Midweek Messenger for July 9, 2026
Schedule Highlights
- Worship Schedule: St. Matthew’s Worship Schedule
- The Garden service starts at 8:30 AM. Should the weather not cooperate, the service will be held indoors.
- Other Meetings and Events: St. Matthew’s July 2026 Calendar
- Join us for beverages and brunch at God and Guinness this Sunday, July 12, 12:00 noon, at Molloy’s Irish Pub & Grill, 1053 MD-3, Gambrills, MD.
Sunday School Classes
- Children’s Sunday School is on hiatus until September.
- The Adult Summer Sunday School class will begin this Sunday, immediately after the Garden Service (approximately 9:10 AM) in the Parlor. The sessions will be independent of each other, so no need to worry about falling behind if you miss a session. First up is Ray Denmark.
Tuesday Bible Studies
Join our Bible studies every Tuesday:
- Join Isaac Borocz in the Parlor at 9:45 a.m. on Tuesday mornings for our weekly Bible study. Week by week, we sit with Scripture, asking questions, wrestling with meaning, and allowing the text to speak into our lives.
- 7:00 PM Bible Study with Rev. JW Park has come to a close and will be on hiatus through the summer months. See you on September 8!
Circuit Rider Deadline is July 15!
Please submit information/articles for the August newsletter to circuitrider@stmatthews-bowie.
Bibles for Third Graders
Calling all 3rd Graders! If you are an upcoming 3rd Grader or have not received a Bible from the church, please let Becky Roper know (beckyroper@stmatthews-bowie.
Hope and Healing Youth Drive
In a Mission Moment on Sunday, June 28, Olivia Khelawan gave a presentation on a youth drive at Bowie High School to benefit young adults as they come to Covenant House of Greater Washington. Fifty Mental Health Kits will be delivered to Covenant House for young adults transitioning out of homelessness and trauma.
Donations of items needed for the kits include
- A5 spiral hardcover journals,
- Black gel pens
- 12-count packs of colored pencils
- 8×10 therapeutic coloring or game books, and
- Stress balls
You can use Sign-Up Genius to make your commitment to donate at this link: Hope and Healing Drive. Monetary donations are also welcome! Cash is accepted each Sunday, and checks can be written to St. Matthew’s with the code “Mission Fundraisers Fund 2340, Hope and Healing” on it or give online to the same fund. Donations of items can be left in the green box in the Narthex. All donations need to be received by Sunday, July 19. If you have questions, Olivia will be in Fellowship Hall after worship on July 5, 12, and 19. Thank you for supporting this important mission project!
You Are Cordially Invited to Remember Mary Lou Austin
The family of Mary Lou Austin invites everyone at St. Matthew’s to attend her memorial service and luncheon. The event will occur this Saturday, July 11 at 11:00 AM at Mt. Harmony UMC, 115 East Mt. Harmony Road, Owings, MD 20736. They would love to have everyone join them. If you have any questions, please contact Loryn Austin, 301-221-6418.
Christian Book Club
The Book Club will meet on Tuesday, July 14. The book for July, August, and perhaps September is Frederica Mathews-Green’s book Mary as the Early Christians Knew Her. For the July meeting, we will read and discuss the Introduction and Part One (through page 81). As always, the ZOOM link will be sent before the day of the meeting. Everyone is welcome.
Calling All Shoppers!
The Little Free Pantry team fills the LFP with both food that is donated and items that are bought with funds you so generously donate. We need more people who can be in a rotating schedule for purchasing items to keep our shelves full for the stockers to draw from. Someone keeps an eye on what is running low in our inventory and would provide you with a list of what is needed. We try to get the most for our money by shopping at discounters, such as Aldi, but we branch out to take advantage of sales. Shoppers turn in receipts and get reimbursed. We also need substitutes for our stockers when they are away.
Please consider helping out in our mission of supporting the people in the area who are hungry or facing food insecurity. Let’s all be hands and feet for God. For any questions or to serve in this way, contact Beth Obear at bobear18@comcast.net.
St. Matthew’s Member Recognized for Service at the Bowie Food Pantry!
The summer issue of the food pantry newsletter recognized Margie Pekala’s twenty years of service as the longest service of any volunteer! Check out page 2 for the touching tribute and delightful photo: Bowie Food Pantry Newsletter. While you’re there, if you or someone you know is looking for something to do, check out the Food Pantry’s list of volunteer opportunities, in the column right next to Margie’s picture!
Proposed Sale of Marne Lane Property
The house at 12221 Marne Lane has been a part of St. Matthew’s since the 1960’s. During that time, it has seen many meetings, Bible studies, and youth group activities, as well as many mission activities. For the past 11 years, it has served as a rental property, occupied by the same tenant for all of that time. The house is in essentially the same condition as it was when purchased, with few upgrades. With the many needs of the church’s ministries and the overall decline in active church members, the Trustees have deemed that this property should be sold. The proceeds from the sale could have many immediate and ongoing uses, from capital improvements to missions and/or investments for the future. There should be few restrictions on how these funds are allocated.
