Have you been thinking about singing in the choir but worried about the rehearsal schedule or commitment? Then welcome to June Choir! There will be extra music this Sunday, June 17 so if you are interested in singing that day, make plans to attend a special rehearsal on Saturday, June 16 at 10:00 a.m. On June 24, just come to Room 211 (Choir Room) at 9:30 a.m. We rehearse together before the 10:30 a.m. worship service and sing music specifically chosen by Director of Music Tom Pedersen to be meaningful and accessible to this pick-up choir. Questions? Contact Tom at tpedersen@stpaulsk.org.

Join us this Sunday, June 17, for the annual St. Paul's Church Picnic. Lunch will be served in Reinhardt Park, directly across the street from St. Paul's main doors, following the 10:30 a.m. worship service. Children will enjoy a moon bounce and face painting, and all will enjoy opportunities for fellowship and a time to bid farewell to Rev. Claire Matheny.

After over seven years of service at St. Paul’s, Associate Pastor Rev. Claire Matheny has accepted a new call to serve as Enabling Minister at Kittamaqundi Church in Columbia MD. You can read more about her new position in the “Claire’s Corner” feature on page 2 of the April Epistle, available here. Rev. Claire's last day is Sunday, June 17. Our district superintendent, the St. Paul’s Staff-Parish Relations Committee, and Rev. Adam Snell have announced that the next Associate Pastor will be Rev. Kate Mackereth Fulton, currently serving as Chaplain Resident at St. Elizabeth’s Hospital in Washington, D.C. Pastor Kate's first day at St. Paul’s will be July 1.

If you would like to offer a personal note, card, or letter wishing Rev. Claire farewell, you may place your well-wishes in the Prayer Bowl found in the Narthex on June 17. We will collect the notes and present them to her on her final day at St. Paul's. Other gifts may be brought to the church office. Please contact Erin Steele at stpaulsunited@stpaulsk.org with any questions.

The 2017-2018 Sunday School Year may be behind us, but children age 2-10 are encouraged to come to our Summer Sunday School! This Sunday, children will begin in the Sanctuary with their families at 10:30 a.m. and will transition to classrooms 200 and 203 with their teachers following the Children’s Moment. We will be exploring a brand new “no prep” summer curriculum from Children’s Illustrated Ministries. Children will engage with biblical stories in both the Old and New Testaments to discover ways we join God at work in the world. Older children and youth will be in worship in the Sanctuary.

For more information about upcoming Sunday School dates-to-know and our Summer Sunday School program, please visit:  http://stpaulsk.org/community/children

Here are some highlights: 

• May 27-July 8: Children's Moments in Worship & Summer Sunday School begins. (We still need some teachers!)
  
• July 15: Musical Theatre Camp Presentation
  
• July 22-September 2: Summer Sunday School
  

"People plan their path, but the Lord secures their steps." ~Proverbs 16:9.

With the summer months come visits with family, sight-seeing adventures, vacations, and trips across town and across the planet. Wherever you go, bring St. Paul with you! Pick up your own Flat Paul in the Narthex, or get a Flat Paul Family Bucket.  You can read more about Flat Paul at our Children's Page, then send us YOUR pictures with Flat Paul!

Be sure to pick up a copy of the SPY Briefing Newsletter for June-July featuring a special photo montage with some of our activities from 2017-2018! It's also available for download on our Youth page. Even though we take a break from regularly scheduled weekly meetings during the summer, we still have some activities planned. We will be launching exciting new projects in the Fall, and we have a survey to help capture your input. Check your email, or go to: http://stpaulsk.org/community/youth to access the survey form. For other details, please contact Micah Smartt at msmartt@stpaulsk.org.

Over time, we've collected a number of dishes, storage containers, baskets, and other items left behind after gatherings and events here at the church. If you might have left an item, please look for it in the Narthex on Sunday, June 17, and take it home with you. All items remaining at the church after that time will be donated to charity.

Feeling called to stillness and community in a world that is all too loud? Still Wednesday is held in either the Sanctuary or Octagon at St. Paul's each week. Join us 7:00-8:00 p.m. for an hour of prayer and quiet: June 20 and 27. Still Wednesday facilitators lead the evening in a variety of formats that could include walking meditation, lectio divina, poetry, journaling, art, or music. Most evenings will include about 20 minutes of silent prayer. Simply come as you're able. We will meet each Wednesday through the end of June, then take a break in July and August.

The quieter days of summer may provide the opportunity to spend more time on your craft hobbies. If so, please consider creating some crafts now to be donated to the next St. Paul's Fall Craft Fair. All types of crafts are gratefully accepted. Past sales have included needle work, quilted and knit items, photos, greeting cards, paintings, pottery, jewelry, preserves, and books. All the proceeds from the Craft Fair sales are donated to worthy causes that help those in need.

What do Jimmy Carter, Stephen Colbert, Anne Lamott, and John Grisham have in common? The answer may surprise you: they are all Sunday School teachers! Join their ranks by taking one hour to teach Summer Sunday School. Sign-up online now at http://stpaulsk.org/community/children or in the church office! Summer Sunday School continues each week through September 2. We need at least two adult volunteers to lead classes during the 10:30 a.m. worship hour: one for children ages 2-5, and one for ages 6-10. All materials - curriculum, suggested activities, and snacks - will be provided. Youth helpers are also welcome and encouraged to participate! Please contact Meg Baker (mbaker@stpaulsk.org or 301-933-7933 ext 104) if you have any questions.

