St. Paul's Youth have several events and activities scheduled over the upcoming months, even though we take a break from regularly scheduled weekly meetings during the summer. The Middle High Lock-In starts this Friday, June 8 - youth should arrive at 7:00 p.m. with sleeping bags, air mattresses, and pillows to make it feel like home while we enjoy movies, games, pizza, and an overnight end-of-school-year celebration. Looking for more activities? Group Work Camp is headed to Virginia Beach to work on house repair projects June 24-30. Wilderness Trail hikers will take in the beauty of God's creation on the Appalachian Trail - spots available for July 22-28. And parents can get weekly updates from Youth Pastor Micah Smartt by email! For details please go to http://stpaulsk.org/community/youth, contact Micah at [email protected], or pick up a copy of the SPY Briefing newsletter in the church office.

The 2017-2018 Sunday School Year may be behind us, but children age 2-10 are encouraged to come to our Summer Sunday School! This Sunday June 10, children will begin in the Sanctuary with their families at 10:30 a.m. and will transition to classrooms 200 and 203 with their teachers following the Children's Moment. We will be exploring a brand new "no prep" summer curriculum from Children's Illustrated Ministries.  Children will engage with biblical stories in both the Old and New Testaments to discover ways we join God at work in the world. Older children and youth will be in worship in the Sanctuary. Here's how summer at St. Paul's is shaping up: 

• now - July 8: Children's Moments & Summer Sunday School - Each Sunday, children will begin in the Sanctuary with their families at 10:30 a.m. Following the Children's Moment, children ages 2-10 will transition to Summer Sunday School classes in Rooms 200 & 203. (We still need some Summer Sunday School teachers! Sign up here: http://stpaulsk.org/community/children)
• July 15: Musical Theatre Camp - No Summer Sunday School; all children will be in worship to enjoy the Musical Theatre Camp's presentation of "It's Cool in the Furnace," a musical about Daniel, King Nebuchadnezzar, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego.
• July 22 - September 2:  Summer Sunday School - All children ages 2-10 are invited to join the Summer Sunday School classes in Rooms 200 & 203 starting at 10:30 a.m.

As another school year comes to a close, St. Paul's wishes to express its appreciation for all who contribute their time and energy in teaching the faith. In addition to our 40-strong Sunday School teaching team, countless others have been engaged in faith formation at St. Paul's by teaching short- and long-term adult studies, developing educational programs, or serving on the Adult Education Committee. A brief video highlighting the Sunday School program will be shown during worship this Sunday, June 10, and all teachers will be invited to stand and be recognized for their service by a very grateful congregation. For more information about teaching, or to learn other ways to be involved in Christian education at St. Paul's, please contact Meg Baker at [email protected] or 301-933-7933, ext. 104.

If you would like to offer a personal note, card, or letter wishing Rev. Claire farewell, you may place your well-wishes in the Prayer Bowl found in the Narthex on June 10 and June 17. We will collect the notes and present them to her on her final day at St. Paul's. Other gifts may be brought to the church office. Please contact Erin Steele at [email protected] with any questions.

Have you been thinking about singing in the choir but worried about the rehearsal schedule or commitment? Then welcome to June Choir! Just come to Room 211 (Choir Room) on June 10 or 24 at 9:30 a.m. We rehearse together before the 10:30 a.m. worship service and sing music specifically chosen by Director of Music Tom Pedersen to be meaningful and accessible to this pick-up choir. There will be extra music on Sunday, June 17 so if you are interested in singing that day, make plans to attend a special rehearsal on Saturday, June 16 at 10:00 a.m. Questions? Contact Tom at [email protected].

The weekly Tuesday gatherings of the Prayer Lift group and the drop-in Bible Study class will meet as usual on June 12 then will take a break during the summer months before we reconvene in September.

Mark your calendars now for the annual St. Paul's Church Picnic. Lunch will be served in Reinhardt Park, directly across the street from St. Paul's main doors, on Sunday, June 17 following the 10:30 a.m. worship service. Children will enjoy a moon bounce and face painting, and all will enjoy opportunities for fellowship and a time to bid farewell to Rev. Claire Matheny.

Over time, we've collected a number of dishes, storage containers, baskets, and other items left behind after gatherings and events here at the church. If you might have left an item, please look for it in the Narthex June 10 and June 17, and take it home with you. All items remaining at the church after that time will be donated to charity.

Feeling called to stillness and community in a world that is all too loud? Still Wednesday is held in either the Sanctuary or Octagon at St. Paul's each week. Join us 7:00-8:00 p.m. for an hour of prayer and quiet: June 13, 20, 27. Still Wednesday facilitators lead the evening in a variety of formats that could include walking meditation, lectio divina, poetry, journaling, art, or music. Most evenings will include about 20 minutes of silent prayer. Simply come as you're able. We will meet each Wednesday through the end of June, then take a break in July and August.

