01
Sep 2018
Sardis doesn’t just want walkers and donations for the 2018 CROP Walk! We want our community to immerse itself in issues related to hunger. So we’re inviting you to participate in the 2018 Sardis CROP Challenge. Here’s how it works: Everyone at Sardis (and friends, too!) are invited to see if they can earn 100 challenge points. Points can be earned in the following ways: ● 25 points – Walk in CROP Walk. Register Here. ● Receive 1 point for every dollar donated up to $25 ● Receive 25 points for every......
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12
Aug 2018
Join us Sunday, August 12th for our annual Communion Brunch. At Sardis, we believe the sharing of Communion is the most tangible act of hospitality. Ours is a table where everyone is welcome: Protestant, Catholic, Baptist, Recovering Baptist; Confident, Doubting, Happy, Sad, Young, Old, Somewhere in between…No matter! You are welcome at God’s table. And you are welcome each and every time we gather. Once a year, we make the meal the entire focus of our Sunday worship. We gather a little early (10:30 a.m.), and we share a potluck brunch. As......
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07
Aug 2018
We’ve been programmed to remember the Last Supper as the First Communion. And it was in a formal sense. But in reality, that kind of meal was nothing new. Jesus offered Communion everywhere he went. Jesus saw every gathering as a potential table. And he understood humanity’s need for constant refueling. I think what separated Jesus from others, was his concern for marginalized persons — Where were their tables? Where were their sources of community? Where was their source of refreshment for the heart, for the soul, for the body, for the......
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05
Aug 2018
Join us for the third installment of Camp Sardis, our abridged version of Vacation Bible School. Adults and children of all ages are invited to a 90-minute exploration of the story of Ezekiel and the Valley of the Dry Bones. There will be story-telling, a science experiment, crafts and activities, singing, and snacks (duh!). So bring your child-like exuberance, and help us hear the old, old story in a new way. Dress comfortably. Be ready to sing. Expect Tang!...
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31
Jul 2018
Worship never looks the same at Sardis. Literally. Each week, we tailor our meetinghouse to match specific themes. Sometimes those themes mimic the liturgical calendar: Lent, Advent, World Communion and All Saints Sundays. Other times the themes are more topical: The meaning of Freedom, graduations, and harvest to name a few. These themes are most pronounced in our worship displays. Below is a summary of recent themes. We hope you’ll take time to notice “what you see” the next time you worship with us. The Meaning of Freedom: July is a month......
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24
Jul 2018
May God’s Spirit swirl all around you And leave you with a grin And may that grin turn into a smile And may that smile turn into an act of kindness And together, we will be a chorus of love Empowered to be the hands of Christ in our community Go now with God’s blessing And in God’s peace Over the past few months, several people have asked me where our weekly benediction comes from. I wrote it. And since you asked, I’ll tell you how it came about. In all the......
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02
Jul 2018
One January Sunday morning a few years ago (my first at Sardis), we were scheduled to have a baptism. And while all baptisms are different, there is generally one requirement that supersedes all others: a source of water. During the week, I readied the meetinghouse, and on Friday, I filled up the baptismal to ensure it had plenty of time to warm up for Sunday morning. Feeling confident we were all set for our service, I went home to enjoy the weekend. At 8:00 am on Sunday morning I got a frantic......
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21
Jun 2018
Dear Senators Burr and Tillis: As a young person, I was always interested in history. And while many historical events have impacted my understanding of the world, two stand out. The first is the Civil Rights Movement, and particularly the use of fire hoses and police dogs to deter, humiliate, and dehumanize the school children of Birmingham. I know this happened. I’ve seen the pictures, and I’ve read the accounts. But I’ve still never been able to really believe that people could be so cruel. And I’ve never been able to believe......
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19
Jun 2018
It’s not an understatement to say that prayer, especially spoken prayer, can be awkward. What do I say? How do I say it? Which things should we pray for, and which things should we keep to ourselves? One of the things we try to do at Sardis is to make prayer feel comfortable. But admittedly, it may feel awkward before it feels comfortable. We aren’t a huge congregation. That means you don’t have to call the church office 48 hours in advance of the next worship service to ensure a deacon or......
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11
Jun 2018
I want to tell you a story about a church as it nears its thirtieth birthday. It’s a healthy church, or at least, it fits my definition of healthy. Its debts are paid. All of them. It owns its building and property outright. Its budget is met faithfully every year. Its committees have been filled with relative ease. It has five staff members, all devoted and called to its mission, and all collegial – actually better than collegial – friends who love and respect one another, and challenge one another, too. It......
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