Karin’s
Comments
“Surely, from now on all generations will call me blessed;
for the Mighty One has done great things for me, holy is his name.” (Luke 1)
Christmas is coming soon and ads already are
warning us to shop early, plan ahead, and be ready for the big season. Every year, as I approach Advent and
Christmas, I always hope to have things done ahead of time, be it wrapping
presents or baking cookies, or sending Christmas cards. And every year, I fall short of the goals I
set for myself.
Yet there is something energizing and enlivening about
falling short. All of our careful plans
and preparation don’t turn out exactly the way we imagine. The decorations are different; the parties aren’t
as we anticipate. In other words,
Christmas is bigger than we can plan or orchestrate.
Even after all these years, Christmas brings with it
surprises and unexpected blessings. I
think Mary must have thought that way.
God was in controlling of her life - not she. Mary’s response was to praise the Lord. “Holy is his name,” she said, “for he has done great things for me.”
We might take Mary’s words to heart and whatever comes our
way this Advent and Christmas season, respond with words of praise: “The Mighty One has done great things for us,
and holy is his name.”
May the Lord’s abundant grace bless you this Christmas season.
With the peace of Christ,
Karin
John’s
Jottings
"Soon we'll be hearing the Christmas story again... For 20 centuries people have been telling it and retelling it. They've told it in music and art and poetry. They've told it in glass and stone. They've told it in sermon and liturgy in little country churches and towering cathedrals. Craftsmen and artisans have spent their lives in telling it-- but in the end, only God could have dreamed the Christmas story, for Christmas was HIS story, and perhaps that's why we wonder at it, and marvel over the drama of it, and kneel down before this awesome truth. It's no wonder we wonder, for towering over all is one fact: CHRISTMAS IS A LOVE STORY, a drama of divine-human love with a magnetic tug at the heart. Love created the event, and apart from the love we bring to it, or receive from it, Christmas would be as dreary as an all-day December drizzle. Christmas is God's Day, but it's also OUR day, the time when we hear the beat of a distant drummer and hang our hopes on a shining star--no matter what the future holds in store. It's no wonder we wonder at the strategy of God's great love!
Listen to W. H. Auden in "FOR THE TIME BEING"--"On this day everything became a YOU, nothing remained an IT. A living 
God, not concerned with proprieties or principles or abstractions--a God who loves people and comes to the least worthy and most neglected of them--and a God who loves us at close range, in the rough and tumble of life where we are. It's no wonder, as we think of it reflectively, that we wonder as the shepherds wondered, so long ago: What if I had been a shepherd, on a hill that lovely night? What if I had stood there watching, when in song and sudden light, such a multitude of angels came, that all my lambs where frightened? What if I had been a shepherd long ago? Would I listen and believe them? Would I say, 'Let's go and see!' Would I say instead, 'I'm dreaming! Such a wonder couldn't be. God would never send his angels to such common folk as we'--had I been a shepherd long ago. Yet, it strikes me as I ponder on the beauty that I see, of the heavens, or the seasons, of the child God gave to me, he could 
scarcely show more wonders had it been MY lot to be, a shepherd on a hillside long ago."
Love,
John
UMW ANNUAL CHRISTMAS 
LUNCHEON FOR ALL WOMEN ON
DECEMBER 10
All women of St.
Paul's family are invited to the Annual Christmas
Luncheon on Saturday, December 10 at 11:00 a.m. in Heavener Hall. There will be a short business meeting
including the installation of officers for 2006. Our annual Musical Program will be
followed by a potluck lunch. Sign
up in the church office on November 27th and December 4th to bring either a
salad or dessert to serve eight.
Reservations are necessary!
The reading lists and study books for the New Year are now
available in the library.
Circle Christmas
Celebrations
The circles will be celebrating Christmas at their regular
monthly meetings. Check with circle
leaders for dates and special arrangements:
Miriam Circle
- Helen Lidie; Deborah Circle - Mabel Baker; Lydia Circle -
Elaine Neidecker or Virginia Bickford; Sarah Circle – Ruth
Ann Kuykendall; Jochebed Circle - Molly Jackman; Prisca Circle - Donna Hewitt.
During this Holy Advent Season let us pray for peace in our
world as we celebrate the coming of the Prince of Peace.
Have a wonderful and blessed holiday season.
Bev Burdin
Vice President
PANCAKES AND CHRISTMAS TREES ABOUND
The United Methodist Men will be
serving up another delicious Pancake Breakfast in Heavener Hall on Saturday,
December 3rd. Please join us for a morning of great food
and fellowship. Proceeds will go to St.
