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Weekly News for Sept. 27, 2020
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Outdoor In-Person Worship
Sunday, September 27 at 9:30 a.m.
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Pastors' Weekly Message: From Pastor Pat
Greetings Beloved!
I invite you to pause with me for a moment and reflect on the Old Testament Book of Exodus chapter 17 verses 1-7. You are encouraged to read it for yourself; it is included with the Scripture passages below. In this particular text, the Israelites, when faced with crisis, resort to an all too familiar strategy. They lash out at leadership and lament what they lack. The perilous prison-life of Pharaoh is more desirable than the seemingly elusive taste of the Promised Land. They seem to have forgotten all that God has done before and since they’ve left Egypt.
Life has a way of disregarding our need to recover before it serves up another layer of chaos. This never ending tide of “stuff” washes over us and before we can catch our breath, and sweeps us off our feet. It is in these moments when it seems all is lost that we forget what God has already brought us through.
Do not for a moment think that the real troubles of this time can be wiped away by positive thinking or pretending it’s not that bad. These are the times where we must remind ourselves of the foundation of our faith, that God indeed is our Rock!
In a Christmas film made years before her death, Whitney Houston sang these words, which are also part of Psalm 118:
“I go to the Rock of my salvation, I go to the stone that the builders rejected. I go to the mountain and the mountain stands by me. When the earth all around me is sinking sand, on Christ the solid rock I stand. When I need a shelter, when I need a friend, I go to the Rock.”
Go to the Rock, and have your thirst quenched!
-- Pastor Pat
pallen@stpaulsk.org
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Sunday, Sept. 27
9:30 am
Join us for this outdoor in-person worship service
(weather permitting). As in previous months, all those in the park should wear a mask and bring picnic blankets or folding chairs, or enjoy from your car "drive-in" style.
This service will also include a Pet Blessing! All pets are welcome. Pets must be secured in a cage, carrier, or on a leash the entire time. Even though we're outdoors, those with pet allergies or phobias may prefer to worship from the comfort of your vehicle.
Other details are available at stpaulsk.org/worship. The worship bulletin, for use on your smartphone or other device, will also be available on the Worship page on Sunday.
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Sunday, Sept. 27
2:00pm
Pastor Kate is offering a webinar this coming Sunday covering everything you need to know about voting in our upcoming Church Conferences.
Attendance at the webinar is not required for future voting. However, the webinar is designed to help explain the process ahead of time, so it's strongly encouraged.
You must register to participate in the webinar. Click here to begin:
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Tuesday, Sept. 29
register by 6:30pm
meeting begins at 7pm
The church conference vote on the Building Renovation Project will be held on Tuesday, Sept. 29. To attend, each household or user with their own device can register at https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_yM-x--JfS7CfAEBG2KcBQw Registration MUST be completed no later than 30 minutes ahead of the start of the meeting. If you have questions about the process, please attend the Webinar on Sept. 27.
As with all Church Conferences, only members who are present have voting privileges. (Non-members may attend but do not have voting privileges.)
For those needing to attend by telephone voice call, please contact Pastor Kate directly (kfulton@stpaulsk.org, 301-524-5196) for details. She will register you. On the night of the vote, you will need to call the church office to submit your vote at the appropriate time.
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Sign Up by September 24
The Book of Nehemiah Tuesdays, 6 sessions starting Oct. 6. Led by Pastor Pat. We may not face exactly the same kinds of battles that Nehemiah faced, but focusing on his story in the Bible offers lessons we can use in our world.
Me & White Supremacy Thursdays, 4 sessions beginning Oct. 1. Led by Pastor Kate. Using the bestselling book of the same title, this class invites participants to learn about the work we all have to do, personally and in community, to move toward a world free of racial injustice.
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Monday, Sept. 28
7:00 pm
by Zoom
You are invited to join us for an online prayer service this Monday as we prepare for our Building Renovation Project Vote. Pastor Pat will lead the prayer service over Zoom. Please use the link below to join, or enter the following meeting ID and passcode. (If you have been hesitant about using Zoom before, Meg Baker is available to offer some guidance. Contact her at mbaker@stpaulsk.org or 301-933-7933 ext 104.)
Meeting ID: 854 0102 9335
Passcode: 686509
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Tuesday Sept. 29, 2020
7:00 pm
Special Church Conference to vote on the finalized scope of the building (renovation) project.
Sunday Oct. 18, 2020
3:00 pm
Church Meeting to vote on becoming a Reconciling Congregation.
Sunday Oct. 25, 2020
1:30 pm
Annual Church Conference
Beacuse of COVID, these events will be conducted virtually. We strongly suggest attending the webinar on Sunday, September 27 at 2:00 pm where Pastor Kate will explain what you need to know. Registration required! Please click HERE to register.
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Do you have a joy or concern on your heart? Instead of yellow cards in the pew, use our secure online form to share your thoughts. Submit Prayer Requests at stpaulsk.org/community/prayer-requests
If you would like to pray alongside others from St. Paul's, call 425-436-6326 at 9:45 each Tuesday morning. When prompted for the “access code," type in 774042 followed by #.
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9:30 a.m. most Sundays
Please note - on days when there are in-person outdoor services (like this Sunday, September 27), we will not hold Sunday School so that families may worship together. Sunday School classes will be provided online for children and youth this fall. Classes are available for children in preschool through 12th grade. Contact Meg Baker at mbaker@stpaulsk.org or 301-933-7933 ext 104 if you have any questions!
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Tuesdays, 4-5pm
Wednesdays, 4-5pm
Saturdays, 11am-12pm
Three separate Bible study classes are available each week over Zoom; you can attend regularly or occasionally as your schedule allows. Find the sign-up and a full description at stpaulsk.org/community/adult-education or contact Meg Baker, our Director of Christian Education, at mbaker@stpaulsk.org or 301-933-7933 ext 104.
