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Weekly News for March 21, 2021
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Worship-at-Home Service
March 21 at 10:30 a.m.
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Pastors' Weekly Message: From Pastor Pat
Greetings Beloved,
Sugar is my kryptonite. I have been known to bake a cake because I had a taste for a slice, or a pan of brownies because I had a taste for chocolate. Most recently I “treated” myself to a 150 piece bag of Laffy Taffy, Nerds, and Sweet Tarts as the reward for having received the first dose of the COVID vaccine. As you can imagine, this is not a healthy habit to embrace. And no matter how much I convince myself that I’ll just have one piece… well, you know how that goes.
I would love to blame the demon of sugar; and even though there is sufficient medical evidence to suggest that cravings for caffeine, sugar, and the like bear physiological roots, the truth is I know sugar is not good for me. Yet even in knowing this time after time I convince myself that I can just have one piece.
It only takes one time. One time to say: I’ll exercise tomorrow. One time to say: I’ll pray later. One time to say: I’ll read my devotions later. One time to say: you know I’ll watch the recording of worship. It takes one time for us to realize how quickly one time turns into two, three, and so on. The more we condition ourselves that "just one time" won’t hurt, the more we invite that to be a recurring pattern.
Sometimes we have to make the hard choices, the tough love decisions, to do the right thing. To be better we have to do better.
So this morning, as much as I tried not to, I laced up my gym shoes and got busy doing cardio. Oh and the candy… well, I packed it all up and threw it away last night. An expensive lesson, but not nearly as costly as eating that entire bag would have been.
What is it worth to you to do the right thing?
-- Pastor Pat
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Part Two: March 25, 6:30pm
Pastor Pat leads the next Book Club discussion as we examine the final chapters of Toxic Charity: How Churches and Charities Hurt Those They Help, And How to Reverse It. Author Robert Lupton asks us to wrestle with questions about the best way to help those in need and how to increase dignity while reducing dependency.
The first 6 chapters were discussed on Feb. 25; you are welcome to attend in March even if you were unable to attend the previous discussion.
Zoom information:
March 25, 6:30 pm
Meeting ID: 919 8198 2861
Passcode: 964053
The Better Humans Book Club is under the umbrella of our Justice & Compassion team and is open to all! If you have questions, please contact Travis Stalcup directly or Erin Steele at [email protected].
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closes March 24
The Baltimore-Washington Conference of the UMC awards scholarships for qualified high school seniors who plan to attend college in the fall of 2021.
The application process is now open and closes March 24.
A variety of scholarships are offered. To be considered for a scholarship, students must complete the full online application, which includes uploading their current transcripts and providing references from their pastor and another person in their church.
For more information or to apply:
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Our journey through Lent will lead us into Holy Week and onward to Easter, the joyful celebration of the risen Christ.
Holy Week services for Maundy Thursday (April 1) and Good Friday (April 2) will be available online in a Worship-from-Home format.
Easter Sunday (April 4) will feature in-person worship:
6:30 a.m. at Clum-Kennedy Park
9:00 & 10:30 a.m. at Reinhardt Park
Those attending should bring chairs, wear masks, and maintain physical distancing in the park, or participate from their vehicles drive-in style.
The 10:30 service will also be livestreamed for viewing at home.
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Mrs. Sue H. Roberts passed away peacefully on March 13, 2021 at the age of 88. She had been part of St. Paul's for over 20 years. Our community of members and friends mourns her passing and sends condolences to her brother, Mr. John Hall.
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Sunday, March 28
10:00-10:30 am
Following the success of our February virtual coffee hour, we've scheduled one for March. Set a reminder now so you can grab your coffee (or tea or cocoa or water) and head over to the virtual Octagon for the next coffee hour on March 28. Come in your PJs or your Sunday best. Bring the kiddos or cats or come alone! Everyone is welcome.
Topic: Virtual Coffee in the Octagon
Time: Mar 28, 2021 10:00 AM Eastern Time (US and Canada)
Meeting ID: 975 6645 7215
Passcode: 000075
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now until March 28
Our goal is to have printed copies of a new Church Directory for Spring 2021 ready for pick-up at in-person Easter worship services and available in the days that follow, so we need your help with updates. Our directory can only be as good as the information our members and friends provide for our records! Please go to stpaulsk.org/community/calendar-and-events and find the link to our secure form. Even if your home address hasn't changed, please share the best phone number and email where St. Paul's clergy and friends can reach you. We also invite you to upload a current photo of people in your household. (The best grouping will have everyone close to the center of the photo, but we'll work with whatever you send!)
