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Weekly News for Oct. 11, 2020 |
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Worship At Home
Sunday, October 11 at 11:00 a.m.
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Pastors' Weekly Message: From Pastor Pat
Greetings Beloved!
Is it me? Am I the only one who missed the deep dive from summer to fall? Somehow summer slowly slipped into obscurity and fall has arrived. It is October and for me that is the season of “soul food." October is sweater weather, the desire for warm beverages, and meals that stick to your ribs! This month for me is the signal to drag out the crock pot, stock up on dry limas and great northern beans, to stock up chicken broth, bay leaf, and all of my soup spices. It is spending Saturdays making pots of chicken vegetable soup, and lima beans with smoked turkey necks.
It’s the time to stock up on butter and flour for baking cakes, cookies and quick breads, sweet potato pies and biscuits.... Yes, I do all of that!
It is all of the many meals that remind me of growing up and safe places. It is sitting in the midst of soul-warming and appetite-stirring aromas embracing me like a comfortable blanket on a cool evening. It is fall. It is the joy of hearing a grandchild asking you to make them a pot of soup or let them help you bake. It is having to make good on all the baked goods you promised. This is fall! And all of this feeds not just my body but my soul!
Beloved, we have been through much and our souls thirst for care. Soul food is not just the favorite filling meals from the kitchen, it is also what provides for a healthy soul, for what fills us and nurtures us, comforts us and reminds us that we are safe.
So, I encourage you to take time and whip up some “soul food,” whether it’s chicken soup for the body, or Chicken Soup for the soul!
-- Pastor Pat
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Saturday, October 10
11:30 am - 12:30 pm
From Pastor Pat: Our Montgomery County Police District 2 Commander Sean Gagen (pictured) and Community Patrol Officer Dawn Strohman have invited us to have a virtual conversation with them. This is a wonderful opportunity for our church to meet with those first responders of our community and to just have a conversation. Looking forward for you to join me on Saturday as we hear from Commander Gagen and Officer Stroman!
Time: Oct 10, 2020
11:30 AM Eastern Time (US and Canada)
Join Zoom Meeting
Meeting ID: 835 0854 0567
Passcode: 847962
Dial by your location
+1 301 715 8592 US
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Sunday, October 18
(Please note: Last week's email contained an error and listed the date as Sept. 18 - the correct date is October 18.)
3:00 pm
After an 11-month journey exploring whether St. Paul's wants to be identified and live into the understanding of a reconciling congregation, it is time to make decisions. (Click here to read more about this journey.)
This meeting will be conducted using Zoom. All are welcome to attend; only present full members will be able to exercise voting privileges.
Registration is required and must be completed a half-hour before the start of the meeting. Once you have registered, you will receive a confirmation email with instructions. To participate by phone, contact Rev. Kate Mackereth Fulton ([email protected], 301-524-5196) and she will handle your registration.
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available Oct. 1-15
Covid-19 has changed everything, including how we worship. The pastors would like to know how YOU are engaging with worship at St. Paul's as we look at what's working, what we need to adapt, and what comes next. The survey should take 5-10 minutes.
A paper version is also available in the October edition of the Epistle (click here).
All members and friends are invited to share their experiences and thoughts. Please take the survey only once per person.
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bulletin info due by Oct. 21
worship Sunday, Nov. 1
9:00 & 10:30 am
During All Saints worship, we will recognize St. Paul's members who have died in the past year. We also invite you to share the names of family members who have died since Nov. 1, 2019. Please click HERE or go to stpaulsk.org/worship/memorials to share that information by October 21. If you have questions, please contact Erin Steele at [email protected].
All Saints Sunday will mark our first time welcoming worshipers into the Sanctuary since March. Reservations are REQUIRED! Seats are limited and covid-related precautions will be in place. Please click HERE to register to attend in-person, or access the form at stpaulsk.org/worship. For those who are not yet ready to return to in-person worship, the 10:30 worship service will also be live-streamed.
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worship Sunday, Oct. 25
9:30 am
Join us in Reinhardt Park, across from St. Paul's front doors, on Oct. 25 for worship. As before, please wear your masks and bring your own chairs or blankets for physically-distanced seating, or worship "drive-in" style from your car. Livestreaming will be available over Facebook Live for those who wish to watch online. More info and a digital order of worship will be available at stpaulsk.org/worship. Four young people will be confirmed as full members of the church and there will be communion. This will also be Stewardship Sunday; please look for our stewardship letter in the mail or visit stpaulsk.org/giving to find a secure pledge form online.
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Sunday, Oct. 25, 2020
1:30 pm
The Annual Church Conference is the time every year when pastors and lay leaders from each UMC church in the Baltimore-Washington Conference provide a snapshot of the life of their congregation and the overall state of their church's mission, leadership, goals, and physical structures, for review by the leaders guiding the District and Conference. As in previous years, multiple churches will present on the same day. Church Conference sessions are open to any who wish to attend, and will be managed this year as a Zoom meeting hosted by representatives of the District Superintendent's office. To attend you MUST register in advance using the link below provided by our District Administrator, Olivia Gross. Here is the information:
The Southwestern Montgomery County Cluster
Church Conference Zoom Link:
When: Oct 25, 2020 01:30 PM Eastern Time (US and Canada)
Register in advance for this meeting:
After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting.
