Easter Sunday Sunday, April 5 8:00 a.m. in Old Brick 9:00 and 11:00 a.m. in New Brick We have now reached Easter Day – a day of joy, celebration, and the gift of life to God’s people. There are three services, and you are welcome to be with us at any of these. The 8:00 worship is in historic Old Brick and is without musical accompaniment. At the 9:00 and 11:00 services, a full choir and procession, accompanied by all the rituals appointed for the day, help us celebrate and e

Holy Saturday Saturday, April 4 Easter Vigil and Eucharist, The Lighting of the New Fire, and Baptism 7:00 p.m. in New Brick As the church awaits the glory of the resurrection, Holy Saturday is a day of preparation. As the sun sets, bringing with it the end of the Lenten season, one of the most beautiful services of the entire church year is held. We begin in utter darkness, signifying Christ in the tomb, and then a new fire is lit & blessed, and with it, the Paschal Candle

A few weeks ago, I told the story of Nasrudin, a protagonist of Middle Eastern folklore. One night, Nasrudin was approaching his house when he realized he had lost his key. He tried to look for it, but the night was so dark he could hardly see anything. He got down on his hands and knees, but it was still too dark to see. Moving backward toward a street lamp, he again got down on and began to search the area under the light. A neighbor came by and asked what he was doing. Nas

GOOD FRIDAY AT CHRIST CHURCH Today, April 3 12:00 and 7:00 p.m. in New Brick Christians throughout the world recall Good Friday as the day upon which Jesus died. As it remembers the great sinfulness of man, it also points to the glory and love of God. It is most somber in its offering, and includes the Veneration of the Cross, another ancient custom of the Church. A plain wooden cross is carried into the church and is held before us. The congregation is then invited to come f

Maundy Thursday at Christ Church Tonight, Thursday, April 2 5:00 p.m. Love Feast in New Brick's Great Hall 7:00 p.m. Eucharist in New Brick, with Foot-washing and Stripping of the Altar 8:00 p.m. Overnight Vigil in Old Brick On this evening of Maundy Thursday, we gather together to bring into remembrance the Last Supper of our Lord and the Institution of the Sacrament of the Holy Eucharist. We hear and remember the words of Jesus as he states, “Do this in remembrance of me.” 

Tenebrae at Christ Church - Tonight Wednesday, April 1 at 7 p.m. in New Brick The word Tenebrae is Latin for “shadows” or “darkness” and can also be translated as “night” or “death.” The word calls our attention to scriptural accounts of Christ’s crucifixion, when “darkness came over the whole land” (Mark 15:33; Matthew 27:45, Luke 23:44). The Tenebrae service is an ancient Christian tradition recalling the somber events of Jesus’ last days, beginning with the Last Supper and

Holy Week is the most sacred period of our Christian faith. This is when the foundational story of Christianity – Jesus’ suffering, death, and resurrection – is remembered and retold, both in words and in ritual actions, at services throughout the week. We gather together as a community of faith to journey with Jesus to Jerusalem, to stand with him before his accusers, to walk to Golgotha, and to stand at the foot of his cross. Finally, on Easter Sunday, we will joyously cele

“I Can Do Something” This is the call I hear you echo in my soul each time.   When Father Manny quoted the Edward Everett Hale poem below, it brought to mind my experience as a volunteer translator with Somos Amigo s Medical Missions s Medical Missions.  And that “something” makes such a difference in the lives of those we serve, whether it’s the 96-year-old gentleman who comes every year for his checkup and medications, or the Haitian mother bringing her infant for the very

The holiest of weeks begins with Palm Sunday, also called Passion Sunday. Here, the triumphant entry of Jesus into Jerusalem is recalled, and yet, the liturgy quickly shifts to the events of the week that lead Jesus to his arrest, trial, and death on the cross. The congregation gathers in Old Brick, processes to New Brick with blessed palm leaves, and joins in the reading of the Gospel narrative in parts. The liturgy ends in quietness, a stark contrast to the joy of the proce

