Easter II 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. The Reverend Richard A. Ginnever, Christ Church's Rector Emeritus, will lead us in worship this Sunday, April 12. He will be present at all three services, so gather and welcome him back home to Christ Church! Collect for Today: Almighty and everlasting God, who in the Paschal mystery established the new covenant of reconciliation: Grant that all who have been reborn into the fellowship of Christ's Body may show forth in their lives what they profess by their faith; 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 2:14a,22-32 1 Peter 1:3-9 John 20:19-31 Psalm 16 Sermon for This Sunday: The Rev. Yehinuel Odidi delivers this Sunday's sermon, and you can view it in the video below once the service has begun. Sunday Worship Livestream: Our service livestream begins just before 10:30 a.m. The service leaflet for this worship is here .

Center for Spiritual Nourishment - This Saturday Morning 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. We gather for breakfast at 8:30 a.m. and sessions begin at various times; you can find the schedule here. Programs for April center on the theme Living the Resurrection and include something for every spirit seeking nourishment: -Mindfulness in the Garden -Resurrection and Purpose: Discovering Your Calling after Easter -Christian Meditation: Don't Hold onto Me -Film Screening: A Case for Christ -Spiritual Direction Circle You can find all the details at CECevents.org/CSN , or sign up for the CSN mailing list at our website: christchurchcolumbia.org/spiritual-nourishment

Inviting You to Join Our Monthly Outreach Meeting next Monday, April 13 Learn many ways to help others by joining us remotely for the Outreach Commission meeting next Monday at 7:30 p.m. Our mission addresses many areas of need and spans local, national, and international levels. The meeting will open with a guest presentation by Dr. Liz Trimnell of Living Above Limitations Charity Foundation, which helps the blind in Nigeria. It's a tough time for many individuals and families, so if you feel called to assist in any way, we can help get you started with a ministry that speaks to you. We hope you'll join us for a brief time next Monday evening - email outreach@christchurchcolumbia.org for the Zoom details. LEMS Kindness Pantry for April School is back in session after spring break, and it is time for us to ask you to contribute items to the Kindness Pantry at Lake Elkhorn Middle School. These donations are needed by next Sunday, April 19th, as the next Pop-Up Pantry is on Wednesday, April 22. Please visit our SignUpGenius link to select the necessary supplies, and place your items in the blue bins in the New Brick Narthex. Thank you so much for your kindness and generosity! This is a wonderful promise from God to those who assist the hungry: If you spend yourselves on behalf of the hungry and satisfy the needs of the oppressed, then your light will rise in the darkness, and your night will become like the noonday. The Lord will guide you always; he will satisfy your needs in a scorched land and will strengthen your frame. You will be like a well-watered garden, like a spring whose waters never fail.  Isaiah 58: 10-11  Order Tickets by April 15 to Enjoy a Harbor Cruise that Benefits the Baltimore International Seafarers' Center Get a fresh view of Baltimore’s skyline during the Annual Harbor Cruise on Wednesday, April 22, to support the Baltimore International Seafarers’ Center , a program of the Episcopal Diocese of Maryland . The center provides spiritual care and hospitality to mariners, who are working far from their homes and loved ones around the world.   