Greetings in the name of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. St. Paul is still enjoying some of its finest moments. We have so many blessings; our cup is overflowing. Thanks be to God our generous Father. We are blessed to be a blessing to others. All of us were in prayers for our pastor during her absence and we showed so much love upon her return to us on May 6. At the same time, the entire congregation demonstrated an abundance of love for Rev. and Mrs. McKenney as he served a second time as interim pastor. He truly was a beacon of light for us, exemplifying the gifts of the Holy Spirit as he nurtured our walk with God. We must continue to accentuate the positive with renewed hope for greater growth and prosperity as we seek to do God's work during the next millennium.

Our long term goals and objectives are as follows: (1) working to get the total church supportive of the Vision and Mission statement by being servant leaders and developing disciples into the world for Jesus Christ. A positive example was displayed through our "Warm Nights" participation as well as support from other lay speakers during Good Friday services on April 13; (2) prepare the full congregation to become a tithing church by our total commitment to stewardship. St. Paul is blessed to be able to carry on the mission as a community of believers for  over 210 years. We must focus on Holy Boldness through the model that Jesus Christ left for us. Our focus is to be faithful stewards in the house of God by being true servant leaders. John Wesley reminds us that the tithe is only a benchmark, not a final goal of giving. As the people of God, we are to willingly give of our time, talent and resources in the Kingdom building.

As we prepare for the 217th annual session of the Baltimore-Washington Conference (June 7-10), at the Renaissance Hotel in D.C., our prayers are with our pastor as she attends the conference and completes her 3rd year with us.