Palm Sunday at Christ Church We have three services this Sunday morning: Holy Eucharist in Old Brick at 8:00, Family Worship in New Brick at 9:00, and Choral Eucharist in New Brick at 10:30. Collect for Today: Almighty and everliving God, in your tender love for the human race you sent your Son our Savior Jesus Christ to take upon him our nature, and to suffer death upon the cross, giving us the example of his great humility: Mercifully grant that we may walk in the way of hi

On weekdays during the season of Lent, we post daily meditations on our website, and on Saturdays we include a piece of music, as well. These songs are submitted by parish family members and friends of Christ Church, and meant to uplift, comfort, and inspire. We hope that you enjoy. I believe in the Son I believe in the risen One I believe I overcome By the power of His blood Amen, amen I'm alive, I'm alive Because He lives Amen, amen Let my song join the One that never ends

🌿 From the crowds in the streets to the hope in our hearts. Tomorrow, Palm Sunday, we’re celebrating a King who didn’t come to take over, but to take our place. Grab a palm branch and join us at Christ Church as we start the journey toward Easter. We have three services on Palm Sunday morning: 8:00 a.m. worship takes place entirely in Old Brick. 9:00 a.m. begins in the Great Hall, then process up the Narthex staircase into the New Brick sanctuary, which will include a speci

The ashes On my face Are only Show Unless they Rest Thoughtfully On my Heart As well, Reminding me That God Uses Both For Creation.   ~ Pamela Pruitt     Jan. 12, 2024

Theology on Tap returns after Lent, and on April 15, it'll take place from 7:00-8:30 p.m. at  Frisco and the Reckless Shepherd  for great food, drink, and conversation. If you are not familiar with Theology on Tap, this is a time where adults gather for fellowship in a casual, fun environment. Topics can range from current to historical events; nothing is off the table - we welcome all ideas - and everything should inspire lively, insightful dialogue. All adults are welcome a

Easter isn’t just something we celebrate - it’s something we live! Journey with us as we discover the ways we resist joy and look into how we may be called to bring life, healing, and hope to others. The 2nd Saturday Center for Spiritual Nourishment (CSN) provides opportunities for us to be in a closer relationship with God through an array of experiences that engage the mind, body, and spirit. Programs for April 11 center on the theme Living the Resurrection  and include: Me

The world now is too dangerous and too beautiful for anything but love. May your eyes be so blessed you see God in everyone. Your ears, so you hear the cry of the poor. May your hands be so blessed that everything you touch is a sacrament. Your lips, so you speak nothing but the truth with love. May your feet be so blessed you run to those who need you. And may your heart be so opened, so set on fire, that your love, your love, changes everything.

God of love and compassion, may we always recognize your spirit: · in the refugee family, seeking safety from violence; · in the migrant worker, bringing food to our tables; · in the asylum-seekers, seeking justice for their families; · in the unaccompanied child, traveling in a dangerous world.   Give us hearts that break open whenever our brothers and sisters turn to us. Give us hearts that no longer turn deaf to their voices in times of need; Give us eyes to recognize a mo

At that very moment, perhaps a voice, perhaps an image, opened my heart. I ask myself what that is; it turns out that God has been quietly living in my heart. Since the pandemic, the world has been transformed, communication no longer primarily face-to-face interactions. The internet is now used more to connect people’s lives, including church activities, so I started joining the Christ Church’s online Morning Prayer services. For over four years, weekly morning prayers in bo

Lenten Taizé Vespers Sundays at 6:00 p.m. in New Brick Vespers is a liturgy of Evening Prayer that combines scripture readings, prayer, silent meditation, and rich music. Each Sunday evening, Christ Church offers a service of contemplative prayer and music in the tradition of the Taizé community of France. It offers this special service on Sunday evening at 6:00 p.m. in New Brick, offering different opportunities for prayer, music, and reflection. This worship of reflection o

