August 12 marks the anniversary of a gathering of white supremacists in Charlottesville, Va. for the "Unite the Right" rally, during which a counter-protester was killed. The National Park Service has issued approval for the white nationalist group to hold a similar rally on August 11 & 12 in Lafayette Park by the White House. As part of a prayerful response and call to action, the Baltimore-Washington Conference of The United Methodist Church will host the rally "United to Love: Rally for Love, Peace, and Justice" on Sunday,  August 12 on the National Mall at 4th Street NW (near the Capitol Reflecting Pool and the Smithsonian National Museum of the American Indian). The 11:00 a.m. hour will include a service of worship with the rally itself following, in the same location, at 1:00 p.m. The "United to Love Rally" will stand as an alternative to hatred, and an opportunity to claim and share God's love, peace, and justice.  As Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. said, "Love is the only force capable of transforming an enemy into a friend." Bishop LaTrelle Easterling invites all individuals, faith communities, and organizations to gather to uplift the human spirit, renounce all forms of hate, challenge the climate of distrust and fear, and show that we are #unitedtolove. This event is free and open to all. Those attending are encouraged to find more information and register at https://www.unitedtolove.org/, phone 410-309-3400, or email [email protected].

All children ages 2-10 are invited to join Summer Sunday School classes in Rooms 200 & 203 starting at 10:30 a.m. on Sundays from now through September 2. We are enjoying a brand new summer curriculum from Children's Illustrated Ministries with lots of coloring and fun activities. Older children and youth will be in worship in the Sanctuary.

The most recent, updated version of the St. Paul's Photo Directory of members and friends is now available in the Narthex and the church office. Please take one!

Once again, your generous donations of school supplies and financial support will enable us, in partnership with Interfaith Works, to get backpacks and supplies to needy children in time for the start of school. We will build the backpacks after the 10:30 a.m. service on Sunday, August 12. Join us in Heavener Hall at 11:30 a.m. to sort and stuff supplies into bags and get everything ready to go. If you have questions, contact Angela Harvey ([email protected]) or Leigha Gordillo ([email protected]).

Morality, mystery, and masterpieces will be our topics this month! Join the 2x4s Book Club, for adults in the 20s to 40s age range, on Monday, August 13 as we reconvene to discuss The Art Forger by B. A. Shapiro. We will meet at the home of Jim & Rachel King, 7:30-9:00 p.m. For the address, directions, or any questions, contact Rachel at [email protected].

St. Paul's has secured a block of tickets for the Museum of the Bible, in Washington, DC on Saturday, August 18. A van will be available for those who wish to ride from the church; the total cost for both the van ride and museum ticket is $15. The cost of the museum ticket alone is $10, and those wishing to travel another way are welcome to meet us at the Museum. (Taking metro round-trip from Forest Glen requires $6.80 metro fare / $4.30 for seniors, plus $2 parking fee per vehicle.) Food and drink may be purchased at one of the restaurants at the Museum. See www.museumofthebible.org for more about this new museum. Please sign up in the Narthex or RSVP online at http://stpaulsk.org/community/adult-education. Checks may be made out to St. Paul's UMC with "Bible Museum" in the memo line. Feel free to contact Meg Baker at [email protected] or 301-933-7933 ext. 104 with any questions!

Welcome, new and returning SPYs!  Both Middle High and Senior High youth groups will be meeting on Sundays this year! We're starting weekly programming on Sunday, August 19.  Middle High will meet 4:30-6:00 p.m.  Then there's a half hour grace period for pick-ups and drop-offs before the Senior High meeting time, 6:30-8:30 p.m. We know several families are still traveling during these last few days of summer, so our "formal" kick-off weekend will be coming in September. Please note, there will be no SPY on Sunday, September 2 (Labor Day weekend). The big kickoff event for Senior High SPY is an overnight lock-in at St. Paul's beginning September 7 and ending with the Pancake Breakfast on September 8. Middle High's big kick-off event is a Pizza & Laser Tag party on September 8 at 6:30 p.m., right here in St. Paul's. Parents and guardians: we've scheduled a special time just for you to come talk about SPY with Youth Pastor Micah Smartt and others. Join us in the Youth Lounge (lower level, next to the Multi-Purpose Room) on Sunday, September 9, at 11:30 a.m. for the SPY Open House. We also have dates for Fall Retreat for the Middle High ( September 28-30) and Senior High ( November 9-11) at the West River Center. There are even more details available in the newest SPY Briefing newsletter, available in the church office or online at stpaulsk.org/community/youth. If you have any questions, you can reach Micah at [email protected] or 301-933-7933 ext. 111.