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Sunday, Oct. 25, 2020
Middle High (Grades 6-8) - 3:30 - 4:30
Senior High (Grades 9-12) - 5:00 - 6:00
For the in-person St. Paul's Youth event in October event, we'll be decorating pumpkins in the St. Paul's parking lot! Each participant will get a space of their own and a pumpkin to decorate in some way. Our Middle School SPYs will be decorating using paint, glue, and other craft materials. Our High School SPYs will be using tools and kits to carve pumpkins. We are super excited to see what our youth will create! Read more details by clicking HERE. Want the Zoom link to join a SPY meeting, virtually, each week? Email Youth Pastor Micah Smartt ([email protected]) or sign up for the spiffy new SPY email list - click here.
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Anyone who wishes to send cards to friends experiencing times of grief, change, or celebration can now access the Congregational Care (aka "Sick List") online. Please contact Erin Steele at [email protected] and she will provide you with the link to our new online card ministry log and instructions on how to use it. (Please note: this is a "Bring Your Own Cards & Postage" ministry opportunity. We are not able to supply cards and stamps at this time.)
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Both Pastor Kate and Pastor Pat, with the support of St. Paul's SPRC committee, accepted the Bishop's invitation to clergy to take Sabbath Renewal Leave. Pastor Pat finished her Sabbath Renewal Leave on October 7. Pastor Kate will take Sabbath Renewal Leave Thursday October 8, 2020 through Sunday October 11, 2020.
"It is my prayer that you also find time to pause and renew, reflect and refresh. What we are experiencing is affecting all of us in ways we cannot begin to imagine. So instead of shouldering through, let us wisely accept prophetic moments of pause that we might reconnect with God and rest our souls." --Pastor Pat
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online order form will be available soon!
pick up days: October 24 & 25
The format of the annual Apple Sale has been changed because of the pandemic, but the apples will be just as tasty as ever! Apples and cider, apple butter, and related items will be sold in advance through online ordering at stpaulsk.org/community/united-methodist-men. (We are just waiting for the orchard to confirm our order.) We expect to carry the usual varieties of apples, e.g., Stayman, Nittany, Jonagold, etc., sold by the bag. Each bag will have over 2 lbs of apples of a single type. If there are leftovers after online orders have been filled, we will serve walk-up customers on October 24 & 25. We welcome volunteers to help bag apples, organize orders, and help on sale days, with precautions! Contact Phil Rush to volunteer: 240-426-9907 or email [email protected]
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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, [email protected].
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October is Clergy Appreciation Month across the UMC! Our Staff-Parish Relations Committee encourages all our members and friends to craft personal notes of appreciation for our pastors. You can send cards or notes to the pastors at the church address (10401 Armory Ave., Kensington MD 20895) or email Pastor Pat ([email protected]) or Pastor Kate ([email protected]). The SPRC also has created a Staff-Parish Appreciation Fund which will be used in part for Clergy Appreciation, so if you feel moved to contribute please make checks out to St. Paul's UMC with "Staff Appreciation" in the memo line and mail to the church office, Attn: Michelle Gregonis.
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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
Sunday School classes will be provided online for children and youth this fall. Classes are available for children in preschool through 12th grade. Please note - on days when there are in-person outdoor services (like Sunday, October 25), we will not hold Sunday School so that families may worship together. Contact Meg Baker at [email protected] or 301-933-7933 ext 104 if you have any questions!
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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 [email protected] 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 October 11, 2020
Nehemiah 1:8 - 2:5
8"Remember the word that you commanded your servant Moses, ‘If you are unfaithful, I will scatter you among the peoples; 9but if you return to me and keep my commandments and do them, though your outcasts are under the farthest skies, I will gather them from there and bring them to the place at which I have chosen to establish my name.’ 10They are your servants and your people, whom you redeemed by your great power and your strong hand. 11O Lord, let your ear be attentive to the prayer of your servant, and to the prayer of your servants who delight in revering your name. Give success to your servant today, and grant him mercy in the sight of this man!”
At the time, I was cupbearer to the king.
1In the month of Nisan, in the twentieth year of King Artaxerxes, when wine was served him, I carried the wine and gave it to the king. Now, I had never been sad in his presence before. 2So the king said to me, “Why is your face sad, since you are not sick? This can only be sadness of the heart.” Then I was very much afraid. 3I said to the king, “May the king live forever! Why should my face not be sad, when the city, the place of my ancestors’ graves, lies waste, and its gates have been destroyed by fire?” 4Then the king said to me, “What do you request?” So I prayed to the God of heaven. 5Then I said to the king, “If it pleases the king, and if your servant has found favor with you, I ask that you send me to Judah, to the city of my ancestors’ graves, so that I may rebuild it.”
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