Tickets are $75 each. Organizers urge participants to purchase their tickets here by next Wednesday, April 15 . The cruise offers spectacular views of the harbor, as seen by a group from Christ Church in 2023. Plan to board the “Catherine Marie” promptly at 4:45 p.m. at Baltimore Finger Piers, 555 Light St., Baltimore. Once aboard, you’ll enjoy an all-you-can-eat buffet while exploring the working Port of Baltimore from the water. Guests usually disembark at approximately 7 p.m.   The Women of Christ Church have long supported the Seafarers with its holiday collection of woolens, magazines, and other items for mariners. Many more people became aware of the center in 2024 after the tragic collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge. The director of the center, the Rev. Joshua Messick, has continued to minister to members of the crew of t he disabled container ship that struck the bridge.   The ship has long since departed, the bridge is being demolished, and the state is working toward a replacement. But several members of that crew remain in Baltimore for legal reasons, as described in a March 26 article in The Baltimore Banner .  Help Grassroots by Providing Food for the Homeless next Monday, April 13 On the second Monday of each month, Christ Church serves a hot midday meal at the Day Resource Center (DRC), operated by the Grassroots Crisis Intervention Center . We last participated on March 9.   A team led by Outreach member Shahra Toth makes side dishes and desserts that we serve in person after car-pooling to the Leola Dorsey Center in Jessup. To help on Monday, April 13, please check our DRC online signup form , which describes the procedure. Drop-off time is 12:45 p.m. in the parking lot near Old Brick.   Another way to help our hungry neighbors is to shop for the pantry at the DRC and Grassroots’ two other sites. We welcome in-kind donations of items such as canned meats and hearty soups, peanut butter, and fruit cups to be dropped off that day or ahead of time in the Parish Hall kitchen for delivery on the second Mondays. Find Grassroots’ monthly needs list on our signups under “Related Files.” Starting this month, Christ Church resumes providing the evening meal at Grassroots’ Emergency Shelter, which had altered routines during the winter months to accommodate Code Blue users. Parishioners who cook or shop for that meal are asked to arrive between 3:15 and 3:30 p.m. in the Old Brick parking lot, where a volunteer picks up the food for delivery to Grassroots. Its staff handles serving the evening meal to shelter residents, who currently include nearly 40 children.   Get details in our Grassroots online signup form . It’s efficient to provide for both venues on the same day, feeding more than 150 people in total. Your donations and Vestry-approved funds pay for the fried chicken entrees. Thank 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 their pantries. CCC continues to hand out food at three sites on Saturday mornings and deliver it to Howard County residents. For information, go online to Get Help . Find CCC updates, including an anniversary celebration  on March 14, on its 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 (see 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 FISH's financial assistance. Training is provided. Thank you always for your support. 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.

