Dear Friends in Christ:
You are welcome here, every Sunday at 8:30 am and 11 am!
St. Paul’s is a lively gathering of God’s people around the Gospel-centered promise of grace, a “Reconciling in Christ” congregation of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America in NW Washington, DC.
St. Paul’s is a gospel centered gathering of God’s people, focused on living thankfully in light of God’s gracious love, gathered in prayer for the world, and actively working for justice and peace locally and globally. Join us for worship this Sunday and often!
John R. Spangler, Interim Pastor
Simply Giving: Click Below
Contact Information
Phone |
202-966-5489 |
|
|
|
Address
and
|
4900 Connecticut Ave. N.W.
|
|
|
Hammarskjold's Pursuit of Peace
September 18th is a commemorative day in the Church's calendar for Dag Hammarskjold, Swedish diplomat, Secretary General of the UN, poet and deeply spiritual journal keeper. We remember him on his death day, as we do most saints days, as a day when they entered the larger life with God.
One of his successes was the expansion of expectations of the institutions, the nations, and the coalitions that pursued peace. He worked in a way that was fed by hope, not stymied by outcomes. In 1954, he said "The pursuit of peace and progress cannot end in a few years in either victory or defeat. The pursuit of peace and progress, with its trials and its errors, its successes and its setbacks, can never be relaxed and never abandoned."
And so as I anticipate my own standing up for climate action this Friday, as I have every time I have marched or borne witness to important issues, I remember this spiritual peacekeeper. Climate is the largest peace issue of our time, larger than smaller economic cycles, political divides, and everything else. Climate will create more refugees, more asylum seekers, more hardship for the poor than anything else happening in the world. It is the big issue of our time, and my experience as coordinator for with Lutherans Restoring Creation has taught me that it is a matter of faith as well.
I conclude with words from the prologue of the ELCA social statement "Caring for Creation:"
Christian concern for the environment is shaped by the Word of God spoken in creation, the Love of God hanging on a cross, the Breath of God daily renewing the face of the earth. We of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America are deeply concerned about the environment, locally and globally, as members of this church and as members of society. Even as we join the political, economic, and scientific discussion, we know care for the earth to be a profoundly spiritual matter.
I believe that if Dag Hammarskjold was alive today, he would be at the forefront of climate discussion and action. His peacekeeping commitments are worthy of commemorating today.
Yours in Christ,
John R. Spangler, Interim Pastor
PS - Look for us at the John Marshall Park (C street side) More information below!
_______________________________
YOUTH CHOIR starts up this Sunday!
Starting this coming Sunday the 22nd, the St. Paul's youth choir begins its 2019-2020 season!
New this year, we will meet to rehearse in the downstairs choir room, opposite the kitchen (conveniently close to Epiphany Chapel for the chapel gathering before Sunday School classes).
We'll practice as usual for 30 minutes-from 9:15-9:45am-to work on vocal warmups and technique, learn new music and incorporate Orff instruments to accompaniments.
We have planned our anthem schedule through the spring: our first anthem for a church service will be October 20th.
The Youth Choir is open to young people ages 7-high school.
If you wish to join the youth choir or would like more information, please contact director Marcia Perez .
_______________________________
Parents of College Students!
Please make sure that the church office has your son's or daughter's college address so we can reach out to them periodically.
If you have any questions, please contact Lisa Wackler.
_______________________________
Website Work for St. Paul's
We are planning for some web redesign and expansion. Please let us know what you would find useful on the congregation's website. What's missing? What do you use? If there is old and bad info, please continue to point us to that as well. But do talk to us! It makes our work better.
______________________________
UPDATE ON ST. PAUL'S SHELTER
St. Paul's Lutheran Church continues its commitment to ministry for and with persons experiencing homelessness and remains actively supportive of the long-term mission to address the need for short term, transitional housing in DC. You may recall that last fall, we announced the shelter would be closing temporarily and would likely reopen in the future using a new model based on peer support. That decision was put on hold when it became clear that the current residents would not be able to find suitable long-term housing before the cold winter.
