St. Paul's Adults & Families

Whether you are a single adult who just moved to the area or a parent trying to find the right place for your family, St. Paul’s is happy to meet you and help you connect. Keep scrolling to see many of our offerings.

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“Therefore encourage one another and build one another up, just as you are doing.”

1 Thessalonians 5:11

Congregational Ministries

Serving in a congregational ministry effort is a wonderful way to praise God, help people, and connect with other members of the church family.  We encourage you to read more about the ministries listed below and to pray about joining us.

The purpose of the Caring Ministry is to coordinate and expand our care to members and friends in need. At any given time, our congregation will have both those in need and those who are available to help meet needs.  Certainly, each of us will find ourselves in both positions within our lifetimes.  It is a wonderful gift to have the health, ability and resources to be a caregiver, and it is a great comfort to know that others care about our needs.

Our church serves as a first line of support for congregation members who feel worried, isolated or overwhelmed due to life-changing events.  Some members in our congregation who may need help are our elderly members, families of service members deployed overseas, those in the hospital, those recovering from illness or injury, or anyone asking for some sort of assistance.  While St. Paul’s pastors provide visits and offer spiritual comfort, our caregiving as a congregation is stronger when we can involve more people and expand our capacity to meet many needs.

Knowing that God calls us to serve one another, St. Paul’s Caring Ministry has the following goals:

  1. To offer some form of short-term help or expression of care to every member or friend who is experiencing a difficult time.
  2. To have a high percentage of members within the congregation sign up as Care Volunteers and use their gifts to help others.
  3. To utilize trained Care Coordinators and helpful technology to effectively coordinate and expand our care.

St. Paul’s Women’s Ministry serves through small groups, projects, and our affiliation with LWML.

LWML (the Lutheran Women’s Missionary League) is an international association of women’s groups that supports hundreds of mission projects throughout the world. St. Paul’s is active in raising money and sending delegates to local and national LWML gatherings.

St. Paul’s Women’s Ministry’s projects include the church’s spring rummage sale and Christmas Craft and Bake Sale, with additional projects organized throughout the year based on need. Small groups are formed to address specific needs. One group is the Altar Guild, which sets up and maintains the altar area for worship.

The Women’s Ministry also sponsors an annual Fall Retreat.

Women’s Ministry workdays are from 9:00 a.m. to noon on the first Saturday of each month. The projects vary by month but all workdays offer coffee, conversation and good fellowship.  Please contact us for more information on upcoming projects or to join us.

The Music Ministry at St. Paul’s, currently led by Kantor Aaron Jansen, strives to offer everyone, of every age and musical ability, an opportunity to glorify God in music. The focus of every musical entity is to enhance and support worship while learning the important elements of music embodied in singing, ringing, and playing musical instruments that make it possible to present our very best before the Lord.

The following is a list of St. Paul’s music-related activities. You are invited to join us at any time. If you are interested in any of these programs, contact the church office at (703) 573-0295 or Kantor Aaron Jansen at Aaron.Jansen1@gmail.com for more information.

Praising Seraphim is a choir for children grades 3-6. This group rehearses during Sunday School from 9:45 to 10:00 a.m. Rehearsals focus on singing and discipleship through learning of songs to be sung in worship on a periodic basis. Practice coincides with the Sunday School schedule.

Jubilation Choir is a choir for anyone ages 13 and up. This group rehearses in the church undercroft on Wednesdays from 7:30 to 8:30 p.m. This choir sings at communion services throughout the church year. Practices begins in September.

Pauline Ringers is a bell choir for anyone ages 10 and up. This group rehearses on Sundays from 12:15 to 1:00 p.m. This bell choir performs regularly throughout the church year. Practice begins early September.

Instrumental solos and ensembles are an important element in St. Paul’s worship services, and we are blessed with a number of talented instrumentalists who are members and friends of the congregation. All ages and abilities are encouraged to participate in these ensembles. Rehearsal times are scheduled and announced throughout the year.

Sunday School students meet as a group to sing prayers and praises at the beginning of each Sunday session. The musical selections are Biblically-based and designed to enrich the spiritual lives of the young people. The Sunday School also periodically performs as a choir in worship services throughout the year.

Please see the Youth and Children page for more information on these.

Bible Studies

St. Paul’s currently offers the following classes and Bible studies for adults.

This class meets most Sunday mornings throughout the school year from 9:30 to 10:15 a.m. in the Church Undercroft (below the Sanctuary).  Everyone is welcome to participate.  Topics change throughout the year.  See the Events Calendar for current classes.

This is a class for anyone seeking an introduction to the Bible and Lutheran teachings.  It can also serve as a refresher course and will meet our requirement for Adult Confirmation.  The class is taught by our Pastor and normally meets at 9:30am on Sundays for an hour.  Contact the pastor or church office for current class schedule.

(Sunday from 10:45 to 11:45 a.m.): This Mandarin language bible study meets in room #9.

God’s Relentless Love: A Study of Hosea by Sara Fritz
Join us for a monthly study in person at 7pm Thursday evenings, through June 2, 2022.

Small Groups

Participating in a small group is one of the best ways to connect with other members of the St. Paul’s church family and to meet people in the community. We encourage you to read more about the groups listed below.

Grief Share is a special seminar and support group for people grieving the loss of someone close.  The group is sponsored by people who understand the many feelings and challenges of grief and wish to offer comfort and encouragement.  The session contents follow a series produced by the national organization, GriefShare. During the sessions, the group watches a video-recorded seminar that features top experts on grief and recovery subjects.  The content is delivered through expert interviews, real-life case studies, scenario reenactments, and on-location filming.  Following the video, the group discusses what was presented and relates that to the participants’ own experiences of grief, such as those resulting from the death of a loved one or other events such as separation, divorce, estrangement or lost custody.