Paul's Improvement Fund.
A new year brings an
opportunity of renewed purpose and commitment, both as a group and as
individuals within Christ's church. Every U.M. Men's activity brings
blessings to our church, world, community -- and special blessings of fellowship
to those participating. We thank those men and women who have worked so
hard to make the 2005 activities successful.
The fall yard sale was very successful with more than $7,000 profit.
UPCOMING
EVENTS:
Thur., Dec. 1 thru Sun. Dec. 18 - Tree Sales
Sat., Dec. 3 Pancake
Breakfast
Wed., Dec. 7 General Dinner / Meeting 6:30 p.m.
(music by St. Paul's Quartet)
Wed., Jan. 4 Executive Committee - Library
Sat., Jan. 7
Pancake Breakfast
Wed., Feb. 1 General Dinner / Meeting
Working with you,
Harold Moyer
President
Church History Trivia
Christmas dramas/plays have been a pretty regular tradition
at St. Paul's since 1960.
Some years there was a play but no Baby Jesus character,
some years a doll was used, and some years there was no play. Name some people who played Baby Jesus
in St. Paul's dramas between 1960 and
2002.
(Find the ans
wer on another page)
UMM CHRISTMAS TREE SALE BEGINS DECEMBER 1st
The annual UMM Christmas tree sale will start on Thursday, December 1st in the parking lot. The sale will run from that date through Sunday, December 18th - sooner if we sell out of trees and maybe a little longer if we don't. The trees featured are: Douglas, Fraser, and Concolor Firs and Scotch Pines. Also, Scouts of Troop #439 will be selling pine roping and wreathes to decorate your home.
As a convenience to members of the church, in addition to the sale hours on Monday through Saturday, trees will also be sold on Sundays from 11:30 a.m. until about 3:30 p.m. As usual, we need volunteers to help staff the sale. If you can spare a few hours, please sign up in the church office. No experience is needed; we can easily train you in just a few minutes. Helping at a UMM tree sale, is a nice way to meet and get to know some of the other men, women and teens of the church and have fun.
Worship
Ministry Team/Altar Guild
Information for Ordering Poinsettias
The Worship Ministry Team and Altar Guild have returned to
the old policy of sponsoring poinsettias for the sanctuary. This year members can order a poinsettia in
honor or memory of a loved one and can choose either a red or white
poinsettia. The poinsettias will be
used in the sanctuary for the Christmas Eve and Christmas Day services and can
be picked up after the Christmas Day service or later in the week. Members may also designate that their
poinsettia be delivered to a shut-in.
The cost for a poinsettia is $10.75. Orders started the first Sunday in Advent, November
27, and will continue to be taken following each Sunday service on December
4 and 11.
Church members and friends can also sponsor the 6 wreaths
used for the church doors at a cost of $18 each. Checks should be made out to St. Paul's UMC.
~Betsy Sanford
Why are the flowers in the
chancel white today? Altar Guild Chair, Sarah Jenkins, knows. “The colors are dictated by the Liturgical
season, as are the hangings and other paraments,” she
says. “Soon you’ll see new kneelers
at the altar rail, all the needlepoint done by talented church members. Your donations to the Memorial Fund make all
these wonders happen.”
A Decatur, Georgia,
native and the daughter of an Army Reserve Officer, Sarah Jenkins lived in
several states growing up. She attended
the Wesleyan Conservatory and School
of Fine Arts in Macon,
Ga. and then George Washington
University where she
obtained her B.A. in art, leading to her career as an interior designer.
“When Pastor Ed DeLong asked me
to be Altar Chair, I went to Wesley Seminary and discovered a whole new world
of visual ways to use my talent to serve Christ. Often in the beginning, as I wondered what to
do for a particular service, I felt a presence providing a solution!” In addition to the weekly chancel display,
Sarah is also responsible for designing the Lent, Easter, Advent and Christmas
visual presentations. She is assisted by
Ken and Helen Rhodes, Tracey Furman, and Marco Palma. They and the 10 "needle-pointers"
are all great, talented people.
Sarah and her late husband, Jack, joined St. Paul’s in 1967. Jack was an executive in the home division of
the (now defunct) Woodward and Lothrop Department
Stores, where they met. “We had a wonderful marriage, a real friendship and
love affair (actually enhanced by Jack's illness) and enjoying our mutual
interests in the seashore and traveling,” says Sarah. Jack and Sarah served together on the
Administrative Council for many years.
