"The United Methodist Church’s top legislative assembly — postponed from May 2020 by the COVID-19 pandemic — faces multiple proposals to resolve longtime debate around LGBTQ inclusion by splitting the denomination along theological lines. Planning the assembly comes with multiple moving parts that must align. These include securing visas, hotel space, transportation, interpreters and a large-enough venue for a gathering set to draw 862 delegates and 66 bishops from four continents as well as potentially thousands of others. General Conference, the only body authorized to speak for the church, typically meets in late April or early May." (Heather Hahn, UM News Service, 26 May 2020)

Excerpts from "General Conference Postponed until 2022" 

February 25, 2021

Press Release from UM Communications (Contact: Diane Degnan)

https://www.resourceumc.org/en/content/General-Conference-Postponed-to-2022

Meeting on February 20, the Commission on the General Conference made a decision to further postpone the 2020 General Conference until August 29 – September 6, 2022 in Minneapolis, Minn. as the COVID-19 pandemic continues to affect the safety of mass gatherings and travel. [...]

In making the decision, the Commission determined that it was not feasible to safely hold an in-person meeting involving all delegates as currently scheduled for August 29 - September 7, 2021 due to a number of barriers:

• The number of COVID cases [...].
• Vaccine is not expected to be widely available this year in many countries, and new variants of the virus which may be resistant to vaccines are emerging globally.
• International travelers to the U.S. must show proof of negative COVID-19 test results no more than three days prior to travel, but in many places, testing is not readily available or provided free of charge.
• Visa services remain limited in some areas.
• There also remains the possibility that a temporary six-month visa bond program which requires bonds of $5,000 - $15,000 per person for residents of some countries could cost up to $2.5 million in bonds for affected delegates if the program should be extended beyond June.

The Technology Study Team analyzed a variety of options, including an entirely electronic General Conference with participation from individual locations; an entirely electronic General Conference with delegates gathering at regional satellite hubs; and two sessions, with the first part being electronic and the second part in-person when it is safe to convene. None of these options were determined by the study team to be viable....  Their report recommended utilizing mail ballots for making a limited number of “Emergency Interim Actions.”

Some of the concerns mentioned in the report regarding having a virtual session [which must include all delegates globally] include:

• Lack of infrastructure in some areas, including Internet access, Internet speed, and electricity
• Lack of technology for equitable Holy Conferencing
• Complexity of the legislative committee process
• Concerns about accurate credentialing and verification of identity
• Difficulties in seating reserve delegates properly
• Security of voting
• Safety concerns about regional satellite gatherings

“The Commission shared the study team’s findings and recommendations with the officers of the Council of Bishops in a collaborative effort...,” said commission chair Kim Simpson. ... Simpson said that the Commission regrets the fact that these dates once again conflict with the start of the academic year in the U.S. which a group of young adults had asked the Commission to avoid, but there were no other dates available.

Older articles of interest:

https://www.umnews.org/en/news/gc2020-venue-cancels-events-into-may

www.umnews.org/en/news/new-generalconference-dates-announced

Image below: The Minneapolis Convention Center, exterior, photo by Dan Anderson.

"Speak out... for the rights of all who are vulnerable. Speak out in order to judge with righteousness and to defend the needy and the poor." (Proverbs 31:8-9)

One of our denomination’s six Special Sundays, Peace with Justice Sunday calls the church to strengthen its capacity to advocate publicly and care for underserved communities throughout the world. Through connectional giving, contributions from St. Paul's join with contributions from United Methodist churches worldwide. Peace with Justice funds are administered by the General Board of Church and Society with half of all gifts staying with local ministries in each conference and half supporting the work of Church and Society globally. 

This year, Peace with Justice Sunday will be recognized on May 26, 2024.

Click the button to donate by credit card to this Special Sunday offering through our secure donations page. Special offering donations are processed by our partners at Clover Give / Ministry Works.

Peace with Justice Offering

We also gratefully receive donations by cash or check. Please make checks payable to St. Paul's UMC with "Peace/Justice Special" on the memo line, and mail to St. Paul's UMC, Attn: Treasurer, 10401 Armory Ave., Kensington MD 20895, or place your donations in the Sunday offering plates.

