2016 april communicator

The Communicator ~ April 2016

A Publication of Sardis Presbyterian Church April 2016

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

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

Blessing of the Animals...Page SARDIS YOUTH...PAGE 6SARDIS YOUTH...PAGE 6 SPONSORSHIP DRIVE...PAGE 3SPONSORSHIP DRIVE...PAGE 3

APRIL 17

Join Sardis on April 17 for an incredible day

filled with serving others and fellowship.

Are you called to care? Get in on this opportunity to serve others for a few hours.

This year, we will be focusing on stopping hunger!

Sunday School at 9 A.M.

One Worship at 10 A.M.

Lunch at 11 A.M. in the Fellowship Hall (Donations Accepted)

Stop Hunger Now Project (Immediately Following Lunch)

This is an event for ALL ages! FAMILIES & INDIVIDUALS!

Sign up to help us feed 20,000 people at www.sardis.org or with your smart device now!

2 The Communicator ~ April 2016

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

April 19 Friendship Connection

Join this fellowship group for retirees on Tuesday, April 19 for guest speaker, Harry Tatum. Harry is a member of

Sardis and has turned his love of flying into a volunteer ministry. We will meet for lunch and fellowship at 11:00

a.m. in the Sardis House. Come and learn more about “Angel Flights”, “Young Eagle Flights”, and the rescue dog

ministry Harry has founded.

Reservations need to be made by noon on Friday, April 15. To make your reservation, register online at

www.sardis.org or call 704.926.1590. Questions? Contact Alice Johnson at [email protected] or 704.366.1854.

Women of Sardis Spring Dinner—May 3

Make your plans for our annual Women of Sardis Spring Dinner. The dinner will be on

Tuesday, May 3 at 6:00 p.m. Our guest speaker this year is our own Stacey Vanderwel, RD,

LDN (Registered Dietitian)! The cost will be $10.00 per person. You may register and pay

online at www.sardis.org or register by calling 704.926.1590.

Reservations need to be made by noon on Thursday, April 28. Questions? Contact

Rev. Alice Johnson at 704.366.1854 or [email protected].

Summer Fun for Kids!

Mark your calendars! This summer the Music Ministry will be offer‐

ing a Children’s Music Arts Camp here at Sardis for rising 2nd

graders‐6th grade. This opportunity will be a half‐day camp 9:00

a.m. ‐ 1:00 p.m., August 1 – 5. The children will explore singing,

arts, crafts, and Bible story times. Contact Kaitlyn or Jared if you

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

will open for this camp in May. The cost is $40 per child.

Sing in the Summer Choir

Would you like to be more involved

during worship? Beginning June 12, come

join Summer Choir anytime you are

available. We will gather Sundays at 10:00

a.m. for a rehearsal before the 11:00

worship services throughout the summer.

“Just Like You and Me”

On April 24, during the 11:00 a.m.

worship service, the Childrenʹs Choir will

lead worship with the musical, “Just Like

You and Me.” Come hear Bible stories

that teach us how God can use each and

everyone one of us in special ways for the

on‐going of His Kingdom.

Join the Young Adults Ministry at Sardis!

Calling all 20‐30 somethings, married or single, with no children!

There is a place for you at Sardis! We invite you to join Kaitlyn

Davros, Katie Harrington, and other young adults of Sardis at our

second meeting on Sunday, April 10 at 12:30 p.m. at Pizza Peel near

Cotswold. We will have a great time of Fellowship over a pizza

lunch.

Questions? Contact Kaitlyn Davros at 704.366.1854

or [email protected].

The Communicator ~ April 2016 3

Ministry is about life in Christ which affects everything we do. Church Life Haiti Sponsorship Drive and Guest Pastor

In a community where almost everybody is a subsistence farmer or where many

of the fathers have left to work in Brazil or Venezuela, how do you start in trying

to help? We in Charlotte worry about the lack of upward mobility, despite the

efforts of our government to boost people into the middle class, but in Bayonnais,

Haiti this is an almost universal problem, and there is no government support.

If you get up early in Bayonnais, go and look out across the mountains, you will see tiny streams of yellow and

blue as kids in uniform walk an hour or two down to the OFCB Ministries school. These children know that their

only hope for even a minimally improved life is through education and they are hungry for it.

A number of Sardis families already support a child in the OFCB school through monthly donations to World of

God. We will have an opportunity to swell that number on Sunday, April 10 when Pastor Actionnel Fleurisma and

Headmaster Kenold Decimus will be with us. The focus for that week will be on the preschool and kindergarten

kids, over 300 of whom do not yet have sponsors. Nobody at Sardis doubts the importance of an early childhood

development program; in Haiti, the benefit is magnified. There will be multiple displays and opportunities to learn

and participate, so please take time to consider the chance to help. It is so satisfying to hear how excited these

children are about learning when they write to their sponsors. On April 10, sign up to make a difference.

