Mary Ka Kanahan, center, has been pastor of St. John United Church for six years. The church is celebrating its 50th anniversary this year and is housed at the Wilde Lake Interfaith Center in Columbia. At left, Ashley Armstead, a counselor at Bryant Woods Elementary, and Kelley Hough, principal of Bryant Woods, chat with Kanahan on Sept. 19. The church is partnering with the school. (Barbara Haddock Taylor / Baltimore Sun)