When you donate to Peace with Justice offering, you're supporting efforts like these programs that received funding during the last few years:

• The youth group at Calhoun First UMC in Calhoun, GA started the Book Blessings program with a PWJ grant in 2019. Calhoun has a high poverty rate and a high rate of non-native English speakers. Increased literacy is a key to helping kids overcome the effects of poverty, so the Calhoun UMC Book Blessings program purchases and distributes books to families through after-school programs, specifically targeting those facing homelessness or who receive free tutoring within the school system. (https://www.umc.org/en/content/pwjs-grants-make-a-difference-in-the-north-georgia-conference-pwjs)
• Helping Our Neighbors (HON) is a community engagement ministry of First United Methodist Church in Kalamazoo, MI. Moved by regular contact with persons living in homelessness or insecure housing, HON volunteers started asking, “What do you need?” Many of those they have come to know said, “We need a reliable way to communicate with persons and places that are essential for our safety and welfare.” Through a 2022 PWJ grant, HON began offering cell phones. Recipients have used them to find employment, call 911 in emergencies, and make routine appointments. (https://www.umc.org/en/content/helping-our-neighbors-in-kalamazoo-pwjs)
• The United Methodist Men organization in the Northeast District, East Mindanao Philippines Annual Conference, took on Environmental Justice and systemic poverty at the same time. With a PWJ grant in 2019, they divided a portion of the conference property into 10 modules, each with a focus on sustainable agriculture: tree orchards; range chicken production; duck, goat, hog and quail raising; inland fish ponds; mushroom culture and management; and organic vegetable farming. The goal is to teach sustainable agricultural practices AND create a dedicated source of organic, healthy foods for the surrounding community. (https://www.umc.org/en/content/united-methodist-men-in-philippines-focus-on-environmental-justice-pwjs)
• The Summer Arts Camp of United Methodist Church of the Redeemer, in Temple Hills, MD, received a grant from the Baltimore-Washington Annual Conference in 2021 to design a program in partnership with a local youth center to help children unleash their creative abilities and artistic expressions through drama, music, dance, visual arts and photography. According to Rev. Michael Parker, "We are carving out safe space for children who live in extremely at-risk communities to have positive, safe, community building activities and receive nutritious meals throughout the summer, which is the peak time for juvenile-related offenses. Our children are able to not just build bridges but be bridges of hope and change in our community."
• In Indianapolis IN, a grant through the annual conference supports Matthew’s Voices hosted at Roberts Parks UMC. This choir offers access to and addresses the need for the arts in populations in the city that often go untouched, unloved, and underserved. 
• The “Letting Girls Be Girls” program provides health education programming and services for young girls in the Rotifunk community of Sierra Leone.

Native American Ministries Sunday is an opportunity to recognize the contributions and heritage of Native American people. One of the United Methodist denomination’s six special offerings, the Native American Ministries Sunday offering equips and empowers Native American pastors, congregations and seminary students to find fresh and culturally appropriate ways to minister to their indigenous communities with Christ’s love and authentically worship and serve Jesus.  

Half of our gifts stay with local ministries in this annual conference, and half support the work of Native American United Methodist ministries nationally. Together, God’s church is partnering to repair past harm, support programs, and celebrate Native American ministries. 

According to the 2023 UMC General Commission on Religion and Race:

7.1 million people identify as being of American Indian or Alaska Native descent

157 of the 30,543 UMC churches in the USA are Native American congregations

There are 574 Federally Recognized Tribes

7 Helpful Tips on ways to honor Native American communities and more info can be found through the UMC's Religion & Race resources at https://www.r2hub.org/library/native-american-ministries-sunday

Click the button to go to the donations page for Native American Ministries Special Sunday and make an offering online.

Donate Here: Special Sunday Native American Ministries

To donate by check, please mail it to the church office or leave it in the offering plate on Sunday. Checks should be made payable to "St. Paul's UMC" with "Native American Special Offering" in the memo line.

