A Glen Burnie Congregation Where the Sanctuary and the School Share a Campus
On Oak Manor Drive in Glen Burnie, the same campus houses both a Lutheran congregation and a Lutheran day school that has been enrolling in 1950. St. Paul's Lutheran Church and School is a member of the Southeastern District of the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod, and the partnership between church and school runs deep in the congregation's identity. The mission statement says it plainly: Building Relationships and Making a Christ-like Difference Everywhere We Go. The school expresses the same idea in its own mission: We are preparing students for this life and the next.
Worship at St. Paul's happens in a sanctuary that sits just steps from the school offices, the fellowship hall, the gym, the Media Center where children's Sunday School meets, and the BASCC (Before and After School Child Care) wing. Members and visitors move between classrooms, the chancel, and the parish hall during a typical week, and the rhythms of the school year - chapel services, Christmas programs, the spring musical, graduation - shape the church calendar alongside the regular worship round.
Three Weekend Services, From Casual to Liturgical
St. Paul's offers three weekend services designed to meet different tastes while sharing the same Lutheran core.
- Saturday 4:30 pm - Come As You Are. The most casual service of the week, described on the church's plan-a-visit page as a mix of traditional and contemporary worship songs.
- Sunday 8:00 am - Traditional Worship. A traditional Lutheran liturgical service with organ and traditional hymns.
- Sunday 10:30 am - Contemporary Worship. Lutheran liturgy paired with a praise team and contemporary worship songs.
All three services celebrate Holy Communion. St. Paul's teaches the real presence of Christ in the bread and wine, citing Matthew 26:26-29, John 6:51, and 1 Corinthians 10:14-17, and welcomes visitors who have questions to speak with the pastor before or after the service. Children who have not yet received instruction are invited forward for a pastoral blessing.
Services are livestreamed on YouTube, and an online attendance form lets worshipers check in from home. Giving is available online through PayPal, and weekly e-news is published to keep members connected between Sundays.
What to Expect on Your First Visit
The plan-a-visit page is unusually practical. Parking is in the main lot on the south side of the building; all entrances and exits are one-way, with the south entrance from Oak Manor Drive (by the parsonage) leading directly into the lot. The north entrance lets drivers circle around to reach the same lot. There is ample space for everyone, and a children's message is part of both the 8:00 and 10:30 Sunday services. Activity materials sit in the back of the sanctuary, and a nursery/cry room is available during worship.
On the matter of clothing, the church puts it simply: A heart for worship is more important than wardrobe selections at St. Paul's. On a Saturday or Sunday you will see suits, dresses, and polo shirts, but you will also see Hawaiian shirts, shorts, t-shirts, and blue jeans.
Sunday School for preschool through 6th grade meets between services from 9:15 to 10:15, September through May. Children gather in the Media Center for an opening time of worship together and then break into groups for the lesson; pickup is in the Media Center at 11:30. Adults have their own option in the same window - a Sunday morning Bible class in the fellowship hall.
Growing in the Word Between and After Services
Formation is not limited to Sunday morning. A midweek Bible Study meets Wednesdays from 6:30 to 7:30, also running September through May. Adults who cannot make it in person can join Lifelight Bible Study, which meets over Zoom. The current topic is announced in the weekly e-news.
Second Serving Sundays fall on the second Sunday of every month, when the adult Sunday class steps aside so the entire congregation can participate in a service project of the month. These projects rotate through the year and are a concrete expression of the Building Relationships mission.
Children, Youth, and the Confirmation Path
Children are woven into the life of the church, not separated from it. The Children's Message is part of both Sunday morning services, and Sunday School for preschool through 6th grade runs between them. Two sacraments are available for younger members: a Confirmation ministry prepares students to affirm their baptism, and First Communion walks younger children and their families through that milestone for the first time.
Middle School Youth Group meets on most first Fridays of each month from 6:00 to 8:00 pm, with games and scripture study. High School Youth Group meets on select Sundays from 5:00 to 7:00 pm. Activities go well beyond the meeting nights: lock-ins, laser tag, trips to the trampoline park, and participation in the LCMS Youth Gathering (the most recent trip took the high schoolers to Houston, Texas). The Director of Youth and Children's Ministry, Dena Handy, oversees both age groups.
Music as a Ministry, Not a Backdrop
Music at St. Paul's is led by a dedicated Director of Music and Worship Arts, Leah Sparks, and rests on two ensembles. The Worship Team leads congregational singing at the contemporary services with a mix of voices and instruments. The Spirit Choir rehearses on Wednesday evenings at 6:30, September through May, and sings a range of styles - gospel, classical, contemporary, and special liturgical settings. Both ensembles are open to new members who love Jesus and want to serve.
A Lutheran Day School on the Same Campus Since 1950
St. Paul's Lutheran School opened its doors to its first students in 1950, founded by church members who wanted to continue the long-standing Lutheran tradition of providing an exemplary Christian education for their children, grandchildren, and the community. The school was originally located on 3rd Avenue and A Street in Glen Burnie and moved to its current Oak Manor Drive campus in the 1980s. In September 2002, an Educational Wing was dedicated, adding 20 classrooms plus an Art Room and a Middle School Science Lab.
Today the school provides Christian education for children ages 2 through 8th grade, with a 9th grade planned to open in the 2027-28 school year pending Maryland State Department of Education approval. The school is fully departmentalized at the middle school level, offers electives and athletics, and integrates faith into every subject. The faculty page lists a Principal, a Vice Principal, a Director of Early Learning and BASCC, a Director of Admissions, a Director of Athletics, a school counselor, a school nurse, and a librarian, alongside teachers from Pre-K2 through 8th grade.
