Northeastern Jurisdictional Conference of the UMC

A Message from Pastor Pat


October 20, 2022


The Northeastern Jurisdictional Conference of the UMC will be hosted by the Baltimore Washington Conference Nov. 2 - 4, 2022 at The University of Maryland conference center and hotel in College Park, MD. This is the gathering of our church where the conferences in the northeastern part of the country come together and elect and assign bishops and care for other business of the jurisdiction.


I have the privilege of serving as the Local Host Chair of the Conference, ensuring the daily operations run according to schedule, and that all attendees are cared for. 


Beginning Sunday Oct. 30, 2022 - Friday Nov.4, 2022 I will be away from St Paul's, fulfilling this responsibility. From Saturday Nov. 5 - Tuesday Nov. 8, 2022 I will be resting and preparing to return to you.


In my absence you are in the capable hands of Pastor Joey. 


I invite your prayers that the work of the jurisdiction is accomplished with grace and love.


~ Pastor Pat

ChurcH Conference:

Our Church's ministry, mission, & health

Our annual church conference will be held Tuesday October 11, 2022 at 7:00 PM via Zoom. 

All members & friends are invited to attend, and all members have a voice and vote. 

Zoom Meeting ID: 840 7845 3871

Passcode: 474446

You may also find the Zoom link in the Weekly News email newsletter.


This is the annual “business” meeting of the local church where decisions are made about our church leadership, updating the church membership roll, hearing the report of the pastor and approving the clergy compensation packages. 


The UMC's Baltimore-Washington Conference requires reports on several areas of the church's ministry, mission, and health. The following reports were discussed during the Sept. 28 meeting of St. Paul's Church Council and are available here for review. Click the buttons below for a *pdf version of each report.


Congregation Profile


Pastors' Report


Inactive Members Report


Nominations


Clergy Compensation - P. Allen


Clergy Compensation - J. Heath-Mason


SIMPLIFIED ACCOUNTABILITY MODEL (SAM)


Questions may be directed to Pastor Pat at pallen@stpaulsk.org.

Getting to know Pastor Joey

Rev. Joey Heath-Mason, our Associate Pastor, invites all members and friends of St. Paul's to “open office hours,” an opportunity to visit a little and get to know one another. Stop by as you are able (no need to RSVP). Here are the dates and times:

  • Saturday October 15, 10:00 AM - 12:00 PM in Reinhardt Park (directly across from St. Paul's front doors). Kids are welcome too!
  • Sunday October 16, 12:00-1:00 PM in the Octagon Room
  • Thursday October 20, 4:00-7:00 PM in Reinhardt Park
  • Sunday October 23, 3:00-4:00 PM by Zoom (email joeyhm@stpaulsk.org for the Zoom link).

Please email Pastor Joey at joeyhm@stpaulsk.org if you have any questions.

Summer Update

July 20, 2022

Pastor Pat has provided this 7-minute video to share news and updates with our whole community.




Scroll down or CLICK HERE to jump to the *pdf version of the Stewardship & Giving Update letter, sent by mail to our members and friends.


October is Clergy Appreciation Month

The Staff-Parish Relations Committee at St. Paul's reminds the congregation that October is Pastor Appreciation Month. Pastor Pat and Pastor Joey have already been blessed with flowers and pumpkins, but if you are inclined to offer your own expression of gratitude, please make an offering or drop something off in the Church office. We truly appreciate our clergy!

Stewardship and Giving Update

Before the end of July, our members and friends should have received a letter updating you on our church finances. You can also read the letter by clicking the button and opening the *pdf version provided here.


Pastor Pat's Stewardship Update Letter


Clergy and Staff Schedules

While most of us are accustomed to a five-day work week schedule that includes weekends off, our staff schedule operates slightly differently because Saturdays and Sundays are often "work days" at a church. Additionally, staff frequently work in spaces outside the traditional office - from visiting hospitals and rehab facilities to serving on conference-wide UMC committees.