Here are some examples of the many ways the funds raised through this designated UMC Special Sunday Offering assisted native people in recent years:

• The Yankton Sioux Tribe on the White Swan Reservation in South Dakota, where the nearest substantial grocery stores are 60-90 miles away, faced challenged during Covid-19 getting adequate supplies. The community was still recovering from 2019 flooding when they were further compromised by the pandemic. In 2021, the Oklahoma Indian Missionary Conference of the UMC sent a grant to the tribe to purchase food and supplies using funds from Native American Ministries Sunday. Read more here.
• The Blackfeet Parish in Browning, MT provided transportation support for the family of Ashley Loring Heavy Runner, who went missing from the reservation in 2017, to testify before the U.S. Congress for the hearing "Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women," addressing the issue of high rates of violence against native women, the lack of reporting, and low levels of law enforcement engagement on the issue. Read more here.
• The Chihowa (Oklahoma) United Methodist Church received assistance to complete the final stage of construction on a new church building. Read more here.
• Delegation funding provided travel and lodging for a 13-member team that attended the United Nations Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues on behalf of The United Methodist Church.

Click the button to make a secure donation to UMCOR Special Sunday

UMCOR Special Sunday

This year, UMC congregations are celebrating UMCOR Special Sunday on March 10, 2024.

UMCOR (The United Methodist Committee on Relief) provides humanitarian relief when war, conflict, or natural disaster disrupts life to such an extent that communities cannot recover on their own. UMCOR makes long-term commitments to local partners working on recovery and reconstruction far beyond the initial crisis response. 

When individuals and churches donate to UMCOR relief efforts, 100% of donations go toward aid. How, then, does UMCOR manage to stay strong behind the scenes and execute essential administrative tasks? UMCOR’s day-to-day operations, including managing logistics and training emergency responders, is covered by the UMCOR Special Sunday offerings. 

Because we join our church’s offerings with those of United Methodist congregations around the world, UMCOR remains strong in its day-to-day operations. When the need is great, UMCOR can respond quickly and efficiently with signs of extravagant grace and expert assistance. 

Since 1940, when UMCOR’s forerunner was established to meet the needs of those suffering at the onset of World War II, UMCOR has continued to respond to those in desperate need. Today UMCOR is organized into areas focused on U.S and international disaster response and recovery, sustainable development, and human migration. UMCOR works in the United States and more than 80 countries worldwide.

Please use the link above to make a secure online donation to support UMCOR: Special Sunday. You may also use Special Sunday offering envelopes found in the worship bulletin for March 10, or mail offerings to St. Paul's UMC, Attn: Treasurer, 10401 Armory Ave., Kensington MD 20895. Please make checks payable to St. Paul's UMC and note "UMCOR Special Sunday" in the memo line.

Please note: You may give to UMCOR relief work and disaster response efforts at any time by using the Miscellaneous Giving option and putting "UMCOR Greatest Need" in the memo line. Please do not use Special Sunday offering envelopes for this purpose.

Response requested by February 18

For 2024, individuals, families, classes, and groups are all invited to sponsor a station for the Stations of the Cross experience during Holy Week. During the Holy Week days between Palm Sunday and Easter Sunday (March 25-29, 2024), sponsors assemble and maintain a display based on a provided theme. Your RSVP will determine whether we have enough volunteers to host a Stations experience this year. To learn more or to sponsor a station, contact Dr. Meg Baker (mbaker@stpaulsk.org) by Feb. 18.

St. Paul’s will kick off our educational programming season for all ages on September 10, 2023, with Christian Education Sunday. We will present third graders with Bibles, all children will be invited forward for a Children’s Message, and teachers and leaders will be consecrated. Please contact Meg Baker if you have questions: mbaker@stpaulsk.org or 301-933-7933 ext 104.

To donate to the Holiday Giving Project, CLICK HERE.

Donations Welcome!

Although we will deeply miss the annual Cookies & Carols party and stacks of donated gifts under the tree, our Hunger Ministry coordinators have developed a plan that gives families maximum flexibility to select meaningful presents and prevents the possibility of covid-19 spreading among families and children who are only just eligible to begin receiving the vaccines. (The photo below is from our party in 2019!)

This year, we have a different way to share our blessings with the households of our Hunger Ministry families and referrals from Montgomery County's Holiday Giving Project (https://www.montgomerycountymd.gov/HHS/PACS/Holiday-Giving.html). 

We are grateful for monetary donations that help us purchase Target and grocery gift cards. 

If you’d like to contribute to this work, financial contributions are welcomed any time online by Clicking HERE or by check (made out to St. Paul's UMC, designate "Holiday Giving" in the memo line) mailed to: Holiday Giving, St. Paul’s UMC, 10401 Armory Avenue, Kensington MD 20895.

