ChurcH Conference:

Our Church's ministry, mission, & health

The Church Conference will be held in-person this year on October 18, 2025.


The UMC's Baltimore-Washington Conference requires reports on multiple areas of the church's ministry, mission, and health. The following reports are compiled by staff, clergy, and lay leaders and provided to the leadership committees governing the church for review, then to the Baltimore-Washington Conference: Congregational Profile, Pastors' Reports, Inactive Members Report, Building Condition & Accessibility Survey, Compliance Forms for Background Checks and Sexual Misconduct Reporting, Trustees Report, Finance Report, Clergy Compensation, and Nominations for Leadership to Serve on the Unified Board/Simplified Accountability Model. 


Reports that will be discussed at Church Conference for 2025 will be available for review upon request after October 2, 2025. Full copies of all finalized and approved reports following the conference are also available from the church office upon request.

Email Erin Steele at stpaulsunited@stpaulsk.org


Other questions may be directed to Rev. Sheridan Allmond at sallmond@stpaulsk.org

Holiday Schedule 2025

St. Paul’s will be closed and staff will be unavailable on federal holidays, with some adjustments for major church holidays like Easter and Christmas.


For 2025, the building will be closed and all staff will be off for the following holiday observances:

Martin Luther King, Jr. Birthday

Presidents Day

Easter Monday

Memorial Day

Juneteenth

Independence Day

Labor Day

Indigenous Peoples Day

Thanksgiving

Christmas Day, Winter Break, New Year's Day


In the event of a pastoral emergency when the office is closed, please phone 301-933-7933 and listen for the emergency phone number to reach the pastors directly after hours.


Walk-ins are welcome during office hours (Sept.-May: Monday-Thursday, 10am-3pm, reduced hours in the summer). We strongly recommend making an appointment if there's someone specific you wish to see! Due to the unique nature of our work, staff and clergy in-office availability may vary on any given day. 


For inclement weather: We follow Montgomery County Public Schools' students announcements for inclement weather delays and closures. Click here to go to the section about weather-related schedule changes.


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

This Is Us

The pastors of St. Paul's composed a special report in early 2024 on the state of the church, titled "This Is Us: A Season of Ministry." 


In just 18 easy-to-read pages, broken down into seven sections, this guide shares a clear look at things like membership, worship attendance, mission and outreach efforts, church leadership, staffing, building use, budget concerns, and the daily ins-and-outs of St. Paul's operations, with a special focus on the state of the church since 2020.


Click the button to download and read the "This Is Us" document.

This Is Us


Paper copies of "This Is Us" are available upon request - contact Erin Steele in the church office at stpaulsunited@stpaulsk.org or 301-933-7933 ext 100 to request a printed copy.


On FEBRUARY 11, 2024, Pastor Pat and members of church leadership hosted a congregation-wide meeting immediately following the 10:30 AM worship service. The meeting on February 11, 2024 was livestreamed and a recording can be found online here:

https://www.youtube.com/live/FTwhpbg3vjw?si=7SBuwOki3lotByJn

(This recording includes the day's worship service. Fast-forward to the 1 hour 15 minute mark to view the meeting.)


If you have questions, please contact St. Paul's Associate Pastor, Rev. Joey Heath-Mason, at joeyhm@stpaulsk.org.

"This Is Us" follow-up Questions:

Membership

During our church wide meeting on Sunday February 11, 2024 a question regarding our membership was posed which I tentatively addressed. I promised to research the question and provide a response. The question was “Since COVID, how many members have we lost and how many have we gained?"


Each January, we prepare a required statistical report for the Baltimore-Washington Conference which captures information about our membership, as well as other church data. That report is the source from which the following response is prepared.


Since 2020, a total of 155 persons have been removed from the membership rolls of St. Paul’s UMC Kensington, for one of the following reasons: 

  • withdrew from the denomination
  • transferred to another UMC church
  • transferred to a non-UMC church
  • removed by church conference action
  • passed away


Of these 155 persons, the largest group (53) were removed by church conference action. These are persons who have not in any way participated in the life of the church, joined in worship, or contributed to the ministries of the church over a three-year period AND have not responded to any attempts of the church to engage them by mail, phone, or email.


The Book of Discipline lays out the rules for an annual "care of members review," resulting in the removal of such inactive members from the membership roll every year at church conference. So, there will most likely be more persons removed by church conference action in the fall of this year, for the same reasons.


Since 2020, 45 persons have been received into membership at St. Paul’s UMC Kensington through confirmation, transfer from another UMC church, or reaffirmation of faith (received from another denomination).


Our current membership is 687. 

At the beginning of 2020, our membership roll carried 803 names. 


However, since our vitality and vibrancy are measured by our ministry and living out our mission, I would offer that St. Paul’s is succeeding in feeding the hearts, minds, and souls of the people God sends our way, in ways that are not solely defined by membership numbers.


-- Pastor Pat

County Grant for Safety Improvements

St. Paul's is excited to be one of 91 organizations in Montgomery County awarded a grant from the County’s Nonprofit Security Grants program, designed to improve safety and security, and to deter hate crimes and vandalism in places of worship and local nonprofits. 


St. Paul's leadership and facilities teams are examining options to add security cameras to church grounds, something we do not currently have.


“In Montgomery County, we have a community of diverse residents who wish to practice our faiths and cultures freely. Schools and places of worship should be sanctuaries of peace and acceptance, not fear and violence,” said County Council Vice President Friedson. “While we regret that this program is so needed at this time, I am proud to have worked with the Executive Branch and community partners to establish this grant program so we can provide added security for our residents.”


You can read the full press release from Montgomery Country by clicking here: "Montgomery County Announces Total of $800,000 Awarded to Nonprofit and Faith-based Organizations to Deter Hate Crimes and Support Security Needs"

Clergy and Staff Schedules

"Regular Schedules" at Church (Sept.-May)

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 "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. Staff may also have the option of working from home and/or using flexible on-site hours to accommodate events.

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 connect with your pastors and staff members!

St. Paul's Drop-In Hours: Monday-Thursday, 10AM-3PM
Volunteers and at least one staff person are present to assist walk-in visitors. 

Clergy & Staff Typical Work Week: - Appointments Encouraged!
To ensure you meet with the person you want to see, please contact them directly before you make the trip to St. Paul's.
Rev. Sheridan Allmond - Monday-Thursday, Sunday
Rev. Joey Heath-Mason - Monday-Thursday, Sunday
Dr. Erin Bone Steele - Monday-Thursday in-office, Friday/Saturday remote-work flex hours
Ms. Tracey Furman - Monday-Friday
Mr. Tom Pedersen - by appointment only
Mr. Marvin Mills - Monday & Thursday by appointment only