Community

thanksgiving

service

Tuesday, November 24, 2026

7:30 PM


St. Paul's UMC is delighted to be the host congregation for the Interfaith Community Thanksgiving Service. 


This service, celebrated by as many as 17 religious faith communities in the Kensington – North Chevy Chase regional area, has provided a fitting start to the Thanksgiving week for many years, allowing community members to come together in grateful fellowship and faith through music, prayer, and inspirational texts. 


St. Paul's Sanctuary Choir and Handbells group are planning to lead worship music, in collaboration with musicians from other congregations. For rehearsal information, please contact Mr. Tom Pedersen, Director of Music, at tpedersen@stpaulsk.org.

Welcome, Friends!

We look forward to seeing you at St. Paul's United Methodist Church! 


Many first-time visitors have questions about where to park, how to find the worship space or restrooms, and what to expect. We've tried to address commonly-asked questions below, but if you need more information, please call the office Monday-Thursday, 10:30-3:00, or email Erin in the church office at stpaulsunited@stpaulsk.org.


Parking: 

  • St. Paul's parking lot entrance sits at the intersection of Armory Avenue and Knowles Ave. The path to the right will bring you two steps down, through the memorial garden, and to the front of the church. The new ADA ramp to the left will bring you to the side door; follow the signs inside to reach the Sanctary.
  • Town Hall parking lot at the historic armory building (3710 Mitchell Street) is available for public parking and includes EV charging stations. There are also designated handicap parking spaces on Mitchell Street. For the accessible entrance from Mitchell Street, use the red double-doors across from Town Hall, marked for the church office.
  • Street parking is available along one side of Armory Avenue, Mitchell Street, and at the back of the church along Fawcett Street. There are no parking meters but some streets have restricted hours; please read signage carefully. 
  • Additional options: After working hours, additional parking can be found at the Baker's Union (separated from St. Paul's by Reinhardt Park). Please follow the driveway at the intersection of Mitchell Street & Armory Avenue to access the rear of the BCTGM International Union (Baker's Union) building, their surface parking areas, and garage.


Entrances: 

  • Front entrance: St. Paul's front doors are at 10401 Armory Avenue, directly across from Reinhardt Park. If you are comfortable with stairs, this is the easiest way to find the Sanctuary.
  • Accesible entrance - option 1: Use the brick-red double doors immediately across the street from Town Hall at 3710 Mitchell Street. Enter St. Paul's building here and the doors to the Sanctuary area will be to your left. St. Paul's main office, as well as the bathrooms, will be down the hall to your right.
  • Accesible entrance - option 2: Use the ADA accesible ramp in our church parking lot, then past the picnic table and enter the side door. Follow the signs through the hallways toward the Sanctuary.


Accomodations:

  • The worship bulletin that guides the service will be printed with a large-print font. 
  • Our Sanctuary includes a loop that works with T-Coil hearing aids.
  • There is a large gender-neutral/family bathroom down the hall past the offices. Traditional multi-stall restrooms are on the corner, across from the waterfountain and water-bottle filling station.
  • Our worship livestreams through YouTube. Participatory content, like congregational prayers, are livestreamed with prepared captions. The archived recording is available for viewing after worship - you can enable YouTube's automatic closed-captioning to view captions for the entire service.


Family Worship:

  • This is a family worship service and all ages will be in the Sanctuary together. There is no Nursery care offered this night. 
  • "Busy Bags" with quiet children's activities can be borrowed from the Welcome Desk. 
  • Restless friends, of any age, are invited to take a break from the Sanctuary as needed. We invite you to visit the Library near the restrooms where young friends can find children's books and comfortable chairs. The Octagon Room immediately across from the Sanctuary is also available with soft seating and space to play, and includes the livestream feed of the worship service on the big-screen TV. 
  • All children must be accompanied by a responsible adult.

St. Paul's THanksgiving Hours

St. Paul's office will be OPEN on our regular schedule:

Monday and Tuesday, November 23 & 24, 10:00 AM - 3:00 PM.


St. Paul’s offices and building will be CLOSED

Wednesday Nov. 25 - Saturday Nov. 8, 2026

for the Thanksgiving holiday. 


We will be open for worship at 10:30 AM on Sunday, November 29, 2026. 

This is a Fifth Sunday, One Community worship day. (There will be no 9:00 service this day.)


To meet with a specific person, or to request access to the building outside posted times, we strongly encourage you to make an appointment! Please reach out directly to the individual you wish to see. You can find all of our contact info on the Meet the Staff page:

https://stpaulsk.org/community/meet-the-staff