We are thankful for the many personalized messages and hand-crafted Christmas cards that members and friends are providing to carry our well-wishes and gift cards to our neighbors in need.

Your generosity makes for warm hearts even during cold times. Thank you! 

Ready to think more deeply about Sunday’s Scripture reading?  Reflection questions posed by long-time Bible study teacher Jim Holland will be posted here and linked in the Weekly News email. 

On break August 6, 2023.

Scripture for July 30, 2023

Romans 8:26-39

The author of the letter to the Romans expresses faith in the love of God for his people.

Questions to Ponder:

1. Verse 28 tells us "that in all things God works for the good of those who love him" Are there times when you have experienced something that doesn't seem "good"? Do you think that there are times when suffering might result in our ultimate good?
2. Verses 35 to 39 tell us that "nothing can separate us from the love of Christ." Have you ever felt separated from God? What has caused this? How can we restructure our thinking to remove these barriers?

You are invited to share your thoughts with Jim directly - please find his email address in the Weekly News message or contact the church office (stpaulsunited@stpaulsk.org).

Many of our groups take a summer break and plan to return to regularly scheduled activities during the fall.

Currently on break and returning in September:

Pancake Breakfast

Taste & Sing

Still Wednesday

Yarn Ministry

Tuesdays Together

Sanctuary Choir

Joyful Ringers Bell Ensemble

St. Paul's Youth

Daily Breath

Scroll down for the current activities, and check back for more fresh opportunities coming our way this Fall.

This community group’s monthly lectures bring together leading Bible scholars, historians, and archaeologists to broaden our understanding of the Biblical world. Most lectures are held at the Bender JCC (6125 Montrose Road, Rockville MD) St. Paul's is a regular sponsor of this program.

Full Biblical Archaeology Forum Schedule for 2019-2020

• Wednesday, September 18, 2019: Ancient Roman Baths: Centers for Political Propaganda (Maryl Gensheimer, University of Maryland)
• Wednesday, October 23, 2019: Church of the Holy Sepulcher (Kristen Romey, National Geographic Society)
• Tuesday, November 19, 2019: The Late Bronze Age Palaces of Hazor (Shlomit Bechar, Hebrew University and Co-Director of Excavations at Hazor)
• Wednesday, December 11, 2019: The Roman Forum: Monument, Memory and Cultural Identity (Christopher Gregg, George Mason University)
• Sunday, February 23, 2020 at B’nai Israel: From Sectarianism to Consensus: The Rise of Rabbinic Judaism (Lawrence Schiffman, New York University)
• Wednesday, March 25, 2020: The Battle of Kadesh: Egyptians v Hittites (Betsy Bryan, Johns Hopkins University)
• 
  
• POSTPONED due to COVID-19
• Wednesday, April 22, 2020: Archaeology in Israel: Where the Past Meets the Present (Eric Meyers and Carol Meyers, Duke University)
• Wednesday, May 27, 2020: Digging Up Armageddon: The Search for the Lost City of Solomon (Eric Cline, George Washington University)

Visit jccgw.org/baf or for more information, call 301-881-0100 or email BAF.JCCGW@gmail.com.

Reservations are not required. Normal admission fees are: 

free – high school students

$5 – Residents of CES Life Communities, college students

$8 – BASONOVA & Bender JCC members

$10 – the general public

Pay at the door – cash or check only.

All Sundays in August PLUS September 4 & 11: Children are invited to be in worship with their loved ones and experience the rhythm of the worship service. We encourage all those who worship to live into the vows we share at baptism when we promise to embrace young ones as part of the family of God and help them to learn to walk in the ways of faith. There will be no Sunday School or separate children’s programming during the 10:30 worship hour until September 18 when Sunday School for the 2022-2023 programming year begins. Nursery care is available at both the 9:00 and 10:30 worship services for those preschool age and younger. “Busy Bags” with quiet activities for kids are available at the Welcome Desk. 

Questions? Contact Dr. Meg Baker at mbaker@stpaulsk.org. 

Hope to see you there!

In February you may have participated in an electronic assessment opportunity made available by the Baltimore-Washington Conference called the Readiness 360 survey. We've received the summary of those responses (with your identities shielded) and just want you to know we appreciate your participation. Stay tuned for more information about the results and what they mean to and for us as a congregation.

