2016 May communicator

The Communicator ~ May 2016

A Publication of Sardis Presbyterian Church May 2016

Sardis Presbyterian Church · 6100 Sardis Road · Charlotte, NC 28270 · 704‐366‐1854 · www.sardis.org

SARDIS YOUTH...PAGE 10SARDIS YOUTH...PAGE 10

Join Sardis on April 17 for an incredible day filled with serving others and fellowship.

VBS REGISTRATION NOW OPEN...PAGE 11

Bible Studies...Page 4Bible Studies...Page 4

SUMMER @ SARDIS

Building God’s Kingdom Through Worship ● Service ● Fellowship ● Evangelism ● Discipleship

2 The Communicator ~ May 2016

Ministry is about life in Christ which affects everything we do. Church Life Update from the Sardis Visioning Task Force

The Sardis Visioning Task Force has received a completed discovery report from TAG consulting group. This

report analyzes the information gathered throughout the discovery process thus far, largely via the congregational

survey, focus groups, staff workshops and demographic study. The Task Force appreciates your honest feedback

and participation thus far. A summary of TAGʹs discovery report can be viewed online at www.sardis.org. You

may also request to view the full 98‐page report by contacting Robin Medlock at [email protected].

On the weekend of April 9, the Session and senior staff spent two days with the consultants from TAG to review

the results from the discovery phase and use the information to begin forming our collective vision for the future.

The second step was to discuss our core values ‐ what defines us as a community in Christ. The next retreat will

take place on May 21‐22 and will continue the synthesis of these concepts, culminating with the focus and strategic

priorities for Sardis. Please continue to pray for our leadership team during this process.

Sardis Volunteers Win Governorʹs Award

On April 12, Mayor Jennifer Roberts presented Sardis volunteers

with the Governorʹs Volunteer Service Award in recognition of our

partnership with Rama Road Elementary School. We have been in

partnership with Rama through our Planting Seeds of Hope program

for over eight years. Sardis volunteers are committed to being lunch

and reading buddies, tutors, mentors, servers, and supporters to

many of the children. Our volunteers also support and encourage the

wonderful teachers of Rama through luncheons and thoughtful gifts.

Planting Seeds of Hope also helps provide Christmas gifts, family

nights, and home libraries for the children. Many Sardis volunteers

are former teachers who willingly give their experience and time to

help Rama in any way they can.

Sardis member, Jane Dennis, also received a Governorʹs Award for

her 33 years of

service on the Girl

Scout Hornetsʹ

Nest Council, in

addition to

recently starting

the ʺGirls Go

Beyondʺ program

at Rama Road

Elementary.

New Member Classes

Interested in joining Sardis? The May

New Member classes begin on May 1

and run each Sunday in May with the

class joining on Sunday, May 22. Classes

meet at 10:00 a.m. in the dining room.

Questions? Contact Rev. Alice Johnson at

[email protected] or 704.366.1854.

Children’s Worship Bags

Hey kids! When you get to church

Sunday, we wanted to let you know that

the Children’s Worship bags are no

longer separated by age. All bags will

carry the same contents and activity

sheets will be included for all ages. So,

grab any bag, and have fun!

The Communicator ~ May 2016 3

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

Sardis adults: are you looking for a great opportunity for some exercise and fellowship? The

adult softball team is looking for members like you! The season runs June through August with

games on Monday and Friday nights. We play against area churches on local fields. Historically

this has been a men’s team, but with enough interest from women, the team could be co‐ed. If

you are interested in playing, contact Jeff Weston at [email protected].

“Be the change you want to see in the world!” ‐Mahatma Gandhi

Why have we become church members, specifically here at Sardis? The reasons are many: to praise God through

worship, to receive assistance in teaching Christianity to our children, to study the Bible through classes or small

groups, to fellowship with other like‐minded people, and to show Jesus’ love through missions. I’m sure you could

share your own lists.

There’s a cost for all of these activities: buildings and their upkeep, staff salaries and benefits, mission giving,

supplies, teaching materials and more.

