THE
EPISTLE
&
|
St. Paul’s United Methodist Church
10401 Armory Ave.
Kensington, Maryland 20895
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OCTOBER 2006
VOLUME 49 NUMBER 10
Bishop SCHOL to
speak at St. Paul’s
capital
campaign LAUNCH DINNER
Bishop
John Schol will join the congregation of St.
Paul's for our capital campaign kick-off event on
Sunday, October 22 at 5 p.m. This is an
opportunity to celebrate the launching of a very important initiative within
our congregation and to join friends and members as together we make plans for
our future.
On September 21, the congregation of St. Paul's held a church conference and
prayerfully discerned the decision to launch a capital campaign. Thirteen focus groups were held during which
information was presented about the $3.1 million dollar effort. The project includes several components
including sanctuary renovation and building accessibility improvements. The congregation also committed to tithing 10%
of the amount of the building costs and setting aside 10% for our endowment. As a church conference, the congregation also
approved Tom Bartley as the chair of our campaign and has hired Jim Klote and
Associates to assist us. All members and
friends of St. Paul's
are asked to come! The dinner will be
held in Heavener Hall. Please call the
office or email stpaulsunited@verizon.net to sign up so we have
a count. Your help is appreciated! Come and See! You'll be glad you did. If you would like to assist with the
campaign, please call Tom Bartley or the office.
Thank you in advance for your participation!
PAGE 1
Karin’s Comments
Friends,
I was asked to write to
someone I don’t know at all who was very afraid of death in the hope of
reassuring them about life after death.
The family member suggested we print this in our newsletter.
Dear Mr. J,
I know that life has gotten
very complicated for you recently because of your cancer and that your illness
has caused you to consider what death will be like and eternity as well.
The Christian faith and the
scriptures tell us a few things for sure when it comes to death. First, death doesn’t get the final word. I Corinthians 15 says: “O death, where is your sting. O grave, where is your victory. Thanks be to God who gave us the victory
through our Lord Jesus Christ. What it
reminds us of is that death is merely the beginning of a new life, a time of
peace where there shall no longer be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore for
those former things are gone. (Revelation 21).
The scriptures are filled with the good news that we need not fear death
because in death we are given life.
People often ask,
though: How do I know that I
will get to heaven. And Jesus says, ‘no
one is worthy.’ No one could possibly be good enough to get into heaven by
themselves but that is why Jesus came, so that those who believe in him receive
eternal life. John 3: 16 says “For God
so loved the world that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him will
not perish but will have eternal life.”
So the blessed assurance is
that those who profess faith in Jesus Christ receive the gift. No strings attached.
Jesus disciples worried about
that though. They wondered if they would
get there and how. And in John 14, Jesus
answered them like this: “Do not let
your hearts be troubled. Believe in God; believe also in me. If it were not true, would I have told you
that I go to prepare a place for you? And when I go and prepare a place for
you, I will come and take you there myself so that where I am you may be also.” But one disciple, Thomas, said, “Lord, we do
not know where you are going. How can we
know the way? “ Jesus said, “I am the way, the truth and the
life.”
In other words, you already
have what it takes for us as Christians—that is faith in our Lord and Savior
Jesus Christ. I will be praying for you
so that you have the peace of Christ in your heart. There is no reason to be afraid.
A fellow journeyer, Karin
John’s
Jottings
"Early last summer I
visited a very dear friend on her 107th birthday! She is, needless to say, a remarkable
person-- even continues to type her letters.
I asked Benny how she would explain her longevity, and these were her
short words of advice: "John just keep busy!" I once heard someone say "Old age is a
matter of mind over matter. If you don't
mind, it doesn't matter!" That must
have been John Kelley's attitude.
Kelley, who died in 2004 at the age of 96, ran in 58 Boston Marathons
(that's 26.2 miles each time) including his last one in 1992 when he was 84
years old. Kelley's remarkable feat is a
reminder to each of us that we need to stay active as long as we can. Far too many folks hit middle age and put the
body in neutral. And Christians, too,
often put their service for Christ in the same inactive mode. Each of us has a responsibility to our Maker,
as long as God gives us physical and mental strength, to work heartily "as
to the Lord" (Colossians 3:23). We're never called to retire from life and
coast home to heaven. The Psalmist said
that the righteous "shall still bear fruit in old age" (Psalm
92:14). For those among us who can no
longer move about, that can mean being active in prayer and in quiet service. One can be a "prayer warrior" even
from a confining wheelchair! So, from
one who is approaching old age, let's make sure old age doesn't stop us from
bearing fruit.
We need to keep going,
"keep busy" for God and for Jesus.
