Christ Church Outreach News: November 12, 2026
Come and Support Local Special Needs Students at the Cedar Lane School PTA Holiday Bazaar - November 14
The Cedar Lane School PTA is hosting its 4th annual Indoor Holiday Bazaar and Indoor Yard Sale to raise funds for its special needs students. Live Music! Activities for children! 50+ vendors! Refreshments available for purchase! And all attendees will receive a free ticket for entry for a chance to win one of their random-drawing door prizes.
Table and space rentals are available for purchase - all vendors and personal sellers are welcome. https://app.givebacks.gives/clshb26/Campaign/Details
Cedar Lane School is at 11630 Scaggsville Rd, Fulton, MD, and this event is organized by our own parishioner, Amanda Cheong. Hope to see you there!
Clock’s Ticking! Bring Holiday Sides and Year-Round Staples by next Thursday, Nov. 19, for our Thanksgiving Drive for the Howard County Food Bank
You can make Thanksgiving and the upcoming holidays special for those who depend on the Howard County Food Bank to feed their families. The staff of the food bank provides the makings of festive meals for 1,000 people for Thanksgiving and another 1,000 by Christmas. Christ Church contributes to this effort by collecting non-perishables prior to Thanksgiving and by sending funds to the Community Action Council of Howard County (CAC), which operates the food bank.
Please help complete the menu! Bring stuffing mix, gravy, cranberry sauce, and canned fruits and vegetables. Because household pantries may be bare, please add staples such as bags of rice, beans, tuna, hearty soups, pasta and sauce, peanut butter, cereal, and spices. Put items in the marked boxes in the New Brick Elevator Room or on the Parish Hall breezeway in a bin labeled “Thanksgiving." NOTE: No produce, pies, other desserts or rolls due to perishability. Deadline: Thursday, Nov. 19. Thank you!
Your Help is Needed to Provide Support for Comfort Cases, a Long-Standing Outreach Group for the MOCC - November 19
The Men of Christ Church needs volunteers to help pack bags in support of Comfort Cases. If you are interested in helping out, please speak with Duane Smith at church or email MOCC@christchurchcolumbia.org. You can also find flyers around the campus with more information.
Episcopal Relief & Development Gets Funds to Aid Navajoland Flood Victims
Recent heavy rainfall has harmed multiple Navajo communities and surrounding areas in Arizona, New Mexico, Colorado, and Utah. More than 1,000 people have been impacted and hundreds of homes damaged, said Episcopal Relief & Development (ERD) in an Oct. 30 statement.
In response, Outreach Commission members approved a $400 contribution to ERD. Thanks to parishioners’ pledges and contributions to Christ Church, Outreach can draw upon Vestry-approved funds each year for disaster aid.
ERD is partnering with the Episcopal Church in Navajoland (ECN). In a Nov. 2 statement, ECN said flooding remains an active emergency in northwestern New Mexico as response and recovery occur simultaneously. Approaching cold weather adds to the challenges.
Please join in praying for those in peril. One helpful resource is the prayer hub provided by ERD. There you’ll find prayers in a time of a disaster and prayers amid crisis.
Funds for Grassroots Will Help County Residents in Multiple Ways
In response to community needs, the Outreach Commission at its November meeting approved a donation of $1,000 to the Grassroots Crisis Intervention Center. Many of us at Christ Church are familiar with how Grassroots helps the homeless. In addition, the center provides 24-hour crisis intervention that includes a supportive counseling hotline.
Our meals team (in photos) prepares and serves a hot midday meal for the homeless at Grassroots’ Day Resource Center (DRC) and drops off dinner for Emergency Shelter residents on the second Monday each month. Get details on how to help on Monday, Dec. 14, in the DRC online signup form and in the Grassroots online signup form.
Christ Church got an overview of operations during a visit last year by Anna Katz, Grassroots director of grants and support. Find a recap in the Outreach Blog of Oct. 9, 2025 and view a YouTube video of her Sunday Circle presentation on Sept. 21, 2025.
Breakfast With Santa Will Benefit Grassroots on Two Saturdays in December
You and your little ones are invited to a Breakfast with Santa at Seasons 52 restaurant at the Mall in Columbia on Saturday, Dec. 5 or Saturday, Dec. 12, from 8 to 9:30 a.m.
The event to benefit will include Miss Julie, the Mall’s Family Fun Day entertainer, and student volunteers from local high schools. This is a perfect chance to provide your little ones with a unique experience to kick off the holiday season!
Tickets cost $15 per guest, and children 6 months or younger are free. Find information here about the Dec. 5 breakfast, and go here for the Dec. 12 breakfast.
Please Fill the Altar Basket and Parish Hall Bin with Goods for FISH/CCC
It’s been more than a year since CCC and FISH entered a partnership and merged pantries. CCC delivers food to Howard County residents and distributes it at three sites on Saturday mornings, except on holiday weekends. For information, go online to Get Help. FISH picks up donated goods from Christ Church and others. Please put non-perishable food and personal care products in one of the two altar baskets (Old Brick and New Brick). Or look for a bin with a combo label “FISH/CCC” just inside the Parish Hall. Please bring baby wipes and diapers, especially large sizes.
FISH will continue to provide telephone support to Howard County residents, offering guidance and financial support because the personal touch matters when people are in crisis. For information, ask Christ Church parishioner and FISH treasurer Andy DeLong or email andydelong.fish@gmail.com. You could be the one to lend a helping hand by lending an ear! As a phone volunteer, you can help from your home by giving just one day a month to assist those who could benefit from financial assistance from FISH. Training is provided. Thank you!
Your Help is Needed to Provide Support for Comfort Cases, a Long-Standing Outreach Group for the MOCC - November 19
The Men of Christ Church needs volunteers to help pack bags in support of Comfort Cases. If you are interested in helping out, please speak with Duane Smith at church or email MOCC@christchurchcolumbia.org. You can also find flyers around the campus with more information.
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.
