'Do something for the kids'

In a loud, clear voice, Pastor Matt Powell begins, "Our Father, who art in heaven." Even 6-year-old feet stop wiggling as the children and adults around the circle join in exuberantly to finish the Lord's Prayer.

This might be just another church basement on a Thursday afternoon — but what sets these 20 or so children apart is that not one of them knew the Lord's Prayer before St. Paul Lutheran Church, Baltimore, began its after-school program in fall 2001. Now many consider themselves members of this 102-year-old congregation in the heart of Highlandtown, one of Baltimore's classic neighborhoods