Pastor Pat

The Justice and Compassion Ministry Team invites you to make this Advent season one of action - learning about various challenges our community is facing and taking action to help solve them as the hands and feet of Christ. In J&C's Advent of Action program, each of the four weeks of Advent focuses on a specific area of community need and an organization working to overcome it. Each highlighted organization accepts in-kind and financial donations and offers opportunities to volunteer. Please give generously and joyfully this Christmas season. 

Click the button to download the Advent of Action booklet with details for each project.

Advent of Action

J&C will collect donated items in the narthex through January 9, 2022.

November 28, 2021: Today begins the first week of J&C's Advent of Action program. According to Manna Food Center, 1 out of 12 Montgomery County residents will experience food insecurity. A third of the county’s elementary school children qualify for free and reduced meals. A fifth of the county’s seniors live below the self-sufficiency standard. St. Paul's Hunger Ministry is the County partner providing food relief to nearly 150 residents in the 20895 ZIP code. To support this important program, please donate to the Hunger Ministry through St. Paul's website or you may donate non-perishable food items in the narthex.

December 5, 2021: This day begins the second week of J&C's Advent of Action program. When vulnerable people around the world flee violence or disaster, they often have little more than the clothes they wear. Keeping clean and groomed is an important step in restoring dignity and maintaining health. St. Paul’s J&C team supports efforts by the United Methodist Committee on Relief (UMCOR) to provide hygiene kits to the most vulnerable during times of crisis. To support this important program, please designate your financial gift to "J&C hygiene kit ministry" through St. Paul's website or you may donate hygiene kit items in the narthex.

December 12, 2021: This day begins the third week of J&C's Advent of Action program. The U.S. has less than five percent of the world’s population, yet more than 25 percent of the world’s prisoners. Nearly one percent of American adults are incarcerated; the highest rate in the world. Many prisoners have little access to books or educational material. Each year, DC Books to Prisons, formerly a program of Foundry UMC in Washington, DC, sends more than 7,000 book packages to prisoners in over 600 prisons in the United States in 34 states. To support DC Books to Prisons, please consider donating English or Spanish paperback books in good condition in the narthex. J&C will collect donated items in the narthex through January 9, 2022. Please refer to the Advent for Action guide for a list of requested titles and other ways to serve as the hands and feet of Christ.

December 19, 2021: This day begins the fourth week of J&C's Advent of Action program. On any given day, 670 Montgomery County residents experience homelessness, including 60 families, 113 children, and 487 single adults. Montgomery County Coalition for the Homeless (MCCH) advocates to change systems that perpetuate homelessness, operates an emergency shelter, provides rental subsidies and supportive services, and works with Coalition Homes, an affordable housing developer. To support MCCH, please consider donating household goods in the narthex through January 9, 2022. Please refer to the Advent for Action guide for a list of requested items and other ways to serve as the hands and feet of Christ.

Monday March 29 - Friday April 2 • 11:00 am-1:00 pm & 5:00-7:00 pm

(Saturday times canceled)

Octagon Room at St. Paul's

St. Paul’s will be hosting a self-guided Stations of the Cross event throughout Holy Week. This program honors the ancient story of Jesus’ death while recognizing the ways this narrative repeats itself again & again throughout the past and present. It provides multisensory ways to engage, confess, and lament. 

For this in-person experience in the Octagon Room at St. Paul's, participants will physically travel from one station to another. Each station will highlight a particular Scripture passage and provide instructions on how to reflect upon that station’s theme. Social distancing and masking will be observed, with access into and out of the Octagon controlled. 

Church Groups are encouraged to sponsor one of the ten stations. This involves setting up on Sunday, March 28, replenishing supplies as needed, and disassembling the station on Friday, April 2. Groups who choose to adopt a station will be provided materials from our Lenten series, Again & Again, which offers guides for station assembly while allowing the group to incorporate its own ideas as well. 

Volunteers are also needed to help greet participants and ensure safety protocols are observed during the event. To volunteer, contact Meg Baker at mbaker@stpaulsk.org or 240-723-6642.

As we work through the second holiday season of covid, we acknowledge the challenges faced by families with young children under 5 who are not yet eligible for a vaccine, and older children who may not yet be fully vaccinated before Christmas.