To stay youthful, stay useful.
P.S. The gold Christmas
ornaments are now being made, and should be available soon at $15 each. See page 8 for the picture. You will like them!
Blessings
to all,
Pastor
John
PAGE 2
A PANCAKE BREAKFAST ON OCTOBER 7 AND MUCH MORE IS
COMING ! !
In addition to the usual
pancakes, eggs and sausage, we will be serving Buck-wheat pancakes on Oct. 7.
The net proceeds from this
breakfast will be given to
the Potato Project, an agricultural gleaning program in southwest VA.. (In
November we will feature pumpkin pancakes!)
Bring your extended family. Invite your neighbors. This is an excellent
way to get to know them, and for them to become familiar with St. Paul’s
The UMM General
Meeting on Wed. Oct 4th will
include the usual dinner fare of pizza, subs, salad and desert. The new Venture
Crew that we sponsor will make a presentation after the dinner meeting. Sign up!
The UMM Yard Sale
is coming Thursday, and Friday, November
17, 18. Receiving day for
articles is Thursday, November 16. Save us your old treasures. Sorry, we can’t accept computer or exercise
equipment or things that really are trash.
We need more volunteers to help operate the sale, (and customers
too)! It’s a very easy job: receiving, setting up ‘merchandise’, discarding
packing material and refilling tables from ‘excess stock’ as treasures are
sold. We could also use more help making pickups of donations. After the
sale on Saturday, we pack leftovers for charity pickup and clean up Heavener Hall. Free training and coffee ‘n snacks are
provided. Please sign up for a
few hours of FUN.
The UMM Apple Sale
will run concurrently with the yard sale this year since our parking lot will
not be available for sales space.
The UMM Christmas
Tree Sale will also be modified because of parking lot issues and the
closed Safeway. Yes, we are still having it - Saturday and Sunday December 2-3 - more information later!
We’re looking forward to an
exciting fall season!
Eric Eaton,
President
COME JOIN ONE OF THE UMW CIRCLES
United Methodist Women are
women in mission together! Our resources
of time, talent, and money go to improve the lives of women, children, and
youth in our communities and around the world.
For over 135 years our organization has been active, with several name
changes as our denomination has changed.
Our foremothers founded the early missionary societies and their pennies
went to build schools and hospitals in many countries. Today we continue in mission and we work to
meet the needs of many. We also enjoy
sisterhood and spiritual growth at our monthly meetings. We are good friends with each other but we
always have room for you! We encourage
all women at St. Paul’s
to become a member and choose one of our five circles:
|
CIRCLE
|
PLACE
|
DAY
|
TIME
|
|
Martha
|
Church
|
First Wed.
|
10:30 a.m.
|
|
Lydia
|
Church
|
First Wed.
|
7:30 p.m.
|
|
Sarah
|
Home
|
First Wed.
|
7:30 p.m.
|
|
Jochebed *
|
Church
|
First Sat.
|
9:00 a.m.
|
|
Prisca
**
|
Church
|
First Fri.
|
7:30 p.m.
|
*
with babysitting
**
babysitting provided if requested in advance
Kids in Church
Six-year-old Angie and her
four-year-old brother, Joel, were sitting together in church. Joel giggled,
sang, and talked out loud. Finally, his big sister had enough of his antics.
"You're not supposed to
talk out loud in church."
"Why? Who's going to stop me?" Joel asked.
Angie pointed to the back of
the church and said, "See those two men standing by the door? They're hushers.”
PAGE 3
National
Spiritual Ensemble to perform on Sept. 30
National
Spiritual Ensemble performs at St. Paul’s on Saturday, September 30 at 7 p.m., This concert
will benefit our volunteers in mission efforts. Please join us for this powerful testimony in
song. It is a group of professional
singers devoted to preserving the art and tradition of Negro spirituals, led by
Vincent Dion Stringer and Marvin Mills. They play all over the country. Stringer
says that they sing "songs that soothe the soul.” The concert will feature a “New Orleans” set of spirituals.
**Prior to the concert at 6 p.m.,
a “New
Orleans style dinner in Heavener Hall.” What a great night out!
Tickets cost $20 per person for the dinner and
concert; concert only is $15. The New
Orleans style menu is:
Chicken Fricassee, Shrimp Rémoulade,
Red Beans and rice, Greens, Pecan
Pie.