The Reverend Richard A. Ginnever, Christ Church's Rector Emeritus, will lead us in worship this Sunday, April 12. He will be at all three services, so gather and welcome him back home to Christ Church! We have three services on Sunday: 8:00 a.m. in Old Brick 9:00 a.m. Family Worship in New Brick 10:30 a.m. Choral Eucharist in New Brick Sunday School and all formation classes return this Sunday, as well. This is a place where lives are renewed. YOU ARE ALWAYS WELCOME HERE.

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 Because He lives I was dead in the grave I was covered in sin and shame I heard mercy call my name He rolled the stone away Because He lives, I can face tomorrow Because He lives, every fear is gone I know He holds my life, my future, in His hands   © 2014 Hanna Street Music (BMI) (adm. at CapitolCMGPublishing.com )/ Sony/ATV Tree Publishing / I Am A Pilgrim Songs (BMI) / Sony/ATV Timber Publishing / Open Hands Music (SESAC) / Alletrop Music (BMI) (adm. by Music Services) / worshiptogether.com Songs (ASCAP) Worship Together Music (BMI) sixsteps Music (ASCAP) sixsteps Songs (BMI) S.D.G. Publishing (BMI) (adm. at CapitolCMGPublishing.com )

Grassroots Offers Community Members a Two-Day Workshop on Skills to Help Prevent Suicides Grassroots Crisis Intervention Center will hold a suicide prevention workshop for anyone who wishes to learn potentially life-saving skills. The ASIST Training is for individuals who want to feel more comfortable, confident, and competent in helping prevent the immediate risk of suicide. “You don’t need any prior training to attend ASIST, just a willingness to make a difference,” says the Grassroots’ post about the event. The workshop takes place on Thursday, April 30, and Friday, May 1, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. both days. Participants must be 18 or older and are expected to attend in full on both days. The sessions will be held at Grassroots’ administrative offices, 6700 Freetown Rd., Columbia, Md. 21044. Training will be provided by certified ASIST trainers from Grassroots. ASIST, which is listed as a resource by a federal agency, is an acronym for Applied Suicide Intervention Skills Training. The cost of $50, plus internet fees, includes lunch and materials. The registration website describes the techniques as widely used by professionals and the general public. Participants will learn how to recognize and assess the risk of suicide, use an effective suicide-prevention model, and define and maximize community resources. Many parishioners are familiar with Grassroots’ help for the homeless. But that’s only one part of its broader mission, which includes mental health services. For example, it provides 24-hour crisis intervention, including a supportive counseling hotline . Christ Church got an overview and learned about Grassroots’ recent expansion during a visit last fall by Anna Katz, Grassroots director of grants and support. Read a recap of the visit in the Outreach Blog of Oct. 9, 2025 and view a YouTube video of her Zoom presentation during Sunday Circle on Sept. 21, 2025 below. Bring Items for FISH/CCC, and Consider Volunteering to Take Calls from Home FISH   and Columbia Community Care  (CCC) partnered last year and merged their pantries. CCC continues to hand out food at three sites on Saturday mornings and deliver it to Howard County residents. For information, go online to Get Help . Find CCC updates, including an anniversary celebration  on March 14, on its 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 (see 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 FISH's financial assistance. Training is provided. Thank you always for your support. 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.

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 express our joy. At all three, the Easter sermon is given, and the glory of the day radiates from our worship into the community. Celebrations on this day include the annual Easter Egg Hunt and the ceremony of the Flowering of the Cross. These are beloved celebrations for the younger ones among us, and the rest of us ensure a safe and fun time for all. Please bring any cut flowers you may have - as well as your basket or bag for the egg hunt! Join us for worship on this incredibly special day. If you cannot be with us in person, you can worship virtually at 9:00 or 11:00 a.m. below. The service leaflet is here . And if you would like to read Father Manny's sermon text, you can do so here .

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 symbolizing Christ. Then, within that light, lessons are read which remind us of God’s desire for man’s salvation. The Sacrament of Holy Baptism focuses on the priesthood of all believers, and then we celebrate the first Eucharist of Easter. The darkness is now full light!  Join us tonight, April 4 at 7:00 p.m. for an unforgettable worship gathering. And if you can't join us in person, you can worship virtually below. The service leaflet is here . And the sermon tonight is given by Rev. Yehinuel Odidi - you can read his sermon's text here .

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 forward in reverence of the cross, by touching the wood, a simple bow, a genuflection, or the act of kissing the wood of the cross. The noonday service lasts one hour and draws our attention to the extraordinary love that God has for each of us in giving His son to die on the cross. The evening service is slightly longer, as we also receive communion from the Sacrament Reserved. Church tradition prohibits the celebration of the Eucharist on this day. YOU ARE ALWAYS WELCOME AT CHRIST CHURCH. If you can't gather with us for the 7 p.m. service, you can view the livestream below. Ther service leaflet can be found at https://cecliturgy.org/GoodFriday2026 . Check out all of our Easter weekend services and gatherings at https://www.christchurchcolumbia.org/holyweek   #goodfriday   #lent   #episcomd   #holyweek   #GatherWithUs   #youarewelcome   #everyoneiswelcome

