Midweek Messenger for June 18, 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 June 2026 Calendar
- Children’s Church meets in the Nursery immediately after the Children’s Message during our 10:00 AM Worship Service.
Sunday School Classes
- Children’s Sunday School is on hiatus until September.
- The Adult Summer Sunday School class will begin on July 12 and will meet from 9:10 to 9:45 AM in the Parlor.
Tuesday Bible Studies
Join our Bible studies every Tuesday:
- 9:45 AM Bible Study with Isaac in the Parlor has completed the study of the Gospel of John. On Tuesday, May 12, they began studying Sirach, one of the books of the Apocrypha. The study group will look at other ‘intertestamental books’ over the next couple months.
- 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!
You Can Still Register TODAY for the Intergenerational Worship Summit
The Intergenerational Worship Summit is a one-day gathering, to be held on Saturday, June 27 from 9:00 AM to 3:30 PM at Calvary UMC 301 Rowe Blvd, Annapolis, MD. The gathering is designed to help churches move beyond simply including children toward truly engaging them as participants in the life of worship and prayer. Through shared learning, practical workshops, and guided conversation, participants will explore what it means to listen to children, reflect their voices, and take meaningful next steps in their own context. Grounded in our baptismal calling to nurture faith across generations, this day will offer both inspiration and real tools you can use right away.
Two of our Youth Group members will be attending along with Becky Roper, the Director of our Children & Youth Ministry. The registration for the event, which costs $25, has been extended to June 18 at this link: Intergenerational Worship Summit Registration. For information about the Sessions, Presenters, Schedule, Workshops, and more, see this link: IGW Summit Info Packet. If you register for the Summit, please contact Becky Roper at beckyroper@stmatthews-bowie.
Come Root, Root, Root for the Home Team This Saturday!
Join St. Matthews to cheer on the Chesapeake Baysox as they take on the Richmond Flying Squirrels on Star Wars Night, June 20, at 6:35 PM. Tickets are $10.00. If you haven’t signed up, you may still be able to get in on the fun. Please call Mark Behringer at 240-476-9350 if you are interested or if you have any questions.
Red Cross Blood Drive and Sickle Cell Trait Screening in Odenton
The American Red Cross, in association with the Christopher Gipson Moya-Moya Foundation and the Macedonia UMC, will host a blood drive this Saturday, June 20, 2026, from 9:00 AM to 2:00 PM at the Nichols Bethel UMC Lighthouse Café, 1239 Murray Road, Odenton, MD (Nichols-Bethel UMC – Google Maps). Registration is required to donate blood, so if you are interested, please sign up with the American Red Cross at their website: Schedule a Blood, Platelet or Plasma Donation | American Red Cross. People living with Sickle Cell Disease use one to nine units of blood per month for life-saving transfusions and people identifying as African American are needed for the best match. However, each blood donation of any blood type will benefit 3 people including cancer survivors, burn victims, premature babies, and others.
At the Nichols Bethel UMC location on the same date, the Howard University Center for Sickle Cell Disease will also conduct free Sickle Cell Trait Screening for anyone who needs to know their sickle cell trait status. For inquiries, please contact the Howard University Center via phone at 202-806-2914 or via email at sicklecell@howard.edu. The screening is open to the public and is available on a walk-in basis.
For more information on this event, see the flyer at this location: Odenton Blood Drive and Sickle Cell Trait Screening Flyer.
Love Without Limits Books are Here!
Don’t forget to pick up your copy of Love Without Limits: Jesus’ Radical Vision for Love with No Exceptions by Jacqueline A. Bussie this Sunday during Coffee Hour. SHEEP is the sponsor for this distribution and the related event. The division and violence in this world seem worse than ever! Is it even possible to heal from this? We will discover what each one of us can do to enable a more loving and peaceful world. Bussie challenges us to love so deeply that we exclude no one.
We will conduct a book club discussion via ZOOM so that all may be included. Our first meeting will be June 22 at 7:00 PM. We will read sections of the book at a time to give busy people a chance to keep up and be involved in the discussions. A link to the first meeting will be sent once everyone has signed up.
Please come by our table on Sunday to check it out. If you are interested, but cannot be there this Sunday, please contact Karen Hastings at SHEEP@stmatthews-bowie.org.
Community Outreach Coordinator
St. Matthew’s is seeking a Community Outreach Coordinator, who will help build meaningful connections between St. Matthew’s and the wider Bowie community. This person will provide collaborative leadership focused on strengthening relationships, creating welcoming entry points into church life, and supporting outreach efforts that serve and engage people across diverse backgrounds. Working closely with staff and volunteers, the Coordinator helps ensure that St. Matthew’s is visible, accessible, and responsive to the community’s needs and opportunities. This is a paid staff position primarily funded by a three-year grant. The complete job notice is posted at St. Matthew’s Outreach Coordinator Job Opportunity, and your letter of interest and resume may be submitted to: jobs@stmatthews-bowie.org.
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-
In Case You Haven’t Heard…
- Join us for Messy Church on June 26, 2026, from 6:00 to 7:30 PM. We will begin with dinner at 6:00 PM. Bring your family, your neighbors, and your friends! Messy Church is always free and always fun!
Little Free Pantry Update
The current needs for the LFP are meats and proteins (but not tuna), mustard, ketchup, and juice boxes. Thank you for your continued support. Monetary donations are also welcome! We appreciate all of your donations! (bethlingg,@comcast.net)
Bowie Food Pantry Update
At this time, the Pantry is most in need of canned tomato products (diced, stewed, etc.), soup (regular and low sodium), mac & cheese, and pasta sauce. Please place donations in the shopping cart in the coatroom. Thank you for your support!
News from the Baltimore-Washington Conference
You are invited to join:
- United Methodist Men from across the conference for Men’s Day 2026 at Asbury United Methodist Church in Washington, D.C., on Sunday, June 21, at 10:00 AM. Rev. Dr. David MacAllister-Wilson, President of Wesley Theological Seminary, will serve as guest preacher as they explore the theme, “Mitigating Today’s Challenges: Facilitating a Proud Future.”
- The Latino Christian National Network (LCNN) for Lament and Hope: A Celebration of the Presence and Contributions of Immigrants on America’s 250th Anniversary, a bilingual gathering in Washington, D.C., on June 28–29. Through worship, prayer, testimony, and engagement with congressional leaders, participants will bear faithful witness to the contributions, struggles, and enduring hope of immigrant communities in the United States. Download flyer.
- The service at the Washington National Cathedral on July 3 for We Hold These Truths to be Self-Evident, an interfaith service commemorating the 250th anniversary of the United States through scripture, music, and reflections on pluralism, the common good, and our shared work toward a more perfect union. Bishop Easterling will participate alongside spiritual and civic leaders from diverse faith traditions in this special service, which will be free and open to the public and available via livestream. Learn more and access the livestream.
- GCORR has provided a Juneteenth worship and study resource, adapted from their Lenten devotional resource “Transform Us: Journeying with Jesus Towards a New Church.” This worship and study resource focuses on the R.A.C.E. framework: Reflect, Assess, Challenge, Encounter. Learn more and download the resource here.
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.