Meet the Staff

We are proud to serve at St. Paul's. We hope to see you around the church and in the community!


During normal operations Sept.-May, drop-in office hours are Monday-Thursday, 10:00 AM to 3:00 PM. 

Staff and building access are available at other times by appointment.


Please use the door on Mitchell Street for the church office on weekdays. 


Staff availability varies as we make pastoral visits off-site, serve on conference and district committees, and allow work-from-home and flex hours. Please make an appointment if there is someone specific you wish to see!  

  • rev. Dr. Pat Allen

    Senior Pastor

    Rev. Dr. Pat Allen has been in ministry since 2007 and came to St. Paul's in January 2020. She earned her Doctor of Ministry degree in May 2019 from Wesley Theological Seminary, her Masters in 2005 from the Howard University School of Divinity, and her Bachelor of Arts Degree in 1979 from the University of Illinois. Pastor Pat has been married to her husband Ed for close to 34 years and has two adult sons (one deceased), two adult daughters, nine grandchildren, and two great-grandchildren. When not working, she loves to read, bake, write, and spend time with family and friends. Email Pastor Pat at pallen@stpaulsk.org or call 301-933-7933 ext. 101. Click here to go to the Pastors' Page to read some of our pastors' recent thoughts.

  • Rev. Joey Heath-Mason

    Associate Pastor

    PASTOR JOEY IS CURRENTLY TAKING HIS SABBATH RENEWAL LEAVE. HE WILL RETURN TO ST. PAUL'S ON MARCH 31, 2024. Please contact another staff member if you have a pastoral or administrative question. You can read the full announcement on The Pastor's Page.


    Rev. Joey Heath-Mason grew up in south Georgia, but moved to DC to earn his Master’s of Divinity from Wesley Theological Seminary. Since seminary, he has served a small church in Westminster, MD, followed by a few years at nearby Silver Spring UMC. That time was then followed by six years serving in campus ministry at American University. What excites Pastor Joey about ministry is the opportunity to share love, grace, and dignity with all while working to make the world around us better. He is also passionate about justice and inclusion of the excluded and forgotten. Pastor Joey lives in Silver Spring with his husband Matthew, daughter Amaya, son Andre, and their dog Abbi and. Pastor Joey joined St. Paul's in July of 2022. Contact him at joeyhm@stpaulsk.org or call 301-933-7933 ext. 103.

  • Dr. Meg Baker

    minister of spiritual care and formation

    Meg Baker is a long-time member of St. Paul's and has served the church in a variety of capacities, from managing the Hunger Ministry to composing music for worship. She is passionate about faith formation across generations and in all areas of our lives. Dr. Baker holds an MA degree from Wesley Theological Seminary and BA degrees in Music and Economics from the University of Mary Washington, and earned her doctorate at the Institute of Worship Studies. She and her husband Mike live in Kensington, where they enjoy the occasional company of their young adult twins, Morgan and Mitchell. Email her at mbaker@stpaulsk.org or call 301-933-7933 ext 104.

  • Mr. N. Thomas pedersen

    Director of Music

    Mr. Pedersen's music career began with performances as a child and he later earned praise for his "rich baritone." He has since led a finely tuned career as a conductor, musician, singer, and teacher. Mr. Pedersen directs the Sanctuary Choir and the Youth Choir, and provides guidance for other musicians and group leaders at St. Paul's. He is currently the post-graduate/gap year director for Metropolitan School of the Arts (Alexandria VA) and recently retired from his position as Head of the Music Theatre division at The Catholic University of America (Washington DC).  http://www.nthomaspedersen.com/ You can email him at tpedersen@stpaulsk.org or call 301-933-7933 ext. 110 for the Music Office.

  • Mr. marvin mills

    Organist

    Marvin Mills is an accomplished and renowned organist, pianist, and composer. His musical talents enrich our worship and special services. He is an active member of the District of Columbia chapter of the American Guild of Organists and is regularly invited to play for festivals, conferences, and clinics locally and throughout the United States. https://www.marvinmills.net/ Mr. Mills can be reached by email at mmills@stpaulsk.org or 301-933-7933 ext. 110 for the Music Office.

  • Dr. Erin bone steele

    Director of communications and administration

    Erin Bone Steele has been part of the St. Paul's staff since 2016. She has experience in communications in the university environment and office management in the financial banking sector. She is now settled in Silver Spring MD with her husband Colin, two daughters, and numerous pets. Erin worships with her family at Grace Episcopal Church in Silver Spring where she is most active in the music program and previously served on the refugee resettlement committee. Additionally, Erin holds a PhD in Theatre & Performance Studies, directs theatrical works with local college and community groups, and is a company member of the Chesapeake Shakespeare Company in Baltimore MD. You can contact her at: stpaulsunited@stpaulsk.org, phone 301-933-7933 ext. 100.

  • Ms. tracey furman

    Facilities Manager

    Tracey Furman is the Facilities Manager at St. Paul's. Tracey and her westie Aberdeen can be found at St. Paul's at all hours of the day and night ensuring the building is running smoothly. Email her at tfurman@stpaulsk.org.

Church leadership

In accordance with governing principles laid out by the United Methodist Church, the leadership at St. Paul's is comprised of a robust roster of church lay members from a variety of backgrounds, in addition to clergy and staff. 


In 2022, our church voted to move to a Simplified Accountability Model. Within SAM, there are two umbrella groups broadly encompassing ministry and administrative needs:

  • The Ministry Table covers those decisions previously falling to Justice & Compassion, Spiritual Care, Education and Faith Formation, the United Methodist Men and Women's groups.
  • The Strategy, Accountability, and Leadership Table covers Finance, Trustees, Staff-Parish Relations, Council, and Administrative needs.

Meetings are held over Zoom and are open to the entire St. Paul's community. 

For the Zoom link or more information, contact SAM chairperson Rachel Stalcup.


Each area has a member of the church in a dedicated leadership role, who can call on the full SAM group for guidance, support, and approval. The new structure mitigates communication delays, reduces the information "silo" effect, cuts down on unintentional and unnecessary overlap between teams, and avoids the risk of burn-out faced when the same handful of volunteers are tasked with serving in multiple areas. 


In the new SAM model, energized lay leaders can seek new and improved ways of serving the community and supporting the life of the church, in community with other leaders and a wide array of church members and friends.


SAM meetings are open to all who wish to attend and are usually held once a month using Zoom. Please contact Chairperson Rachel Stalcup for more information. (To request Rachel's contact info through the church office, email stpaulsunited@stpaulsk.org.) When appropriate, meeting minutes may be included here as attachments.


Area Leadership:

SAM Chairperson: Rachel Stalcup

Staff-Parish Relations: Jenny Lipford

Justice & Compassion: Grace Graham

United Methodist Men: Rich Higgins

Stewardship Chair: Gregg Molander

Finance & Memorials: Rich Higgins

Education & Faith Formation: Meg Baker

Building and Trustees: Mike Barnes

Lay Leader: Anne Dean

Lay Member to Annual Conference: Marge Higgins