Lent V at Christ Church We have three services this Sunday morning: Holy Eucharist in Old Brick at 8:00, Family Worship in New Brick at 9:00, and Choral Eucharist in New Brick at 10:30. Collect for Today: Almighty God, you alone can bring into order the unruly wills and affections of sinners: Grant your people grace to love what you command and desire what you promise; that, among the swift and varied changes of the world, our hearts may surely there be fixed where true joys

This past Saturday, I participated in the Spiritual Direction portion of the Center for Spiritual Nourishment offerings at our church. The session was led by Carol Abbott, who is a certified Spiritual Director and a member of the congregation. Carol led us to reflect on the practice of waiting. For those of us who may not know, waiting is itself an important spiritual practice. Some time back, I learned about this practice of waiting in silence myself. And because of this pra

There is an old Cherokee parable used to teach their children about good an evil.  The parables states that each person is born with two wolves in consuming turmoil fighting to be in control inside each of us.  The lesson concludes that the wolf which we feed more, the one we love more, will be the wolf which directs our lives.  The parallel of this legend aligns to the consequence of Adam eating the forbidden apple, thrusting humanity on a road requiring us to know good and

Given that today's Meditation is a night prayer, we are posting it a little later in the day. Enjoy.   Lord, it is night.   The night is for stillness. Let us be still in the presence of God.   It is night after a long day. What has been done has been done; what has not been done has not been done; let it be.   The night is dark. Let our fears of the darkness of the world and of our own lives rest in you.   The night is quiet. Let the quietness of your peace enfold us, all de

What are those odd pictures made up of dark-colored blocks, or bricks, or Lego-looking objects? They seem to be everywhere, but can also appear intimidating to people. But they are actually extremely useful, both for us as a church, and for you, as a parishioner. For example, we provide you with QR codes to share upcoming worship information, to inform you about fellowship events around the campus, and we even provide a digital copy of the Sunday service leaflet and links to

Lenten Taizé Vespers combine scripture readings, prayer, silent meditation, and music in the contemplative tradition of the Taizé community. Christ Church in Columbia, Maryland, offers these services every Sunday during Lent at 6:00 p.m. in their New Brick Sanctuary. You can also worship online - find the details on our YouTube page or our website - https://www.christchurchcolumbia.org/lent #taize   #lenten   #Vespers   #vespers   #eveningprayer   #episcomd   #howardcounty  

Each year, the Wednesday Evening Lenten Supper Series is one of the most enriching experiences of the season. We are always thankful to the members of Christ Church's Spiritual Life Commission, who work so hard to put this, and other, events together. The WELS series offers five weeks of insightful, life-transforming seminars, and the first session was a very well-attended success. Tonight, our own Father Manny will present his perspective on our 2026 Spiritual Life Theme, Bu

God did not wait till the world was ready, till…nations were at peace. God came when the Heavens were unsteady, and prisoners cried out for release. God did not wait for the perfect time. God came when the need was deep and great. God dined with sinners in all their grime, turned water into wine. God did not wait till hearts were pure. In joy God came to a tarnished world of sin and doubt. To a world like ours, of anguished shame God came, and God’s Light would not go out.

It was more than the right place, right time. What transpired on a recent Sunday afternoon was my proof that both new and old relationships can intertwine in meaningful ways when love is the motivation. By love, I mean agape, the love of Christians for other persons, modeled on the love of God for humankind. With that definition in mind, I set out for a midday gathering in Laurel. My goal was to hear the remarks of Maryland Senator Cory McCray, author of The Apprenticeship th

Who Are Your Enemies? How Do You Love Them? By Rachel Held Evans   When I was in fourth grade, I had a nemesis. Let’s call her Samantha. Samantha was popular, pretty, rich, and bossy. Her golden locks were always pulled into a bouncy ponytail on the side of her head and topped with an elaborate bow. She wore name-brand clothes, used name-brand school supplies, and came from a name-brand family. As the teacher’s pet, Samantha would put in a good word for the classmates she lik