Welcome to our New Members!

Nikki & Will Vandiver April Wray Patsy Todd

Treble Trot 5K Fun Run

and Kid’s Dash

The run will kick off at 9:00 a.m. at the

Francis Property on Saturday, May 7.

This event will raise money to support

the Music Ministry’s Youth Music at

Sardis. Registration for the Fun Run

and Kid’s Dash will begin April 11. The

cost will be $25 for the Fun Run and $7

for the Kid’s Dash and will include a

t‐shirt. The event will conclude with a

time of fellowship and games. Please

Support our Youth Music here at

Sardis!

The Presbytery Needs You!

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, serving

lunch. You can come for part of the day or the whole day. Contact Max

and Cindy McLeod at [email protected] to join us!


Financial Highlights

Our Church Family

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

Sardis Gift Trust: Worship and Music Endowment

At the request of the Gift Trust Commission, the Sardis Session has established a new Worship and Music

Endowment. Currently a small fund, as it grows it will provide earnings to support our Worship and Music

programs beyond needs provided in the annual budget. We all love worship and music at Sardis and want to

support it. Memorials, bequests, and planned giving instruments can be designated to grow this fund. In

addition, gifts during our lifetimes are welcome as a way to provide for the future of worship and music at Sardis.

If you feel pulled to give to this new endowment, feel free to contact Ed Shoaf, Chair of the Gift Trust, Jennifer

Childers, Director of Administration, or email [email protected]. We thank you for considering this fund as a

way to leave a legacy to Sardis.

A Note from Sardisʹ Visioning Task Force

We would like to thank the congregation for your enthusiasm and willingness to share thoughts, concerns and

dreams for the future of our church. The congregational survey closed with 50% participation—fantastic, according

to our consulting group! Focus groups were comprised of a sample of several different groups within Sardis: adult

Sunday School classes, MSGs, parents of young families, new members, staff, choir and High School youth. We are

looking forward to a Session retreat this month, where we will review the results of the visioning report and

further define the vision for the future of Sardis. A more detailed update is available to view in the latest news on

the church website, and we look forwarded to providing additional updates along the way.

Remember, the Church office will be closed from noon‐1 p.m. daily for lunch.

Our Christian Sympathy: to Kathy Cathey upon the death of her father, Frank Bonner; to Walt Donham upon the

death of his wife, Trudy Donham; to Kathy Cross upon the death of her mother, Pat Wells; to Bob Ewing upon the

death of his mother, Margaret Ewing; to Rev. Dr. J. Thomas Kort upon the death of his mother, Pauline Kort; to the

family of Sidney Crowder; to Tom Carmichael upon the death of his sister, Mary Faulkner; to John Carriker, Jr.

upon the death of his sister, Betty Clark, and the death of his brother, Donald Carriker; and to the family of Edith

Cooke.

February February Expected This year so far This year so far expected

Pledges, gifts, and

other revenue $130,518.58 $144,333.99 $363,043.43 $386,653.56

Expenses $167,864.06 $168,225.89 $329,162.88 $337,426.67

Net Total ($37,345.48) ($23,891.90) $33,880.55 $49,226.89

Annual Budget: $2,241,000


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

Haiti Mission Project for Children

On April 10, we will have a special service centered around our ministry in Haiti. During the worship service we

will be lifting up those who are sponsoring children in that country. As part of the worship service, we are looking

for children to carry in large pictures of the sponsored children at the beginning of worship.

If your child would like to participate in this procession, please let Renda Brinson know by calling 704.366.1854 or

emailing [email protected]. We would love to have every child in our congregation be part of this special

worship service. We need lots of children, so please sign them up today!

Crisis Assistance Ministry Clothing Drive

It is time to clean out those closets again and donate the clothing you no longer wear to

Crisis Assistance Ministry. Sardisʹ Spring Clothing Drive is underway. Just bring your

clothes and drop them in the collection bins in the hallway by the Library the Education

Hall by April 3. You will be helping those less fortunate to have warm weather clothes to

wear as we move into the spring and summer.

A Thank You From Rama Road Elementary’s Mrs. Long

“As a teacher, I have always viewed my job as a ministry. While I love

my job, I am often in need of help. For the past four years YOU, the

members of Sardis, have helped me in my ministry. Thank you for your

support. You have made it possible for me and my fellow teachers to

accomplish so much more. You are fulfilling God’s command to serve.”

Why do I pledge to Sardis? Chuck McKay

Members here at Sardis give for countless reasons: their family has been here for three or more generations, their

children went through confirmation class here, as well as many other great reasons. Brenda and I are a “first

generation” family at Sardis and are now empty nesters, but in the nine years of being members here we have been

enriched by a wonderful congregation of fellow believers. Above everything else though, is our involvement in the

mission to Bayonnais, Haiti through Sardis . This has given special meaning and purpose to our lives that will

never stop. We would have never discovered this calling if it had not been for some special faithful members of

Sardis and the support of the Session through the Mission Interpretation Ministry for this great cause.