Since that time, the church staff has been working diligently with the current residents to be more closely connected to Friendship Place services staff, encouraged and supported in working toward finding appropriate housing. The St. Paul's shelter was never intended to be long-term housing, and there is much evidence that long-term stays in shelters can have significant negative impacts on the residents and may even impede their ability to find suitable housing.
In order move forward with the plan to reassess its structure for short term shelter for homeless persons, the congregation's Council decided to close the current shelter on July 31, 2019. This date provides time for current residents to plan for more permanent housing or alternative short-term shelter with the help of Friendship Place. We will continue to support and assist the residents during this transition, and we ask the congregation to keep the men in your prayers.
If you are interested in participating in the reassessment of our ministry with homeless persons, please give your name to Joy Belew in the church office or by phone.
__________________________
Introducing the
St. Paul’s Call Committee:
Sue Hollar—Chair
Peter Guerber
Donna Hershey
Jeff Koch
Bruce Morrison
Liz Rihani
Jason Stonerook
Caitlin Thistle
_______________________________
Confirmation at St. Paul's
Grades 7-8
Join us as we journey toward the Affirmation of Baptism!
Confirmation is a time for thinking about our Baptism, for learning about the Bible, for understanding what the Bible says about our faith, for talking about what we believe as Lutherans and why, and --most important of all--for asking questions about our faith!
Confirmation class meets September--May, Sundays 9:45 am--10:45 am, and Tuesdays 4:45 pm--6:00 pm. There will be a mandatory meeting for ALL students (including second-year students) and parents on Sunday, September 8th, 9:45 am--10:45 am.
If your child is a rising 7th grader and is planning on joining us in the fall, please let Lisa Wackler know.
__________________________________
Seeking Confirmation Sponsors
This year we are blessed to have sixteen students in our Confirmation class. The Confirmands are a combination of first-year students in the 7th grade, and second-year students in the 8th grade.
Confirmation students will spend this year learning about The Bible, starting with the Old Testament and continuing through the New Testament and the Life of Jesus.
One of the most important things we can do as a congregation is support these students as they make this journey toward the Affirmation of their Baptism. We hope to pair each one of our Confirmation students with a Confirmation Sponsor from the congregation.
What does a Confirmation Sponsor do? It's very simple!
Confirmation Sponsors will periodically reach out to their Confirmand by phone, text, email, or snail mail. Extensive knowledge of the Bible or the Confirmation process is not required...just a desire to help and get to know your Confirmand, and a commitment to keeping him or her in your prayers! If interested, please contact Lisa Wackler.
_______________________________
Mark Your Calendars!!
October 6, 2019
Flu Vaccination Clinic - 9:00 am - 1:00 pm
St. Paul's is partnering with MAXIM Healthcare Systems to provide flu vaccinations for 2019. The clinic will be held in Schafer Hall on October 6th from 9:00 am - 1:00 pm. The participating healthcare plans are as follows: Medicare Part B, PFFS type Medicare Advantage Plans, Aetna, MCMS of MA, Humana Gold Choice, Premera Blue Cross, SummaCare, Bravo Health, and Independence BCBS. Children ages 4 and above are also eligible to receive the vaccination. For those enrolled in other insurance plans the cost of the vaccination will be $35.00, payable by cash or check at time of service. Walk-ins are always welcome.
_______________________________
Donors Needed for Altar Flowers
There are several dates available to donate altar flowers. The cost of the flowers is $65. Flowers can be donated in memory of a loved one, in honor of someone's special event, or in thanksgiving for something special to you. Dates available: Dates available: Dates available: October 13th and November 17th. Please contact Joy Belew to reserve a date. Thank you.
_______________________________
TELLERS NEEDED!
We are looking for people interested in volunteering for this very important church function. It consists of a two member team that works on Sundays after church or Monday for about 1 or 2 hours collecting, counting and recording the offering. The teams are assigned a month at a time, usually 3 or 4 months a year (depending on how many teams we have). Sundays can be switched with other teams. Training and written instructions are provided. Please contact Paula Stewart 410-956-7117 or the church office to volunteer.
_______________________________
Thank you for supporting Gifts of Hope during our 2018 Advent campaign in which we raised $119,038.00 from online giving and from congregation members across the Synod, including $3,760.00 from members of St. Paul's. These funds have been distributed to our 19 beneficiary organizations to support their work in our community. Thanks to the volunteers who present this alternative gift-giving option to your congregation.
