A LETTER FROM THE INTERIM RECTOR
October 16, 2025
Dear Memorial Parish Family,
2026 will be upon us faster than we think, and your lay and clergy leadership are already planning for it. We are people of vision at Memorial, so there is no shortage in the idea department. That is one of the things I love about Memorial—the imagination, determination and ability to make an idea turn into reality. I am so grateful for the hard work that so many of you lovingly poured into our community. THANK YOU!
It’s time to turn our ideas into reality for 2026! So, we are asking you to think about what you will do to support the project of our living church in the coming year. It is entirely in the hands of the community because we can only do what YOU are willing to do to keep our church healthy and active in Baltimore. This means we must also talk about money. We will continue the good work of living within our means in 2026. The budget we develop will be based upon what we have pledged for the coming year. What we all put into the church will directly impact what we get out of the church.
One day, our Senior Warden, Kathleen and I were talking, and she thought that our project of planning for the next year was a lot like the folk lore story of Stone Soup. I thought Kathleen was right, hence the theme of this year’s stewardship campaign was born. If you don’t know the story, we will tell it in church on October 19th. Heck, we will do more than tell you the story; your vestry will make a tasty stone soup for you!
I am ready to continue the work of building the Kingdom of God on the corner of Bolton Street and West Lafayette in 2026. Are you? Bring your favorite soup stones along with your time, talent and treasure to spice up the meal, and let’s see how the next year will taste!
Love and Light,
Pan
Stone Soup
What you bring is what will feed our community
A LETTER FROM THE VESTRY
Beloved,
The life of Christians, from the earliest days, has been one of seeking light amid darkness, of finding hope and expectation with each other within a troubled world. As we look to Memorial’s next chapter, we recognize and appreciate the power of gathering in person as a community of love.
The beauty of worship — gathering together in the midst of a world full of distance. The wonder of music — singing together in the midst of a world full of silence and loneliness. The sweetness of sacraments — celebrating together the waters of baptism and the nourishment of Communion in the midst of a world full of dust and hunger. And the joy of service — working together to feed each other in this hungry world.
In short, in a world is full of turmoil, Memorial Church can be a community of peace. A place to come home to, again and again. A congregation in which we can tangibly experience God’s ancient promise to “bring you back to this place” and “give you a future with hope.”
That’s why we’re here. That’s who we are: a waystation of peace and hope along life’s way. It’s why God chose to be born with us as Jesus of Nazareth, to help us build bridges of connection and companionship — so that everyone might experience a taste of God’s new world of joy, justice, and love.
So keep praying and giving thanks for all the ways our faith, our prayers, our worship, our music, our sacraments, our building, our service, and our lives together help bridge the gaps that divide creation. When we see you among us, sharing what you can with us, we all draw strength to do these things together.
Just like the people in the Stone Soup folktale, we are ready to offer what we have to continue building the Kingdom of God. You can help make “Memorial Soup” nourishing by sharing your time, skills, ideas and money to enliven everything we share with each other. Give back to our God of abundance with a sense of gratitude and imagine what amazing “meals” we can create together next year.
The enclosed pledge card is a way for you to signal your intention to do what you can for our common work. You can put the card in the collection plate on a Sunday or bring it to the stewardship ingathering on November 23.
Faithfully,
The Wardens and Vestry of Memorial Church
STEWARDSHIP MOMENTS
A resident of Bolton Hill since 2020, Andrew lives on the 1300 block of Bolton St. with his wife Alyssa. You can often see Andrew and Alyssa walking their dog Hazel in the neighborhood or out on regular runs. Andrew is a lifelong Episcopalian originally baptized in Michigan and he and Alyssa were married at St. John's Lafayette Square in Washington, DC in 2018. During the day Andrew is a health data lobbyist for the American Health Information Management Association (AHIMA) advocating on behalf of AHIMA members on issues related to the intersection of technology and healthcare. He is a graduate of the American University in Washington, DC with a degree in print journalism.
Andrew Tomlinson
Sunday, October 29, 2023
Amy Krulak is a lifelong Episcopalian and a member of Memorial Episcopal Church her entire adult life. She first attended Memorial Episcopal as a recent college graduate in 1987 and after returning to Baltimore in 1991 joined the Church. She was married at Memorial in 1993 and her oldest and youngest children were both baptized here. Amy has been on the Board of the Samaritan Community from 1996-1999 and from 2009-2021. Amy and her children participated in the first three Musicals with the Memorial Players, and she is presently serving her second term on the Vestry. Amy has remained dedicated to this Church and community even after her parents moved to Baltimore in 1998 for her dad to take the leadership of St. David’s Episcopal Church Roland Park.
Part of Amy’s dedication to this community stems from this Church’s dedication to a social justice ministry. This coincides with her concurrent professional focus as a clinical social worker committed to equity and growth. Amy started her professional career working for DC. City’s Juvenile Services and has been with Baltimore City Schools since 1996.
Amy V. Krulak
SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 19, 2023
2026 Digital Pledge Card
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