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On March 14, we celebrated UMCOR's designated Special Sunday with United Methodists worldwide. If you wish to contribute to UMCOR's special offering, you may contribute through the online giving portal until March 28, or mail checks to the church. Our church’s special offerings join with those of other UMC congregations around the globe to keep the United Methodist Committee On Relief strong and able to provide aid whenever or wherever war, conflict, or natural disaster disrupts life to such an extent that communities cannot recover on their own. For more information: stpaulsk.org/giving
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Monday March 29 - Friday April 2
11:00 am-1:00 pm & 5:00-7:00 pm
and
Saturday April 3, 11:00am-1:00pm
Octagon Room at St. Paul's
St. Paul’s will be hosting a new self-guided Stations of the Cross event throughout Holy Week. This program honors the ancient story of Jesus’ death while recognizing the ways this narrative repeats itself again & again throughout the past and present. It provides multisensory ways to engage, confess, and lament. Each station will be sponsored by St. Paul's groups and members.
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Class meets Wednesdays, now - March 31
4:00-5:00 pm
Living Well Through Lent 2021: Listening with All Your Heart, Soul, Strength, and Mind, led by Dr. Meg Baker, is a new study series that includes the voices and deep reflections of ten writers of diverse backgrounds. All are welcome to participate either on an ongoing or a drop-in basis. Please visit https://forms.gle/dwp8kS98Uoe8rZvbA or contact [email protected] to receive the Zoom link and the downloadable study materials.
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available 24/7 until Easter
Again & again, God hears our prayers. Visit the "&" screen set up at the front steps of St. Paul's as often as you wish. Take a strip of black plastic then use the silver Sharpie marker provided to write your prayer. Weave the black strip into the screen inside the ampersand shape, adding it to the prayers of the community.
The & symbol in our prayer wall invites us to let go of either/or thinking this Lent and instead embrace God's holy "and" - we are broken and beautiful, joy and grief coexist, the world is full of injustice and God is leading us to wholeness. Read more at stpaulsk.org/worship/lent-and-easter
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Sundays now through March 28
On the 10th anniversary year of the renovation of St. Paul's magnificent pipe organ, Marvin Mills will present a special musical offering each Sunday of Lent. Expanding on the decade's long tradition of Fugues by J. S. Bach as postludes, a complete Prelude and Fugue will be offered this year, preceded by a contrasting short chorale prelude. These will be available at stpaulsk.org/worship/worship-at-home in tandem with (but separate from) the streaming worship service.
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Pastor Pat and Pastor Kate are available by appointment until regular office hours are re-established. Email is the best way to reach them. Pastor Pat and Pastor Kate also both maintain personal Sabbath practices to ensure that they remain rested and restored. During their Sabbath times (listed below) they break from routine email and phone communications. All are welcome to leave voice and email messages for Pastor Pat and Pastor Kate at any time, and our pastors will respond to messages received during their times of Sabbath on the next day. The exception would be an urgent, emergency situation. What is urgent? Serious injury, rapid decline in health, impending death, or despair leading a person to consider self-harm is considered urgent. In an emergency, contact the pastors by cell phone. You can also find the pastors' cell numbers listed in their office voicemail greetings and on page 12 of the March issue of the Epistle.
Pastor Patricia Allen
office: 301.933.7933 ext. 101
cell (emergencies only): 410.963.8942
Sabbath Times (out of the office):
- After 1:00 pm on Thursdays
- All day on Fridays
- After 1:00 pm on Sundays
Pastor Kate Mackereth Fulton
office: 301.933.7933 ext. 103
cell (emergencies only): 301.524.5196
Sabbath Times (out of the office):
- After 1:00 pm on Fridays
- All day on Saturdays
- After 1:00 pm on Sundays
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March is recognized as Women’s History Month. The efforts of a group of women began in 1980 in Santa Rosa, California and culminated in a Congressional Act declaring March as National Women’s History Month. The theme for 2021 is “Valiant Women of the Vote: Refusing to Be Silenced.” This year’s theme is the opportunity to acknowledge those women who have taken extraordinary measures and immeasurable risks to use their voices to register voters, to champion the cause of women’s right to vote, and capturing the stories of women’s advocacy throughout the ages. Women have often been relegated to positions and assignments that have restricted their access to professional opportunities and their life’s vocation. Women’s History Month is designed to honor and celebrate women who have contributed and continue to contribute to the fabric of our existence. This month celebrates the women who have sacrificed for a better quality of life for all. So if you know a woman, tell her thank you! And let us celebrate!
