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Weekly News for March 14, 2021
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Worship-at-Home Service
March 14 at 10:30 a.m.
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Pastors' Weekly Message: From Pastor Pat
Greetings Beloved,
Historically the Church It has been the catalyst for change within society. Ironically it is also true that it is the church where resistance to change is also rooted.
In his “Letter from a Birmingham Jail,” Rev. Dr. King was writing to the church, which had chastised and condemned his prophetic ministry.
Here we are more than 60 years later, looking for a leader to step up and lead us out of the multitude of pandemics which have descended upon us. And just like Dr. King, pastors today face the same dilemma he faced: speaking truth to the Church. The resistance we face has not resulted in our jailing, but has indeed added to the burden we already promised God we would carry. Don’t preach about vaccines! Enough about race already! The pulpit is no place for politics! And for the love of God take off those dangling earrings! Perhaps not what Dr. King addressed in his letter, but pushback nonetheless.
Why does this matter? For those of us who take seriously the vows of our ordination, preaching is not meant to be popular, but prophetic. It is through the voices of God’s called that God speaks, calling truth to power, even if that power is the Church.
Scripture reminds us that folk would much rather hear the soothing sound of words that coddle rather than the uncomfortable tickle of prophetic truth (see 2 Timothy 4:3-4). But do not worry beloved. Resistance is the sign of movement, the stirring up of what has settled beneath the surface. Resistance says there is an energy trying to find its place. Resistance is the sign of life pushing its way to the forefront.
Resistance without purpose could lead to rebellion. Resistance heard and guided, may lead to resurrection.
-- Pastor Pat
pallen@stpaulsk.org
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March 14
Daylight saving time begins on Sunday, March 14!
Unless you plan to be awake at 2:00 a.m. on Sunday when the time change officially starts, set your clocks forward one hour when you go to bed on Saturday night, March 13.
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Volunteer by March 14
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.
Church Groups are encouraged to sponsor one of the ten stations. Volunteers are also needed to greet participants and help ensure covid safety protocols are observed during the event.
Please read more at:
To volunteer, contact Meg Baker by March 14 at mbaker@stpaulsk.org or 240-723-6642.
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Sunday, March 14
The United Methodist Committee on Relief (UMCOR) provides aid when war, conflict, or natural disaster disrupts life to such an extent that communities cannot recover on their own. Whether that's responding to a typhoon in the Philippines or a tornado in Oklahoma, UMCOR makes long-term commitments to local partners for recovery and reconstruction far beyond the initial crisis response.
On UMCOR's designated Special Sunday, we join our church’s special offerings with those of United Methodist congregations around the world, keeping UMCOR strong and able to respond in emergencies with extravagant grace and expert care.
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St. Paul's mourns the loss of two members of the church family. Mrs. Adda Clark passed away on February 28, 2021. She was age 93. Clem Clark, her beloved husband, followed her in death on March 6, 2021, having stated that he wanted to be with Adda. He was 102.
Links to full obituary notices and information about future memorial service arrangements will be posted at St. Paul's website on the Memorials page as information becomes available: stpaulsk.org/worship/memorials
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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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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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Our journey through Lent will lead us into Holy Week and onward to Easter, the joyful celebration of the risen Christ. For the latest information on seasonal activities and plans for worship on these special days, please visit: stpaulsk.org/worship/lent-and-easter
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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 mbaker@stpaulsk.org to receive the Zoom link and the downloadable study materials.
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Saturdays
11:00am-12:00 noon
Each week’s session includes a brief audio talk, a short video about a biblical book or theme, and a time of interactive study and discussion guided by the BibleProject’s Reflections Bible Study. All are welcome to participate in this one-hour, no-prep weekly opportunity on a drop-in or regular basis. Topics for this month are:
- March 13 – Gift of Rest
- March 20 – Trusting God in the Wilderness
- March 27 – God’s Wisdom on Display
Questions? Contact Meg Baker at mbaker@stpaulsk.org or 301-933-7933 ext. 104.
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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 the church office (stpaulsunited@stpaulsk.org).
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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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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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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
email: pallen@stpaulsk.org
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
email: kfulton@stpaulsk.org
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 kenzier@rcn.com or call Kenzie Raulin at 301-237-1520.
Daily Breath: Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays at 9am - Use your social media time for good! 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 (msmartt@stpaulsk.org).
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 new 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.
Card Ministry: Congregational Care Log - Anyone who wishes to send cards to friends experiencing times of grief, change, or celebration can access the Congregational Care (aka "Sick List") online. Please contact Dr. Meg Baker at mbaker@stpaulsk.org
Sunday School: Sundays, 9:30 am - Virtual classes for children in grade 5 and younger can be found at stpaulsk.org/community/sunday-school. Contact Meg Baker (mbaker@stpaulsk.org or 301-933-7933 ext 104) to join the Sunday School email list and receive activity pages and materials!
Upper Room Mailing List - To receive paper copies of The Upper Room daily devotionals, please contact Erin Steele in the church office (stpaulsunited@stpaulsk.org) 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 susan10748@aol.com 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 (msmartt@stpaulsk.org) for more info.
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Scripture for March 14, 2021
John 3:14-21
14And just as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, 15that whoever believes in him may have eternal life.
16“For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not perish but may have eternal life.
17“Indeed, God did not send the Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him. 18Those who believe in him are not condemned; but those who do not believe are condemned already, because they have not believed in the name of the only Son of God. 19And this is the judgment, that the light has come into the world, and people loved darkness rather than light because their deeds were evil. 20For all who do evil hate the light and do not come to the light, so that their deeds may not be exposed. 21But those who do what is true come to the light, so that it may be clearly seen that their deeds have been done in God.”
Ephesians 2:1-10
1You were dead through the trespasses and sins 2in which you once lived, following the course of this world, following the ruler of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work among those who are disobedient. 3All of us once lived among them in the passions of our flesh, following the desires of flesh and senses, and we were by nature children of wrath, like everyone else. 4But God, who is rich in mercy, out of the great love with which he loved us 5even when we were dead through our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ — by grace you have been saved — 6and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, 7so that in the ages to come he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. 8For by grace you have been saved through faith, and this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God — 9not the result of works, so that no one may boast. 10For we are what he has made us, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand to be our way of life.
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Contact us! ● 301-933-7933 ● stpaulsunited@stpaulsk.org ● stpaulsk.org
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