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KARIN'S COMMENTS...

"Grace and peace to you in the name of Jesus Christ." Those were the words that Paul used to greet the young church months after Jesus' death.

Living on the other side of the resurrection was hard for the early church. Believers were persecuted if discovered, and no longer did people have the Christ with them. They believed he rose from the dead and that his power now resided on earth through them -- but they weren't sure just how or when.

April brings us, as well, to the other side of the resurrection. We have been through Lent, rejoiced at the miracle of Easter, and now must be empowered to boldly live as resurrection people. Maybe not as easy as we would hope.

Problems still greet us with decisions to make, bad habits to resist, relationships to work on, teenagers to lovingly instruct, perhaps surgery to face, or parents who need increasing amounts of care.

Yet something IS different. We celebrated Jesus' resurrection and we are changed. There is something about the worship, the brass and choirs, and hundreds of people singing that reaffirm once again that Easter makes a difference in our world, and therefore in our lives. It's different from Christmas where everyone, regardless of Christian commitment, joins in the celebration. Easter lays claim upon those who truly believe that Jesus is the Risen Lord and Savior. There is hope in the midst of despair, faith that can overcome doubt, and love which forces out hate.

All we must do is confess, as Thomas did, "Jesus IS my Lord and my Savior".

Thanks be to God.

JOHN'S JOTTINGS...

Years ago, I heard a post-Easter sermon that was entitled "Peace, I Am Alive! There is Work for You to Do!” I've forgotten where I heard it, and it wasn't original with me. I wish it had been -- for it struck me at the time that this is the perfect "marching order" for us Christians. It seems to sum up Jesus' mandate to us in one cryptic statement.

Lent is over; Holy Week and Easter are past. We celebrated Jesus' mighty resurrection once again. But now the question is this: What will we do with the experience we had during this holy season? Will it be another return to "business as usual" in our churchly life? Or will we take new heart by a new, spirit-filled lease on life, orchestrated by one more powerful realization that Jesus was taken into heaven with his last, enduring Word to us, "Go, and make disciples...and lo, I am with you always." "Peace, I am alive. There is work for you to do!"

For me, it means renewed drive, renewed urgency to spread the Word and pass it boldly around with renewed zeal. We have a risen Savior who transcends "low Sundays" and who expects us to take, and BE, the word to a broken, reeling world. Let's not let down. There's work for us to do.

Peace and love,

U. M. WOMEN'S ACTIVITIES KEEP THEM BUSY

Lent provided a time for reflection and spiritual growth. To carry this over into our April activities, services of Prayer and Self-Denial will be observed. A worldwide call goes out to the one million plus UMW members to reflect on ways we can carry out the purpose of our organization.

"The organized unit of United Methodist Women shall be a community of women whose PURPOSE is to know God and to experience freedom as whole persons through Jesus Christ; to develop a creative supportive fellowship; and to expand concepts of mission through participation in the global ministries of the church"

Money raised from sacrificial giving during this time goes to support the UMW outreach throughout the world.

Fourteen members from our UMW attended the Washington West District Prayer Breakfast on March 12th. The next District event will be a Spiritual Retreat on Saturday, April 30th at Mill Creek Parish UMC. Come anytime between 1-4 p.m.; walk the labyrinth and visit five areas of spiritual experience. These events are such a good connection with other UMW units.

Jochebed Circle is planning to refurbish the Youth Lounge. The Mission Team voted to give $350 toward this goal; and Lydia Circle has given the $240 raised at the Shrove Tuesday Pancake Supper to this fund.

Two members of Prisca Circle will be participating in the Avon Walk for Breast Cancer and would appreciate your support.

-Bev Burdin, Vice Pres.

UNITED METHODIST MEN ROLL INTO SPRING

The robins are back, the daffodils are blooming, and the beavers at the Tidal Basin are getting ready to do battle with the National Park Service! Spring is on the horizon and that is when the UM Men really start rolling.

The Spring Yard Sale is just around the corner! Receiving day will be Thursday, April 14, (8 am to 7 pm). Sale days will be Friday (8 am-7 pm), and Saturday (8am-4pm) We need donations of good SELL-ABLE merchandise including housewares, furniture, appliances, toys, books, videos, CDs/DVDs, sporting goods, tools and clothing. We also need a lot of volunteers to help on receiving day as well as the two sale days. If YOU can HELP, please sign-up in the Church Office.

Other April activities are:

Sat., Apr. 2 - 8-10:30 a.m. - Pancake Breakfast. Proceeds will go to West River UMC Center.

Wed. Apr. 6 - Dinner/General Meeting Fellowship dinner begins at 6:30 p.m. followed by a presentation at 7:30 p.m. by Chris Higgins on his mission trip to India. Dinner cost - $5 payable at the door. Sign up in the Church Office. The presentation is open to everyone!