The NSE is one of the most
requested groups and always a sellout, according to Matthew Geerlings, director
of music and liturgy for the National Cathedral. “Those in attendance . . . will be educated
because the American Negro spiritual is more than just a genre of music. The text sometimes has a double meaning. On
one side it might talk about religious aspects, but in other ways it would give
slaves who wanted to escape from the plantation directions on where to go. I think when people come here they'll go away
with a greater sense of the struggles of the slaves that were here but also the
hope that they had in Jesus as their personal savior and how they were able to overcome
some of the obstacles that they had in life." http://www.cathedral.org/cathedral/music/summerfestival2005.shtml http://ctl.du.edu/spirituals/Present/interview.cfm?ID=6
St. Paul’s Team
Travels to New Orleans
Plans for Second Mission There
St. Paul’s Sept.
23-29 VIM team to New Orleans: Ellen Agee, Tamara Alexander, Tom Bartley, Tara
Boogaerts, John Brown, Sally Chatfield, Jim Cox, Cheryl Fanning, Athena
Gaalswyk, Barbara Hudson, Mike McCurry, Nancy Pond, Stanley Pond, Jim Smith,
David Taylor, Andy Thornton, Gloria Wagner, Rev. Karin Walker, Mike Walker.
This Volunteers in Mission
group included 18 members of St. Paul’s
and 9 members of Bethesda UMC. The volunteers were led by the Walkers and
shared accommodations at Felicity Volunteer House in the Lower Garden
District. They traveled by van to the
Central City neighborhood of Uptown Station where they wore Tvex suits and
other protective gear to clean out flooded homes.
Once the day’s work was done
(early afternoon because of the New
Orleans heat), the group gathered to pray, sing and
discuss their hopes and fears during the trip and the attitude of
“servanthood,” the heart of the mission.
They also focused on building relationships with the New Orleanians and
among team members.
VIM members shared their
spiritual experience with the St. Paul’s
community at the New-Orleans-style dinner on September 30. Hear more about their adventure as stories
are shared among the UMM, UMW and in worship. Stanley Pond
Are you ready to join the
next VIM team? Target: January
2007. Please call the office if you
are interested. We need a team leader and members.
VIM trip to Nicaragua July 9-16, 2007 **Open to all ages!
A child must be 14 years old if traveling without a parent. The dates are set for St.
Paul’s VIM trip to Nicaragua,
the first international mission trip in many years. Join a group of fellow journeyers in service
to Jesus Christ. Meet the developing
world; make a difference; partner with brothers and sisters of faith. A question and answer meeting will be held after
church on October 15
for a brief time in the library. If you
cannot be there, please email the office or Pastor Karin for details. (revkarin@comcast.net)
PAGE 4
CHURCH
RESOLUTION
Jim Klote, our
consultant, gave a report to the congregation of St. Paul’s
United Methodist Church
on the results of the Focus Group meetings.
Pursuant to its Church Conference held on September 21, 2006, the congregation approves and resolves as
follows:
Capital Campaign to raise
$3.1 million
That St. Paul’s
UMC will conduct a capital campaign this fall to fully fund the capital vision
developed by the Church Council and the Trustees (an estimated cost of $3.1
million);
Tom
Bartley, reaffirmed as Chair of the Capital Campaign
That Tom Bartley,
previously approved by the Church Council to chair the Capital Campaign is
reaffirmed by the Church Conference, and that a committee under his direction
created to work on the campaign. That other committees be established for
various phases of the project
The Kick-off of the campaign
is October 22
That the Campaign Kick-off Event would be
held on Sunday evening, October 22, 2006,
at which time the lead gifts total would be announced. If, based on the level
of such gifts and other considerations, the campaign goal is established at
less than $3.1 million, the Trustees will provide a prioritized list of capital
projects, and a revised campaign goal will be announced
Regular
progress reports on the status will be given until the close in December
That the
Congregation would be given regular progress reports regarding the status of
the capital campaign.
Another Congregation meeting will be in mid-December
to hear the total and the recommendations of the Trustees and to form a
Building Committee to proceed with the project.
Following the close of the campaign in mid
December a Congregational Meeting would be held for the purposes of: a) hearing
a report from the Campaign Committee on the total amount of monies pledged; b)
hearing a final recommendation on the Capital Project from the Trustees
(modified, if necessary); c) establishing a Building Committee to proceed with the
Project; and d) for any other reasons necessary to further the purposes of the
campaign.
Chapel side of the church
PAGE 5
PILGRIMAGE TO THE HOLY LAND
FULL PAYMENT DUE OCTOBER 3
... led by Rev. Rick Buckingham
January 3-12, 2007
Yes - We are going! After the
events of this summer, life is returning to normal throughout Israel, and increased international
attention will likely keep things quiet for the near future. Our non-profit tour operator, Educational Opportunities,
has also returned to normal operations, and we still have the month of October
to add to our group of eighteen. There may never be a better time to go than
now!