Even Covid-19 cannot possibly stifle the joyful celebration of the birth of Christ! Instead of a traditional, rehearsed pageant or a Zoom-style recorded pageant, our pastors will guide children through a Pop-Up Pageant during the family-friendly worship service on Christmas Eve, December 24. All you have to do is show up, and those willing to join in the fun will be given "roles" and shepherded through the "performance" during the worship service.

For more information, contact Rev. Kate Mackereth Fulton at kfulton@stpaulsk.org or 301-933-7933 ext. 103. 

Photo below: St. Paul's pageant 2017.

November 28 - the First Sunday in Advent. Worship in person in the Sanctuary at 9:00 or 10:30, or view the livestream of the 10:30 worship service.

December 5 - the Second Sunday in Advent. This is Children's Sunday, when families begin in the Sanctuary together for worship; children will be escorted to their classrooms for Sunday School following the children's message.

December 12 - the Third Sunday in Advent. 

December 19 - the Fourth Sunday in Advent. This is Music Sunday. Our ensemble this year may be smaller than some years pre-covid but the beautiful music from our Sanctuary Choir, organ, handbells ensemble, and guest instrumentalists will enliven worship at 10:30.

December 21 - Longest Night Service, 7:00 PM in the Sanctuary. On the longest night, we acknowledge that holidays can be hard for those who are grieving or depressed, but the love of God remains steadfast.

December 24 - Christmas Eve, 5:00 p.m. This family-friendly service will include a Pop-Up Pageant - all those present will be invited to participate as they wish.

December 24 - Christmas Eve, 9:30 PM Organ Prelude. Come early for this musical offering featuring our acclaimed organist, Marvin Mills, with selections ranging from classical to contemporary. Worship beings at 10:00 PM. This service features traditional music, a message from the pastors, and candlelight.

December 26 - First Sunday in Christmastide is traditionally an opportunity to sing more old favorite Christmas carols and listen to new perspectives on the birth of Jesus. We will have one service at 10:30 AM this day.

The livestream worship services and worship bulletin are available each week at our Worship-at-Home page (click here). Please note that plans may change based on covid-19, weather conditions, and clergy, staff, and volunteer availability. Thank you for your understanding!

This special offering honors the work of Reconciling congregations to embrace and affirm all children of God. In the St. Paul’s tradition, 100% of the special Reconciling Sunday offering will be sent outside the walls of the church and into the community. The two designated beneficiaries will be the MoCo Pride Center, whose advocacy and outreach activities work to build support for a stronger and more diverse LGBTQ+ community in Montgomery County, and Casa Ruby, which provides social services, housing, and assistance to the transgender community in the Washington DC area. Casa Ruby started nearly 30 years ago and is led and run by transgender women.

To donate, click the button to go to our secure credit card processing partners and make your donation online.

Donate Here

Checks may be made payable to St. Paul's UMC with "Reconciling offering" on the memo line, and may be placed in the offering plates on Sunday or mailed to the office at 10401 Armory Avenue, Kensington MD 20895.

While St. Paul's Hunger Ministry in-person distribution has been temporarily suspended, we are re-routing food donations to our partner, Bethesda Help. Bethesda Help continues to serve families in the 20895 ZIP code. Rest assured that the food items that were in our pantry have gone to feed hungry members of our community!

We are so pleased to be able to partner with co-sponsors Bethesda Help, the Nighthawks band, and the Town of Kensington - and YOU! Because of your generosity, the Food Drive held at Kensington Town Hall last year on Sunday, May 17, 2020 resulted in sufficient donations to restock the Bethesda Help pantry, plus financial support through $580 in checks, $22 in cash, and 5 Safeway gift cards. 

For 2020, St. Paul's made the holidays brighter for families in our area with fewer resources, including those in our Hunger Ministry and those referred to us by partners at Montgomery County through the Department of Health & Human Services. Due to the Covid-19 rates, we sent department-store gift cards (such as Target) and grocery gift cards by mail. Although we deeply missed the annual Cookies & Carols party and stacks of donated gifts under the tree, this plan gave the recipients maximum flexibility to select meaningful presents and prevented any possible spread of Covid-19 among our families and volunteers. Donations directed to the Holiday Giving project are accepted year-round.

Click HERE to go to our secure form to donate to this special Holiday Giving project