In order for Sardis to be a vibrant and positive force for Jesus, the members (you and I) must answer the call to be

stewards of all we have. Of course, this includes our time ‐ to participate in church programs and activities, our

gifts – to enrich this place, and our money – to pay for all we expect our church to be.

These responsibilities belong to every member of Sardis. Please recommit yourself each day to act more like Jesus.

Be the change you want to see in the world!

George Gallaher

Joint MSG Breakfast at the Community Culinary School of Charlotte

On Friday, April 15, members of four menʹs Mustard Seed Groups met to share breakfast at the Community

Culinary School of Charlotte. All four of these groups meet separately early in the morning during the week, some

Tuesdays and some Fridays, so this gave them one time when they could meet together. A wonderful breakfast

was prepared by the Community Culinary School which is also one of the missions supported by Sardis. Chef Ron

Ahlert shared with the group the mission of the school, which is to help those with barriers to employment become

trained in a skill that can lead to employment. He also thanked the group for

supporting the school and reminded them that many of the student’s graduations are

held at our own Sardis Mission House. It was a wonderful time of fellowship and

reiterated the importance of how Mustard Seed Groups are an important part of what

makes Sardis special. Following the big meal the members of the groups all went home

and took a nap.

Mustard Seed Groups are open to new members, and information on all MSGs can be

found on Sardis.org and around the church.


This Summer, Let’s Try Something NEW!

The Worship pattern will continue through the summer months:

Sunday School will be offered for children, youth and adults.

There will be one adult class offered at 10 a.m. in room 211‐212. This 45 minute class will be refreshing! The

leadership will include the Sardis pastors, Sheri Joseph, Director of Transformative Operations at CMC, Linda

McKechnie, and Rev. Dr. Leighton Ford, President of Leighton Ford Ministries. Topics will vary.

Here is the 10 a.m. lineup:

Please add this 10 a.m. adult class to your summer Sundays. Inspiration, stimulation and fun are guaranteed.

Blessings,

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

9 a.m. Contemporary, Fellowship Hall · 11 a.m. Traditional, Sanctuary


Let’s Talk About Religion and Politics!

While it has been said that you shouldn’t discuss religion and politics in polite company, there is much in the Bible

and the legacy of the church that suggests otherwise. As a Christian people, flavored with the Reformed Tradition

of the Presbyterian Church, we have affirmed the sovereignty of God and we have declared that there is no arena

within human life that is outside the Lordship of Jesus Christ.

In this political season, if you are seeking a time for thoughtful reflection on the intersection of religion and

politics, plan to be part of four evening discussions this June titled, “Let’s Talk about Religion and Politics!” More

details will follow, but mark your calendars for gatherings on Wednesdays evenings: June 8, 15, 22, 29.

The proposed schedule will be:

June 8: How Does the Bible Talk About Religion and Politics?

June 15: How Does the Church Talk About Religion and Politics?

June 22: How Do We Talk to Each Other About Religion and Politics?

June 29: How Does Talk about Religion Transform Politics?

Children’s Music and Arts Camp

Mark your calendars and register! This summer the Music Ministry will be offering a Music and Arts Camp here at

Sardis for rising 2nd graders – 6th graders. This program will be a half–day camp from 9:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m.,

August 1 – 5. The children will explore singing, arts, crafts, and Bible stories during the week. They will present a

musical during the 11:00 worship service on August 7 to share with the church family all they have learned and

created.

Registration will open on May 16 and the cost is $40 per child. Volunteers and helpers are needed. Please contact

Kaitlyn or Jared if you would like to be involved or if you have any questions.


Come Sing in the Summer Choir!

This summer, we will be continuing our worship schedule offering two different styles of

worship. At 9 a.m., come and worship in the Fellowship Hall with our praise band, led by

Jacob. At 11 a.m., come and worship in the Sanctuary, and sing with the organ and piano

played by Kaitlyn. (July 3 will be an exception: combined worship at 10 a.m.).

