Worshipers come forward during the first song/hymn and place their 5-cents offerings in the baskets located next to the Communion table. Click here for more on how this offering helps support our hunger programs.

Rev. Katherine B. Harrington
It is estimated that the average adult makes about 35,000 choices every day, but how often do we choose God? In Joshua 24, Joshua and his family choose to serve God. Who are we going to serve? On this Commitment Sunday, we will have the opportunity to choose to serve God with our pledges to this church and to commit to choosing to serve God in all that we do, each and every day.

by Gail Richardson, Preschool Director

Palmer is one of those talented, generous, kind people who gets things done and wants no recognition. He built bookshelves for the preschool classrooms, built blocks with the leftover wood and just recently built a balance toy for the playground.  By the looks on the children's faces and the laughter on the playground, his talent and time were much appreciated by us all. Thank you for being so helpful!

by John Bobrink

November 12th is Commitment Sunday. Please get your pledge in by this Sunday. If you can’t, then do it as quickly as possible. Be a part of our Thriving in 2024!! We are moving forward and want everyone to be involved at some level. Prayerfully consider where you and your family can be a part of this journey and step forward!!

In the meantime, check out this week’s stewardship video of one of our great youth members, Sarah Johnson, as she tells us how SACPC has made a difference in her life.

by Sue McCaffray

Join us for an exciting night with nationally known, award-winning author and military historian, Wilbur Jones. Wilbur is a Wilmington native and will speak about his experiences as a child here on the home front, including what life was like and what citizens endured during World War II. Wilbur is a lifelong SACPC member, and his wartime experiences led him to the idea of making Wilmington America’s first WWII Heritage City, which he finally achieved in 2020. Join us in the Chapel on November 15th after dinner from 6:30 pm - 7:30 pm. This program will conclude our POPS events for the Fall.

by Jen Phelps

Join Jen in the Dining Room while the kids are at The HUB to talk about teen mental health (the big ask after our mental health night at The HUB in October) and anything else about our Youth Ministry.  November 15th from 7:00 pm - 8:00 pm.

by Catheryn Thomas

The children with C.I.S. (Communities in Schools) are in our gym every Tuesday afternoon, playing basketball, dodgeball, golf, and generally running around having fun. But that makes them hungry! We are low on snacks and would appreciate donations of individually packaged chips, crackers, cookies; also juice boxes and water bottles. Please consider donations for our community kids on a regular basis throughout the year. You can bring items to the C.I.S. bin in the kitchen prep room. THANKS!

by Jane Smith

NOTE: The Dementia Conference announced last week will now be held on February 10, 2024. In order to provide the best possible programming for attendees, the organizers needed to make this change.We'll be announcing more as we get closer to the conference. But for now, get your calendars out and change the date!

We are hosting, in conjunction with the Area Agency on Aging, a conference that will provide attendees with a better understanding of dementia and how best to walk alongside both caregivers and those who suffer from this debilitating disease. Several of us attended a similar conference recently--and learned so much! More information will be posted as we finalize plans; for now, mark the date on your calendar and plan to join us in Brown Hall from 10:00 am - 2:00 pm that day.  Lunch will be provided.

by Education Sector, Earth Care Team

Currently, in the U.S. about 40% of food that is produced is lost to waste.  Most of the waste ends up in landfills where it converts into methane gas. Methane gas is 30x more hazardous to our climate ills than carbon oxides. The four primary reasons for food waste in the US are:

The good news is that in 2016, New Hanover County began the process of composting food waste to divert as much as possible from the landfill. In 2017, “Huckleberry” an innovative “in-vessel” composting system was purchased and began operation. It now turns the food waste of participant locations into nutrient-rich compost. Residents must deliver their food waste separately to this location for it to be processed as compost. The process is very easy. Click here to learn more.

The compost is made available, free of charge, to county residents.  This system has become a model of climate change innovation for municipalities throughout the nation. The compost can be obtained by calling (910) 798-4400 to make an appointment with the County Landfill’s Composting Department.  Another encouraging recent development is that the methane gas from this process is now sold to Piedmont Natural Gas.