Your support helps the elderly, adults, and children served by our ten social-service organizations, four ministries, three international synods, and two church camps. These agencies work with people in and recently released from prison, those who want to improve their lives, those who need help with transportation, housing, school supplies, job-readiness, clothing, food, medications, wellness, and relief from homelessness. Your support helps those who are discerning God's call and answering that call. Your support helps kids go to camp and enjoy activities with other children. Your support helps people outside our borders: creating businesses, at children's orphanages, providing pastoral support, and aiding church building repair.
Our gifts are available year-round-not just during the Christmas season-via our website: giftsofhopedc.org. We are a faith community helping each other and making our community stronger. Thank you for providing hope for today and hope for tomorrow.
Carolyn Sowinski, Director
|
 |
|
|
Worship Times at St. Paul's
8:30 am--Early Service with Holy Communion
9:45 am--Sunday School
11:00 am--Service with Holy Communion
_______________________________________________________________
And don't forget! The church nursery is available in room 111 every Sunday during the 11 am worship service. Let us give you a break when you need it!
_______________________________________________________________
Share Your Love for God's Creation
Stand With Students at The DC Climate Strike
We'll stand together as a powerful, prayerful multi-faith contingent to speak out for our neighbors and for the climate we share. This is the kick-off of a week of action on climate, growing out of the school strikes organized by Greta Thunberg and other young activists.
*** Logistics for #FaithsForFuture in the #ClimateStrike ***
The Lutheran/interfaith contingent will gather on Friday, September 20th at 11 am at John Marshall Park (400 Block of Constitution Avenue - C street side) as part of the wider Climate Strike action, and then march together to the Capitol for a youth-led rally.
Public Transit: Judiciary Square metro is .4 miles to the west of the park. These Bus lines stop near John Marshall Park: Bus - 30N, Bus - 33, Bus - 36, Bus - MALL, Bus - P6.
What to wear:
Religious head wear, clerical collars, stoles, T-shirts, and any other garb that proudly celebrates your religious community's participation are all warmly encouraged!
What to bring:
Sunscreen and/or a hat, refillable water bottle, lunch for yourself and shareable snacks
(See the main event page at: DC Climate Strike)
_______________________________________________________________
Prayer Shawl Ministry Resumes
September 22nd!
The Prayer Shawl Ministry will gather on September 22nd at 10:00 am in the dining room. If you are interested in joining the group please grab a cup of coffee and stop by the table to learn more about the ministry. If you don't know how to knit/crochet we have wonderful teachers in the group who love to share their skills and ideas.
_______________________________________________________________
Hurricane Dorian Relief Efforts
If you would like to assist with relief efforts for those affected by Hurricane Dorian, please go to Lutheran Disaster Relief (www.elca.org/ldr) or the Florida Bahamas Synod (www.fbsynod.com) to make online contributions. Donations can also be sent to the Florida Bahamas synod office (3838 W. Cypress St, Tampa, FL 33607). More information is available on flyers located in the portico and narthex.
.
****************************************************************************************************************
Rise, Shine*, and Give God the Glory!
*(But First, Coffee!)
Lutherans love their coffee, this is most certainly true! And we're going to share our love of coffee with others!
Miriam's Kitchen in downtown DC https://miriamskitchen.org/programs/meals/) serves breakfast and dinner every weekday throughout the year to people dealing with homelessness. Every week they brew 70 pounds of ground coffee to serve to their guests. That's a lot of coffee, even for us Lutherans!
From now until Sunday, September 29th, please bring in your donations of ground coffee (any brand) and place them in our donation baskets located in the Portico and Narthex. We will deliver what we collect to Miriam's Kitchen the week of September 30th.
(Want to donate something other than coffee? Miriam's Kitchen is also looking for donations of Old-fashioned oatmeal and Old-fashioned grits (not "instant" or "quick," please) for their breakfasts, as well.)
_______________________________________________________________
Play Ball!