Check with the church office for the next available sessions.  Groups already in progress can be joined at any time.

These are dinner groups that meet in local restaurants or people’s homes. You can join as a regular participant or sign up for the “Guest List,” which the groups use to fill out their “8″ for dinners in the case of absences. Please contact the church office for more information or to sign up.

The Leisure Group organizes social events and outings for members and guests.  The group aims for meeting about once a month, normally during the day.  Contact the church office for the latest schedule of events.  All are welcome!

Missions

St. Paul’s supports missionaries worldwide through our participation in the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod.  In addition, we support a number of other mission organizations and efforts as listed below.

We provide assistance through support or partnerships with the following organizations:

Throughout the year, St. Paul’s also collaborates with other area Christian churches and with community-based organizations on outreach, social and worship activities. See the Announcements on our home page and the church calendar for upcoming events.

ESL

St. Paul’s normally has two or three ESL (English) classes going throughout the school year.  Classes are divided into beginner and intermediate levels.  Some classes are held in the evenings; others during the day.  We also arrange for conversation partners as we are able.

If you would like to teach or attend an ESL class, or if you’d like to be connected with a conversation partner, please contact the church office.  Current class schedules can be seen on our calendar.

Adult Confirmation

Those seeking confirmation as adults participate in the “Bible Basics and Lutheran Doctrine” class.  This class, normally eight sessions, each an hour in length, is held at various times throughout the year and taught by our pastors.  Please see the upcoming events page for scheduled classes or contact the church office.

Stewardship

“His master said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant. You have been faithful over a little; I will set you over much. Enter into the joy of your master.’” Matthew 25:21

Christian stewardship is the free and joyous activity of the child of God and God’s family—the Church—in managing all of life and life’s resources for God’s purposes.

You are invited to exercise your stewardship with us through the giving of tithes and acts of service.  See below for more information on each.

Holy Scripture commends to us the tithe– a setting aside of 10% of our earnings to give to God’s work.  Some are able to give more.  Some may need to give less.  Some will give mainly to the church.  Some will give to many organizations.  We make our decisions in Christian freedom.

Each fall, St. Paul’s engages its members in a stewardship program that teaches and encourages the faithful managing of God’s gifts.  The program culminates in a Commitment Sunday on which pledges (estimates) are given for the coming year.  Pledging is not mandated—simply encouraged.

If you would like to make a financial pledge to St. Paul’s, please contact us.

If you would like to make a one-time or recurring gift online, use the link below.  Tithes and offerings can also be placed in the offering plate during worship services.

There are many ways one can offer their time and talents to the Lord at St. Paul’s.  Please consider joining us in one of the following volunteer activities here:

Worship Needs:
Lay Reader Adult Choir
Worship Aide (Usher) Children’s Choir
Greeter Bell Choir
Nursery Attendant Vocal or Instrumental Solo/Ensemble
Altar Guild Acolyte
 

Educational Needs:

Sunday School Teacher Adult Bible Class Leader
Sunday School Assistant Vacation Bible School Helper
Substitute Teacher ESL Teacher
 

Committee Needs:

Board of Elders Board of Fellowship
Board of Evangelism Board of Youth
Board of Education Chinese Deacons
Board of Finance Preschool Committee
Board of Stewardship Memorial Garden Committee
Board of Property Management Building Committee
 

Service Needs:

Caring Ministry Church Decorating
Safety Ministry Community Programs
Prayer Chain Office Help
Furniture moving IT Support
LWML Yard Work

Officers, Boards & Committees

St. Paul’s elects and appoints volunteers to serve in positions of leadership.  The officers, board and committee members perform operational oversight, support the church’s spiritual growth and bring their own personal expertise to the church’s ministries.  While one must be a member to be elected to a leadership position, we are always looking for new volunteers to work with us.  If you are interested in working in one of the areas described below, please contact us.

Here are the roles and functions of St. Paul’s officers, board and committee members, briefly described:

  • Church Officers: The President is responsible for enforcing the church’s constitution and by-laws, carrying out the expressed will of the Voters Assembly, and overseeing the boards’ and committees’ functions. The Vice President serves as chair of the Personnel Committee and as assigned by the President. The Treasurer is responsible for seeing that expenditures are paid, recorded and summarized. The Recording Secretary takes and distributes minutes of the Voters and Council meetings. The Financial Secretary records and deposits all receipts and issues quarterly statements.
  • Board of Elders: Works with the pastors to oversee the congregation’s spiritual welfare.
  • Board of Evangelism: Reaches outside the church to promote the love of our Lord.
  • Board of Education: Plans and supervises the church’s educational programs.
  • Board of Finance: With the Financial Secretary, counts and records the offerings and helps to form the yearly budget.
  • Board of Stewardship: Encourages members to give of their time, talents, and treasures to support the life of the church.
  • Board of Property Management: Maintains and repairs church property.
  • Board of Fellowship: Encourages spiritual and social fellowship among congregation members and guests.
  • Board of Youth: Serves the needs of the congregation’s youth and their families.
  • Trustees: Represent the congregation in all legal matters.
  • Preschool Committee: Oversees the Preschool’s operation and finances.
  • Memorial Garden Committee: Maintains our memorial garden’s look, pricing and policies.
  • Other Committees: Work in areas as needed and assigned.

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