22
Feb 2021
CROSS OF MANY COLORS For the next seven weeks, as you drive by Sardis Road, we hope you’ll notice our very special Lenten cross. Every few days, our cross will be adorned with a new strip of fabric, not the standard purple you see in most years. You’ll notice a transition from darker colors to lighter colors. We’re putting a focus on finding life in as many places as we can, and we hope the changing colors will remind you of God’s presence in every season. The coloring of our cross is......
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22
Feb 2021
Lent 2021 No matter the season, here’s what we know: 1) We are called to be a chorus of love 2) We are determined to reclaim our connection to the divine in positive and life-giving ways 3) We find our vitality (assert it, even!), together, in the beloved community In this Lenten season, we are challenged by symbols new and old: the cross, the (Zoom) grid, and the mask. On Ash Wednesday, a coal-colored cross compels us to confront our mortality. And too often, we are told that Jesus died for us,......
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23
Dec 2020
CHRISTMAS EVE VIRTUAL SERVICE Thursday, December 24th @ 5:00 p.m. (Or at a time of your own choosing) The 2020 Sardis Baptist Church Christmas Eve Service will “premier” on Facebook Live on Thursday 12/24 @ 5:00 p.m. To view this service, simply click on the Facebook link below. This will take you to the Sardis Facebook Page, and in the feed of the page, you should find the video. (Note: you do NOT have to have a Facebook account to view the video). If you have a Facebook account, we encourage you......
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18
Nov 2020
The 2020 Sardis Baptist Church Advent Calendar is here: Advent Calendar 2020 If you prefer to use a virtual version, check Facebook or Instagram for daily images beginning Sunday 11/29. We hope you will have an Advent full of discernment that leads to revelations of hope, peace, joy, and love in the coming Christmas Season....
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21
Sep 2020
Wait For It When I was thirteen, the days seemed so much longer, and the school year seemed like a decade. I desperately wanted a five-o’clock shadow (still hasn’t happened, thankfully!), and to be a few inches taller. And I remember so many people, especially adults, saying, “Don’t worry, you won’t be thirteen forever!” I found a lot of solace in watching The Wonder Years, because Kevin Arnold seemed to be able to sum up my frustrations so well. The adults were right. In time, many of my concerns faded. But that......
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01
Sep 2020
Staying Connected: Part Two So…we’re 25 weeks into virtual worship and programming with Zoom as our primary platform. Here’s the first in a series of random thoughts about Zoom-a-zoom-zooming: The Theological Crux of Password Protection We seek to be a welcoming community. For in-person worship, or any activity, all persons are welcome, not only to be seated, but to partake in our table, and to be fully-vested participants. We wanted to model that hospitality virtually. When we began Zoom worship we didn’t use a password or enact a waiting room. And we......
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31
Aug 2020
Staying Connected: Part One Our church is not averse to technology, but we’ve also never been forced to be reliant on technology. Our building is small enough that it doesn’t need a sound system, and our ministry model is not dependent on reach and frequency. In many ways, A/V equipment, streaming components, and extensive IT infrastructure seemed too excessive: investment in these things would divert dollars from tangible ministries and services. And besides, the simplicity of our style always felt like a Sabbath from the complexity of the secular world. And then......
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24
Aug 2020
Stop saying, “They didn’t teach me that in seminary.” Seminaries (and all institutions of learning) don’t exist to predict future events; they work to equip students for the challenges of an unpredictable future. No, as a student at Wake Forest Divinity School, I never had a class that covered the specifics of a pandemic that couldn’t have been imagined. They also never said anything about what to do when the baptismal breaks on Sunday morning, or how to liquidate the assets of an estate left by a congregant, or which rubber stopper......
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24
Aug 2020
A Small Parish Approach to Corona So…I am writing again. In this strange age of Corona, I have seen so many people writing about what it’s like to be church (and Church!) in these crazy times, and what’s it’s like to be a pastor. And don’t get me wrong, I appreciate all of these perspectives, I really do. It takes courage to put yourself out there. But so often, when I read content relating to congregational ministry, I struggle to find resonance. Most content, whether it’s from seminaries, denominational bodies, clergy bloggers,......
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10
Aug 2020
Hello, Everyone. Now more than ever, we must respond to inequities in our communities. One of the most glaring examples is hunger — nearly one in four NC school children are food insufficient, meaning they don’t know where their next meal will come from. With the long-term effects of the Covid-19 pandemic, this will only get worse. Sardis Baptist Church is forming a team to walk in the 2020 Charlotte CROP Hunger Walk to help raise funds for the prevention of food insecurity. The virtual walk will be held on Sunday October......
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