Rev. Gary Smith will guest preach this week. The sermon text comes from 1 John 5:1-4. We can overcome all the challenges we face in life because God is sovereign and we are empowered by the Holy Spirit.

by Emily Donovan

Our weekly Saints Alive newsletter is going on vacation next week. We will resume publication beginning July 9th. Additionally, the church offices will be closed on Thursday, July 4th in observance of Independence Day. Wishing everyone a safe and happy July 4th week!

by Kathy Benson

If you have seen and heard our beautiful bell choir in worship, then you have seen Jo Downing in action as a faithful, joyful, and capable bell ringer! I think there is no activity she enjoys more!

Originally from the Cowboy State (Wyoming), Jo eventually found her way to the Mid-Atlantic and settled in northern Virginia for a time. Jo eventually retired from teaching and wound her way to the Piedmont Region of The Old North State. Now she enjoys the amenities of Southeastern North Carolina. I am pretty sure there are some interesting stories about her journeys!

Jo chooses Crossfit for staying in shape. She also says she loves dogs! Some time ago, our own Bell Choir Director, Cindy Litzinger, personally invited Jo to come ring at SACPC. We are so glad she accepted the invitation and decided to stay! Jo officially joined our membership roll on February 25, 2024, by letter of transfer from Oak Ridge Presbyterian Church in Oak Ridge, NC. Please welcome Jo next time you see her in worship. Ring on, Jo!

by Sue McCaffray

All children, youth, and several adult Sunday School classes will take a break in July and August. For adults looking for a place to land between 10:00 am and 11:00 am on Sundays please consider visiting the Venture class (Room 240, led by Kathy Benson) or Walking in the Word (Room 236, led by Randy Barrow), which continues its study of the book of Daniel. All classes resume in September. Happy summer!

by Jen Phelps

Our next Banned Book Club book is Stamped: Racism, Antiracism, and You; A Remix of the National Book Award-winning Stamped from the Beginning (AGES 12 & UP). We will meet in person this time at The HUB for discussion and desserts.  Amy Stuart will be leading our discussion. We are welcoming any that want to be included, but we are reading the young adult version recommended for ages 12 and up. Parents are encouraged to read the book along with their students!

Dear SACPC,

I hope you are having a great start to the summer. The SACPC HR committee and I have several staffing updates to share with you.

Kelli Blowers, our administrative assistant, is moving to the mountains to be closer to family. Her last day at SACPC will be Thursday, June 27th. HR is currently reassessing this position. We also want to make you aware that Jeff Sullick's last day with us is Friday, June 21st. Any questions regarding facilities or administrative work should be directed to Catheryn Thomas. We are grateful for the work of both Kelli and Jeff and wish them the best.

Lastly, our Associate Pastor Nominating Committee is still hard at work. I look forward to the moment when we can provide more concrete information and begin welcoming a new Associate Pastor to our congregation.

Peace,
Katie

by Cindy Litzinger

Dear Church Family,

I want to share the news that our Contemporary Worship Leader, Matthew McDonald, will be traveling to Australia to visit his family from June 24th through July 25th.

During his time away, he will be doing some work remotely to ensure our contemporary worship ministry continues seamlessly.  Additionally, he will also be taking some well-deserved vacation time to spend quality moments with his loved ones.

To ensure that our Sunday morning worship services are still uplifting and meaningful, Matthew has made arrangements for capable leaders to cover his worship responsibilities during his absence.  If you have any questions or concerns during this time, please feel free to reach out to me anytime.  

Let us come together in prayer, keeping Matthew and his family in our thoughts as they embark on this special journey.  We eagerly anticipate his return and the continued blessings he brings to our worship services.

Cindy Litzinger, Director of Music

by Earth Care Team Education

Most of us have had a "store-bought tomato", we know how tasteless most of these are. Even if you don't grow your own vegetables, a solution is not far away from your front door. The summer season is an especially good time to expand your shopping opportunities to find produce at peak flavor and nutritional value, a time to eat fresher and healthier food. Local farmers' markets are your answer.  

There are several reasons beyond good produce to shop at Farmers' Markets. The most obvious reason already mentioned is fresher produce, but the fact that the food doesn't have to travel as far also reduces greenhouse emissions, and there is less plastic waste than at big box stores. But there are other important considerations for supporting farmers' markets.

These markets support small businesses which sell their wares there, other than the farmers. This in itself builds a sense of community and a sharing of local culture, all of which benefits all involved.  In supporting these markets the local economy is stimulated, and according to Farmers' Market Coalition, 13 full-time jobs are created in farm operator jobs per $1 million in revenue earned. Additionally, the farmers care for the land and waters on which their livelihood depends. Much of the produce is organically grown with no pesticides. So check with the seller.

Finally, the Nebraska Extension Food Center estimates that for non-farmers' market sales, the farmer receives about 10 cents on the dollar and the other 90 cents goes to corporations for packaging, marketing, and transportation. Compare that to the 80 cents on the dollar for farmers at farmers' markets.

