Gather with us for brew and banter, suds and spoken word, lager and laughs... no matter what you call it, Theology on Tap is a fun, informal get-together where we can chat about interesting religious, spiritual, or social articles of the day, grab a beverage or snack, and enjoy fun, engaging, structure-free conversation with other parishioners and friends for an hour or two. We like to use this time to speak about things that might be considered a bit casual or light for a Sunday morning at church, but that matter to us, and we want to hear others' perspectives on them. If this sounds interesting to you, then this is your kind of gathering! Meet us at 7:00 p.m. tonight, Wednesday, May 20 at Frisco and the Reckless Shepherd at 8895 McGaw Road in Columbia. #fellowship #theologyontap #episcomd #ColumbiaMaryland #HowardCountyMaryland #HowardCountyEvents #foodandfellowship #YouAreWelcomeHere

On Sunday, May 24, gather with us in the New Brick sanctuary for just one service - at 10:00 a.m. - as the choir processes through the aisles while we all sing "We Are the Church" in full voice. Be sure to wear some red to celebrate the Day of Pentecost (red is the liturgical color of that day), and everyone is invited to wear clothing that reflects their heritage and culture, as well. In an expression of this beautiful "melting pot" we have at Christ Church, we'll gather together after worship to enjoy PenteFeast, a culinary celebration! Prepare and bring a dish to share with others, one that reflects your family's tradition. Make it something extraordinary in your life - perhaps a recipe that has been passed down for generations, or a dish that proudly displays your culture or upbringing. We'll provide salads and refreshments; you provide the main course or dessert. Let's celebrate the start of Pentecost together in this special way!

What a beautiful morning! Youth Sunday at Christ Church always is. The youth of Christ Church led and participated in all three worship services this Sunday, so from 8 a.m. until noon, we were blessed with powerful sermons, scripture readings, and assistance as we entered the sanctuary and approached the altar. The older youth sang for the younger ones at the 9 a.m. Family Worship, and the 10:30 service had gorgeous music floating to the rafters! Thanks to every youth for their strength, leadership, and voice, and heartfelt thanks to each adult for their guidance and ministry, both in preparation and in worship. If you have a child and want to get them involved in Youth Ministry at Christ Church, email us at youth@christchurchcolumbia.org and we'll get you started. #youthministry #youthgroups #FutureLeaders #episcomd #ColumbiaMaryland #howardcountymd #HowardCountyMaryland #YouAreWelcomeHere

Easter VII & Youth 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: O God, the King of glory, you have exalted your only Son Jesus Christ with great triumph to your kingdom in heaven: Do not leave us comfortless, but send us your Holy Spirit to strengthen us, and exalt us to that place where our Savior Christ has gone before; who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, in glory everlasting. Amen. This Sunday's Readings: Acts 1:6-14 Psalm 68:1-10, 33-36 1 Peter 4:12-14; 5:6-11 John 17:1-11 Sermon for This Sunday: The Christ Church Youth deliver this Sunday's sermon, and you can view it in the video below once worship has begun. Sunday Worship Livestream: Our service livestream begins just before 10:30 a.m. The service leaflet for this worship is here.

This Sunday is Youth Sunday - that's right, a beloved Christ Church tradition takes place, so come and support the youth of Christ Church as they lead us in worship. They will read the day's lessons, usher us to our seats, deliver a beautiful sermon from their perspective, and lead us in song. It's a service like no other, and one we look forward to every year. This Sunday, services begin in Old Brick at 8 a.m., an intimate worship without music. Our Family Worship is in New Brick at 9 a.m. and centers on engaging the younger members of our church and features a Communion gathering around the altar. We then have Holy Eucharist with music and a full choir at 10:30, also in New Brick. Sunday School, Adult Forum: Sunday Circle, and all other formation gatherings take place this Sunday, as well as our coffee hour fellowship. YOU ARE ALWAYS WELCOME HERE. www.christchurchcolumbia.org

