Midweek Messenger

Midweek Messenger for May 28, 2026

Schedule Highlights

• Worship Schedule: St. Matthew’s Worship Schedule
• Other Meetings and Events: St. Matthew’s May 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 meets in Room 222 following the worship service.
• The Adult Sunday School class meets Sunday at 11:00, in the Parlor. Because of scheduling issues, the Adult Sunday School class on May 31 will focus on the Gospel of John, Chapter 21, which will be the last day of our class.

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 of months.
• 7:00 PM Bible Study with Rev. JW Park. The book we are studying is The Holy Spirit, by Adam Hamilton, which is available through various retail outlets in e-book, paperback, and large-print editions.

Come Enjoy a Delightful Flute Concert TOMORROW!

The Chesapeake Flute Consort presents “A Spring Potpourri” on Friday, May 29 at 7:30 PM at St Matthew’s UMC (Chesapeake Flute Consort “A Spring Potpourri” Concert). It is a benefit concert for our Little Free Pantry. Nonperishable, unexpired food and cash donations will be accepted. Our very own Christina Bayes and Heather Eisinger are members of this adult flute choir consisting of 5 types of flutes. Please come join us.

International Sunday Service and Potluck Lunch This Sunday

Come celebrate International Sunday on May 31. We would love for you to share an international meal with us! Please wear your cultural attire to celebrate your heritage, bring a dish to share, and join together in Fellowship Hall after the service for some good food. Feel free to drop off your dish in the kitchen between 9:00 and 10:00 AM.

Help the Orphans of Ukraine by This Coming Monday

The Maryland Branch of The Orphan Grain Train (OGT) has been sending humanitarian aid to Ukraine since the war began in 2022. Along with their partners, OGT is planning to send a forty-foot container of much-needed aid to Ukraine to help support Ukrainian orphanages in need of supplies due to the war. They are collecting the following items:

• children’s diapers (all sizes)
• wipes
• sanitary pads
• toilet paper
• NEW underwear and socks (all sizes)
• toys and games for all ages (NO batteries, nothing requiring English language skills)
• bicycles, scooters, roller skates
• backpacks and school supplies

Most of these items can be new or slightly used. Items may be dropped off at the OGT warehouse, 621 East-West Blvd, Millersville on or before June 2, during their regular collection hours (Monday, Tuesday, and the second Saturday of every month 9:00 until noon and Tuesday evenings 5:00 – 7:00). Please mark your donation for “Ukraine.”

Carolyn and Galen Menne will deliver any items you can give to OGT before June 1. If you have questions about OGT, its programs, or how to get your donation to them, please contact Carolyn and Galen Menne at 240-475-3721 or galencarolyn@verizon.net.

Lower Parking Lot to be Sealed and Restriped NEXT WEEK

On June 3, 4, and 5 the lower parking lot will receive a much-needed resealing and restriping. The lot will be cordoned off starting on the morning of the 3rd. The upper parking lot will still be available, but you will have to use the upper entrance as an exit. The entrance in the back of the lower parking lot will be blocked off as well. The gate from Bowie HS will be opened during this time period. Jireh Place parking should be available during the week, although this has yet to be confirmed. While this will undoubtedly be an inconvenience for some, it is sorely needed and the time window coincides with the EEC’s switch from Spring to Summer sessions. The Trustees thank you in advance for your understanding.

You Can Take Action to End Gun Violence!

June 7, 2026, is the date for the 12th National Gun Violence Awareness Day, also known as Wear Orange Day. The day, and related events occurring that weekend, honors survivors and remembers those killed via gun violence. Events are scheduled for that weekend in Alexandria, VA and Baltimore, MD (see Wear Orange Weekend – Attend | Everytown for Gun Safety). For more information on National Gun Violence Awareness Day, including the significance of the color orange, see the website About Wear Orange | Wear Orange.

The United Methodist Book of Resolutions condemns gun violence and calls on United Methodists to take actions to end gun violence (Book of Resolutions: Our Call to End Gun Violence | UMC.org). Those actions include making prevention of gun violence a regular part of conversations and prayer times, supporting its victims through prayer and other actions, and advocating at the local and national level for laws that prevent or reduce gun violence. Wearing Orange Day provides an opportunity to accomplish some of the UMC’s recommended actions.

Third Annual Car Show is Coming Soon!

Mark your calendar for Saturday, June 13, for our car show from 9:00 AM to 2:00 PM. There is no charge to attend; parking will be available at Bowie High School and Jireh Place (across the street from St. Mattthew’s). Plan to come see lots of great cars and enjoy some delicious food! Proceeds will benefit the United Women in Faith and the Bowie Food Pantry. Read the flyer at St. Matthew’s 2026 Car Show.

Recognition of Graduates Moved to June 14

We will be recognizing a number of people during the worship service on June 14. Among them will be graduates, the recipients of our annual 1 Timothy Scholarships, thanksgiving for Sunday School teachers, recognition of Acolytes, and acknowledgement of participants in Worship Ministries. Please join us in congratulating and thanking the people who have done so much to deserve this recognition.

Christian Book Club

Our guest teacher, author, and poet, Aressa Verdell Williams, had to reschedule the May Book Club discussion. Instead, she will join us to discuss her memoir, “In Deanwood” on Tuesday, June 16, at 7;00 PM in the Parlor. The book captures the good, bad, ugly of growing up in far Northeast DC during the fifties and ending in 1970 when she graduated from Howard University.

Her book can be purchased through Amazon or Barnes & Noble. As ever, everyone is welcome!

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 on 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.

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, September, and October. 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-bowie.org.

In Case You Haven’t Heard…

 

• St. Matthew’s member, Linda Cooper, was awarded the City of Bowie Green Citizen Award on April 18, 2026. Check out the whole story at this link: Green Citizen Award | Bowie, MD – Official Website.
• Youth Group meets on Sundays from 4:00 to 6:00 PM. If you are a middle or high school student, you are welcome to join us!
• Our ASP team will be heading to Avery County, North Carolina, the week of July 5-11. If you would like to join us, it’s not too late! For more information, contact Becky at beckyroper@stmatthews-bowie.org. We have some spaces we need to fill and would love to share this experience with as many people as possible.
• Bishop Easterling is inviting clergy and laity of the Baltimore-Washington and Peninsula-Delaware Area to join in a sacred pilgrimage, Journeys of Paul, in Greece from March 6-13, 2027. To learn more or to register, please see these links: Journeys of Paul in Greece Brochure, and/or Journeys of Paul in Greece Information and Registration.

 

Little Free Pantry Update

The current needs for the LFP are more spaghetti sauce, jelly, pancake mix, and syrup. Please put your food donations in the bin in the coatroom or in bins by the narthex door. 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 ramen, granola bars, personal care items (soap, toothpaste, shampoo, etc.), and toilet paper. Please leave donations in the shopping cart in the coatroom. Thank you!

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 fo