Because the area of
Israel-Palestine is geographically small, an amazing variety of important Biblical sites will be visited in our time
together. We will see where Joshua
fought the battles of Jericho and later, Megiddo, overlooking the Valley
of Armageddon, visit Beit Shean, where
the bodies of King Saul and his sons were nailed to the city wall, and King
David's capitol, Jerusalem. We will sail on the Sea of Galilee; see an
actual preserved fishing boat from the time of Jesus, and visit Nazareth and Capernaum,
Tiberius, the Mount of the Beatitudes and the River Jordan. In Judea, we will visit 
Bethlehem, the Mount of Olives and Garden
of Gethsemane, and the Jerusalem sites associated with Jesus, along with visits
to Qumran, location of the Dead Sea Scrolls, and Ceasarea, Roman capitol of Palestine rebuilt by the
Crusaders. An optional trip to the Herodian
fortress of Masada where Zealots were besieged
by the Roman Army for three years is also available.
The basic tour cost of $1,846
includes round trip airfare from BWI via New
York, airport taxes, first‑class hotels,
breakfast and dinner daily, sightseeing and entrance fees on our itinerary,
English‑speaking guide, ground travel by motor coach, luggage transfers,
hotel taxes and service charges and flight insurance. An additional $400 will
be needed for taxes, gratuities, lunches, beverages, etc. Travel insurance may also be purchased at
time of registration.
An optional three-day extension to Jordan, which
includes Amman, Mt. Nebo, Jerash and the canyon city of Petra, also led by Rev.
Buckingham, will be available following the tour. Fifteen in our
group are already signed up for this extension!
Please pick up one of our
registration brochures in the narthex or the church office for further details
and important deadline information. Note
that full payment is due sixty days before departure: October 3rd, 2006!
Spiritual
Gifts Classes
If you haven’t had an
opportunity to learn about your spiritual gifts, we again are offering the
Spiritual Gifts class. Every Christian
has at least one spiritual gift, if not several. These gifts are an indication of how God
intends for you to serve the church and community. So come and find out what gifts you can
claim!
There will be two classes
held on Sunday mornings and will run
for four weeks.
The first class will
be held during the first church service at 9:00
a.m. on October 8th, October
15th, October 22nd,
and October 29th.
The second class will
be held during the second church service at 10:15 a.m. on October 22nd,
October 29th, November 5th, and November 12th.
The cost of the materials is $20. There is a sign-up sheet in the church
office or Narthex. Please be sure to
note on the sheet whether you would be available for either class, or only one
of them. It gives us the option of
putting everyone into one class if necessary.
If you have questions, please call Kate Lewis Brown on 301-946-2008. Kate
Lewis Brown
Coordinator of Lay
Ministries
PAGE 6
CROP WALK - Sunday, October 1st
Youth and adults from St. Paul’s will be
participating in this ecumenical fund-raiser for Church World Service, the
independent agency which supports food relief for the hungry around the
world. Please consider sponsoring one of
our young people for this approximately five-mile walk along Sligo Creek Parkway
at 2:00 p.m. on Oct. 1st.
Women’s Bible Study
begins October 10
Tuesdays 1 p.m.
Discerning God’s Will Together
by Danny Morris and Charles
Olsen
**Please sign up so books can be ordered. Cost:
$13.00
Conference Room
Worship Services
9 a.m. Communion each week Children’s message and Junior Church! Come and See!
10:15 Choirs, organ, Sunday
School.
**On communion Sundays
at the 10:15 service, we will not have joys and concerns; however there
will be a sheet in the back of the church to sign ahead of time if you
wish to have a loved one lifted up for prayer.
In this way, we can keep our service within an hour, since we have
Sunday School going on at the same time.
Signs and
Wonders – need by early Oct.
Is God at work in your life? Would you be willing to share
your story. Please take a few
minutes to write it down and email or give to Karin. We are forming a devotional which will
be given out at the dinner on Oct. 22.
There is evidence of God’s grace all around us. You’ve heard me say in more than one sermon
that we need to share that news with one another. It is the way we lift each other up in times
of need and reassure one another of God in our midst. If you have written a poem or prayer
that we may use, please pass it on!
(revkarin@comcast.net)
BOARD OF CHILD CARE UPDATE
This year the $100 memberships sent to the Washington
West Auxiliary provided a great outing for 30 children – a rodeo! Children in the Foster Care Program received
duffle bags and scholarships were given to seniors. It’s amazing what your dollar can do. The meetings are open to everyone and provide
information on what the auxiliary is doing.
