Rev. Harrington will lead us in worship with the sermon text coming from Luke 14:1, 7-14, and the Old Testament lesson from Proverbs 25:2-7a. As an added treat, our SACPC preschoolers will be singing at 9:00 am and M&M children will be ringing chimes at 11:00 am. It's also 5-Cents A Meal Sunday. During the first song or hymn bring your offerings to the front and place them in the baskets located next to the communion table. 

A few years ago, Meredith Hayes approached our former Associate Pastor, Robb Lapp, with a great idea, she wanted to send cards to our homebound members each month!
She has been doing this through the pandemic and continues to send monthly cards to 27 homebound members--and other members of our congregation who have moved away.

Oftentimes - a card is simply not enough - Meredith will add special inserts and colorings.  She has also gifted many of us with her ceramics, including our high school seniors each year.  

Meredith represents one of the many unseen ministries that started with a simple idea and the gift of time.

Eliza Grace March, daughter of Julian and Rachel March, received Christian Baptism on February 25, 2024 at SACPC during the 9:00am service.  

In baptism, we promise to guide and nurture these children by word and deed, love, and proyer, encouranging them to know and love Jesus Christ and to be His faithful disciple.  

by Sue McCaffray

"God is in the Mess: Having Honest Conversations with God." Led by Rev. Rachel Doll of Winter Park Presbyterian Church. Rachel is a noted Biblical storyteller, and her focus will be Mark 4 & 5. Join us Sept. 20-22 at beautiful Trinity Center, Pine Knoll Shores. Open to both men and women. Price per person, $250, includes 2 nights, double occupancy, and 6 meals. Space is limited. Registration details to follow in early April from our Spiritual Life Team. Contact Linda Smith for more information.

by Jen Phelps

Save the Date (especially because we are adjusting our worship time!) Confirmation Sunday will be April 28th and we will be welcoming our Confirmands at ONE UNITY SERVICE AT 10am that day. We hope you will join us as these young people join our church.

by Sue McCaffray

Our team is planning two thought-provoking POPS programs for after Easter. On April 10th join us for a sampler of what Paul has to say about unity and honesty in Ephesians and other letters. On April 17th the finale of our POPS dinners for spring comes with an eye-opening skit by our not-ready-for-prime-time SACPC players: Kent Anderson, Shelley Hobson, and Judy Hartz. Dr. Ben Rigby will lead us afterward as we react to their presentation. You do not want to miss this! Come join the conversation.

by Earth Care Corner Education

The original maker of plastic Easter eggs, Blayer Industries, was once the only American manufacturer of plastic eggs. In the early 2000s, it was making 250 million eggs a year.  It has since gone bankrupt because it couldn’t compete with cheaper Chinese plastic eggs.

With the passing of that company into history, it’s a good time to also say farewell to the use of plastic eggs and grass in Easter baskets. As we become more aware of the detrimental effects of plastics on our environment and our personal health, it is good to know that there are several finer earth-friendly options for a colorful Easter basket.

Hard-boiled dyed eggs are great for egg hunts, and most kids love dying them. For re-fillable eggs, there are wooden ones, felt, wool, and paper mache’ varieties.  Nestle the eggs in non-plastic grass to complete the festive look.  There are several choices for this too, such as crinkle paper, wood fibers, wool, and natural raffia from palm trees.  If you are really ambitious, ryegrass germinates and grows quickly, and would add a delicate fresh smell and feel to your basket.  

For dining room table center baskets, you could use fresh salad greens.

Creating an earth-friendly Easter basket is a natural child-centered way to honor God’s good creation, and to show your children that caring for the earth involves all ages, and using our creativity is just plain fun.

"The Earth is the Lord’s and all creatures in it, the world and all who dwell in it."
Psalm 24:1  

Information from www.presbyterianmission.org

Congratulations to our Associate Pastor, Rev. Dr. Gary Smith, on publishing a new book this week titled The Greatest Sports Stars of All-Time: Fifteen Fantastic Athletes. Here's a review:

"In GOATS, Gary Scott Smith takes on an impossible task: identifying the greatest athletes of all time. Written with a historian's eye and a love for sports, Smith's book offers a great entry point into thinking more deeply about the lives and legacies of some of the most important athletes in modern history. Agree or disagree, Smith's extensive research will give you something to ponder. Let the debates begin!"

- Paul Putz, Assistant Director for the Faith & Sports Institute, Baylor University’s Truett Seminary

by Ann Danchak

Ordained Elders and Deacons have the honor of serving communion at SACPC. Many of us have been ordained at other churches and are not active at the moment. If you are an ordained elder or deacon and would like to serve communion at SACPC occasionally, please contact Ann Danchak to learn more.

by Lynn Warner

The children of our M&M program on Wednesday afternoons have been busy creating these beautiful Family Table Talk Jars for you! The questions in these jars are a perfect way to generate conversation during the Lenten Season. Everyone is invited to take a jar home with them. Extra jars are located in the Narthex.

Put the jar in a convenient place at home, perhaps a dinner table, where you gather together regularly. Each day, pick a paper from the jar and share the conversation it generates. When the jar is empty you can place a votive candle inside and enjoy the glow! Remember that GOD LOVES YOU!

by Gary Smith

The East steering committee for the Coastal Carolina Presbytery's East Community has partnered with RIP Medical Debt, a medical relief organization, to relieve the medical debt (as assessed on January 1, 2024) from hospitals in our East Community counties.  

The goal is to raise $20,000 to eliminate $2,000,000 in medical debt.  RIP has already purchased the debt, at greatly reduced rates, from the hospitals in our East Community counties.

The campaign runs until April 30, 2024. 

