During our trip to Nicaragua in August, the Volunteers In Mission team will be rehabilitating daycare centers for children up to the age of six. Can you help donate items to create a warm, inviting environment? We are requesting the following new or like-new items: suitcases or duffel bags (medium-to-large size), Spanish children’s books or CDs, simple coloring books, crayons, tape, glue, construction paper, colored pencils, soccer balls (various sizes for all ages), and Spanish Bibles. Items can be placed in bins in the Narthex and will be collected following worship on July 23. Financial contributions are also welcome! We will use them to purchase other items that we will buy in Nicaragua, like tables and chairs. Please contact Athena Gaalswyk with any questions (301-592-8798, athena_gaalswyk@yahoo.com). Thank you for your prayers and support!

The annual St. Paul's UMC church picnic will be on Sunday, July 30 immediately following the 10:30am worship service. All are invited to join us across the street in Reinhardt Park after worship for food, fellowship, fun (including a moon bounce and face painting), and special moments recognizing Rev. Rick Buckingham's years of service as he transitions into retirement. We need helpers to make this day a success! Look for a sign-up sheet in the worship bulletin for this Sunday, July 23 or contact the church office. We're seeking a site coordinator, folks to help set up tables and chairs at 9:30am, food runners to shuttle dishes and drinks from the kitchen, and monitors to keep an eye on our youngsters on the ever-popular moon bounce. 

Summer Sunday School meets starting at 10:30 am this week. We offer one class for children ages 2-5 and another for children ages 6-10 during the 10:30 am worship time. We still need some adult volunteers, plus teen helpers, to sign up to guide classes until September 3. Each Sunday has a theme, coloring pages, and snacks provided. Teachers are asked to plan a craft or activity. Sign up in the church office or contact coordinator Amy Frontz at ajfrontz84@gmail.com to get started and help make Summer Sunday School a success! 

Rev. Rick Buckingham is downsizing his home and moving into a one-bedroom apartment, and needs to divest himself of some personal treasures. He will hold a “Silent Auction” for this purpose in Heavener Hall on Sunday, July 23, between 11:45am and 12:30pm. At 12:30pm, the highest bidder for each item will be announced and payment collected. Each item will be purchased “as is.” Proceeds will be used to help cover moving costs.

You can contribute to recognizing Rev. Rick Buckingham's years of service as he transitions into retirement. There is a box in the church Narthex under a sign that says, "We Love Rick!" We are collecting your messages of gratitude and well-wishes to send with him after 32 years of dedicated service and countless lives touched here at St. Paul's. Please place your notes to Rev. Buckingham in this box from now until July 28. You can also visit our website to customize a thank you note. If you would like to contribute to a monetary gift for Rick, make your check payable to St. Paul's UMC and write "Rick's Love Offering" on the memo line and place it in the basket. Please join us as we honor Rick in worship and at the church-wide picnic on Sunday, July 30. Click here to access a printable thank you note for Rick!

Men from the 2x4s Ministry (for folks in the 20s-40s age range) will gather at the home of Travis & Rachel Stalcup to prepare a meal on Friday, July 28 at 7:00 pm. We’ll serve dinner at the Carroll House Men’s Shelter the evening of Sunday, July 30 at 4:00 pm. Look for an email with more information, or contact Travis Stalcup at travisstalcup@gmail.com to get involved.

A special pick-up choir will sing on Sunday, July 30 when we celebrate Rick Buckingham’s final Sunday as a St. Paul’s pastor. If you would like to raise your voice, please meet in the Choir Room (Room 211) at 9:30am to rehearse “The First Song of Isaiah” prior to singing at the 10:30am worship service.

Once again Justice & Compassion is partnering with Interfaith Works to get backpacks and supplies to needy children in time for the start of school. Collection will begin Sunday, July 30 and ends Wednesday, August 16. We will build the backpacks after the 10:30am service on Sunday, August 20. The top items needed are: 3-ring binder (2 inch size), two-pocket folders, dividers, pencil boxes or pouches, rulers, scissors, markers, highlighters, colored pencils, and the backpacks themselves! Financial contributions are also welcome – make checks out to St. Paul’s UMC and mark “Backpack Build” on the memo line. Contact Angela Harvey or Leigha Gordillo for more information.

The Journey Group is excited to offer a monthly evening of contemplative prayer, open to all. Please note - we will skip July due to the Independence Day holiday and meet again on August 1 in Room 211 (Choir Room). If you desire a quieter mind and a bigger heart, or would like some stillness in your life to listen for God, then please join us for the Journey Group's Contemplative Tuesday. The evening’s content will vary but generally consists of prayer, scripture, poetry, journaling, music, and a period of silent meditation. Come once, or a few times, or every month, as the Spirit leads and your schedule allows.

The 2x4s Book Club (for readers in the 20s-40s age range) will next meet 7:30-9:00pm on August 17 at Jim & Rachel King's home for our July/August selection Why Nations Fail by Daron Acemoglu and James Robinson. Brilliant and engagingly written, Why Nations Fail answers questions that have stumped experts for centuries: Why are some nations rich and others poor, divided by wealth and poverty, health and sickness, food and famine? Get reading now - it's a hearty book that promises to spark lively discussion. Questions about this or other 2x4s activities? Contact Rev. Claire (cmatheny@stpaulsk.org).

Interfaith Works is one of our established ministry partners. On June 12, the Women's Center was damaged by water and waste from a broken sewer pipe. St. Paul's has collected almost $4,000 to help these neighbors repair the facility and restore needed items for many of the women who shelter there. Thank you for your generosity. If you would like to contribute, the need remains. Checks can be made out to St. Paul's UMC with "IWWC" on the memo line. Read more about Interfaith Works by clicking here.

In the U.S., about 1 in 5 fruits & veggies go to waste because of superficial imperfections (like a mis-shapen eggplant) or logistical errors (like a store over-ordering). Hungry Harvest works with local farmers to "reclaim" this kind of quality produce and deliver it to subscribers - and they make matching donations to fight hunger. Our Hunger Ministry families receive fresh produce each month through these efforts. We need more St. Paul's folks to subscribe and identify us as the charity to receive the matching donation! Be sure to use the code SPC25 to be registered as a St. Paul's participant and receive 25% off your first delivery. Please share this code with friends and family! Visit http://www.hungryharvest.net/#how-it-works to learn more about their mission and delivery areas. Visit our Hunger Ministry page to learn more about our work feeding neighbors in need in the 20895 zip code.