There are opportunities to become a member through the UMW envelopes and
this year through Alternative Giving in auxiliary meetings! (Men are welcome)
-Washington West Sat., Oct.
7 at Colesville UMC.
-W.W. Spring
will meet Saturday, May 5, 2007 –
place TBA.
-All
districts will meet Thursday, May 17,
2007
Marybelle Waldroff ~ Key Person
St. Paul’s
hosts Discipler Group for Ministers
St. Paul’s Church is serving the Washington Region clergy by
hosting a clergy Discipler group
once a month and a regional worship service on the 2nd Wednesday of each month (Oct 11). Just another way St. Paul’s is open and
serving.
New Members Class:
October 11
Would you like to join St Paul’s Church? We would love to have you! It is a wonderful place to serve our Lord and
Savior. There will be a new members
class on Wednesday, October 11 at 8 p.m.
in the library. Please call the office
if you can join us for this meeting.
**If you cannot be there but
are interested in joining, please call Karin or email her at
revkarin@comast.net.
PAGE 7
FALL WORK DAY PLANNED
The Board of Trustees has set
Saturday, Oct 14th
8 a.m. – 2 p.m. for the fall workday. Projects include indoor painting, trimming
along the fence line and improving the walkway between the parsonage driveway
and side entrance. If you’ve never had
the opportunity to participate in a workday you’ve missed a great time of
sharing fellowship and friendship with other members while making needed
repairs and improvements in and outside our building. So that we can plan our projects, a sign up
sheet will be in the church office beginning Sunday, Oct 1.
WHITE HOUSE
ORNAMENTS FOR SALE
The WHITE HOUSE Ornament Fund
Raiser will begin October 15 –Nov 5.
Ornaments will be available to pick-up Sunday, Nov 12. The cost of each ornament is $17 and proceeds
from this year’s sale will benefit West River Family weekend, 
Improvement and Pastor Discretionary Funds. Orders
must be prepaid and checks should be made payable to St Paul’s UMC. If you have questions or would like to get
your order in early, call Tracey Furman (3 01) 933-6282.
BROOKEWOOD SCHOOL
Our new tenant, The
Brookewood School for Girls, is up and running with 60 students and so far the
transition of sharing space has gone very well. We expect there will be future challenges, but
with continued communication we believe our partnership will be beneficial to
helping us expand our outreach and ministries through the significant financial
contribution the school makes to our church budget.
St. Paul’s Ornament for
sale
The St. Paul’s ornament is being designed and
prepared by Marjorie Vogel of Rhode Island Designs, and is beautiful! Marge has done these ornaments for such
places as the U. S. Capitol, the Smithsonian Institution, the Washington Cathedral,
and many others throughout the country.
She is extremely talented, needless to say. We think you will find this ornament of the
church perfect as a boxed gift, particularly at Christmastime. It will cost $15.
The Friendship Club will meet
October 10 (second Tuesday) for a
pot luck luncheon in Heavener Hall at 11:30 a.m.
Variety is the Spice of Life,
and Frank Plumer, is an engaging
pianist, vocalist, accordionist and teacher.
Frank delivers a unique and high-spirited presentation of jazz, torch
songs, art songs, international folk songs and sing-a-longs. Mr. Frank Plumer
and his five year old son, Tony,
will be featured as the entertainment.
Ann Brall
President
IMPROVEMENT
FUND SUPPORT NEEDED
Don’t forget to support the Improvement Fund
through your monthly donations.
PAGE 8
BIBLE SUNDAY - October 15th
This year, we will be
presenting Bibles to our new third graders during the 10:15 service on October 15th, which is Bible
Sunday. Parents of third graders
are asked to confirm with Rick Buckingham how their children’s names should
appear on the Bible 
bookplate. Please e-mail this information to Rick at: ricklby@yahoo.com by
October 8th.
New Acolyte Training
October 22nd
All youth in 6th
grade or above are invited to come to the sanctuary, on Oct. 22nd 11:30 a.m.-1:00 p.m., for training as new
acolytes. Please register your interest
with Mrs. Marge Higgins 301-946-5196.
New Crucifer Training
October 29th
All youth in 6th
grade or above are invited to come to the sanctuary, on Oct. 29th at 11:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m., for training as new
crucifers. Please register your interest
with Mrs. Marge Higgins 301-946-5196.
Fall
College Visits in the South
Our Minister to Young Adults
will be in Virginia, the Carolinas and Georgia, October
4-14, to visit any young people from St.
Paul’s who are in that area. Please let Rick know if your college student
is attending one of the many colleges in this area, and get con