Beginning June 17, the singing in our 11 a.m. worship service will be led by a “summer

choir.” Those who would like to sing on a given Sunday are invited to come and rehearse at

10 a.m. The music will be easy and fun to sing… No commitment necessary, just come when

you would like.

Please contact Jared if you have any questions at [email protected].



March Financial Highlights

Our Church Family

March March Expected This year so far This year so far expected

Pledges, gifts, and

other revenue $144,220.16 $157,633.99 $507,263.59 $544,287.55

Expenses $200,962.74 $197,700.78 $530,125.62 $535,127.45

Net Total ($56,742.58) ($40,066.79) ($22,862.03) $9,160.10

Annual Budget: $2,241,000

Our Christian Sympathy: to Chuck Polk upon the death of his mother, Patsy Polk; to the family of Moyer Ketchie;

to Mary Ellen Thomas upon the death of her brother, Bill Robison; to the family of Phil Adams; to Steve Seaborn

upon the death of his mother, Evelyn Seaborn; to the family of Steve Woodrow; to the family of Ruth Davis

Hazeltine; to Charlotte Lewis upon the death of her sister, Betty Newton; to Stephen Yount and Kirsta Norwood‐

Yount upon the death of their infant son, Easton James Yount; to Les Ingles upon the death of his brother,

Pat Ingles; and to Sallie Robinson upon the death of her father, Jim Robinson.

Congratulations: to Eleanor & Duncan Witte upon the birth of their granddaughter, Aurora MacLeod Kalin.

Session Highlights can be found at www.sardis.org under the News & Events tab.

Calling All High School and College Graduates

You have worked hard to reach this important milestone in your lives, and in the June article of

The Communicator, your church family would like to recognize your achievement

All December 2015 and May 2016 graduates should submit their information (including name, school and degree)

to [email protected] by May 18. Please accept our congratulations on this significant achievement!

Presbytery of Charlotte Meeting Volunteers

Sardis is hosting the Presbytery of Charlotte meeting on Tuesday, May 17, and we need your help! Come and show

our presbytery the hospitality and generosity we have here at Sardis. There are opportunities to serve during

registration, parking, greeting, and serving lunch. You can come for part of the day or the whole day.

If you are interested in volunteering, contact Max and Cindy McLeod at [email protected].

Church Office Closure

The Church Office will be closed Monday, May 23 from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. for an all‐staff meeting off

campus. The Administration Building will be inaccessible during this time.


A Change in Our Landscape

Sardis is rich in history, a history that is important to us all. We appreciate and embrace our history. In Sardis’ 226

years, its members have seen changes and growth, kept up with traditions, and started new ones. If you drive by

Sardis today, you may see a “new” view of the church. However, this view is not new, but a historical one.

On April 13, the website and weekly email announced that the Property Commission received and approved a

request to take down the magnolia tree on the lawn in front of the Sanctuary. A donation was made to cover the

cost, and the request was approved after research indicated the tree was not given in memory or honor of a

member or loved one. It was also discovered that the tree was not a part of our landscape when the current

sanctuary was built in 1960 (as evidenced by this 1961 photograph).

We have appreciated hearing about memories of the magnolia tree, as some members stopped by to clip branches

as keepsakes. Those memories remind us of the community Sardis members have created, the family we have here.

It is our hope, that with our historical view back, we can continue to grow and welcome our community into our

family.

February 1961

April 2016



Clothing Drive

Thank you Sardis members for cleaning out your closets

and generously donating your clothing to the spring

Clothing Drive. We delivered 49 large bags of clothes to

our neighbors at Crisis Assistance Ministry.

South Carolina Mission Trip Opportunity

Sardis has teamed up with Home Works of America to help those impacted

last October with the floods in South Carolina. We are looking to see who

would be interested at this time to take a team to Columbia October 21‐23.

This is a great mission opportunity for families with middle school aged

children and older.

