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
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Address
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4900 Connecticut Ave. N.W.
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Care of Creation: A Climate Strike Comes to DC
You may know about Greta Thunberg, the Swedish teenager who has become a voice for young people deeply concerned about climate change and the future of the planet. Her TED talk was one of the most direct and persuasive I have heard on the lack of concern and action. See it here . Hope requires action. Her climate strike activism has made global news as she takes Friday's away from school to bear witness to this global crisis.
My faith in God includes the redemption of all creation, and so I find creation care an essential of faith in the current time. Every day, children from the St. Paul Nursery School and Auguste Montessori School walk past my door, and it becomes clear that we grown ups need to join our young adults in demonstrating care for this crisis. And so I will join the DC "Climate Strike" on the morning of Friday, Sept 20th with interfaith groups of religiously faithful people. I am walking for them, for my children and for the little ones who don't know anything about this crisis yet.
If you are interested in joining me, just send me a note and I will connect us to the larger group of Lutherans in DC who are planning to attend. Jspangler@stPaulsLutheranDC.com
John R. Spangler, Interim Pastor
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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.
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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.
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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.
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Introducing the
St. Paul’s Call Committee:
Sue Hollar—Chair
Peter Guerber
Donna Hershey
Jeff Koch
Bruce Morrison
Liz Rihani
Jason Stonerook
Caitlin Thistle
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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.
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Mark Your Calendars!!
October 6, 2019
Flu Vaccination Clinic - 8:30 am - 12:30 pm
St. Paul's is partnering again with MAXIM Healthcare Systems to provide flu vaccinations for the congregation. Watch for additional information in September. Be pro-active with your health - get vaccinated!
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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.
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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.
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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
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Reminder!
Regular Worship times resume this Sunday, Sept. 15th!
We return to two services this Sunday, September 15th. The early service is at 8:30 am, followed by Sunday school at 9:45 am and the later service at 11:00 am. Both services include holy communion. Please join us!
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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!
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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.
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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.
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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 9th.
(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.)
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Play Ball!
Baseball fans, it's been a year of transition but albeit later in the season, St. Paul's will be having its annual outing to Nationals Park. The faithful Nats fans from St. Paul's will once again be assembling to cheer on the home team on Friday September 27, 7:05 p.m., in the last regular series of the season. We will be hosting the resurgent Cleveland Indians, who like the Nats have recovered from a slow start and are now tied for the AL Central lead. The cost for the tickets, which are in the third-base gallery under cover in case of rain, is $20, same as last year. For further details and to reserve tickets, please contact Gail Ferris,
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Thanks to Everyone Who Attended Our Family Campfire "Stories & S'mores" Event!
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Some shots from VBS !!
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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.
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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!
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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 |
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