Thanks to all for the overwhelming turnout in support of the March Pancake Breakfast! The work of the Red Bird Missionary Conference is so critical to so many lives. They can use all the support they can get.

Working with you in service,

Harold Moyer, Pres.

At the "Joyful Rising" service on Sunday, March 13th, had 14 persons became full members of our church:

More new members will be received in April. So, if you are interested in becoming a member of St. Paul's, please contact Pastor Karin.

Betty Simmons

Membership Secretary

REMINDER TO ST. PAUL'S GRADUATING HIGH SCHOOL SENIORS

The deadline for application for St. Paul's 2005 Educational Award is Saturday, May 1st.

DONATIONS will be accepted through May 1st.

The Council on Youth Ministries offers a special thanks to the United Methodist Women who contributed so many delicious baked goods to our Bake Sale on March 5th; and to the United Methodist Men who are donating the proceeds from their February Pancake Breakfast!

Since 1989, a total of $22,600 has been distributed to 48 college students who have attended 32 different college campuses in 13 states and the District of Columbia.

Thirty-five families have been assisted, as there have been 12 groups of siblings who have received the award in different years.

J J J J J

...PSST...

Pass it on VBS is coming June 20-24

Register mid-April It's gonna be great fun!

Hope you'll join us and bring a friend!

MEET OUR LAY LEADERS

(a continuing series)

Mabel Baker and her husband, David, joined our church in 1952, beginning decades of service to St. Paul's. Over the years, Mabel and Dave served in nearly every area of the church.

In August 1971, the Bakers and their four children began 10 years of family work camps at Red Bird Mission in Kentucky. Soon, other St. Paul's families and youth began to join them. The Bakers cultivated a relationship between St. Paul's and Red Bird Mission into a unifying church-wide project.

Mabel's daughter Carol Baker and her husband Andy Thornton manage the West River Camp in Maryland.

Born and raised on a farm in Greene County, Virginia, Mabel came to Washington, DC to work during World War II. She attended Strayer Business College and later George Washington University. She met Dave through the college Wesley Foundation; he was at the University of Maryland.

After Dave and Mabel retired in 1980, they spent winters in Tucson, Arizona until Dave's death in 1996 when Mabel returned to Kensington.

Mabel now leads UMW Deborah Circle and particularly enjoys the larger connection of the United Methodist Women through District meetings and National Assemblies. She is a member of St. Paul's History Committee and Prayer Lift; and just completed a three-year term as coordinator of our Visitors' Center.

-Jan Aamodt

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YOUTH COULD USE ADULT PRAYERS!

Spring is in the air and young hearts and bodies can't wait to burst open the doors and enjoy a carefree summer. But hold on -- there are still two months of school, including class work and homework and tests. The last semester of classes can be quite difficult. Pray for your Youth Prayer Partner to stay focused on achieving their scholastic goals.

There are also a few other specific prayer needs. Our Confirmation Class of 15 youth has begun their process to become full members of the church. Your continued prayers will support them as they undertake this spiritual journey. The confirmands are 15 in number

The Middle High spring retreat will be the weekend of April 15-17 at Camp Manidokan.

And, about 18 youth will be participating in the summer work camp mission trip, and are working to earn the dollars needed to participate.

If you have a specific need or request from your Prayer Partner, let me know. It's important that the youth realize prayers run both ways!

Chris Schiponi

FRIENDSHIP CLUB MAKES PLANS FOR SPRING

The Friendship Club's April meeting will be on Tuesday, April 12th at 11:30 a.m. in Heavener Hall with the usual potluck lunch. Entertainment will be the Italian Tenor, Michael Consoli, who sings arias from operas, as well as show tunes. Come and enjoy! Let's hope for a nice spring day!

On June 14th, an Eyre Bus will leave St. Paul's parking lot at 7:30 a.m. and head for Cambridge, Md., with a half-hour rest stop on the way. At Cambridge, we will board a boat to go over to Oxford, Md. This will be a narrated trip, which should make things most interesting for us. Lunch will be at the historical Robert Morris Inn. After lunch, we will again board the boat for the return trip to Cambridge, and then the Eyre Bus back home, with a rest stop along the way. Scheduled return back to the church parking lot is around 4:30 p.m.

There are still a few places open for this trip. The total cost (including lunch and tips) is $67. All monies need to be turned in to Walter Miller or Erma McWilliams no later than the April meeting.

We all look forward to these trips each year, and thank Walter for his hard work and time in planning them.

The morning of our March meeting we were greeted with a surprise snowstorm, with bitter winds. However, 36 brave souls dared to come out, had a nice lunch and enjoyed Jim Heins' travelogue on NEW ZEALAND (erroneously reported last month as Australia -- sorry, Jim!).