We need all skill levels of volunteers to help repair homes. Many of these homes were impacted by the flooding

last year. Our next step would be to have a meeting in the next few weeks to answer questions and discuss more

details of travel. If you have interest in learning more about this opportunity, please contact Rob Brownlee at

[email protected] or 704.957.6882.

OFCB Student Sponsorship Drive a Success!

Thanks to all of you who helped make the student sponsorship drive for

Bayonnais a success. Sardis now sponsors about 80 students at the OFCB

School in Haiti. We are looking at the possibility of organizing a group

from Sardis to travel to Bayonnais from October 19‐26. We will be

holding a meeting within the next month to give more information about

this trip.

If you have interest in learning more about this opportunity, please

contact Brenda McKay at 704.544.7659 or [email protected].

Spaghetti Sauce Sundays

You donated over

58.6 pounds of

spaghetti sauce last

month to our

neighbors at Loaves

and Fishes. We

welcome your

donation of spaghetti

sauce (& pasta) this

Sunday, and every

Sunday, to benefit our

hungry neighbors.

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


The Son of Man came not to be served, but to serve. Lay Ministry Loaves & Fishes—Give the Gift of Hope

Loaves & Fishes provides a weekʹs worth of nutritious groceries to individuals and families in a short‐term crisis. It

also helps provide peace of mind for desperate parents to find a way out of no way. Because of you,

approximately 80,000 people received a weekʹs worth of nutritionally balanced meals in 2015; thatʹs enough

hungry people to fill the Carolina Panthers’ Bank of America Stadium! Your generosity makes sure each and every

person who comes to Loaves & Fishes is fed with dignity and respect.

During our March Food Drive, Sardis members contributed 800 pounds of food to Loaves & Fishes; let’s continue

to remember those in need of our assistance.

The second 2016 Sardis Food Drive for Loaves and Fishes will start on Sunday, May 8 when bags labeled with

priority needs will be available for pick‐up in the Gathering Place. Filled bags of non‐perishable food can then be

returned to the collection bins near the Library in the Education Building from May 8 ‐ 22. Priority needs include

canned meats, canned pasta, cereal, canned fruit, and 100% fruit juice (no glass).

A BOOK OF MY OWN!

Thank you, Sardis! Because of the generosity of individuals

and groups, we are able to provide three books for each of

the 675 students at Rama Road to take home this summer.

This will not only help them maintain their reading levels

during the summer, but will also encourage their reading

for pleasure.

Thank you again, Sardis, for your continued support of Rama Road Elementary School!

Give One Day

Over 160 Sardis members from three years to 83 years old came to the

Fellowship Hall Sunday April 17 to Give One Day of service. This year Sardis

hosted a meal packaging event with Stop Hunger Now. A sea of yellow “Sardis

Serves” shirts and hair nets provided great photos…Some said we

resembled the Minions from Despicable Me. After a quick lunch from the Fellowship Ministry, Sardis members rolled up

their sleeves and funneled, weighed, sealed and boxed 20,088 meals in less than

two hours. Thank you to everyone who gave their time and talents, especially

Alfredo Mendoza, who wins the award for the hardest worker in the building.

Alfredo not only set up the room, he helped unload the truck, participated in

the event and then helped load the truck and clean up. Alfredo is a wonderful

example of the giving spirit at Sardis, and we are so lucky to have him on staff.


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

Middle School Beach Retreat

On April 8‐10, 26 youth and five adult leaders traveled to North Myrtle

Beach for a weekend of fun, fellowship, worship, games, and devotions.

Our theme for the weekend was, “What’s Your Logo?”, and we looked at

how we can see a logo for a particular company and instantly know what

the company is known for. What do people see when they look at us? What

is the message we put out to the world? During large group activities and

small group discussions, we addressed this the whole weekend, trying to

figure out what our logos are. We also had plenty of time for games and

fellowship, and we enjoyed an afternoon on the cold beach. Everyone who

attended had a wonderful time exploring what our logos are and

strengthening our relationships with others.

