Missions Ministry at Sardis Presbyterian

August 2023

Current Opportunities

Families Forward Charlotte Family Success Program Family Liaison Mentors

Rama Backpack Program

Hospitality Help at Rama

Rama Homework Helpers

Rama Math Heart Tutoring

Changing Lives

Rise Against Hunger Meals Have Shipped

Pool For School Tools Drive Success

300 Sandwiches Made for Roof Above

Charlotte Family Housing Volunteer Day

What's Coming Up?

Habitat for Humanity Rock the Block

American Red Cross Blood Drive

CROP Hunger Walk

Presbyterian Disaster Assistance Mission Trip

Your Sardis Missions Ministry continues to create various work opportunities through the fall and into next year for Sardis Serves Together involving everyone - all ages, and all abilities. We hope you'll find one or more places to use your time and ability to show your Christian belief to love thy neighbor by word and by action. As you know, the gift of giving is the gift you receive.

Rama Backpack Program Deliveries

The Rama Road Backpack program is looking for volunteers and/or substitutes to pick up weekend food backpacks at Second Harvest Food Bank, then deliver them to Rama Road Elementary School during the school year for students. Our volunteers/substitutes serve one designated Thursday each month…amount of time involved is 1 ½ hours. For more information contact Alma Jo Langston, 704-519-9079.

“Taking the five loaves and the two fish…He gave thanks and broke the loaves…So they all ate and were filled.”

Hospitality Help at Rama

Rama Partnership, or Planting Seeds of Hope, begins another school year and we are looking for volunteers to help. We are mainly looking for folks to help with hospitality type events as we support the teachers and staff. There are also many other opportunities to get involved. Let us see if we can find the right fit for you to meet your interests and time availability. Please contact Susan Aulebach for more information.

Helping and Having Fun

The new school year is upon us which means there’s an opportunity for us to volunteer to help a 1st or 2nd grader at Rama Road Elementary School with their literacy, reading and reading comprehension once a week. Sardis Homework Helpers show up at Rama either on Tuesday or Thursday afternoons, from 2:30 to 4:00. We spend time out on the playground; we share a snack together; and we read and write together. We learn about and from each other. The commitment this coming year is from mid-October to the December break and it picks up again for March and April, 2024. If you are interested in learning more or volunteering, please don’t hesitate to contact Pam Stirling. Don’t think you’ll be sorry you did!

Math Heart Tutoring at Rama

Support a child at Rama Road Elementary during the 2023/24 school year with only 1 hour per week! Heart Math Tutoring trains and supports volunteers as tutors to work one-on-one with students to build foundational math skills and confidence! With the support of an on-site coordinator, volunteers use an easy-to-follow, proven curriculum featuring hands-on activities and games. Volunteers work with the same student(s) all year building a relationship and strengthening skills. Click here to sign up to volunteer and select your day and time for Rama Road Elementary or email Mary Lauren Bishop with questions.

Changing Lives

Meals Packaged at the Rise Against Hunger Experience Have Shipped!

At this moment, the healthy meals Sardis members packed during our June Sardis Serves Together event are on their way to a community in the Philippines in urgent need of nutrition. To address some of the food security challenges families and communities in the Philippines face, Rise Against Hunger partners with organizations providing meals in educational settings that support health and livelihood training. This is a key part of Rise Against Hunger’s Nourishing Lives pathway. The meals you packaged will help ensure that people have access to the consistent nourishment they need to live healthy lives, while also creating opportunities to learn valuable skills and trades that will serve their families for years to come. Read more about the impact your meals are making by checking out this story on the Rise Against Hunger blog!

Pool For School Tools Helps Rama Teachers Get Ready for a Successful School Year

Rama teachers and staff wanted to thank Sardis for all the school supplies collected during our pool for school tools drive. Thanks to your donations and those of another school partner, each teacher was able to “shop” for pencils, crayons, markers, glue sticks and much more. One veteran teacher, new to Rama this year, commented how she had never been so well taken care of at any of her other schools. It’s wonderful to know that each and every student will have all the tools they need to have a successful school year. Thank you Sardis!

300 Sandwiches Made For Roof Above

Thank you to everyone of all ages who came together during the intergenerational Sunday School opportunity on August 6 to make sandwiches and pack lunch bags for Roof Above. Another thanks to all of you who support the mission work of Sardis through annual giving, you made this event possible. 300 sandwiches (150 complete lunch bags) were made for Roof Above in record time! This will help them with a summer shortage. The lunches were delivered, and much gratitude was received from the Roof Above staff. If you would like to serve lunch at Roof Above on the fourth Saturday of the month, from 10:00 a.m. - 12:15 p.m., please contact Brenda McKay.

Charlotte Family Housing Volunteer Day Builds Shed and Relationships

Thank you to the Sardis volunteers who participated in the Charlotte Family Housing Volunteer Day! Volunteers were able to learn more about the CFH 90 day transition from homelessness to housing program for Mecklenburg families. Did you know CFH Has a 98% success rate of all families staying housed? Volunteers were also able to take on a budgeting challenge with tough choices that CFH families face every day while trying to provide a home for their families.

Volunteers built a shed for the many toys Sardis members donated for the children at CFH along with putting together the toys: soccer nets and balls, Razor scooters, slides, bats, balls, bubble blowers, and more! Rocking chairs for the porch were also put together, and volunteers installed path lights along the walkways.

It was an incredible opportunity to see our Sardis Serves Together projects in action!

Coming Up...

September 23: Rock the Block

Save the date! Adults and youth 16+ (with an adult present) are invited to step into a day of community unity with Greater Matthews Habitat for Humanity's Rock the Block on September 23! This volunteer-driven initiative is about more than home improvements; it's about sparking a neighborhood revolution where our volunteer teams come together to assist limited-income homeowners with exterior maintenance and landscaping needs in the Rainbow Ridge Community. We'll roll up our sleeves to enhance the neighborhood's aesthetic and foster a spirit of unity. More information to come!

October 15: Blood Drive

Sardis Presbyterian Church is proud to sponsor our next blood drive with the American Red Cross on October 15, 2023 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.

November 12: CROP Hunger Walk

Save the date for this year’s CROP Hunger Walk! All ages and abilities are invited to join us on Sunday, November 12 for lunch, walk, and fun activities! Worship at 9:00 & 11:00 and enjoy the informational Sunday School class at 10:00. CROP Hunger Walk activities will begin at 12:00 p.m. Plan to join the team for this opportunity to make a big impact!

March 3-9, 2024: Presbyterian Disaster Assistance Mission Trip

March 3-9, 2024, we will be teaming up with Trinity Presbyterian Church to serve together at the Presbyterian Disaster Assistance site in Calvert City, KY to help repair and rebuild from tornado and flood damage. Adults and college students will be invited to participate. More information soon to come!

Sardis Presbyterian Church | www.sardis.org