We in the Wilmington area are abundantly blessed with several choices of Farmers' Markets. Here are ten you may want to visit:

Biggers Market
6250 Market St.
M-F: 9:0 am -6:30 pm
Sat: 8:00 am -6:30 pm

Carolina Beach Farmers' Market
400 Lake Park Blvd. S. (Carolina Beach)  
Sat: 8:00 am - 1:00 pm (MAY - SEP)

Frankie's Outdoor Market
400 N. 10th St. (Portia Hines Park)  
Sat: 10:00 am - 2:00 pm

LaHuerta Fresh Produce
830 Kerr Ave. (inside building market)
Daily 10:00 am - 8:00 pm

Livingston Creek Farmers' Harvest
49 Harvest Circle (Bolton, NC)
Daily 9:00 am - 6:00 pm (farm animals to visit)

Old Towne Farm Stand
10171 North Olde Towne Wynd Southeast (Belville, NC)
 Sat: 1:00 pm - 5:00 pm

Popular Grove Farmers' Market
10200 Hwy 17
Wed: 8:00 am

Riverfront Farmers' Market
100 Dock St.  
Sat: 8:00 am

The Wilmington Farmers' Market
5329 Oleander Dr. #100  (Tidal Creek Co-op)
Sat: 8:00 am - 1:00 pm

Wrightsville Beach Farmers' Market
Wrightsville Beach Municipal Grounds
Mon: 8:00 am - 1:00 pm (MAY - SEP)

So yes, you would need to make an additional stop for other groceries, but it's likely you would enjoy the benefits in frequenting these healthful and interesting shopping options.   Grab your bags!!

JOIN US for a Family Pool Party! This event is for Children & Youth ministry families. Come when you can, leave when you must. Snacks will be provided (not dinner).

Parents/Guardians-- don't drop off - DROP IN! We want parents to hang out and enjoy fellowship and connection with other SACPC families (and swimming, if you would like). Why should the kids get to have all of the fun this summer???

June has five Sundays, and that means we get BREAKFAST! Round up your flock and join your church family for breakfast in our brand-new, fully refurbished Brown Hall on June 30th at 10:00 am.

The Walking in the Word Sunday school class invites you to join us at 10:00 am in Rm 236 all summer as we study the book of Daniel. Our class is discussion-oriented, and we welcome your participation.

A new putt-putt adventure awaits! Open to all middle and high school students. We are trying out a new location in Brunswick County - so meet at The HUB by 6:30 pm to carpool together (or, if you are already on that side of the bridge, meet us at The Golf Barn at 7:00 pm). We will return to The HUB for pick up at 9:00 pm.

JOIN US for a Family Pool Party! This event is for Children & Youth ministry families. Come when you can, leave when you must. Snacks will be provided (not dinner).

Parents/Guardians-- don't drop off - DROP IN! We want parents to hang out and enjoy fellowship and connection with other SACPC families (and swimming, if you would like). Why should the kids get to have all of the fun this summer???

In June we will collect for NourishNC--a local food pantry that focuses on providing food for children and their families. Nutritious food empowers children to succeed in the classroom and their community.

NourishNC partners with over 100 community agencies to help distribute food to needy children. During the school year, NourishNC provides food-insecure children with weekend backpacks filled with food for those days they won’t be in school. During the summer that program expands, and families with elementary school children can pick up bags of nutritious food and fresh produce. These are only some ways NourishNC helps feed children in New Hanover County. Let’s help them do that by stocking NourishNC's pantry for summer!

Items we're collecting:

• high fiber/low sugar cereals (large and individual boxes)**IMMEDIATE NEED**
• beef stew and hearty soups
• canned fruit
• low sodium canned veggies
• canned chicken or tuna. 

This is a partial list of what NourishNC needs for the summer. A complete list will be on the bulletin board in the 15th Street lobby.

In July we will have one of our favorite collections--providing backpacks and school supplies for children in need in our community. We are accepting backpacks for children from kindergarten through high school.

Supplies we'll collect include:
 

• pens and markers
• pencils and colored pencils
• crayons
• 3-ring binders and notebook paper
• composition books
• folders
• construction paper
• scissors
• erasers
• glue sticks
• rulers
• index cards 

The items we collect will be divided among WRAAP, the Domestic Violence Shelter and Services, and Family Promise. This is a tangible--and fun--way to stay faithfully present in our community.

Our Camp Fusion participants packed 40 bags filled with materials campers donated all week to support our friends at Church World Service who help refugee families settle in Wilmington. Campers also packed over 100 mercy pouches to support SACPC's Mercy Pouch ministry servicing our local homeless population!

We had 80 campers attend Camp Fusion with our K - 5 grade campers learning five songs and performing a musical on the last day of camp. Click the button below to rewatch their performance.

Camp Fusion was an amazing week of learning to Know, Grow and Show how God has worked and continues to work in the lives of ordinary people of all ages! A special thank you to the amazing 60 volunteers who made this week possible!

Here are more photos from this wonderful week.

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

Marilyn Mitchell, 88, died on June 10th. A memorial service is planned for June 26th, 2:00 pm.  Ashes will be placed in the Memorial Garden at 1:15 pm, family only.

Al Todd’s sister, Libby Gwennap, was recently diagnosed with inoperable cancer.

Alice Martin is having heart tests.

Families across the country are affected by wildfires, heat, and floods.

Jeff Krebb's sister and brother-in-law, Kim and Mike Payne, who live in New Mexico have returned to their home in Ruidoso that was threatened by fire.

Billy Purdom (USS Stout DDG ), Smith Beacham (Fort Richardson, Anchorage, AK), Jack Looney (USS Carl Vinson, San Diego, CA), Samuel Makepeace (Fort Moore, Georgia), Brennan Litzinger (Fort Bliss, Texas), Mikayla Reifert (Kadena, Japan), Bradley Garrett (Coast Guard, Elizabeth City), Patrick Falvey (Landstuhl Military Medical Center, Germany)

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.

June 25: Ev Randall
June 26: Steve Lowry, Joy Murrell, Bob Van Note
June 27: Phyllis Leimer, Sue Messina
June 28: Betts Appleton, Thomas Bissette, Kaleb Lowry, Jack Mitchell
June 29: Griffin Johnston, Wilson Johnston, Becky Miller, Mark Parks
June 30: Di Chamblee, Ryan Johnson, Susan Joyner, Jackson Wayne
July 1: Finnlay Donovan, Mirabelle Donovan
July 2: Sarah Louise Gwathmey, Hannah Laham, David Massey

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.