~ Jan Aamodt
HERE ARE FAVORITE STORIES OF CHRISTMAS TREES
“O Christmas Tree! O Christmas Tree! How lovely are thy branches!” Our Christmas celebration of the birth of Jesus does not seem complete without a decorated evergreen tree. The popularity of the evergreen spread through Europe and was brought to our country by the Hessian soldiers during the American Revolution. The year-round green hue was thought to be a symbol of immortality. A cherished story tells us that the first Holy Night, God sent three messengers, Faith, Hope and Charity, to earth to light a Christmas tree. They selected the evergreen because its branches resemble a cross. Two of our children’s books present other favorite stories of Christmas trees. Why Christmas Trees Aren’t Perfect by Richard Schneider (call #E Sch) describes a small green tree that provides shelter and is then honored by a Queen.
The Tree that Came to Stay by Anna Quindlen (call E #Qui) is the story of a family who search for the perfect Christmas tree and a special way that the family keeps the memory of the tree in their house for the remaining year. The best Christmas trees are the ones, of course, sold by the St. Paul’s United Methodist Men in our own parking lot. We hope that this year your Christmas tree is a symbol of joy for your celebration of the birth of Jesus.
~Debra McCurry
Librarian
A NEW COURSE IS BEING OFFERED AT ST.
PAUL'S IN JANUARY
How
do Christians think and act faithfully in a complex and often ambiguous
world? What models might help us to live
a life worthy of the
Gospels in the 21st century?
Join ethicist, Dr. Sondra Wheeler (Ph.D., Yale) in an exploration of
vital issues, via DVD teachings
and group discussions. Offered at St. Paul's six Tuesday evening
sessions, starting January 10th, 7:15 - 8:45 p.m., led by
Emily Robinson. Sign up in the
church office. The participant book is
$6.25.
A Life Worthy of the Gospels, is a new
course developed by Wesley Ministry Network, an outreach of Wesley Theological
Seminary in Washington D.C.
Nov. 13th
Forum on the Death Penalty.
The Justice and Compassion Team sponsored the meeting. Cathy Knepper led
the discussion, which began with discussing the resolution of the United Methodist
Church on the issue. While our denomination encourages us to hold
certain social principles, we are free to make up our own minds. Cathy provided
statistics on executions around the world and within the United States, as well as handouts on the death
penalty in Maryland. Attendees, some pro-death penalty and some
against, discussed questions such as "Who has the right to play God?"
and "Doesn’t someone who rapes and murders young children deserve to
die?" We wandered into the issues
of gun control, good education, televised sex and violence, and the inequality
of basic services provided to many young people in our
country. We ended by realizing that many
ethical and social issues are interconnected, which makes it extremely
difficult to create change. However, we
agreed that having open, honest discussions where all viewpoints are aired, is at least a start to solving a difficult question.
~Cathy D. Knepper
St. Paul’s Annual CHILDREN’S ADVENT
CRAFT WORKSHOP ON
Saturday, December 3rd‑ 9 a.m.-11:30 a.m.
All
children are invited to come to the Multipurpose Room on Sat. December 3rd,
for our fun‑filled annual craft workshop for Advent and Christmas. Participants are asked to bring $ .50 for
each craft they plan to make to cover the cost of basic materials. Be sure to say, "THANK YOU" to the
many dedicated craft leaders who lovingly prepare and teach the many
interesting crafts each year.
UNITED METHODIST
COLLEGE STUDENT SUNDAY
WILL BE CHRISTMAS DAY
Our 10:15 a.m. worship hour on Christmas Day, Sunday,
December 25th, will be a service led by St. Paul's college students. A special offering envelope will be available
that day for support of United Methodist campus ministries and university
scholarships. Families of college students are requested to forward their
contact information to Rick Buckingham at ricklby@yahoo.com.
Spirits Basketball IS AT
JERUSALEM-MT. PLEASANT UMC
St. Paul’s Spirits Youth Basketball Team will play
Jerusalem-Mount Pleasant UMC at 2:00 p.m., Sunday, December 11th,
at Woodside UMC, 8900 Georgia
Avenue, Silver
Spring. Members of the
congregation are invited to attend, but note that seating is very limited.
Church History Trivia
Christmas
dramas/plays have been a pretty regular tradition at St. Paul's since 1960.