The Pillars of the School Day
The Elementary program covers Kindergarten through 5th grade. Children must be 5 on or before September 1 to enter Kindergarten and 6 by September 1 to enter 1st grade. Curriculum includes religion, math, language arts, science, social studies, health and fitness, art, music, Spanish, and STEAM, with weekly STEAM classes for every grade and computer lab for 4th and 5th. Class hours are 8:00 am to 3:00 pm. Beginning in 4th grade, students may join the band program.
The Middle School serves 6th through 8th grades in a 90-minute block schedule, with core subjects - religion, language arts, math, science, social studies, Spanish, and STEAM - and electives that include art, music, PC building, game design, and drama. Middle schoolers can also run for student government and earn selection to the National Junior Honor Society. The annual 6th grade retreat takes the class for three days to the Black Rock Christian Retreat in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania. Athletics begin in 3rd grade and run through middle school, with seasonal offerings in cross country, soccer, kickball, golf, volleyball, basketball, rugby, and bowling.
The admissions process is structured. Full immunization is required for all students with no exemptions, and grade 1 through 8 applicants must complete a screening process. Final acceptance rests with the principal, and tuition assistance is available for K-8 through FACTS. The school also helps families apply for the Maryland BOOST scholarship and offers a $500 Family Referral Incentive for current K-8 families who refer a new student who applies, is accepted, and enrolls.
Early Learning, BASCC, and Summer Camps
St. Paul's Early Learning is a structured program for children ages 2 through 4. The philosophy names each child as a child of God, capable of growing in his or her own unique way, and the program addresses the total child - spiritual, physical, emotional, social, and intellectual development. The BASCC (Before and After School Child Care) extends that care before and after the school day for children P2 through 8th grade, with a faith-based environment for the hours between home care and school care. BASCC admits children of any race, color, nationality, or religious background.
Summer Camps run each summer - in 2026, June 1 through August 13, closed June 29 through July 3 - and are split by age: one packet for P2 through 1st grade and another for 2nd grade and up. Health forms are required for every camper, with separate plans for asthma, allergies, and medication.
Walking Alongside One Another: Member Care
Two ministries care for members beyond the sanctuary. Pastoral Care Ministers visit the hospitalized and homebound alongside the pastor, lead devotions and prayers, and bring the Lord's Supper to those who cannot be physically present. They also reach out to members who have been absent from worship.
Stephen Ministry equips laypeople with fifty hours of training to walk with individuals through life's transitions - loss of a loved one, miscarriage, job loss, an estranged child, a relocation, and other difficult seasons. Stephen Ministers meet weekly with the person they are paired with for as long as the need lasts.
Lutheran Women in Mission, Spirited Seniors, and the Wider Family
The Lutheran Women's Missionary League (LWML) chapter at St. Paul's gathers women who are intentionally committed to involvement in mission-ministry. Members support the wider LWML work through quarterly mite box offerings and serve alongside the congregation's other ministries. Paint Nites, fundraisers, and service projects fill the LWML calendar.
Spirited Seniors plans older adult events with activities for stewardship, fellowship, programs of health, spiritual and educational value, and special service opportunities. MomCo (a mothers' ministry), the Altar Guild, Ushers and Greeters, Serving Sundays, and the Bible Garden & landscaping team round out the parish's lay ministry. Visitors can sign up online for the Tech Team, which keeps livestream and slides running on Sunday mornings.
Grace Alone, Faith Alone, Scripture Alone
The congregation's beliefs are summarized under three historic Reformation headings. Grace Alone: God loves the people of the world even though we are sinful, rebel against Him, and do not deserve His love; He sent Jesus, His Son, to love the unlovable and save the ungodly. Faith Alone: By His suffering and death as the substitute for all people of all time, Jesus purchased and won forgiveness and eternal life; those who hear this Good News and believe it have the eternal life that God offers as a gift, and the Holy Spirit creates faith in Christ and gives forgiveness through Him. Scripture Alone: The Bible is God's true and trustworthy Word, in which He reveals His Law and His Gospel of salvation in Jesus Christ; it alone is the standard and guide for Christian doctrine and practice.
St. Paul's walks together with about 4,500 LCMS congregations across the United States. The Synod sends missionaries to more than 80 nations on every continent except Antarctica, establishes Lutheran schools, colleges, and seminaries, and through Concordia Publishing House produces Christian books, hymnals, Sunday School materials, VBS materials, music, and periodicals. St. Paul's is one piece of that larger network.
The Leadership Team
The Ministry of Worship Team is led by Pastor Kevin Scott, who serves as Senior Pastor and Executive Director, and Pastor Ryan Barnett, Associate Pastor and Director of Care, Outreach, and Family Ministry. Dena Handy directs Youth and Children's Ministry; Leah Sparks directs Music and Worship Arts; Jennifer Pierce directs Church and Business Operations; Joan Brown serves in Church Administration.
The Ministry of Education Team is led by Principal Ken Coughlan, who also teaches 8th grade Religion, with Vice Principal Tiffany Wenck (Music), Director of Early Learning and BASCC Coral Shreve, and Director of Admissions and Office Manager Colleen Bohlen. Facilities, accounting, the school office, the school counselor, the school nurse, the librarian, and the athletic director round out the operational side, while a director of digital ministry and a sound technician support the church's online presence.
Rooted in Glen Burnie
From Saturday's casual Come As You Are service to Sunday's traditional liturgy, from Sunday School in the Media Center to chapel at the school, from the LWML Paint Nite to the Middle School Youth Group's first-Friday game night, St. Paul's has built a parish life that spans generations. The same campus that welcomes a first-time visitor on Sunday morning sends eighth graders off to high school in May, hosts an Artisan & Vendor Fair in the fall, and gathers for a From Mourning to Morning service of remembrance each year. It is a congregation where Lutheran conviction, Lutheran education, and Lutheran community all live within walking distance of one another.