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Weekly News for Feb. 21, 2021
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Worship-at-Home Service
February 21 at 10:30 a.m.
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Pastors' Weekly Message: From Pastor Pat
We have officially crossed the threshold and have begun our journey of Lent. This time last year we had actually gathered in the Sanctuary to begin this sacred journey together. However, COVID and quarantine may lead us to believe that somehow this journey is less sacred, and somewhat disconnected. Even if you’ve received your home Lenten kit or gathered with us remotely last night for service, there’s still the opportunity for the invitation Lent extends to be ignored. It might help to remind ourselves of just what the season represents.
Lent is our closest experience to Jesus’ forty days in the wilderness. It represents the time Jesus embraced in preparation for the work that lay ahead. We may choose to identify with the suffering the season represents by our personal sacrifices. We may also choose to identify with the introspection the season invites by adding a practice or discipline. However we choose to journey, our focus should not be on what we’re giving up or picking up, but where God is in the midst of this.
It is my prayer that you experience Lent as the sacredly inserted pause into the midst of our busy lives, calling us to slow down and reconnect with God, with each other, and with the deepest parts of ourselves we may have forgotten existed. It is the divine invitation to rediscover what and who really matters. It is the wonderful moment of shedding and sharing all that keeps us from and draws us to God and each other.
May you find this journey to be nourishment for your souls. And in case you still are unsure what Lent means, I invite you to check out this video "What Kids Say About Lent and Easter" ( https://youtu.be/blfjp1FdKbY). I guarantee it will speak to your heart.
-- Pastor Pat
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Sunday, Feb. 21
10:00-10:30 am
Looking for an informal way to connect before church? Set a reminder now so that this Sunday you can grab your coffee (or tea or cocoa or water) and head over to the virtual Octagon. Come in your PJs or your Sunday best. Bring the kiddos or cats or come alone! Everyone is welcome.
February Coffee Hour
Hosted by Travis & Rachel Stalcup
Zoom: https://edtrust.zoom.us/j/7089450144
Meeting ID: 708 945 0144
Passcode: not required
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Part One: Feb. 25, 6:30pm
Part Two: March 25, 6:30pm
The Better Humans Book Club is under the umbrella of our Justice & Compassion team and is open to all! This month we also join forces with the women of the UMW reading group. Over the next two sessions we'll discuss 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 half of Toxic Charity will be discussed on Feb. 25. Contact Travis Stalcup directly or email Erin Steele in the church office ([email protected]) for the Zoom link.
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starting Sunday, Feb. 21
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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Since we are doing so much from home this season, the pastors at St. Paul's have designed Lenten packets for our members and friends. Look for yours to arrive in the mail. The journey begins with an ash cross on burlap, a reminder of repentance and sackcloth. There are materials for prayer, worship, and reflection, including a program for customizing your own Ash Wednesday experience, a booklet with devotionals for Lent, and a postcard with information about Easter. Please contact Erin Steele at the church office if you have questions: [email protected].
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Living Well Through Lent
Sign up open
Class meets Wednesdays, Feb. 24 - 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. 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.
Again & Again:
Sign up closed
Class meets Tuesdays
Feb. 23 - March 30
7:30-8:30 pm
In this season of Lent, we’re reminded that, again and again, we are people who doubt, lament, or mess up. And yet, again and again, God offers us a new way forward. Rev. Kate Mackereth Fulton leads this study exploring Scripture, art, reflections, and poetry.
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Saturdays in February
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 Bible study and discussion guided by the BibleProject’s Church at Home: Small Group Bible Study. All are welcome to participate in this one-hour, no-prep study weekly opportunity on a drop-in or regular basis.
Remaining topics for this month are:
- February 20 - When We Cry Out
- February 27 - Rescued for a Purpose
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now open
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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March 10
It has been a long tradition at St. Paul’s UMC to prepare and provide meals for the shelters in Montgomery County operated by our partners at Interfaith Works. This year, in addition to our usual week of providing meals for the Rockville shelter in April, we also will serve the new Interfaith Works women’s shelter in Silver Spring, housing women newly experiencing homelessness plus about half the women formerly at the Rockville - Taft Court shelter who were relocated to mitigate risks of COVID.
We have committed to six meals for about 50 women at the IW Silver Spring shelter, one meal a month for six months. Our next assignment is March 10.
Anyone who would like to join the St. Paul’s men and women already committed to this shelter meal initiative should contact coordinator Lyn Walker directly ([email protected]). You can shop for supplies, make deliveries to the shelters, or prepare salads, entrees, pastas, boil eggs, cut up oranges, etc. Please let Lyn know if you wish to serve.
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July 25 - 30
Wilderness Trail is currently planning to take groups out on the Appalachian Trail in 2021, and we've reserved spots for two groups! This trip allows youth to spend time in God's creation by backpacking for 4 days along sections of the AT in Virginia and/or Tennessee. This year, each group on the trail can consist of up to 7 youth, 2 adults, and a Wilderness Trail staff guide. This trip is open to all youth in grades 6-12, plus any seniors from the class of 2020 that were not able to attend this past year. Of course, there will be some changes to the program to keep us safe and healthy. The total cost of the trip is $305 per participant and a sign-up/payment form will be online soon! As always, camperships are available to provide financial aid - simply reach out to Micah for a completely confidential conversation about what needs you may have. If you'd like more information, please contact Micah at [email protected].
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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 - 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 ([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 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.
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.
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Scripture for February 21, 2021
Mark 1:9-15
9 In those days Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee and was baptized by John in the Jordan. 10 And just as he was coming up out of the water, he saw the heavens torn apart and the Spirit descending like a dove on him. 11 And a voice came from heaven, “You are my Son, the Beloved; with you I am well pleased.”
12 And the Spirit immediately drove him out into the wilderness. 13 He was in the wilderness forty days, tempted by Satan; and he was with the wild beasts; and the angels waited on him.
14 Now after John was arrested, Jesus came to Galilee, proclaiming the good news of God, 15 and saying, “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God has come near; repent, and believe in the good news.”
Genesis 9:8-17
8 Then God said to Noah and to his sons with him, 9 “As for me, I am establishing my covenant with you and your descendants after you, 10 and with every living creature that is with you, the birds, the domestic animals, and every animal of the earth with you, as many as came out of the ark. 11 I establish my covenant with you, that never again shall all flesh be cut off by the waters of a flood, and never again shall there be a flood to destroy the earth.” 12 God said, “This is the sign of the covenant that I make between me and you and every living creature that is with you, for all future generations: 13 I have set my bow in the clouds, and it shall be a sign of the covenant between me and the earth. 14 When I bring clouds over the earth and the bow is seen in the clouds, 15 I will remember my covenant that is between me and you and every living creature of all flesh; and the waters shall never again become a flood to destroy all flesh. 16 When the bow is in the clouds, I will see it and remember the everlasting covenant between God and every living creature of all flesh that is on the earth.” 17 God said to Noah, “This is the sign of the covenant that I have established between me and all flesh that is on the earth.”
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