--Pastor Pat
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Ongoing Activities - Click on each heading to learn more.
Still Wednesday: Wednesdays, 7pm. - All are welcome for this time of prayer, connection, and quiet contemplation in a busy world. We are meeting each week by Zoom. Email [email protected] or call Kenzie Raulin at 301-237-1520.
Daily Breath: Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays at 9am - Take a deep breath and deepen your spiritual well as staff take turns offering a short meditation, music, a reading, or reflection. www.facebook.com/stpaulskensington/ - no Facebook account required!
SPY Zoom: Sundays, Middle High 4:30pm, Senior High 7pm - St. Paul's Youth (open to all St. Paul's friends in grades 6-12) will be sticking with our weekly Zoom meetings for the immediate future. Add yourself to the SPY email list to get the Zoom link; enter your email in the form found HERE or contact Micah Smartt ([email protected]).
Prayerwaves: Wednesdays, 10am - During this time of Prayer over the Air Waves, we pray together over the phone. Call 425-436-6326 at 9:55 each Wednesday morning. When prompted for the “access code," type in 774042 followed by #.
Prayer Request Form: Our prayer form is available right on the stpaulsk.org website. If you have a joy or concern, you can share it confidentially with St. Paul's ministers or share with the entire Prayer Team.
Upper Room Mailing List - To receive paper copies of The Upper Room daily devotionals, please contact Erin Steele in the church office ([email protected]) with your mailing address and whether you prefer the pocket-sized or large print version.
Lydia Circle Meeting: Every other Friday, 1:30 pm - Lydia Circle women are gathering via Zoom. We invite any woman interested in joining us to contact leader Susan Schwarz at [email protected] or call 301-339-8242.
Wilderness Trail Sign-Ups: Wilderness Trail allows youth to contemplate faith and God's creation while backpacking the Appalachian Trail. This year's trip will be July 25-30 and is open to all youth grades 6-12 plus last year's seniors who didn't get to go due to covid closures. Contact Micah Smartt ([email protected]) for more info.
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Scripture for March 21, 2021
John 12:20-33
20Now among those who went up to worship at the festival were some Greeks. 21They came to Philip, who was from Bethsaida in Galilee, and said to him, “Sir, we wish to see Jesus.” 22Philip went and told Andrew; then Andrew and Philip went and told Jesus. 23Jesus answered them, “The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified. 24Very truly, I tell you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains just a single grain; but if it dies, it bears much fruit. 25Those who love their life lose it, and those who hate their life in this world will keep it for eternal life. 26Whoever serves me must follow me, and where I am, there will my servant be also. Whoever serves me, the Father will honor.
27“Now my soul is troubled. And what should I say — ‘Father, save me from this hour’? No, it is for this reason that I have come to this hour. 28Father, glorify your name.” Then a voice came from heaven, “I have glorified it, and I will glorify it again.” 29The crowd standing there heard it and said that it was thunder. Others said, “An angel has spoken to him.” 30Jesus answered, “This voice has come for your sake, not for mine. 31Now is the judgment of this world; now the ruler of this world will be driven out. 32And I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all people to myself.” 33He said this to indicate the kind of death he was to die.
Jeremiah 31:31-34
31The days are surely coming, says the LORD, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and the house of Judah. 32It will not be like the covenant that I made with their ancestors when I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt — a covenant that they broke, though I was their husband, says the LORD. 33But this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, says the LORD: I will put my law within them, and I will write it on their hearts; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. 34No longer shall they teach one another, or say to each other, “Know the LORD,” for they shall all know me, from the least of them to the greatest, says the LORD; for I will forgive their iniquity, and remember their sin no more.
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