Some
years there was a play but no Baby Jesus character, some years a doll was used,
and some years there was no play. Name
some people who played Baby Jesus in St. Paul's dramas between 1960 and
2002
Answer to History Trivia:
Early 1960's: Beth Perfater, Sarah
Perfater
1967- Debbie Lynn
1968- Loren Belt
1977- Mathew Perfater
1978- Julie Trout
1979- Matthew Thornton
1980- Baby Ertzinger
1981- Jennifer Peele
1982- Christine Peele
1983- Charles Hodgson
1984- Lindsey DeMoss
1987- Billy Sigman
1988- Nicole Shoup
1990- Kathleen Jordan
1994- Connor Jordan
1999- Sheridan
Maxwell
2001- Duncan Maxwell
2002- Jason Perfater
This is documented information from the History
Archives. If you know of others
and can verify it, please call the
church office
Emily Robinson
Church Historian.
NEW MEMBERS CLASS SCHEDULED
On
Sunday, December 4th, Pastor Karin Walker will lead an
orientation class, for potential new members.
The session will be held in the church library at 11:30 a.m. and last
until 1 p.m. Bring a bag lunch to
share! Call about childcare if it is
needed.
If you would like to
be part of this group,
please call the church office
(301-933-7933), or
go to the library after the 10:15
worship service
on December 4th
Interested in joining St.
Paul’s UMC?
Come and see what its all about. Ask questions. Meet some fellow travelers on the journey.
Angel Gifts for Special People Benefit St. Paul's
Are you wondering how to make a statement of faith this Christmas season with an act of gratitude? Or, is there someone on your gift list you just don't know what to buy? Or is there someone you'd like to honor with a special gift? Please consider giving an Angel Gift to St. Paul's Church. The church will then send a special card to them acknowledging that gift. Here are some ideas, very large, large, and huge--all much appreciated!
Hymnals--$15.00 (about 10 more are needed)
Organ Improvements--$20,000
Endowment Fund gift--any amount
Wireless Microphone--$500
That the World May Know Bible Study--$300
*speaking of angels,
remember, "Don't drive faster than your guardian
angel can fly."
Suggestions
for Alternative Giving by the Justice &
Compassion Team
The Christmas season is upon us, the time when many of us
start trying to find the “perfect gift” for our family members, friends,
co-workers, clients, and loved ones. It
can be a stress-filled time because in reality, none of these people really NEEDS
another THING, and yet we want to acknowledge each person with a token
of our appreciation and love.
St. Paul’s Alternative Giving program
may provide the answer to your Christmas season “dilemma”. The Alternative Giving program “sells” opportunities for
us to respond to others. This year we
have included 3 agencies that are effectively meeting the needs of people both
near and far. Once you choose, we do
the rest. We provide you with a gift
acknowledgment card – including a description of the agency – and we send your
financial donation to the agency you have chosen. Your loved one or associate receives
acknowledgment of your gift, AND another person, unknown to you, will receive
the actual gift you have chosen.
The Justice & Compassion
team has chosen 3 worthy recipients for this year’s program:
Christ House,
a 32-bed health care facility in Washington,
D.C. that serves as a temporary
residence for those who are ill and homeless. It is a place where they can
receive plenty of rest, nutritious meals, medical care, and social
services. The mission of Christ House
is “to provide comprehensive health care for sick, homeless men and women,
while assisting them in addressing critical issues to help break the cycle of
homelessness.”
US hurricane
relief through UMCOR (United Methodist Committee on Relief) – yes, our congregation has been generous, but the
need continues. UMCOR’s
main focus in any disaster is the long-term rebuilding process. Recovery from
some devastating storms may take up to five years—well after the media have
stopped paying attention.
South Asia earthquake relief through UMCOR – The rush to provide relief to earthquake-affected areas in South Asia continues.
The latest reports estimate that more than 73,000 people in Pakistan and about 1,300 in India were killed in the quake.
Additionally, more than a half million people remain without shelter as the
bitter winter approaches. One hundred percent of every donation to any appeal
through UMCOR goes to support recovery efforts in the disaster-stricken
regions.
Items
will be on “sale” at the Pancake Breakfast on December 3rd
and in the narthex on December 4th and 11th before
and after the 9:00 and 10:15 worship services.
If you have any questions, please contact Athena Gaalswyk (301-592-8798) or athena_gaalswyk@yahoo.com
Telephones Installed in the Sunday School 2nd and 3rd floor Wing
Telephones are now available on the second and third
floors of the Church
School
wing, thanks to the Board of Trustees. The phones, which are hooked up
only on Sunday mornings, are located: Room 200 (second
floor) in the kindergarten classroom on the desk near the door; and Room 300
(third floor) on the "mailbox table" (the 3rd and 4th
grade classroom).