Howard County, March, 2026 (13) I have set my rainbow in the clouds, and it will be the sign of the covenant between me and the earth. (14) Whenever I bring clouds over the earth and the rainbow appears in the clouds, (15) I will remember my covenant between me and you and all living creatures of every kind. Never again will the waters become a flood to destroy all life. (16) Whenever the rainbow appears in the clouds, I will see it and remember the everlasting covenant betwe

Lent IV at Christ Church We have three services this Sunday morning: Holy Eucharist in Old Brick at 8:00, Family Worship in New Brick at 9:00, and Choral Eucharist in New Brick at 10:30. Collect for Today: Gracious Father, whose blessed Son Jesus Christ came down from heaven to be the true bread which gives life to the world: Evermore give us this bread, that he may live in us, and we in him; who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.

It’s almost the weekend - and so, it's almost time for CSN! We look forward to seeing you at the Center for Spiritual Nourishment at Christ Church this Saturday morning. Join us at 8:30 for a nice breakfast and fellowship before we begin the morning's sessions, or just meet us at 9. And this month - the theme is "Letting Go to Make Room" - there are many insightful and life-enriching sessions to choose from - visit https://cecevents.org/CSN for all of the details. As we walk

A few months ago, my family celebrated the 40-year anniversary of my father’s passing. It was a surreal moment for me. When I had the opportunity to speak, one of the points that I made was that I am not sure if I ever fully grieved my father’s passing. I still carry with me some residue of grief, and I don’t know if I will ever get over it. Grief, in itself, is a powerful human experience that encompasses every single aspect of our lives. The truth is, we grieve because of l

DreamBuilders Has its Largest Fundraising Dinner this Weekend! - March 14 DreamBuilders Spaghetti Dinner and Silent Auction Fundraiser is happening this Saturday, March 14. DreamBuilders will build three complete houses from the foundation up during their mission trip this coming June. In addition to sending volunteers, DreamBuilders also pays for the housing supplies, which cost nearly $75,000. They raise this money in various ways, but by far the biggest single fundraiser i

There seems to be a symbiotic relationship between having healthy self-esteem and having faith. If you have faith, you believe that good things will happen to you or that if bad things happen, it's not the end of the world. This is also enhanced by healthy self-esteem. If you believe that good things will happen and bad things are not the end of the world, you have the faith to wait on what God has in store for you, whereas healthy self-esteem helps to decrease impulses to go

It’s almost the weekend!  And, therefore, almost time for CSN.  We look forward to seeing many of you at Christ Episcopal this Saturday morning.  8:30 AM is the start of breakfast if you’d like to come early for food and friendship.  9 AM is our opening with many wonderful sessions to choose from.  We wrap up between 11:30 and noon. As we walk our Lenten journey, we rest in that sometimes uncomfortable in-between place.  We journey through the wilderness, waiting on the Holy

I ended the Christ Church worship on Sunday, January 18, on a day dedicated to honoring Martin Luther King, in tears as the congregation rang out with the chorus of We Shall Overcome: “We shall live in peace” “We are not afraid” “Deep in my heart, I do believe” I cried because of the state of the world. I cried because of the hatred and polarization in our cities, our nation, and our world. I cried because I am afraid, because we are not living in peace, and because we have n

Courtesy of Christ Church's resident poet, Pamela Pruitt. Thank you, Pam!

