Lent & EASTEr

Join us as we move through the Lenten journey and into the excitement of Easter and the promise of the Risen Christ. For 2021, worship opportunities will be offered in a variety of formats.

  • Ash Wednesday

    Wednesday, Feb. 17

    7:30 pm

    Begin the journey into Lent, and onward to the cross, with this worship service through our Worship at Home page, as we launch our 2021 Lenten series. Again and again, we mess up, we lament, we doubt. Yet again and again, God meets us and offers us a new way forward.


  • Again & AGain: LEnten Prayers

    This Lent, we invite you to come to God in prayer again & again. We have placed a framed screen on the front steps of St. Paul's and invite you to add your prayers. Woven together, our prayers will fill the shape of an ampersand (the & symbol). Please click here or scroll down to the next section and read more about this invitation and God's holy "and."

  • Palm & Passion Sunday

    March 28

    10:30 am

    Commemorate both the triumphant arrival of Jesus into Jerusalem, and the turn the crowd takes. Worship at Home (click here!). The scripture selection for the day is John 12:1-19, with a message from Pastor Pat and special music from organist Marvin Mills.


  • Maundy Thursday

    April 1

    7:30 pm

    Maundy Thursday commemorates the events of the day before Jesus’s execution, including The Last Supper and the arrest of Jesus. Micah Smartt will share the message this year. You will be able to watch the worship service on our Worship at Home page.

  • Good Friday

    April 2

    7:30 pm

    Good Friday, also sometimes called Black Friday, commemorates the crucifixion and death of Christ. Pastor Pat Allen and Pastor Kate will craft a service available through our Worship at Home page.

  • Easter Eggstravaganza

    Dr. Meg Baker is already hard at work devising a way to safely enjoy Easter crafts and children's activities in 2021. Stay tuned!

  • Easter Sunday

    April 4

    6:30 am - Clum Kennedy Park

    9:00 am - Reinhardt Park

    10:30 am - Reinhardt Park


    Celebrate the message of hope made alive in the resurrection of Jesus Christ! 


    Currently we plan to have these worship services in-person, outdoors. The First Service of Easter will be held in the garden-like setting of Clum-Kennedy Park (with parking available in the lot between Johnson's flowers and Old Town Market on Kensington Parkway). 


    We plan for both the 9:00 & 10:30 services to be held in Reinhardt Park directly across the street from St. Paul's front doors. All services will meet or exceed the covid-related safety standards set by Montgomery County officials.


    As with our outdoor services in the past year, please bring your own chairs, plan to maintain distance and mask use, and dress for whatever the weather might bring. More details will be available in the March edition of the Epistle newsletter.

Again & Again: 

Prayers of the community

This Lent, we invite you to come to God in prayer again & again, weaving your prayers in with those of our larger community. Woven together, our prayers fill the shape of an ampersand, &, an ancient symbol that, used here, represents God’s holy “and.”


When we feel helpless and hopeless, God’s holy “and” encourages us to lift our weary eyes to search for more. In a culture overrun by extremes, either/or thinking, and polarizing politics, this holy "and" reminds us that we are always more, and that there is always more. We are broken & beautiful. Joy & grief can coexist. Historical systemic oppression persists & God is guiding us closer to liberation and wholeness. This Lent, let us practice the power of "and"— especially when "again?!" feels like our never-ending cry of lament.


Add YOUR Prayers

Visit the "&" screen set up on the front steps of St. Paul's as often as you wish. Take a strip of black plastic then use the silver Sharpie marker provided to write your prayer. Weave the black strip into the screen inside the ampersand shape, adding it to the prayers of the community. (On Easter Sunday, the spaces surrounding the "&" will be filled with flowers.)


Again & again, God hears each prayer. 


Here are some types of prayers you might find useful:

  • Prayers of Supplication: earnest petitions for healing, peace, wholeness, or hope.
  • Prayers of Thanksgiving: expressions of gratitude and joy and blessings.
  • Prayers of Lament: bringing grief, weariness, and despair to God, openly and honestly.
  • Prayer of Confession: naming our part in brokenness and sin.
  • Prayer of Intercession: expressing the needs of others.
  • Prayer of Adoration: displays of deep reverence for all that is holy.

Lenten Packets: 

resources for your journey

Since we are doing so much from home this season, the pastors at St. Paul's have designed Lenten packets for our members and friends. Look for yours to arrive in the mail!


There are materials for prayer, worship, and reflection during your Lenten journey and an invitation for Holy Week and Easter. Each packet includes:

  • an ash cross on burlap, a reminder of repentance and sackcloth
  • a program for customizing your own Ash Wednesday experience
  • a booklet with devotionals for Lent
  • a postcard with information about Easter.
  • an Easter Special Offering envelope (scroll down to learn about the designated special offering in 2021)


Please contact Erin Steele at the church office if you have questions: stpaulsunited@stpaulsk.org.

Easter Offerings

God has blessed the ministries of this church and has allowed us a vision that looks far beyond our own walls to see people and places in need. At their last meeting, our Church Council decided to set aside all of the 2021 special Easter Offering to support two projects: 

  • The Hunger Ministry at St. Paul's, feeding over 100 families in the 20895 ZIP code area who face food insecurity with a monthly food distribution and grocery assistance.
  • The Rev. Adrienne Terry Affordable Housing Fund, a program of the Baltimore-Washington Conference aimed at moving people experiencing homelessness in our region off the streets and into housing. 

To give to these worthy projects please make a one-time Easter Special Offering donation. Members and friends may use the Easter Offering envelope mailed to members' homes and returned to St. Paul's by mail (10401 Armory Avenue, Kensington MD 20895) or drop-off any time using the office door mail slot. Checks should be made payable to St. Paul’s UMC with the words “Easter Offering” on the memo line. An online giving option will be available on our Giving page during Lent and Easter.


All other offerings or donations toward your 2021 yearly giving or pledge should be made using an envelope other than the Easter Offering envelope. Thank you!