During the building renovation, all clergy and staff have the option of working from home (as we did during the early days of covid-19) and/or flexing their on-site hours to avoid peak construction times.

Please click here to find email addresses on our Meet the Staff page. 

Please note: staff and clergy are all off and the building will be closed on National, Federal, and State Holidays, the day after Easter, and in the event of inclement weather.

We hope the information provided below helps as you look to reach out and connect with your pastors and staff members.

Clergy:
Rev. Dr. Pat Allen
Office Hours: Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday before noon (by appointment)
Sabbath Days: (except emergencies): Thursday beginning 12noon, Fridays all day, Sundays beginning 1pm

Rev. Joey Heath-Mason
TBA

Staff:
Office Hours Monday - Thursday (by appointment)
Dr. Meg Baker
Mr. Micah Smartt
Dr. Erin Bone Steele

Sabbath Friday and Saturday
Dr. Meg Baker
Mr. Micah Smartt

Sabbath Saturday and Sunday
Dr. Erin Bone Steele

Office Hours Monday - Friday (by appointment)
Ms. Tracey Furman
Mr. Marco Palma

Holiday Schedule

St. Paul’s will be closed and staff will be unavailable on federal holidays, as well as for inclement weather. (We follow Montgomery County Public Schools' students announcements.) During our renovation this summer, there are no open office hours. All staff are available by appointment. 


Click here for more information about the office hours our staff and clergy generally keep. 


Email is the best way to reach us; click here to find staff email addresses and more information on our Meet the Staff page.

A Special Message from Pastor Pat

There are absolutely no words to adequately express how deeply touched and grateful I am for your overwhelming outpouring of love and support as my family and I grieve my dad’s death. Truly each and every card, every donation made in his memory has been the soothing and comforting presence that helps in times such as these. What a blessing you are to me!

-- Pastor Pat

February 6, 2022

Mask Update

From Pastor Pat

February 25, 2022


Montgomery County has relaxed its mandate for masks to be worn indoors. However, St. Paul will continue to mask as we gather. We acknowledge that some may be more than ready to rid themselves of masks and all things that seem to come between us and what have been familiar practices. We appreciate your understanding as we do our very best to care for all of God’s beloved, honor our call to do no harm, and create a sacred space for worship where all who desire may be a part.

Church Conference Reports

Sunday, October 17, 2021

1:30 PM by Zoom


The annual Church Conference provides a "state of the church" snapshot.


As in previous years, this Church Conference meeting will include multiple churches in our geographic cluster. All are welcome to attend. The Zoom meeting is managed by the BWC Administrator.


The packet available for download here includes reports and information that will be voted on at the Church Conference 2021. This includes the Pastors' Report, clergy compensation summary, membership updates, and the Lay Leaders and Committees nominations list. Click the button for the *pdf file.


2021 Church Conference Reports


The entire collection of all filed reports, as reviewed by the District Superintendent and leaders at the Conference level, is available upon request. Please contact the church office (stpaulsunited@stpaulsk.org). This includes additional information like facilities and accessibility assessments, the Congregational Profile from the Staff-Parish Relations Committee,  certification of Safe Sanctuaries compliance, connected clergy updates, and other information as requested by the BWC and the UMC.

Re-Entering Well: 

A Message from Pastor Pat

The work of preparing to re-enter our space and life as a congregation during the era of covid-19 cannot be completed by one person. Therefore we have created the Re-Entering Well Team of St. Paul’s to guide us in that work. The team members are:

  • Phil Rush
  • Steve Lillie
  • Nathan Bazawada
  • Dr. Hal Frazier
  • Marge Higgins
  • Tracey Furman
  • Erin Steele
  • Rev. Dr. Pat Allen


The work of this team will be to create the path and timeline in accordance with guidance from our episcopal leader Bishop Easterling and government officials, and input from the ministries of the church, that we might re-enter St. Paul’s well. Re-entering well is not synonymous with re-entering quickly, as we are committed to entering in a way that minimizes risk and preserves safety for all.