New Hanover County residents can do their part by taking their food waste directly to the Huckleberry (5210 Highway 421 North) or by using one of the four drop-off sites that host the HazWagon. The HazWagon locations take the collected food to the Huckleberry. The times and sites are:

Ogden Park
Mondays, 10:0 am - 2:00 pm

Wrightsville Beach Municipal Complex
Wednesdays, 10:00 am - 2:00 pm

Carolina Beach Mike Chappel Park (across from tennis courts)
Fridays, 10:00 am - 2:00 pm

Kure Beach Town Hall
FIRST Saturdays of each month, 10:00 am-2:00 pm

Additionally, there are private companies that pick up food waste, providing the closed containers,  from individual homes and businesses for a fee. Please prayerfully consider using one of these options to benefit our good Earth and all of God’s living creatures. 

by Gary Smith

You are invited to participate in two Unity Church Builds. The Wall Raising for the first home is on Saturday, December 2nd, 2023, at Legacy Landing. Construction will continue Wednesday, Thursday, and Saturday until December 21st. The team will take a break for the holiday and resume on Saturday, January 6th, 2024. The second Unity Church Build will begin on January 6, 2024. Below are links for signing up to help. Adult Application:  Minor Application: 

by Gary Smith

Our next ramp build is on Saturday, November 18th on Monterey Drive. If you are available to help, please call Palmer Sineath at 910-622-4040.

The Session met on October 23rd, 2023. The meeting started by taking a guided walking tour of our Church and the surrounding property. Our tour began in the Memorial Garden and it was an educational experience to learn more about SACPC's facility history.

Attendance, baptisms, and new members are all items reviewed during our Session meetings. SACPC continues to trend upwards with attendance compared to the same period in 2022.  New members continue to join the church and people are expressing interest in how to become involved in the life of the church.

Following up on our session retreat (held in late September), we discussed moving forward with three goals for 2024:

1) Have three Unity Services in 2024, led by the Worship Team.

2) Begin a "courageous conversations" series in session planned and scheduled by session committee chairs.

3) Hold a Community Service Fair to be coordinated by Go and Serve.

Elder Kathy Denlinger shared an educational opportunity to learn about the identification and prevention of child sexual abuse.  Also, an Earth Care Team has been established, more to come on this.

At each session meeting an elder shares a devotional.  In October, Lisa Bohbrink shared.  As always, we closed by praying for those who are sick and in need of prayer.

Our next session meeting will be on November 27th, 2023.

Our high school seniors gather to get through the year together.It’s Friendsgiving - don’t forget to bring a dish to share.See Jen Phelps for the address and more details.

Rehearsals are underway.  Children in grades K - 5th are encouraged to attend. For more details and info on how to participate contact Cindy at CLitzinger@sacpc.org.

Dinner is from 5:30 pm - 6:30 pm. The menu this Wednesday is Caesar salad, stroganoff meatballs with herb-buttered egg noodles, steamed cauliflower and broccoli, rolls, and cupcakes. Cost is $25/family, $7/adult, $5/under 12.

Calling all rhythm rebels, beat busters, and groove gurus! Join us on Nov 8 at 6:30 pm in Brown Hall for our SACPC Drum Circle.  

We will have fun learning and connecting through playing a variety of drums.  No prior drumming experience is required.  We promise you won’t be judged for your lack of rhythm or your advanced years.  We believe that drumming is a universal language that transcends age and ability levels.

Drums and percussion instruments will be provided (you are also welcome to bring your own drum if you have one!).  Ages 6th Grade – Adults are welcome!  Pat Litzinger will be our facilitator.

To help us plan on the appropriate number of drums, pre-registration is encouraged, but not required.

Join our BRAND NEW Adult Handbell group! This new group is specifically designed for individuals of all ages and backgrounds, with no prior experience required. We will meet for 6 weeks on THURSDAY mornings from 10:30 am – 11:30 am.  We will meet every Thursday with our last rehearsal on DECEMBER 14th.