More tickets available
As the pennant race heats up, we have sold out our ticket block for the Nats-Indians game on Friday, September 27. But have no fear, we'll be adding to our block, so come and join in the fun. If you haven't ordered your tickets already and would like to attend, please e-mail Gail Ferris at gailferris@aya.yale.edu before Monday, September 23, when he'll be ordering the additional tickets. You can make your check out to St. Paul's, memo line "Nats game," for $20 per ticket ordered, and bring it to Gail at church.
See you at the game! For more info, please contact Gail Ferris,
_______________________________________________________________
St. Francis Blessing of the Animals
Sunday, October 6th at 3 pm
St. Francis of Assisi was a Franciscan friar who believed in bringing the Good News of Jesus Christ to all of God's Creation, which included animals and birds. Please join us in the Plaza area at St. Paul's on Sunday, October 6th at 3 pm for the commemoration of St. Francis and our annual Blessing of the Animals, and bring your furry, scaly, or feathered friends with you! We will celebrate the life of St. Francis, and each pet will receive a blessing. Owners are asked to bring their pets on a leash or in a carrier for easier control. There will be fun snacks for everyone after the service. (Don't have a pet? Children are invited to bring their favorite stuffed animal for a blessing, too!)
And in honor of St. Francis, and to help future-pets-in-need, we are collecting items for the Washington Animal Rescue League, from now until Sunday October 6th. Please check the item list below for items you can contribute to this effort. Donations may be brought to the Narthex or Church Portico and place in the boxes labeled "WARL."
Finally, send Lisa Wackler a picture of your pet(s), so we can hang it up in the Portico and show them off to the congregation. Please email your pictures to Lisa Wackler at lwackler@stpaulslutherandc.com. Be sure to include your pet's name with the picture!
Questions? Please contact Lisa Wackler at the email above for more details.
Washington Animal Rescue League General Supplies
-
Towels (new or used)
-
Blankets (fleece works well, no heavy or down comforters please!)
-
Sharpies
-
8.5 x 11 copier paper (we even use the boxes!)
-
Rubbing alcohol (must be 90% alcohol or greater)
-
Pens
-
Paper towels
-
Quart-sized plastic bags for treats
-
Disinfectant wipes
Dogs
-
PetSafe Easy Walk® harnesses (brand name, please)
-
Martingale collars
-
4 and 6-foot leashes (no retractable leashes, please)
-
Wet and dry food (we take opened dry food!)
-
Peanut butter (xylitol-free)
-
100% canned pumpkin (just the plain stuff, not the pie mix)
-
Treats
-
Poop Bags
Cats
-
Toys
-
Treats
-
Catnip
-
Wet and dry food (we take opened dry food!)
-
Non-clumping, recycled paper cat litter
_______________________________________________________________
Thanks to Everyone Who Attended Our Family Campfire "Stories & S'mores" Event!
______________________________________________________________
Six Sundays of Summer Service
Thank you from the Social Ministry Committee
THANK YOU ST. PAUL'S! The Social Ministry Committee would like to thank you for your support during the Six Summer Sundays of Service! A number of St. Paul's volunteers helped a variety of organizations around the themes of caring for the elderly, welcoming visitors, promoting education, supporting immigrants and refugees, and uplifting people experiencing food insecurity. In the process we made 25 bouquets of flowers; stuffed 15 welcome bags, filled 10 backpacks with school supplies, and decorated 57 reusable shopping bags, and wrote 70 cards for immigrant families! The organizations we supported include Forest Hills Inclusive Senior Living, SPLC Prime Time, Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Services, SPLC food pantry, and Friendship Place. If you're interested in joining the Social Ministry Committee to continue work like this, contact Lisa Wackler.
______________________________________________________________________.
______________________________________________________
Reminder!
Please return your intention cards for 2019 Annual Giving!
Year- end statements of giving were mailed to households on January 30th. In that same envelope was a letter from stewardship chair Mike Charlton along with an intention card to be returned to the Treasurer indicating your intentions for giving to the church in 2019. To date, 63 households have responded. Please take the time to return your card!
______________________________________________________________
Thank You to the Members of the Transition Team for All of Their Hard Work These Last Few Months:Christi Barnhart (chair)Gail FerrisRebecca HighsmithSarah HinesPaul Reichert |
______________________________________________________________________
