Christ Church Outreach News: May 4, 2023
Inviting You to Remotely Join Us on Monday, May 8, at the Monthly Outreach Meeting
One way to help others is to participate in Outreach at Christ Church. Why not start by joining us remotely for the Outreach Commission’s 7:30 p.m. meeting on Monday, May 8th? You can help to fulfill our mission, which has a local, national, and international scope. Information to log on will be provided in the Church notices about online activities. See you on Zoom!
Help Feed the Hungry on May 8, In Person or by Dropping Off Menu Items
Leaders of the Grassroots Crisis Intervention Center appreciate how Christ Church parishioners step up for our homeless neighbors on the second Monday of each month. To join us on May 8, please sign up by Sunday, May 7.
If you wish to volunteer or bring food for the Day Resource Center (DRC) at the Dorsey Center, our DRC online signup form describes the procedure. The drop-off time for side dishes, desserts, and fruit is 12:45 p.m. in the Christ Church parking lot near Old Brick. In-person volunteers are gathering at that time to carpool to Jessup.
Later, parishioners who cook or shop for the evening meal for 50 residents of a live-in center on Freetown Rd. make a different drop-off. Please arrive in the Old Brick parking lot between 3:15 and 3:30 p.m. Get details in our Grassroots online signup form or, for more information, email outreach@christchurchcolumbia.org.
We most recently took part on April 10th. Shahra Toth, with the continuing assistance of Dione Mahoney, is the coordinator. Grassroots operates both facilities, and it’s efficient to provide for groups at two separate venues on the same day. Your donations and Vestry-approved funds pay for the fried-chicken entrees. Thank you!
The DRC and the Live-In Facility have wider needs for their pantries and welcome in-kind donations to be dropped off for delivery on the second Mondays. Look for the latest needs list online, under the words “Related Files,” on each of the signup sites.
Christ Church Participates in a Baltimore Harbor Cruise to Help Seafarers
Five parishioners explored the working Port of Baltimore from the water during a late afternoon cruise on Wednesday, April 26th. The annual excursion was a fundraiser to aid the Baltimore International Seafarers’ Center (BISC).
The center is among the ministries in the Bishop’s Annual Appeal of the Episcopal Diocese of Maryland. It is also one of the causes supported by the Women of Christ Church, which collect winter woolens, calendars, and other comforts for mariners each fall. During the cruise on the waters of Baltimore Harbor, Christ Church was represented by Diane Phillips LaGuerre, Shahra and George Toth, and Paula and Chuck Rees.
BISC provides spiritual care and hospitality to members of a ship’s crew who are working far from their homes and loved ones. For months at a time, crews from around the world transport goods on giant container ships. Cruise passengers got a view of the Charade, one of the ships whose crew is assisted by BISC, along with the giant cranes used to unload cargo. Passengers could also see Port of Baltimore landmarks such as the historic lighthouse, Seven Foot Knoll.
Baltimore Area Aftercare Program
As a community of those who follow the way of Jesus and his teachings, Christ Church commits to reaching out in multiple ways to serve people on the margins. We seek to meet the needs of others in broad and various walks of life. We help those who’ve lost a way to navigate safety under trying circumstances, such as the Afghan refugee family we sponsor. And we help people with little-to-no resources due to treacherous storms and weather, like those in Kentucky and Puerto Rico. We do not judge others as to what things they could have done differently to avoid their circumstances. Instead, we reach out time and again, as Christians who put our love of Christ before anyone or anything else.
With this same vigor, we can serve those returning home from prison. Those who’ve lost connection with family, those who need help with basic items such as a toothbrush and a little cash in hand. Those who may not qualify for social services because they stand judged by the history of who they’d been and what they’d done—instead of whom they have become. Christ Church can proudly say we minister to incarcerated individuals. In spite of the stringent limitations placed not only on inmates but on visitors, our own Kathy Lyon still finds a way to provide wonderful art classes to inmates at a pre-release center in Maryland. We also give some financial support to another organization to provide spiritual reading materials for inmates. These comforts can keep an inmate hopeful about the future, by just knowing someone cares.
Now it's time to help care for those recently released, or soon to be released, from prison into society. Let's help them see a new way of life and give them a chance to walk a new path. Such a program exists under the leadership of Deacon Les Roberts, also known as Brother Les. Brother Les leads the Baltimore Area Aftercare Program (BAAP). This program serves individuals who’ve been recently released from jails or prisons, by providing basic toiletry items and clothing. BAAP needs our help! All we have to do is donate one or more of the basic items requested. The SignUpGenius link with those items is at - https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10C0C4EA8A92DAAFFC70-april.
Thank you for your commitment to serving those on the margins!
Columbia Community Care Requests Diapers, Personal Care Items
Please continue supporting Columbia Community Care (CCC) by giving essentials and with your time and talent. Please look for updates, such as requests for volunteers, posted in the CCC Facebook Group or on the “I Can Help” portion of its website. Please keep collecting diapers, baby wipes, sanitary and personal care items, and adult diapers. Put items in the yellow bin, marked “CCC,” inside the Parish Hall. Drop off items on weekdays when the church office is open or on Sundays. Our point of contact is Leigh Smith, who delivers the contents of the bin.
Donate Snacks, Crackers, and Cookies to FISH in Bin on our Breezeway
Organizers for FISH of Howard County are continuing to ask for cookies, crackers, and snacks to fulfill their shopping lists. The yellow bin is back in its spot between Old Brick and the Parish Hall. Thanks for your contributions to our neighbors in need.
In general, if you have suggestions about ways to help the community, if you want to get involved, or if you need assistance, please email Christ Church Outreach at outreach@christchurchcolumbia.org. Your help is greatly welcomed and appreciated. Thank you.