Lenten Taizé Vespers Sundays at 6:00 p.m. in New Brick Vespers is a liturgy of Evening Prayer that combines scripture readings, prayer, silent meditation, and rich music. Each Sunday evening, Christ Church offers a service of contemplative prayer and music in the tradition of the Taizé community of France. It offers this special service on Sunday evening at 6:00 p.m. in New Brick, offering different opportunities for prayer, music, and reflection. This worship of reflection o

This past week at Christ Church was both unique and not unique. It was unique because on Thursday night, we welcomed strangers into our sanctuary - in fact, we can't recall there being a day like Thursday, when we had people from so many walks of faith united under our roof. The reason for gathering - our "Lift Us Up" Prayer Vigil for Non-Violence - was not a particularly happy reason, but it was absolutely necessary. It was also not-so-unique because we always embrace those

Lent III at Christ Church We have three services this Sunday morning: Holy Eucharist in Old Brick at 8:00, Family Worship in New Brick at 9:00, and Choral Eucharist in New Brick at 10:30. Collect for Today: Almighty God, you know that we have no power in ourselves to help ourselves: Keep us both outwardly in our bodies and inwardly in our souls, that we may be defended from all adversities which may happen to the body, and from all evil thoughts which may assault and hurt the

On weekdays during the season of Lent, we post daily meditations on our website, and on Saturdays we include a piece of music, as well. These songs are submitted by parish family members and friends of Christ Church, and meant to uplift, comfort, and inspire. We hope that you enjoy.   God is great, give Him all the praise Hallelujah, Name above all names Fire in His eyes, healing in His veins Everywhere, His glory on display Take a look at those stars, He can name ′em all Bef

This past Saturday, I participated in the faith-based conflict resolution training sessions offered by the Diocese of Maryland in collaboration with the Anne Arundel Conflict Resolution Center. It was the second of three sessions. As part of our ice breaker, we engaged in a group activity of fixing a dish or making a meal. The dish itself and some of the ingredients should represent accountability , trust, grace, and stewardship . Each group could make whatever dish they want

You listen, as the forest listens to the wind, as the ocean hears the river. You listen to someone, not just their speaking but their being. Your listening is a door, through which they enter you. The more fully, openly, spaciously you listen, the more of them comes in, what they're saying and not saying, and can't say, what they may not even know until they hear it being heard. The door that is your listening becomes the whole space, a house, a temple. It holds the world. In

Gather with us tonight, as we welcome those of every faith into our sanctuary, joined together by a shared heartache - and a shared hope. LIFT US UP: A PRAYER VIGIL FOR NON-VIOLENCE AT A TIME OF CRISIS was borne from a need to heal, to understand, and to act. Lifting our collective voices in speech and song, we unite not as strangers, but as neighbors united in our rejection of violence and a deep desire for healing in our community and our world. Tell your friends, family, a

Almighty God, you have given us this good land as our heritage. Make us always remember your generosity and constantly do your will. Bless our land with honest industry, sound learning, and an honorable way of life. Save us from violence, discord, and confusion; from pride and arrogance, and from every evil way. Make us who come from many nations with many different languages a united people. Defend our liberties and give those whom we have entrusted with the authority of gov

Inviting You to Join Our Monthly Outreach Meeting on Monday, March 9 Learn many ways to help others by joining us remotely for the Outreach Commission meeting on Monday, March 9, at 7:30 p.m. Our mission has a local, national, and international scope. Look for our email on Monday for the Zoom link. Christ Church Gets an Update from Somos Amigos’ Founder Frank Brightwell Progress is being made to expand the number of patients served in the Dominican Republic by Somos Amigos

God, grant me the serenity To accept the things I cannot change, Courage to change the things I can, And wisdom to know the difference. Living one day at a time, Enjoying one moment at a time, Accepting hardship as a pathway to peace. Taking, as Jesus did, This sinful world as it is, Not as I would have it. Trusting that You will make all things right If I surrender to Your will. So that I may be reasonably happy in this life And supremely happy with You forever in the next.

Christ Episcopal Church invites everyone to a very special prayer vigil this Thursday, March 5th, at 7:00 pm in the New Brick sanctuary. Gather with us as our parish welcomes participants from other congregations supporting our Refugee Ministry, Columbia, and Howard County. "Lift Us Up" will feature meditations, music, reflections, and prayers from many in our Interfaith community in response to recent and ongoing violence across cities and around the world. We will unite in