We are looking for a few new counters to join our team. Each Sunday after worship, small groups of counters take the church offerings, count the contributions, and record the week’s financial numbers. If your skills align with this area, we welcome your help. Please contact Rev. Adam Snell directly to discuss this volunteer opportunity (absnell@stpaulsk.org, 301-933-7933 ext. 101).

The Baltimore-Washington Conference of the United Methodist Church offers a number of exciting church camps during the summer months. Flyers are available in the church office with dates for activities at Camp Manidokan in the mountains near Harper's Ferry WV, and West River Center on the banks of the Chesapeake tributary West River. Go to funfriendsfaith.com to learn more about the many camps for all different ages and interests! Concerns about cost shouldn't keep you from participating, since St. Paul's offers campership scholarships to help cover part or all of the fees associated with camp opportunities. Contact Micah Smartt (msmartt@stpaulsk.org, 301-933-7933 ext. 111) to discuss camperships one-on-one.

Thank you to all the talented bakers who already share the gift of baking with the church community! We are blessed with a time of fellowship after worship each week, and to enjoy coffee and baked treats. There are one or two slots available on the following Sundays: July 29; August 5, 12, 19, 26. Bakers are asked to provide about 8 dozen cookies or similar goodies (nut free, please). Sign up on the clipboard found in the Octagon on Sunday mornings or in the Octagon Kitchen during the week. Please contact the church office if you have questions.

The next Communion Collect will be on July 1, but we welcome donations any time! You can place non-perishable grocery items in the bins in the Narthex, pre-pack full bags using a shopping list provided, or donate Safeway or Giant grocery store gift cards ($10 value each, please) in the office. Volunteers will be needed after each worship service on July 1 to help sort and bag contributions. We also invite volunteers for distribution night on Monday, June 2 starting at about 6:45 p.m. in Heavener Hall, when we get ready for the families to arrive later that night. We are also in need of drivers! Please contact coordinators Kim Longsworth (kimberlylongsworth@gmail.com, 301-580-8832) or Jean Langbein (jeanlangbein@gmail.com, 301-622-0737) if you can volunteer as a driver, even occasionally, to help deliver groceries to those in our ZIP code who are shut-in, disabled, or otherwise unable to make it to the church. We serve 115+ families in the 20895 ZIP code who face hunger, providing hungry neighbors over 2,450 food items per month, and we can only do it thanks to your efforts! As the number of people we serve continues to grow, so does our need for volunteers. For more information on our Hunger Ministry, please visit http://stpaulsk.org/service/hunger-ministry. 

Thinking about becoming a member or just want to learn more about life at St. Paul’s? Pie with the Pastors is usually offered the first weekend of each month. Our next chance for pie and conversation on Saturday, July 7. Plan to join Rev. Adam Snell and others at 10:00 a.m. in Room 109 for homemade pie and relaxing conversation about the Christian faith and this church we call home. Please RSVP by contacting the church office (stpaulsunited@stpaulsk.org, 301-933-7933) no later than Thursday, July 5. Childcare is available upon request.

We are welcoming new Liturgists (to read the scripture) and Communion Stewards (to help serve communion) who would like to assist in the first worship service, 9:00 a.m. on Sunday mornings. There are dates available in July and August. To sign up online, simply add your name and email address to the sign-up sheet found here: goo.gl/Xz5T79. If you have questions, please contact Rev. Claire Matheny.

If our Heritage Sunday celebration in April sparked your interest, you can find the book The Spirit of Methodism in Kensington on sale in the church office during the week. The St. Paul's history book is an award-winning trove of information about St. Paul's and is full of historical photos and interesting stories, recounting everything from musical performances at the White House to cream pies being thrown at a former pastor. The cost is $10. 

Christian Faith 101, an adult study class, will be offered on Tuesday mornings this fall. The course explores the religious, historical, and political context that shaped major components of Christian faith, doctrine, and practice as it developed over centuries. The course consists of 14 three-hour sessions, held each Tuesday morning beginning September 4, 2018. The class size is limited to 12 participants. The course content is appropriate for all Christian disciplines and does not require extensive previous knowledge of the Bible or Christian doctrine. A flyer with more details about the class is available in the church office. Please contact Brian or Therese Walden for additional information or if you are interested in participating (bewalden@verizon.net, 301-509-8129; tcwalden@verizon.net, 301-509-8128).

The weekly Tuesday gatherings of the Prayer Lift group and the drop-in Bible Study class are taking a break during the summer months. We will reconvene in September. To receive the collected prayer requests by email, contact the church office at stpaulsunited@stpaulsk.org.

Our Community Pancake Breakfast normally held the first Saturday of the month, takes a short break over the summer. There will be no Pancake Breakfast in July or August. Join us again in September as we serve regular pancakes, eggs, sausage, bacon, ham, fruit, and grits, plus a specialty pancake from 8:00 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. You can read more about our Pancake Breakfasts by clicking HERE.

Faithflix, our Sunday afternoon series of film viewings and faith-filled discussions will be taking a break during the summer months but will resume in September. We hope you will join us then!

The Youth Choir is currently taking a break and looks to re-launch in the 2018-2019 school year. Thanks to all who shared their gifts of music over the past year! To get involved in future activities, please contact Tom Pedersen at tpedersen@stpaulsk.org.