Welcome to The Communicator, your weekly guide to the life at Sardis. | |
Wednesday, December 28, 2022 | |
Spring Program Guide Now Available! | We are looking forward to kicking off a new year and hope you'll find a Bible study, Sunday School class, Fellowship opportunity, or service opportunity that will help equip you to explore your faith and change lives in 2023! Download your program guide here or you can pick-up a copy in the Narthex, Gathering Place, or church office. | |
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Join us for brunch and worship on New Year's Day! Brunch, provided by Dahlia Grove, will begin at 10:30 a.m. in Fellowship Hall. Brunch will be a full, hot breakfast and delicious! We will take up a love offering to benefit Dahlia Grove and cover the cost of the food. There will be one worship service at 11:00 a.m. in the Fellowship Hall. During worship we will explore the Scripture passage Matthew 25:35-45. Epiphanies for the New Year. All are welcome. Invite a friend! | |
Preschool Families Noon Year's Eve Party | We are excited to ring in 2023 with our preschool families who registered for the Noon Year's Eve Party. We will enjoy crafts, cookies, party hats, and more fun this Saturday, December 31 at 10:30 a.m. - 12:30 p.m. Questions? Contact Sarah Dianne Jones. | |
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Church Office Closed Monday, January 2 | The church office will be closed on Monday, January 2 in observance of the new year holiday. If you have a pastoral emergency like a hospitalization or death, please call 704.366.1854 and press 3 to reach the pastor on call. | |
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Room In The Inn Neighbors Need You | |
Sardis will host Room In the Inn on Sundays and Wednesday from January through March 2023. We plan to get 13 neighbors out of the cold for 26 nights, but we need your help! Our neighbors need:
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Greeters (5 p.m. - 10 p.m.)
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Overnight Hosts/Owls (10 p.m. - 5 a.m.)
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Closers/Roosters (5 a.m. - 8 a.m.)
- Bed Makers
- Bagged Lunch Providers
- Dinner Providers
Ready to make an impact? Click here for more information and to sign up to volunteer. You can also contact Kay Taylor (704.975.2588) or Sallie Crossley (704.650.5270) for more information.
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Reverse Advent Calendar Donations Due by January 8 | Download the 2022 Reverse Advent Calendar here. Drop-off donation items in the new Missions Corner blue donation shelves in the Gathering Place by January 8, 2023. | |
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Kick off the new year with a resolution to build community by volunteering
as a tutor with Heart Math Tutoring! January is a great time for new tutors.
Students at Rama Road Elementary are ready to be paired with math tutors
to strengthen foundational math skills and build academic confidence. A commitment of just one hour per week can
make a huge impact in a student's life. Visit the HeartMath website to learn more
and to sign up today! Feel free to contact Ed Shoaf with any questions.
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Six months ago a small group of Sardis members came together over a shared
calling to care for creation. We grew into an Earth Care team and found a home
within the Missions Ministry. We embrace the Sardis vision of “Exploring Faith,
Changing Lives” by equipping disciples to impact the world by being good
stewards of God’s creation.
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Through discussions with church staff and members involved in worship, education, outreach, and facilities, we’ve discovered that Sardis Presbyterian is actively engaged in nurturing and preserving God’s gift of creation. We are pleased to announce that Sardis has met the requirements for earning the PC(USA) Earth Care Congregation designation. In 2023, we look forward to broadening the Sardis impact on caring for creation through new creative and intentional efforts. We welcome your ideas and are looking for interested individuals to join one of the four Earth Care subcommittees: worship, education, outreach, and facilities. IF you’re interested in becoming involved, contact Shannon Klug or Allysen Schaaf. | |
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. | |
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Church Life News & Announcements | |
Volunteer Usher Pool A Success | |
The Worship Ministry wishes to
thank each member who volunteered to
be a part of our usher pool this past year.
We’re blessed to have this additional
coverage when needed. The average for
assistance was only two times per
volunteer over the last 58 Sundays, which means the Ministries do a good job
in providing ushers weekly. If you would like to join our pool and help when you are available, please sign up here or contact Coddy Coddington.
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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. | |
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Joe B.'s Bible Study: The Book of Romans | Beginning on January 4/5/8, Joe B. will lead us as we explore Paul's theology in his Letter to the Romans. This will be offered on Wednesdays at 7:00 p.m. and Thursdays at 10:00 a.m. in Room 210 and via Zoom. Also on Sundays at 10:00 a.m. with the Robert Pharr Sunday School class in Room 212. | |
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Renda Brinson's Bible Study Picks Back Up in the New Year | All are welcome to join as this class resumes on January 10. We meet on Tuesdays at 10:00 a.m. in room 210 and via Zoom. We will cover the Sermon on the Mount through the Great Commission. To register (must register to receive the Zoom link) or for more information, please contact Renda Brinson (704.458.0366). | |
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Worship AV/Tech Training: January 22 | You can volunteer along side our Technical Arts Coordinator, John Nipe, any Sunday, but we are also hosting AV/Technology training for volunteers to learn all the ins and outs of our Sunday worship technology on Sunday, January 22 at 12:15 - 1:30 p.m. in the Fellowship Hall. Email John Nipe to RSVP or inquire about alternative dates. | |
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Sardis Serves Together: January 29 | |
Join us for Sardis Serves Together on Sunday, January 29. We will have a day of worship, education and mission for ALL ages of children youth and adults. We are partnering with Families Forward Charlotte for this event and our mission project will help pack weekend food bags and essential baskets for hundreds of families and children.
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10:00am: Worship in the Sanctuary
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11:00am: Lunch, Sunday School and hands on mission projects in the Fellowship Hall.
Click here for more information and to register your family!
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Registration Open 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. | |
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Save the Date: Friends Empowering Haiti Fundraiser | |
Friends Empowering Haiti was founded 30 years ago as a result of the strong relationships formed between missionaries in the U.S. and local leaders in Bayonnais, Haiti. Their mission has been to share God’s love and to support locally-led efforts to create healthy, hopeful and empowered communities throughout Bayonnais.
On Thursday, March 9, there will be a 30th year celebration with delicious food, drinks, a silent auction, and Actionnel Fleurisma, (founder of ), as the guest speaker. Please mark your calendars for this special event, invitation to follow. For more information, please contact Betsy Liles, fundraising chair.
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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 | |
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Talk to Your Tax Professional Now About Giving Strategies
The last several years have brought changes to the way your generous giving affects your tax return. You may want to consider talking to your tax professional about the following giving strategies:
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Prepay your 2023 Pledge: If you paid your 2022 pledge this calendar year, you might want to consider prepaying your 2023 pledge. “Stacking” your charitable giving may help you get over the new standard deduction thresholds.
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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.
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Above the line deduction: The CARES Act permits eligible individuals who do not itemize deductions to deduct $300 of qualified charitable contributions as an "above-the-line" deduction, i.e., as an adjustment in determining adjusted gross income (AGI), for tax years beginning in 2020.
To be deductible in 2022, your gift must be received or postmarked prior to midnight on Dec. 31. Director of Operations, Art Kite, will be available at the church office from 9:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m. on December 30. 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.
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Ten Cents A Meal Collection This Sunday | This Sunday we will have our 10 Cents a Meal Collection during both worship services. When you give to Ten Cents a Meal, you are providing food security assistance to local organizations fighting hunger. You can contribute anytime online ›› (select Ten-Cents-A-Meal from the funds dropdown box), or by texting "Sardis Meal" + Amount to 73256. | |
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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:
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Give Online: From your computer or smartphone give online ››
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Text: Sardis + Amount to 73256
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Mail: 6100 Sardis Road, Charlotte, NC 28270 .
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