Members of Sardis continue to generously give special gifts to sponsor students at the school as well as support the

clinic at Bayonnais, but underlying this has been continued and critical financial support through “Missions” that

could not happen without regular giving by Sardis members. By making an annual pledge to Sardis, I know that

the Mission Interpretation Ministry can, with confidence, make an annual budget so they can continue to give to

the OFCB Ministries in Haiti as well as many other worthwhile missions that we at Sardis support.


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

High School Ski Retreat

The High School Ski Retreat was held on Friday,

February 26 and Saturday, February 27 at Winterplace

Ski Resort in West Virginia. This retreat was originally

scheduled for January, but Winter Storm Jonas blew

through and pushed us back a month. On Saturday, 21

youth and four adults braved the slopes all day after

having a devotion on Friday night. The devotion was

about how we spend our time vs. our priorities in our

lives and how we need to get the two more in line with

each other. With no injuries, we are excited to begin

planning for the 2017 Ski Retreat!

Middle School to Bright Blessings

On Sunday, March 13, the Middle School youth

traveled to Bright Blessings for a night of serving with

this organization. Bight Blessings makes sure each

child, especially in light of financial difficulty, has the

opportunity to have a birthday party. They host parties

at their facilities as well as make sure children can have

something in the classroom. The middle school youth

assisted with wrapping birthday gifts and organizing

party supplies. They also stuffed handmade pillows.

They were glad they could support this local ministry!

High School to Plantation Estates

The High School Youth Ministry traveled to Plantation

Estates on Sunday, March 13 for a night of Bingo with

the residents. Everyone had a good time as we spent

the evening in fellowship with another generation,

laughing and enjoying each other’s company. We are

blessed that we have this opportunity to visit our

neighbors in Plantation Estates and spend an evening

playing Bingo with them!

Youth Sunday

Youth Sunday was on Sunday, March 6 and the youth

led all aspects of worship for both the 9 and 11 a.m.

worship services. Maddie DeCramer, Maddie

Muldoon, and Clay Sellers delivered wonderful

messages to the congregation about how we need to

find our place in the Body of Christ and how God will

use our gifts and abilities. Over 50 youth participated

in the two worship services, once again bringing

God’s word to life for us.

Upcoming Dates

April 3 Middle School Body Image Workshop

April 3 High School Gender Dinners

April 8‐10 Middle School Beach Retreat

April 24 High School Senior Roast

In addition to these special dates, we will continue to

offer our regular Sunday Night Fellowship and mid‐

week programs that offer us a time to study the Bible

and how it impacts us today.


“Let the little children come unto me.”

7

Sardis

Weekday School

Updates

Registration for our SWS Summer Camps are now open for current students! 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 due by March 24. Each session is $85 per student, and balances must be paid in full by May 2.

Registration opens for the public on April 11. For more information, please contact Louise Lippi at 704.366.9681

or [email protected].

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

The Sardis Weekday School Room In The Inn Drive was a

success! The SWS children did a great job collecting much needed

supplies for Urban Ministry’s Room In The Inn! Thank you to all

who supported their RITI drive by donating socks, combs,

toothbrushes, and toothpaste!

Join us! There are still openings for the ‘16‐’17 school

year. All classes have a five‐day option! SWS will

begin on August 29, and will end on June 9—just like

CMS. For more information, contact Louise Lippi at

704.366.9681 or [email protected].

Thanks! PAC would like to thank all who shopped

the book fair and made it a success! The Sardis

Weekday School Consignment Sale committee thanks

all of the volunteers and shoppers! It was another

successful sale, and we appreciate the support!

Focus on Faith and Sexuality Class

Registration for Focus on Faith and Sexuality is now open. This class is for 5th and 6th grade students and will be

held on April 22‐23. This is a Parent/Youth event with have separate and joint sessions. We will examine

human sexuality based on our understanding of God. This workshop is not limited to members of our

congregation, so invite your friends. Contact Renda Brinson at [email protected] or 704.926.1585 for

registration information.

Vacation Bible School!

We are beginning our plans for our annual week of summer fun. It will be the week of July 11‐15 with the children

leading in worship on Sunday, July 17. If there is an area in which you’d like to volunteer, please let Renda

Brinson know, and we’ll sign you up.

This year we hope to not turn away a single child from our church or community due to a shortage of volunteers.

Help us to reach this goal! Volunteer today! Contact Renda at [email protected] or 704.926.1585.


The Communicator Published monthly by Sardis Presbyterian Church 6100 Sardis Road Charlotte, NC 28270 www.sardis.org

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2016 april communicator

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