While we hope to never have
an emergency during church school, or the need to call 911, it is
nice to know that help is now only a phone call away. (FYI: Cell
phone usage in the church building is totally unreliable!)
REFRIGERATORS PROVIDE Cold
Beverages in Sunday School
Thanks to Ranelle and Chris Bruch who donated two brand new refrigerators to the church
school, the children are now enjoying cold water and juice, after many years of
room 
temperature beverages!
The addition of these new refrigerators has also helped our snack prep
effort, as the beverages don't have to all be made on-site on Sunday
morning. Our new snack volunteer, Tara
Boogaerts, can fill the pitchers any time during
the week, and they are good-to-go on Sunday mornings.
Bulletin Boards up for Adoption
Are you artistic?
Do you want a church job that requires no meetings, a flexible schedule
and just the right amount of "right brain" activity? Then consider adopting a church bulletin
board for a year.
Some volunteers choose to use their own art
and ideas, but some are given a year's worth of seasonal art, which they change
3 or 4 times a year. Either option
works.
Currently, Laura Nelson
handles the 3 boards in the preschool /nursery hallway. And Alesia
Peterson not only does the Youth board in the main hallway, but also has
now taken on all 3 boards in room 109.
If this sounds like the job
for you, call Robin Mayhew at 301-929-8185.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
* * * * * * * * * * * * *
TRUSTEES RECEIVE BEQUEST
FROM TWO LONG TIME MEMBERS
On All Saints Day, November
6, Trustee President, Tracey Furman recognized the bequests of long time
members Marion Paladini and Isabella Clarke. Below is
the text read to the congregation during the 10:15 service.
“On behalf of the Board of
Trustees, today we formally recognize and lift up to the Lord the gifts of
Isabella Clarke and Marion Paladini. Both of these
longtime members choose to remember St
Paul’s in their wills. Their financial gifts are a
testament of their faith and commitment to the church.
These
gifts helped to ensure the full funding of last year’s Miracle Campaign and to
significantly elevate our endowment fund to the $100,000 milestone that we have
been striving to achieve for many years.
The
church is more then bricks and mortar, it is our gathering place where we come
together and worship our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Through good stewardship
it will continue to thrive and provide a place of worship for all who come to
seek Christ’s word. This place of bricks and mortar is the legacy of those who
came before us and now of those who sit here today. It is our obligation to
ensure its continuation now and for generations to come. 
In recognition of these special women, the Trustees and the Endowment Committee
will soon provide a lasting memorial here in the Sanctuary honoring their
commitment and that of others who, after death, bequest their special gifts to
St Paul’s.
Psalm 26:8 reads: “O Lord, I love the house in which you dwell and the place
where your glory abides.”
In partnership with the Finance and Endowment
Committees the Trustees will sponsor a speaker next spring to
discuss the tax benefits of remembering the church in your estate planning.
“22 HOURS”
St. Paul’s
Couples Retreat 2005
What can you do in 22 hours?
Have fun with friends,
other Christian couples from St. Paul’s.
Engage in conversation
around
key issues for couples today.
Learn about your own
conflict management style.
Figure out where God fits in
your marriage.
Best Western
Retreat Center
in Westminster, MD
(About 1 hour from St. Paul’s)
When? January 20-21
Begins with dinner Friday
night at 6pm
and ends Saturday 4pm.
Cost: $200 per couple
Limited to 25 couples!
RSVP by making a deposit of
$100 now!
Sign up in the church
office.
Pay full amount by January 5
What a great Christmas present to give each other!
Christmas has come to our shop once again. The lighted trees and snowmen are back and a
tree filled with ornaments and package tie-ons. All are .50 and $1 and most are handmade.
Our Christmas pins are here, also new angel pins. Every time you buy a pin you donate $6.75 to
a battered women's shelter in Rockville, Maryland run by the Methodist Church.
Quote:
How old do you think
you are if you didn't know your right age?
Ken and Evelyn Pinkard - Shopkeepers
to the November EPISTLE volunteers:
Nelson and Aileen Hunt, Evelyn Schaeffer,
Mae Miles, Marilyn Jenkins, Adda
Clark,
John Boggess, Peggy
and George Lehman, Gerry Hobbs.
Contacts:
Pastor
revkarin@comcast.net
Minister of Visitation
Rev. John C.
Walker
friartuck4@verizon.net
Deacon Youth/Education
Rev. Rick
Buckingham
ricklby@yahoo.com
Office Manager
Carol Lewis
stpaulsunited@verizon.net
Vol.
48, No. 12