Thank you to all the talented bakers who already share the gift of baking with the church community! We are blessed with a time of fellowship after worship each week, and to enjoy coffee and baked treats. There are one or two slots available on the following Sundays: July 29; August 5, 12, 19, 26. Bakers are asked to provide about 8 dozen cookies or similar goodies (nut free, please). Sign up on the clipboard found in the Octagon on Sunday mornings or in the Octagon Kitchen during the week. Please contact the church office if you have questions.

We are looking for a few new counters to join our team. Each Sunday after worship, small groups of counters take the church offerings, count the contributions, and record the week's financial numbers. If your skills align with this area, we welcome your help. Please contact Rev. Adam Snell directly to discuss this volunteer opportunity ([email protected], 301-933-7933 ext. 101).

The next Communion Collect is Sunday,  July 1. We welcome donations any time! You can place non-perishable grocery items in the bins in the Narthex, pre-pack full bags using a shopping list provided, or donate Safeway or Giant grocery store gift cards ($10 value each, please) in the office. Volunteers will be needed after each worship service on July 1 to help sort and bag contributions. We also invite volunteers for distribution on Monday, July 2 starting at about 6:45 p.m. in Heavener Hall, when we get ready for the families to arrive later that night. We are also in need of drivers! Please contact coordinators Kim Longsworth ([email protected], 301-580-8832) or Jean Langbein ([email protected], 301-622-0737) if you can volunteer as a driver, even occasionally, to help deliver groceries to those in our ZIP code who are shut-in, disabled, or otherwise unable to make it to the church. Read more about the Hunger Minsitry at  http://stpaulsk.org/service/hunger-ministry. Thanks!

The Youth Choir is currently taking a break and looks to re-launch in the 2018-2019 school year. Thanks to all who shared their gifts of music over the past year! To get involved in future activities, please contact Tom Pedersen at [email protected].

FaithFlix, our Sunday afternoon series of film viewings and faith-filled discussions, will be taking a break during the summer months but will resume in September.  We hope you will join us then!

Christian Faith 101, an adult study class, will be offered on Tuesday mornings this fall. The course explores the religious, historical, and political context that shaped major components of Christian faith, doctrine, and practice as it developed over centuries. The course consists of 14 three-hour sessions, held each Tuesday morning beginning September 4, 2018. The class size is limited to 12 participants. The course content is appropriate for all Christian disciplines and does not require extensive previous knowledge of the Bible or Christian doctrine. A flyer with more details about the class is available in the church office. Please contact Brian or Therese Walden for additional information or if you are interested in participating ([email protected], 301-509-8129; [email protected], 301-509-8128).

Upcoming surgery? Have a joy or concern? In need of prayer support? Submit a prayer request online, day or night. You have the option to share your request with the Prayer Lift team or only share directly with the pastors. Visit our online prayer request form linked on our website at:  http://stpaulsk.org/community/prayer-requests.

Associate Pastor Rev. Claire Matheny has accepted a new call to serve as Enabling Minister at Kittamaqundi Church in Columbia, MD. You can read more about her new position in the "Claire's Corner" feature in the April Epistle, available here: http://stpaulsk.org/community/epistle-weekly-news. Rev. Claire's last day at St. Paul's will be Sunday, June 17, 2018. Our district superintendent, the St. Paul's Staff-Parish Relations Committee, and Rev. Adam Snell have announced that the next associate pastor will be Rev. Kate Mackereth Fulton, currently serving as Chaplain Resident at St. Elizabeth's Hospital in Washington, D.C. She will begin at St. Paul's on July 1, 2018.

If you have an upcoming St. Paul's-related event and want to let church members and friends know about it with an announcement in the Sunday bulletin, please email Erin Steele in the church office at [email protected]. All bulletin announcements must be received by 12:00 noon on Wednesday. The suggested length is 75 words and should include date, time, and contact information. If you have an article to go in the monthly Epistle Newsletter, please help us by submitting Epistle items to Erin Steele at [email protected] no later than the 15th of the month. Please send Epistle content as a Word doc attachment with "Epistle Item" in the subject line. Each article should be about 250 words or less. Paper submissions may be placed in the yellow "Epistle" folder on the desk in the main office. Please note that Epistle articles are not automatically included in the bulletin announcements, or vice versa, so be sure to submit items separately if you want them to appear in both places. Thanks for staying connected to all that St. Paul's has to offer!