Please send contributions for this project to SACPC and list RIP Medical Debt Relief in the Memo line. Ways to give:

Give Online: Use the button below to make an online donation.
Give In Person: We take offerings at every worship service via cash or check.
Mail A Check: You can mail your donations to our front office Please mail them to:

St. Andrews-Covenant Presbyterian Church
1416 Market St.
Wilmington, NC 28401

by Susan Dykes

Flowers represent a new season, a new birth! This Easter you have the opportunity to contribute to the cost of flowers in memory or in honor of a special person. Beautiful palms and geraniums will be used to help beautify our Sanctuary. Any donation amount is greatly appreciated, the suggested donation is $12. Those interested in donating may use the white ‘Special Flowers’ envelopes located throughout the church, through our website, or contact Susan Dykes in the church office at 762-9693 ext. 207. The due date for donations is Sunday, March 17th.

The prayer stations from Ash Wednesday have been relocated to the Temple Rm 29 on the ground floor to become part of a newly created Spirituality Center.  Additional activities will be added throughout the season to deepen your Lenten journey. These activities are designed for all ages 3 - 103. We invite everyone to enjoy them throughout the Lenten season!

SACPC's Earth Care Team encourages everyone to participate in The Presbyterian Hunger Program's Lenten calendar which focuses on ways to move  "towards sustainable choices that restore and protect all of God’s children and creation." Lent is the perfect time to slow down and reflect on how "our collective choices have led to a changing global climate, which translates to warmer temperatures, rising sea levels, and severe storms..."

To address these global concerns, everyone must "commit to treading lightly on God’s Earth." Our Earth Care Team hopes you will use this resource with your friends and family to take steps intended to create more mindful choices throughout this season and the rest of the year.  

We have purchased digital rights to the Presbyterian Outlook's Lenten series titled Local Pilgrim: A Wandering, Wondering Daily Devotional. Each passage invites you to explore new and familiar places within your community.  Lent is the perfect time for a pilgrimage and this devotional will have you exploring your community with fresh and new eyes like visiting a cemetery, a bar, a library, or an emergency waiting room.
 
Outlook Editor/Publisher Teri McDowell Ott and other writers helped craft this year's daily reflections. The devotional begins on Ash Wednesday and ends on Easter Sunday. It includes personal reflection, Scripture, and prayer.

All children K-5th grade are invited to attend our m&m program.  For more information, contact Cindy Litzinger.

This week's menu: Breakfast Casserole, Grits and Pancakes. Cost is $25/family of 4 or more, $7/adult, and $5/under 12. 

This Wednesday, we'll gather "around the table" to talk about Luke 14:1, 7-14 and Proverbs 25:2-7a. Rev. Harrington will lead this discussion.

Dinner is offered in Brown Hall at 5:30 pm.

This women's small group book study meets every Monday via Zoom. Each week the group discusses a new chapter from the book "Love is the Way: Holding on to Hope in Troubling Times" by Bishop Michael Curry. New members are welcome to join at any time. Contact Shelley Hobson or Lynn Kozik for more details or to receive the Zoom link.

During March, Go & Serve will be collecting non-perishable foods for Good Shepherd, Salvation Army, and the Rescue Mission. Suggested food items include:

• cereal
• pasta
• pasta sauce
• canned fruits and vegetables (including #10 cans)
• canned soup
• packaged snacks
• canned chicken or tuna

Please drop your donations in the bin in the 15th Street lobby near the Narthex.

We are thrilled to announce an incredible opportunity with a new SACPC summer camp. Get ready for CAMP FUSION - a one-of-a-kind experience that combines the elements of VBS, music, drama, and a musical production! At Camp Fusion, your children will embark on a journey of faith, creativity, and expression.

Camp Fusion Preschool will be a half-day version of the full Camp Fusion experience. Children will experience age-appropriate and fun-filled activities, Bible stories, crafts, and music. 

Camp Fusion will be a full-day experience combining VBS, music, drama, and musical production in a unique opportunity for campers to grow spiritually, explore their artistic abilities, and make lasting memories with new friends.

Attention all 6th - 12th graders! Our next Be The Light Event will be at The Harrelson Center on April 14th from 5:00 pm - 7:00 pm - MARK YOUR CALENDARS! In the meantime.... we are collecting sunscreen and bug spray to add to hydration bags that will be distributed by Catholic Charities to migrant farm workers this summer. Bring your donations to The HUB or the church anytime we gather.

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

Bette Jean and Billy Aman’s grandson Brock Pascal has had 2-stage, 2-day back surgery completed on February 27th at Duke.  He is progressing well and expects discharge to home in a few days.

Bette Jean and Billy Aman’s grandson Aaron Pascal had shoulder dislocation repair on February 29th in a Raleigh hospital.  He is at home and plans to go back to work on March 5th.

Kelly Hawkins’ brother, Terry Garrett,  had a stroke on February 14th and is recovering in Richlands Hospital in Columbia, SC.

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.

March 5: Dawn Wallace
March 6: Betty Jo Bennett
March 7: Gregory Pleasants
March 8: Grace Napper, Anna Grace Padula, Kellee Stacks
March 9: Jen Phelps, Rita Scott
March 10: Lawrence Conoly, Meredith Hayes, Allison McCorkle
March 11: Lily Hawkins, Cindy Litzinger, Donald Tadlock
March 12: Leo Curtis

Thank you for contributing to the work and love of Jesus through St. Andrews-Covenant Presbyterian Church. Your gifts enable us to stay Faithfully Present in Our Community.

Financial updates will be provided each month.  If you have any questions, please contact Susan Dykes, Financial Administrator, 910-762-9693x207, sdykes@sacpc.org; or our Church Treasurer, Ed Hobson, treasurer@sacpc.org.

View our most recent Session Reports.