The house sits on approximately one-half acre of land, double the size of most Bowie lots. There has been interest shown in subdividing the land into two parcels: one that would convey with the house; the other to stay with the church. The pros and cons of subdivision are being discussed. Several things have to happen in order for us to sell the property: first, the Baltimore-Washington Conference (BWC) has to agree to the sale and, second, the general membership of St. Matthew’s has to vote to approve the sale. The Trustees would like to hear from you on this potential sale. Please send your comments, suggestions, and thoughts to trustees@stmatthews-bowie.com.
Volunteers Needed for Upcoming Men’s Shelter Meals
On the third Sunday of each month, St. Matthew’s provides a meal for approximately 35-40 men at the Prince George’s County Men’s Shelter. The meal may be purchased or homemade and can be as simple as pizza, salad, and a dessert or as complex as the volunteer(s) care to make it. The volunteer(s) obtain and/or prepare the food, deliver it to the shelter, and may serve the 6:00 PM meal, then clean up afterwards. About four to five people make the optimum number of volunteers for each month’s meal. It can be great fun and very satisfying to serve people who need what you have to give and really appreciate the efforts you make on their behalf.
Volunteers are needed to provide shelter meals in July 19 and October 18. If your family, your church group, or any other group you can cobble together would be able to provide a shelter meal for any month, please volunteer. Unless St. Matthew’s can find more people who are willing to participate in this mission, we may have to discontinue this very worthwhile and fulfilling service. Jesus said that when we feed the hungry, clothe the naked, welcome the stranger, take care of the sick, or visit prisoners, we do the same to him (Matthew 25:35-40), so please consider whether you could take a turn in fulfilling this opportunity to feed the hungry.
To volunteer, or if you would like more information, please contact Pat Clunies at 301-910-2698 or email communityoutreach@stmatthews-
Appalachia Service Project (ASP)
Our ASP team have been busy working throughout this week. On Sunday, July 26, we will celebrate ASP Sunday during the 10:00 AM worship service, with this year’s team sharing their experience. Please plan to attend and hear about the team’s adventures!
Confirmation Class Starting
Is your child ready for Confirmation? We would like to start a class in September. If your child is 12 or older and would like to be confirmed, please let Becky Roper know by July 31 at beckyroper@stmatthews-bowie.
St. Matthew’s Cancels the Annual Yard Sale for 2026
By last year, the yard sale had grown so large that it exceeded the capacity of the small cadre of volunteers available for intake, sorting, pricing, and selling the donated items. SHEEP has been in charge of the yard sale for the past several years but has reluctantly decided to cancel it for 2026.
As you may recall, for the past couple of years, dedicated volunteers from the SHEEP team have been able to find charitable homes for almost all of the items that didn’t sell at the yard sale. SHEEP is updating the list of places that accepted those donations, together with contact information and examples of the items they accept.
If you have been saving kitchen items, you will be able to donate them during September Hunger Action Month. If you have coats you no longer need, you’ll be able to donate them during our church’s October Coat Drive. Keep checking this article for updates on how you can obtain the full list to donate your gently used items you would have donated to the yard sale to other worthy causes. For further information, please contact SHEEP@stmatthews-bowie.org.
In Case You Haven’t Heard…
- Helping Hands is on hiatus for July. After enjoying your summer, please join us on Wednesday, August 5, at 10:30 AM in the SHEEP Barn (Room 223).
- The UWF annual Fellowship Tea will take place at 2:00 PM, Saturday, September 12. Mark your calendar and plan to be there!
- Bowie CROP Walk will take place on Sunday, September 20
- Crofton PRIDE will be celebrated on Saturday, October 10
Little Free Pantry Update
Thank you for your donations to the LFP. The current needs are juice boxes, rice, dried beans, and raisins. (bethlingg,@comcast.net)
Bowie Food Pantry Update
At this time, the Pantry is most in need of canned tomato products (regular or no-salt), canned tuna, and pasta sauce (regular or low-sodium). Please place donations in the shopping cart in the coatroom. Thank you for your help during these slow months for donations!
News from the Baltimore-Washington Conference
You are invited to join:
- The celebration of the 250th anniversary of America’s independence in colonial style, where American Methodism began, on July 11, from 10:00 AM to 1:00 PM, at Strawbridge Shrine located at 2650 Strawbridge Lane, New Windsor, MD (Strawbridge Shrine Home Page). It will feature frontier cooking, colonial clothing, living-history portrayals, live period music, and games for children. They will also be offering tours of their three historic log buildings, led by period-attired guides. They will dedicate the Liberty Tree for Carroll County. This is a FREE family-friendly event. For more information, call 443- 289-0191.
- The United Women in Faith, who invite you to “Mission u 2026: Experiencing Emmanuel,” a time of learning and spiritual growth centered on how we encounter “God with us” in both joyful and challenging moments, and how that shapes our call to live out faith, hope, and love in action. “Mission u” will take place at the Sheraton Baltimore North Hotel, 903 Dulaney Valley Road, Towson, MD, from Friday, July 31 through Sunday, August 2, 2026. This gathering offers an inspiring opportunity to deepen your faith, connect with others, and be renewed for meaningful service. To learn more and register, follow this link: Mission u 2026.
To ensure that your item is included in the Midweek Messenger, please send it to enews@stmatthews-bowie.org by noon on Wednesday. Anything received after that may be held for the next week’s edition.