Don't miss out on the opportunity to be a part of this exciting handbell-ringing group! Contact Cindy Litzinger for more details.  We can't wait to make music with you!

All of our middle and high school youth are invited to make a joyful noise together! We will be incorporating singing into our Wednesday night gatherings in preparation to help lead worship on Sunday, December 3rd during both the 9:00 am and 11:00 am services. Rehearsals will be at 6:45 pm in The HUB on November 15th. On November 29th, we will meet for dinner at 6:30 pm in Brown Hall and then head to the sanctuary for rehearsal. See Jen Phelps for more details.

Calling ALL women!! Are you tired, burned out, weary, lonely, young, old, single, married, worried, happy, and all the in-betweens? We see you. We hear you. Come gather. Bring your friends, neighbors, and co-workers to this special event just for you. Join Jen Phelps, Danielle LeBlanc, and Matthew McDonald for an informal gathering. Learn some ways to relax and let go of stress. Childcare provided. This will be a day of togetherness you didn't know you needed--until you did.

We are asking for everyone to register for this free event so we can prepare the necessary supplies and arrange childcare needs. 

Join us for an informal discussion with author, Jed Smith (in town to visit his sister, Shelley Hobson), as he shares excerpts from "Under the Oak with Agnes" his debut novel. Jed will answer questions posed by Katie and participants.  The book is available locally at Pomegranate Books and on Amazon (in paperback and Kindle formats). There are surprises in this book, so reading it ahead of time is recommended! Click here to read Kirkus Reviews about this book.

Go and Serve will highlight The Salvation Army for the month of November. SACPC has the opportunity to provide a wonderful Christmas for children in need. Every December, The Salvation Army hosts the Angel Tree project to provide a wonderful Christmas for children who otherwise wouldn't experience the joy of waking up Christmas morning to open gifts from Santa. Beginning November 9th, you can choose an ornament with a child's name, age, and desired gifts from a tree in the donation area near the Sanctuary. Choose one or more ornaments, purchase the items to fulfill the child's wishes, and return unwrapped gifts with the ornament to the donation area by Sunday, December 3rd. We will deliver the gifts to The Salvation Army the first week of December. You can also drop your gifts off at the Salvation Army's Harrelson Center office.

The Lord gives his people strength.  The Lord blesses them with peace. 
Psalm 29:11

Jim Mallett died on September 22nd. His memorial service is scheduled for Saturday, November 11th at 11:00 a.m., in the sanctuary at SACPC.  A reception will follow in the chapel.

The family of Edina Navaya of the Chuluchosema congregation who died on October 29th and is survived by her husband and six children.

Babs Wright had back surgery at NH last week.  She is now in the NH Rehab Hospital.
Mary Tyler had a knee replacement at Cape Fear Memorial Hospital on October 31st.  Mary is recovering at Cape Fear.

Billy Purdom (USS Stout DDG ), Smith Beacham (Fort Richardson, Anchorage, AK), Jack Looney (USS Carl Vinson, San Diego, CA) , Samuel Makepeace (Fort Polk, Louisiana), Brennan Litzinger (Fort Bliss, Texas), Mikayla Reifert (Kadena, Japan), Bradley Garrett (Coast Guard, Elizabeth City)

Prayer requests: Click here to tell us about your need.

Hospitalizations: Please click here to email Ann Benson or call 910.762.9693 x202 to leave a message.

November 7: Robbie Benson, Norwood Crawford, Jeff Flynn, Warren McMurry, Susan Mercer, Josh Williams
November 8: Dan Keir, Caroline Smith
November 9: Bob Fankboner
November 10: Ford Butner
November 11: Carol Jennings, Scott Miller, Parks Nunnally
November 12: Lisa Turner, Kendall Williams
November 13: Caroline Lawrence, Bill Smith
November 14: Tony Njapa