Problems everywhere. My Nigerian brothers and sisters call problems Wahala. You would either hear, "Wahala no dey finish," or "Problems no dey finish." They both mean the same thing - we don’t run out of problems. Problems don’t ever finish. Everyone is dealing with problems, whether at school, work, home, church, sports, the store, or elsewhere. Wherever there are human beings, there are problems, and they don’t seem to go away. You solve one problem, and another problem manifests itself in a different way. Wherever you turn, there is one problem or another, and it sometimes feels like all our lives are simply geared toward solving problems. Here’s a story: There was once a pregnant deer who began experiencing labor pains. It was evening, and the forest was covered with black clouds. Due to the black clouds, lightning had fallen in the forest, and the forest had caught fire. The deer had to leave where she was, came to the riverside to drink water, and gave birth. When she looked in the river, she saw anxiety visibly displayed on her face. Just as she was about to drink the water, she heard the noise of some movement in the bushes on her left side. She looked to her left, saw a hunter aiming at her with a rifle, and immediately became more afraid. She thought in her mind to run away from there, but as she turned to run away, she saw a ferocious lion hiding in the bushes on her right side, ready to attack her. So, the deer has a hunter on one side, a lion on the other, a forest fire on the third, and a deep river on the fourth. The deer could not cross the river because it was very deep and full of crocodiles. Death was all around her. There was no way to escape. The deer thought hard about how to save her life, but there was no way out. Then the deer thought to herself, "If death is so certain, then why be afraid? Why not die with dignity?" With that thought, the deer calmed down, drank water fearlessly, and hoped for the best. Seeing her drinking water, the hunter began pulling the trigger, and at that instant, there was a loud CRACK! from a lightning bolt in the sky. The hunter’s hand trembled due to the sound; he missed his target, his bullet hit the lion, the lion got injured, and its eyes fell on the hunter. The lion started running towards him, and the hunter started running to save his life. With the lighting, it started raining heavily, and the forest fire was extinguished. After drinking the water, the deer saw that there was no longer any lion, and the forest fire had been extinguished. With this knowledge, the deer wasted no time; she ran to a safe place and gave birth to one fawn. It was just by sheer luck that the deer escaped and gave birth. No idea what happened to the injured lion and the hunter - they had their own set of problems to deal with. Somehow, we do our best to solve problems. Some of these problems are caused by nature, and some are caused by human beings, including you and me. Some problems are intractable, and so we tend to manage them as best we can. But whether intractable or not, we should always avoid labeling human beings as problems to be solved. Human beings are not things, situations, or circumstances. Several years ago, a parishioner came to speak to me about her husband's gravesite in our yard. She bought fresh flowers and placed them on her husband’s grave regularly, but by the time she returned the next day or so, they were gone. "Someone has been stealing these flowers," she would say to herself, so she came to speak with me about it, exasperation clear in her voice. I was taken aback, wondering how someone would specifically target her flowers and steal them. I apologized and thanked her for her dedication to her husband, but I couldn’t offer any tangible solution to the problem. What surprised me was that there were flowers on some graves, so how come her flowers were the ones targeted? My question to myself was, was she the problem that needed some fixing, or was there indeed a problem? It isn’t lost on me that there are times when we see other people as problems to be fixed. But no human being is a problem to be fixed. God created you, and Jesus Christ died for you - you are, therefore, not a problem to be fixed. Back to the story of the parishioner who didn’t stop complaining about her flowers... It wasn’t until one evening, one when I worked late into the night in my office, that I noticed what was going on. I left my office, got in my car, and started driving off campus. It was then that I saw a herd of deer by her husband's grave, eating the flowers the sweet lady had recently put there. I called the parishioner in the morning to let her know that it was, in fact, the deer at the church that had been chewing up those flowers, and that she wasn't being targeted. And the deer didn’t touch the other flowers because those were all artificial. French Philosopher, Blaise Pascal, once said this: “All of humanity’s problems stem from man’s inability to sit quietly in a room alone.” To sit in a room quietly is to confront yourself, face the reality of your individual existence, and ask yourself questions you may want to avoid. We seek distraction because to sit with ourselves is to deal with the problems that we cause or can cause, or even to see ourselves and others as problems to be fixed. Yes, we may have issues and problems, but we are not a problem to be solved or issues to be fixed. Each human being is a semblance of God’s gift of infinite love and generosity to the world. Our ability to embrace this aspect of ourselves, that we are not a problem to be solved and certainly not an issue to be fixed, makes it ever more possible to see others in that same light, that they are not problems to be solved nor issues to be fixed, but individuals to be loved. Each of us is a gift and a child of God who simply has problems, and those problems do not define any of us. On this Ascension Day, we rise with the resurrected Christ above any and all problems. Happy and Blessed Ascension Day! Manny+