We are in particular need of Summer Sunday School volunteer teachers for August 19 & 26. If you can spare an hour of your time on either of those days, please contact Meg Baker at [email protected], look for the sheet in the Narthex, or go to http://stpaulsk.org/community/children to sign up. Thank you for serving the church community in this way!

Please join us for a guided tour of our Sanctuary's beautiful stained glass windows on Sunday, August 26, starting at 12:00 p.m.  Rev. Adam Snell will lead participants through the many artistic representations of scriptures, symbols, stories, and historic figures that adorn our sacred space. Registration is not required but RSVPs are appreciated; please sign up in the Narthex or online at http://stpaulsk.org/community/adult-education. For more information, contact Meg Baker at [email protected] or 301-933-7933 ext. 104.

There are two dates still available in 2018 for sponsoring the flowers that grace our Sanctuary on Sundays. If you would like to request flowers for August 26 or November 4, please add your name to the Flower chart found on the church office bulletin board, then fill out the yellow dedication form. The cost is $65, and you may choose to take flowers home after the 10:30 a.m. worship service, or have flowers delivered to church members who appreciate a little extra cheer. (The 2019 sign-up chart should be available in mid-October.) Please contact the church office or Ginny Hagberg if you have any questions.

Pancakes are back! Due to the Labor Day holiday, the UMM-sponsored September Pancake Breakfast will be held Saturday, September 8 in Heavener Hall. All are welcome! (Other pancake breakfasts will be on the first Saturday of the month, starting in October.) Serving hours are 8:00-10:30 a.m. and we offer pancakes, eggs, sausage, ham, fruit, and other dishes. Donations from the September 8 breakfast will benefit the Camping Ministries of the Baltimore-Washington Conference, which supports West River Center and Camp Manidokan. 

Our annual series of short-term and long-term adult classes will kick off this Fall starting mid-September. Our popular "Supper and Study" program will be offered on six consecutive Tuesday evenings, beginning on September 11 and going through October 16, and will include a variety of course themes and instructors leading us through topics that may range from biblical scholarship or church history to current events and popular culture. The longer-term Disciple I class (34 weeks beginning September 11) will be taught over the course of the year by Rev. Adam B. Snell. We will also offer Disciple IIA (16 weeks starting October 2), co-led by Vern Schinski and Meg Baker. Look for sign-up sheets starting August 19, or go to http://stpaulsk.org/community/adult-education for updates. For more information, contact Meg Baker at [email protected] or 301-933-7933 ext. 104.

Flat Paul, introduced last month as a way to keep congregants connected over the summer months, has accompanied many church members on their travels, including visits to the mountains of Tennessee, the beaches of Oahu, the vistas of Switzerland, and the cathedrals of Prague. Check out some of Flat Paul's adventures on the board in the Narthex, and pick up your own Flat Paul. Happy trails to you! People plan their path, but the LORD secures their steps. ~Proverbs 16:9  

Although we are currently on a summer break, Still Wednesday will return on September 12 at 7:00 p.m. to begin a new season of weekly stillness, reflection, prayer, and quiet spiritual time. We also have a new Still Weekend retreat coming up at the Dayspring Silent Retreat Center in Germantown MD, October 19-21. Look for registration details in the September edition of the Epistle or contact Kenzie Raulin ([email protected]) with questions!

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.

We want to show the world what the people of St. Paul's are doing, and we encourage our members to share our news and spread the Word as well. Our bulletins and the Epistle newsletter are available to the public, from visitors who walk through our doors to those visiting us through stpaulsk.org, and we use photos of St. Paul's building and people on our bulletin boards and on our website. As a rule, we do not identify children or youth by name, and we will not publish home addresses. We do list email and phone numbers for leaders and event coordinators unless you make prior arrangements to use the church office as your point of contact. We are currently working to revamp St. Paul's social media presence on Facebook, Instagram, and other platforms, and these guidelines will apply there as well. If you prefer your likeness not to appear in any of these places, please contact the church office to let us know. And of course, St. Paul's has no requirement that members participate in any online activity, nor control over what individual members choose to share on their personal social media platforms.  Thanks for staying connected with St. Paul's, in so many different ways!

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!