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

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.

Thank you for engaging with our Reverse Advent Calendar this Advent season. We hope your family was able to come together in prayer, reflection, and giving back this holiday season. The donations collected for our neighbors at the Salvation Army Women's Shelter of Charlotte are due this Sunday, January 7. You may drop-off your donations on the blue shelves in the Missions Corner of the Gathering Place.

All Youth grades 6-12 are invited to spend the weekend together in Montreat, NC. We will play, learn, study scripture, pray, sleep, eat, bond, and plan Youth Sunday. If you plan to participate in Youth Sunday this year, please prioritize attending this retreat! Register online here or bring a check by the church office by Sunday, January 7. Questions? Contact Betsy Kelly.

Our Room In The Inn (RITI) will run through March 2024. Room In The Inn is a Charlotte-wide ministry through Roof Above where churches and volunteers help provide shelter, food, and friendship for our neighbors experiencing homelessness in the winter months. Sardis is partnering with three other congregations to host our neighbors in the Sardis House three nights a week January-March and on Thursdays in December. We need folks to provide a meal on the nights Sardis hosts as well as make lunch bags and make the beds ahead of time. This is a great way to serve together with RITI and involve young children, youth, or multiple generations of your family. Sign up here!

Sardis Presbyterian Church is proud to sponsor our next blood drive with the American Red Cross on January 14 at 8:00 a.m. - 12:30 p.m. If you are eligible, please come out to donate. Most donations take about an hour, so please book your appointment, roll up your sleeve and become a part of the lifesaving mission of the Red Cross and Sardis. Click here to schedule your appointment.

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.

Thank you to everyone who provided a meal for WAM and Youth Group in 2023! Support is needed for 2024 as we try to feed up to 60 people every Sunday evening! Spots for Sunday night meal servers have been added to our Sign Up Genius. Our servers don't have to worry about providing food - servers just arrive at 5:45 p.m. to help serve dinner to the WAMmers and Youth, and stick around through clean-up if they are able! 

We also still have a need for volunteers to host dinner (providing food). Click here to visit the Sign Up Genius to sign up for an opportunity to make an impact in the children and youth ministries.

We are in need of some wonderful volunteers to help staff the nursery during our 9a.m. and 11 a.m. services. Your help is so appreciated! 

Interested in volunteering? Be sure to watch our Child Protection Training video here, and then fill out the agreement and quiz here. Once that's been completed, you can select dates and times that are available on our SignUpGenius . 

Questions or need assistance signing up? Contact Amanda Hooks at 704-787-5353.

After 14 years of dedicated service at Sardis Presbyterian Church, Robin Medlock, Executive Assistant to the Senior Pastor, is embarking on a new and exciting chapter in her life. We are incredibly grateful for her service to the congregation and unwavering support of the Sardis staff over the years! When she approached us in October about transitioning to her next adventure, she graciously agreed to stay throughout several maternity leaves and other transitions at the end of 2023, demonstrating her unwavering commitment to our staff and congregation.

Our spring program guide is now available! The guide covers Bible studies, fellowship, and mission opportunities for all ages from January - May. There is something for everyone! View the guide online or pick up your copy from the welcome tables in the Narthex or Gathering Place, or in the church office.

Our Sympathy: to the family of Ronald Dennis.

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.

Beginning on January 10/11 (through February 28/29) David Bolls will be leading a study of How the Early Church Came to Be what it was and believe what it did in its first 500 years or so. Explore early Christian theology derived from the Old Testament with a different theological theme or topic each week—and sometimes the opposing views that got designated as heresies! The same class will be taught with two options to attend:

• Wednesdays at 7:00 p.m.
• Thursdays at 10:00 a.m.

Both in Room 210 and on Zoom.

This study will start back on January 9. This group will meet in Room 210 from 10:00 - 11:30 a.m. each Tuesday. We will be reading and studying three of Paul's letters - Galatians, Colossians, and Titus.

We are planning a special class

comparing the basic beliefs of Christianity, Judaism, and Islam on April 23.

Contact Renda Brinson with questions.

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!

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