Sue Merritt, Reporter

RENEW THE SPIRIT -- YOURS AND OTHERS

Spring renews the life of dormant plants, bringing joy, beauty and hope. In the same way, joining the Prayer Lift group each Tuesday morning at 10 o’clock in DuVall Chapel can renew your spirit. While you are praying (silently) for others, you will be lifting their spirits with hope.

Claire Kordella, Coordinator

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CAN YOU ANSWER THIS HISTORY TIDBIT?

Question:

Who was President of the Evening Circle of the Women's Society of Christian Service in 1942? What special skill did she share?

(Answer can be found hidden elsewhere on another page.)

FAMILY MOVIE NIGHT BEING PLANNED

"St. Paul's goes Hollywood" for a wonderful night of family fun at the movies on Friday evening, May 13th. There will be two films -- one sure to please the little ones, and a classic for grown-ups. Dinner will also be available. Proceeds from this event will help refurbish the Youth Lounge. To help with this event, please contact Carol Davies. For any questions, call Cynthia Mancini (301-929-8285) or email: roncini@aol.com.

Rain, rain go away ...

It is that time of year when April showers are upon us. Our children's table will feature books on that great rainstorm and flood described in the Book of Genesis when Noah, his family, and the animals took to the ark.

We have a new beautifully illustrated children's book, On Noah's Ark by Jan Brett (call #E Bre). Those who are familiar with Ms. Brett's talents will know that her drawings are delightful. Her pictures are created on images of papyrus paper and are bordered with details of sleeping animals that are sharing space on the ark.

For our adult readers and gardeners, we know that with April showers come May flowers. Here are some books that you may enjoy:

A Gardener Looks at the Fruits of the Spirit by W. Phillip Keller (call #248.4 Kel) is an examination of how God's spirit can be reproduced in our daily lives. Just as we water and care for flowers and plants, we too must care for our Spirit-filled living.

Finally, The Flowers and Fruits of the Bible by John Chancellor (call #716 Cha L) is a feast for the eyes. It contains remarkable nineteenth century watercolors by W.H. McCheane of the best-known flowers and fruits mentioned in the Bible. Scripture and a description of the plant’s role in the biblical stories accompany each watercolor.

Welcome to Spring!

Debra McCurry, Librarian

SPRING WORKDAY HAS BEEN SCHEDULED

The Board of Trustees has set Saturday, May 14th, 8am-2pm, for our Spring Workday. If you've never had the opportunity to participate in one of these events, you've missed a great time of sharing fellowship and friendship with other church members, while making needed repairs and improvements in and outside our building.

As always, our task list is long and ambitious and depends heavily on how many members participate. This would be a great way for Middle and High Schoolers to work off their service hours!

Since this is a Methodist gathering, naturally lunch will be served for all the hungry workers!

So that we can plan our projects, a sign-up sheet will be in the Church Office beginning Sunday, April 24th.

Don't forget to support the Improvement Fund through your monthly donations. Extra envelopes can be found in the pew racks.

Tracey Furman, Pres.

J J J J J

Chad Kirkley, who is serving with the U.S. Marine Corps in Iraq, would love to hear from members/friends at St. Paul's. His mailing address is:

Col. Chad Kirkley

U.S. Embassy Baghdad

Pol/Mil Section

APO AE 09316

JUSTICE & COMPASSION TEAM SETS DATE FOR NEXT FORUM

Albert Z. Kapikian, M.D., of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, and recipient of the 1998 Pasteur Award for Recent Contributions to Vaccine Development, will be the guest speaker on Sunday, April 3rd, 11:30 a.m. in Heavener Hall. Kapikian was cited for "outstanding work contributing to development of rotavirus vaccines and their future utilization". Rotavirus is the leading cause of life-threatening diarrhea in infants and young children, claiming more than 870,000 lives each year.

We regularly receive press releases and other announcements regarding political and social justice issues, and The UMC's position on these matters. To promptly spread this information to interested members of the congregation, we are activating an e-mail list on our server. If you want your e-mail address included, please notify Harold Moyer (harold@stpaulsk.org or Kim Longsworth (klongsworth@comcast.net)

At the Sunday coffee hour on Feb. 27, we served Fair Trade certified coffee to educate our congregation about how the coffee business leaves small farmers very little to live on. Our Team has decided to support the UMCOR Coffee Project and will be looking at possible funding options and other means to make this possible. If you are interested in sponsoring one Sunday or one month for "A Taste of Justice", please contact Jon Melegrito (301-933-5239) or e-mail jonmele@aol.com.