Donation to The Salvation Army Will Help Mississippi Tornado Victims Last week, tornadoes swept through central and western Mississippi, damaging hundreds of homes. An NBC News report on May 7 described destruction caused by 14 tornadoes, which downed trees, power lines, houses and businesses. In response, Outreach Commission members voted at the May meeting to contribute $500 to The Salvation Army, which said in several online posts on May 9 that it had mobilized to swiftly help displaced families: “Through the support of generous neighbors, The Salvation Army can continue providing meals, hydration, emotional and spiritual care, and practical support to people recovering from this disaster.”  These are Vestry-approved funds derived from your pledges and contributions. Thank you! Christ Church Holds the Spring Food Drive on Saturday, May 16, 10 AM to 2 PM, with a Streamlined Plan For Volunteers at River Hill Giant in Clarksville Thanks to everyone who signed up to take part this weekend in the Spring Food Drive by volunteering for a one-hour shift. This is one of the most rewarding ways to help feed the hungry, as we ask shoppers to help collect groceries and staples for two food pantries. Come to the River Hill Giant Food, 6050 Daybreak Circle, Clarksville, Md., 21029 this Saturday, May 16 during your shift from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. It’s a hands-on, family-friendly activity that occurs twice a year. For information, email outreach@christchurchcolumbia.org. Once again, Christ Church is adapting to corporate rules that limit the number of volunteers on the supermarket premises. In response to a request from Giant Foods management, we must streamline our traditional drive. We are limited to four people at any one time, of whom two will interact with Giant customers, one will pack, and one will sort and help overall. Those who do not have a shift are encouraged to participate by planning their own shopping trip at River Hill Giant during the drive. With the shopping list in hand, you can buy some of the pantry's requested items. Groceries collected at the supermarket go to the Howard County Food Bank, which is operated by the Community Action Council of Howard County, and to SAFE, its partner pantry that provides free gluten-free and allergy-safe foods to low-income families and individuals. At our Fall Food Drive held at a Giant supermarket in Dorsey’s Search, we collected 1,776 pounds for the food bank and 307 pounds for SAFE. That combined total of 2,083 pounds amounts to more than a ton of food and staples! During the drives, the experience provides hands-on service not only to our volunteers but also to shoppers we approach with a list of requested items. Most importantly, access to food and necessities is a lifeline for people struggling to make ends meet in Howard County. Thank You for Helping Fulfill this Month's Kindness Pantry Needs! We sent out a LEMS Kindness Pantry needs list earlier this week, with the remaining items we were looking to fulfill for the Kindness Pantry taking place next Wednesday, May 20. We are thrilled to say that every slot has been filled, and we are now complete! Please bring your items to the church by this Sunday, May 17, so we can get them ready. They go in the blue bins in the New Brick Narthex. Many thanks to everyone who has assisted with the Kindness pantry, whether this month or before. Thank you for your commitment to our community school - this simply is not possible with all of YOU! Bring Items for FISH/CCC, and Consider Volunteering to Take Calls from Home FISH and Columbia Community Care (CCC) partnered last year and merged pantries. CCC continues to hand out food at three sites on Saturday mornings and by home delivery to Howard County residents. For information, visit Get Help online. For updates on community services such as youth programs, check CCC’s Facebook page. FISH continues to pick up donated goods from Christ Church and others. Please put non-perishable food and personal care products in the altar basket or in a bin just inside the Parish Hall. Look for a combo label “FISH/CCC”. Please bring baby wipes and diapers, especially large sizes. FISH will continue to provide telephone support to Howard County residents, offering guidance and financial assistance because the personal touch is very important when people are in crisis. For information, ask parishioner and FISH treasurer Andy DeLong (seen in this photo) or email him at 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! SAVE THE DATE! June 7 is the Next Annual Matzohball 5K Run Join in the 22nd Annual Matzohball Run, organized by DreamBuilders member congregation Temple Isaiah on Sunday, June 7th, starting at 8:00 a.m. at Western Regional Park in Woodbine. The proceeds benefit DreamBuilders, Grassroots, HopeWorks, and others to make a difference in the lives of vulnerable communities in need of support. Christ Church supports all of these organizations, so your help directly assists these groups. If you would like more information, please speak with Cathy Gold at church. 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.

Part two of our Mother's Day week photo series brings us to the weekend, and on Saturday, the Center for Spiritual Nourishment celebrated mothers in all walks of life, exploring how we view God as a divine mother and how we celebrate those who have nurtured us. Then on Sunday, we celebrated mothers all morning long, recognizing that mothers come in more forms than we could possibly count, and whether by choice, by circumstance, or simply by pure, unconditional love, each of us has been deeply impacted by them. It goes without saying that we should celebrate mothers every day! #mothersday #CelebrateMom #loveyourmom #episcomd #howardcounty #howardcountymd #ColumbiaMD #youarewelcome #YouAreWelcomeHere

Mother's Day is always a multi-day experience at Christ Church, and ours began at last week's First Wednesday Fellowship. We gathered for our monthly get-together, shared sandwiches, sides, sodas, and sweets, and created handmade flowers to give out to mothers and mother figures at church on Mother's Day. Last weekend brought its own excitement and festivities, and we'll share those photos tomorrow. But be sure to mark your calendars for some of our upcoming gatherings - you can sign up to help for an hour or so at our Food Drive this Saturday, May 16, the rescheduled BBQ, Picnic, and Raffle is on June 14 after church, June 20 has the fantastic annual Summer Tea event at Kate Pearl Tea Room, and June 22 marks the start of Vacation Bible School and Choir Camp - and these are only a fraction of the events coming up. Sign up for our weekly email newsletter by emailing info@christchurchcolumbia.org, and see how you can take part in our common life. YOU ARE WELCOME HERE. www.christchurchcolumbia.org #youarewelcome #everyoneiswelcomehere #episcomd #columbiamaryland #howardcounty #ColumbiaMD #columbiamd

🌼💐🌺🌹🌷 Happy Mother's Day 🌷🌹🌺💐🌼

Easter VI 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: O God, you have prepared for those who love you such good things as surpass our understanding: Pour into our hearts such love towards you, that we, loving you in all things and above all things, may obtain your promises, which exceed all that we can desire; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen. This Sunday's Readings: Acts 17:22-31 Psalm 66:7-18 1 Peter 3:13-22 John 14:15-21 Sermon for This Sunday: Father Manny delivers this Sunday's sermon, and you can view it in the video below once worship has begun. Sunday Worship Livestream: Our service livestream begins just before 10:30 a.m. The service leaflet for this worship is here.