to feel encouraged to share these blessings with others. 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 2023. You can make your pledge online today by clicking here!

Amazon Smile Gives Back to Sardis

Support Sardis by starting your shopping for gifts or everyday household items at smile.amazon.com.

  • Amazon will donate 0.5% of eligible purchases to Sardis Presbyterian Church whenever you shop on AmazonSmile.
  • AmazonSmile is the same Amazon you know. Use your existing Amazon account.
  • When you enter Sardis Presbyterian Church on your first visit to smile.amazon.com, don’t let the incorporation year puzzle you! While Sardis was founded in 1790, we were incorporated in 1984, so you’ll see that date associated with AmazonSmile.
Let's Get Social!
Facebook  Instagram  Youtube