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JIM HEINS PLANS TO BIKE FOR ASTHMA RIDE FOR KIDS

Once again, Jim Heins plans to participate in a bike ride to support the American Lung Association effort to help the more than 150,000 kids in Maryland who suffer from some form of lung disease, most notably asthma. There are 900,000 Marylanders who suffer from some form of lung disease. Tragically, lung disease is the #1 killer of children under age 1, and the #3 killer in the U.S. Last year, Jim was able to turn in more than $700 on behalf of St. Paul's UMC and other friends. His goal is always to ride the 100-mile route but (as Jim says) it does seem to get longer each year. J

If you would like to contribute this year, please leave your check in the Church Office before May 26, made out to the American Lung Assoc. of Maryland -- then call Jim (301-949-3518) to pick it up. All those kids suffering from asthma in Maryland will be very appreciative!

YOUTH TO PARTICIPATE IN ARBOR / EARTH DAY PROJECTS

Our Middle High youth will be engaged this month in several community service projects in connection with the Town of Kensington's celebration of Arbor /Earth Day. Some will assist with the Children’s Craft Tables at the Town Hall on Saturday, April 9th (10 am-12 Noon), while others will clean up the stream bed along Kensington Parkway on Sunday afternoon, April 24th.

BOARD OF CHILD CARE (BCC) NEEDS HELP

Now that the new Falling Water, West Virginia facility is in "full swing", BCC needs the participation of all District Auxiliaries. Over the past 10 years, the Washington-West District support and participation has fallen off. The Auxiliary provides a Christmas party for foster care families, with each district taking a turn every four years. Our District had its turn in Dec. 2004. It was wonderful (see the photos on the bulletin board in the Church Office). The Auxiliary also operates a Christmas Store, where children at the Baltimore campus can purchase gifts at very low cost; and they also furnish Thanksgiving baskets to the Birth & Foster Care families.

As Key Person from St. Paul's, I want to express my gratitude to all those who have become members (only $1.00), and who have contributed food for the Thanksgiving baskets. Thank you, too, to Lydia Circle for donating $210 towards the BCC-sponsored Tide Point Day Care in Baltimore.

Because of the many needs of our own church this year, I was reluctant to have a membership drive. But, we do plan to have one at some future date.

Meanwhile, the two May meetings are coming up. Wash. West Auxiliary Spring Meeting will be on Saturday, May 7th, 11 a.m., at Millian Memorial UMC in Rockville. The Conference Auxiliary (all Districts) will meet Thursday, May 19th at the Baltimore campus. There will be sign-up sheets in the Church Office for both of these meetings.

Marybelle Waldroff

STIR IT UP!

The giants of the Christian faith used to really worry me. I saw them as persons to whom God had given extraordinary power. John Wesley, Martin Luther King, Jr., Christ's apostles, and other great people of faith surely had gifts from God reserved for a chosen few. But not me; I was too ordinary.

Then I remembered something my mother used to say to my father when he asked for more sugar for his coffee. It was during wartime when sugar was rationed and very scarce. Mother would always say, "Just stir up what's already in your cup."

Maybe that was it. Followers of Christ don't have to sit around waiting for God to dole out additional love or faith or courage or talents. If we stir up what God has put in us, we will have plenty to keep us busy.

I am convinced that we underestimate the capacity of most humans to love, to have compassion, to act bravely, to be generous, hopeful, and good. Jesus had the marvelous ability to get his followers to stir up what God had already given them. Plain, ordinary folks who followed our Lord found themselves capable of the most extraordinary things! What a wonderful gift we have been given!

Joe W. Walker (Oregon, USA)

This material is reprinted from The Upper Room Magazine, copyright March 2004 by The Upper Room, Inc., P.O. Box 340004, Nashville, TN 37202-0004, and is used by permission of the publisher.

(Submitted by Kate Lewis Brown)

"Thank you so much for your beautiful gifts of compassion and love. Your dedication, hard work and ongoing commitment to Guidepost’s Sweater Project has brought our grand total to over 200,000 sweaters! God bless you. Ted Nance, VP of Ministries"

St. Paul's United Methodist Church

10401 Armory Avenue, Kensington, MD 20895

301-933-7933 Fax. 301-933-4418

Home Page: http://www.stpaulsk.org

E-mail: stpaulsunited@verizon.net

Pastor Karin W. Walker

Visitation Pastor John C. Walker

Min. of Ed/Yth. Richard L. Buckingham

Wesley Sem. Intern Michele Van Son

Music Director N. Thomas Pedersen

Organist Marvin Mills

Office Manager Carol Lewis

Assistant Administrator Beverly Burdin

Membership Secretary Betty Simmons

Coord. Of Lay Ministries Kate Lewis Brown

Volunteers for mailing the March EPISTLE: Adda Clark, Gerry Hobbs, Nelson Hunt, Ida DeVierno, Mae Miles, Frances Reed, Marilyn Jenkins, Tracey Furman & Marco Palma.

St. Paul’s EPISTLE&
Kensington, Maryland	April 2005	Vol. 49, No. 3

St. Paul’s EPISTLE&

Kensington, Maryland

April 2005

Vol. 49, No. 3