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Tuesdays: Prayer & Listening, with an optioal guide by Jan Johnson ($10), helps deepen the spiritual discipline of spending time in prayer with God.
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Wednesdays: You Are Never Alone, the newest study from popular author Max Lucado, with a focus on the miracles of Jesus recounted in the Gospel of John.
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Saturdays: The Bible Project's "Church at Home" Bible Study, featuring video and guided discussion questions on different themes each week.
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Sept 6-26
On Sunday September 6, 2020, Pastor Pat invited you to join in 21 days of prayer. Consider it, if you will, as a spiritual check up, the preventive soul maintenance that will remove anything that will keep us from being who God needs us to be in this season. Let us hope that we will ask God to reveal to us the place within each of us where we are resistant to God’s move or rebelling against God’s will.
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by appointment
Reinhardt Park
Pastor Pat is available by appointment to chat outdoors (weather permitting), in the park across from St. Paul's front doors. Masks and physical distancing will be required. Please email pallen@stpaulsk.org to arrange a meeting time that will work for your schedule!
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October 26
7:00 p.m.
Our presenter, AARP speaker Phyllis Meyerson, had to reschedule the meeting originally planned for September. Please join us next month by Zoom for “Know the 10 Signs: An Alzheimer’s Checklist." As we age, it is tempting to attribute the gradual changes our bodies go through to normal aging. Mrs. Meyerson will identify changes we should be more attentive to, including memory lapses that begin to affect our quality of life. To attend, contact Meg Baker, mbaker@stpaulsk.org.
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Fridays, every two weeks
3:00 pm
Lydia Circle ladies enjoy seeing each other via Zoom and discussing what we have all been doing, along with an update on our Smart Sacks activities. Anyone who would like to join us can email Susan Schwarz (contact the office at stpaulsunited@stpaulsk.org if you need Susan's personal email address) or call 301-339-8242. Susan will put you on the email list to get a Zoom invitation.
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Wednesdays, 7pm
Still Wednesday offers a time of prayer, connection, and quiet contemplation in a busy world. We are meeting each week by Zoom. Email kenzier@rcn.com or call Kenzie Raulin at 301-237-1520 for more information. All are welcome.
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Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays
9:00 a.m.
Facebook Live
Three days a week (except holidays!), St. Paul's staff and guests take turns offering a live meditation, reading, music, or message reminding us to start our day by taking a breath. Simply go to https://www.facebook.com/stpaulskensington/ - no account required!
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Scripture for September 27, 2020
Old Testament Reading: Exodus 17:1-7 (NRSV)
1From the wilderness of Sin the whole congregation of the Israelites journeyed by stages, as the Lord commanded. They camped at Rephidim, but there was no water for the people to drink. 2The people quarreled with Moses, and said, “Give us water to drink.” Moses said to them, “Why do you quarrel with me? Why do you test the Lord?” 3But the people thirsted there for water; and the people complained against Moses and said, “Why did you bring us out of Egypt, to kill us and our children and livestock with thirst?” 4So Moses cried out to the Lord, “What shall I do with this people? They are almost ready to stone me.” 5The Lord said to Moses, “Go on ahead of the people, and take some of the elders of Israel with you; take in your hand the staff with which you struck the Nile, and go. 6I will be standing there in front of you on the rock at Horeb. Strike the rock, and water will come out of it, so that the people may drink.” Moses did so, in the sight of the elders of Israel. 7He called the place Massah and Meribah, because the Israelites quarreled and tested the Lord, saying, “Is the Lord among us or not?”
Gospel Reading: Matthew 21:23-32 (NRSV)
23When he entered the temple, the chief priests and the elders of the people came to him as he was teaching, and said, “By what authority are you doing these things, and who gave you this authority?” 24Jesus said to them, “I will also ask you one question; if you tell me the answer, then I will also tell you by what authority I do these things. 25Did the baptism of John come from heaven, or was it of human origin?” And they argued with one another, “If we say, ‘From heaven,’ he will say to us, ‘Why then did you not believe him?’ 26But if we say, ‘Of human origin,’ we are afraid of the crowd; for all regard John as a prophet.” 27So they answered Jesus, “We do not know.” And he said to them, “Neither will I tell you by what authority I am doing these things.
28“What do you think? A man had two sons; he went to the first and said, ‘Son, go and work in the vineyard today.’ 29He answered, ‘I will not’; but later he changed his mind and went. 30The father went to the second and said the same; and he answered, ‘I go, sir’; but he did not go. 31Which of the two did the will of his father?” They said, “The first.” Jesus said to them, “Truly I tell you, the tax collectors and the prostitutes are going into the kingdom of God ahead of you. 32For John came to you in the way of righteousness and you did not believe him, but the tax collectors and the prostitutes believed him; and even after you saw it, you did not change your minds and believe him.”
Scripture for the Blessing of the Animals: Genesis 1:20-25 (NRSV)
20And God said, “Let the waters bring forth swarms of living creatures, and let birds fly above the earth across the dome of the sky.” 21So God created the great sea monsters and every living creature that moves, of every kind, with which the waters swarm, and every winged bird of every kind. And God saw that it was good. 22God blessed them, saying, “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the waters in the seas, and let birds multiply on the earth.” 23And there was evening and there was morning, the fifth day.
24And God said, “Let the earth bring forth living creatures of every kind: cattle and creeping things and wild animals of the earth of every kind.” And it was so. 25God made the wild animals of the earth of every kind, and the cattle of every kind, and everything that creeps upon the ground of every kind. And God saw that it was good.
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Contact us! ● 301-933-7933 ● stpaulsunited@stpaulsk.org ● stpaulsk.org
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