Middle School Pancake

Breakfast Success

Thank you to everyone who helped make the Middle

School Pancake Breakfast Fundraiser a success on Palm

Sunday! People were streaming through the breakfast

all morning long, sitting and laughing with each other

over a cup of Starbucks coffee or a mound of bacon

from Stacks Kitchen.

The Middle School Ministry was able to raise money to

help our retreats and summer conferences be more

affordable for the youth and their families. Thank you

to everyone who helped plan and lead this event, as

well as all people who came through for a wonderful

breakfast!

Sardis Soup and Cookie Ministry

On Sunday, April 10, the High School Youth Ministry prepared soup and

cookies with Anne Sweeney for the Sardis Soup and Cookie Ministry. These

wonderful foods were then delivered to Sardis members who needed a quick visit

from their church. Six different church members were visited by the youth, with

each person expressing gratitude for the wonderful gift of company and a meal.

The High School Ministry is grateful for ways to serve our congregation and how

easy it is to connect with someone over a pot of soup and some cookies.

High School End of Year Party

The High School End of Year Party will be Sunday,

May 1 from 6:00‐7:30 p.m. in the Sardis House.

Parents are welcome to attend, as we watch a slide

show of what we have done this year, play games, and

dream for the future. Dinner will be served.

Upcoming Dates

May 1 High School End of Year Party

May 15 Rising 6th Grade Middle School Party

May 22 Last Middle School Sunday Night Fellowship

of the semester

We are also working on our summer schedules for

both high school and middle school youth. Join us for

service, fellowship, and study this summer!


“Let the little children come unto me.”

11

Cave Quest Vacation Bible School!

Vacation Bible School will run July 11 through July 15 this summer, from 9:00 a.m.‐12:00 p.m., and children will

lead the worship service at 9:00 a.m. on July 17. Mark your calendars now for this exciting week!

Cave Quest VBS will explore “Following Jesus: The Light of the

World”. It is a curriculum that focuses on the rock‐solid

foundation of God’s love, even in the dark times of our lives. We hope

you and your children will join us each day for science and art

activities, games and recreation, daily videos, storytelling, and music,

as we learn how Jesus gives us hope, courage, direction, love and

power!

Registration is now open at www.sardis.org, where you can

download “print and mail” forms, or register and pay online.

Please contact Rev. Katie Harrington ([email protected]) or Heather Eddy ([email protected])

with questions or to volunteer.

Sardis Weekday School News

Registration for our SWS Summer Camps is now open! We are so excited for all of the programs being offered

this summer. Dates and themes are as follows:

The camps run Tuesday‐Thursday, 9:30 a.m.‐ 1:00 p.m. There is a non‐refundable registration fee of $35 per child

for the summer. Each session is $85 per student. For more information, please contact Louise Lippi at

704.366.9681 or [email protected], as soon as possible to guarantee placement in your desired week(s) and

to get due dates for payments.

June 14‐16: Soccer Shots July 19‐21: Musikgarten

June 21‐23: Art Camp July 26‐28: Atomz Lab

June 28‐30: Play Spanish August 2‐4: Amazing Athletes

July 5‐7: Storytelling/Dramatics

A special thank you to the Consignment Sale

Ministry and for all the volunteers for yet

another very successful sale! We had a great

turnout, and we appreciate your support.

On May 4 and 5, Sardis Weekday School will celebrate mothers at a special Mother’s Day Tea for SWS moms.

The children are busy making special surprises for all the mothers, and it is surely an occasion which will delight

both mothers and children!

Four Year Old Graduation

is on Thursday, June 9.


The Communicator

Published monthly by

Sardis Presbyterian Church

6100 Sardis Road

Charlotte, NC 28270

www.sardis.org

Non‐Profit Org.

U.S. POSTAGE

PAID

Charlotte, NC

Permit #1059

Thank you to our Give One Day volunteers! You packaged 20,088 meals! Read more on page 9!

2016 May communicator

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