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. Nasrudin told him he had lost his key, so the neighbor also got down on his hands and knees to search with him. After a while, the neighbor asked, ‘Are you sure you lost the key here?’ “No, I didn’t lose it here; I lost it in my house," he answered. “Then why are you looking for it out here?” the neighbor demanded. “Because the light is so much better here,” he replied. We are all like Nasruddin. When we search for our missing key, we look outside of ourselves, where the light seems good. But the key is inside of us. It is inside of us; it resides in the heart, which is the heartbeat of what makes us human. I have no doubt that it is the heart that makes us human and constantly reminds us of how human we all are. I want to be that human who is in with the heart, which not only makes me human, but whose deepest desires prove to us that the universe is not centered on us. The deepest desires of the heart direct us toward that which is beyond ourselves, to things seemingly out of reach but toward which our vital energies are oriented. The deepest desire of the heart is not to settle for the small, cramped places where we so often want to live. The heart pulls us toward creative self-expression, expansiveness, and self-actualization. The heart calls us to genuine intimacy, and it points us toward release from the prison of isolated individuality. The heart invites us to a place of connection, fulfillment, aliveness, and wholeness. The deepest desire of the heart is an invitation to a place of both greater height and greater depth. The heart encourages us to soar on the winds of the spirit (breath) and be grounded in the realities of dust. The heart points us toward the transcendent self but encourages us to remain anchored in the mundane and immanent.  The deepest desire of the heart is for each of us to be all that we can humanly be. That isn’t an easy or small task, but it is a fulfilling task because apart from being human, what else can you be? It is important to me, and I am sure to everyone in this congregation, that as people of faith, we look at each other through the prism of what our hearts require of us. If the heart is the symbol of love, then it stands to reason that there is no other way to connect heart-to-heart with each other without the gift of love. It is the heart that provides the eyes for love to see and hands for love to embrace. It is the heart that allows love to affirm. It is the heart that inspires love to engage. It is the heart that mitigates any of our selfish desires and helps us look at each piece of our lives, broken or unbroken, unmitigated mess or not, evil or holy, dwelling in the abyss of human depression or being at the peak of life itself, that our connectedness with each other surpasses any of the challenges and gifts that life may throw our way.  As we prepare to celebrate Easter, I am reminded of the sacrificial love that pours from a heart that refuses to be consumed by anything that pretends to be more than human or less than human. Easter, if you agree with me, honor the gift of being human. It is as if to say that we cannot abandon the sanctity of being human, nor can we trade the gift of being human for anything else. This is because Easter crowns our ineffable joys and assures us that we embody the reason our Savior died for us. That is not all, Easter reminds us of the value of a heart that makes life both possible and worth living. Easter makes me want to live because I have the heart to live and a heart to love. Here’s a quote by James Baldwin: “The longer I live, the more deeply I learn that love — whether we call it friendship or family or romance — is the work of mirroring and magnifying each other’s light. Gentle work. Steadfast work. Life-saving work in those moments when life and shame and sorrow occlude our own light from view, yet there is still a clear-eyed, loving person to beam it back. In our best moments, we are that person for another.” To be human is to have hearts that mirror each other - not a perfect mirroring, but a mirroring anyway. It is the kind of mirroring that makes you see yourself come alive in the other person. And when you see yourself come alive in the other, you not only magnify each other, but you magnify the greatest gift which each can give to the other. This Easter season, I am deeply reminded of the sacred duty to come alive in you. That is because of the resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ, we have been given a new lease of life, to come alive in each other, to magnify each other, and to fill each other with abundant life. In a sense, Easter can only come alive in me if I am willing to come alive in you. And it is not only because my heart is connected to yours, but because my heart touches your heart in a way that neither you nor I can explain. If we are all connected to both dust and breath, then maybe, just maybe, Easter's real story is that it awakens the heart to see why it is that one organ whose beat makes us human. Happy Easter, my beloved.  Manny+ (this is the second excerpt from my Wednesday Evening in Lent program)

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.” As the service concludes, the altar is stripped of all of its appointments, so that the focus of all can be upon the cross alone on the following day, Good Friday. We then hear of the Agony in the Garden, as Jesus is arrested.  The Watch then takes place in response to our Lord’s question, “Could you not watch with me for one hour?”   We remember that night with a Vigil in Old Brick, which runs from 8:00 p.m. tonight until 12:00 noon tomorrow, which is Good Friday. Each hour, we invite parishioners to participate in the Vigil by signing up for a time that works for you.  The sign-up sheet is available here , and you're welcome to sign up for just one hour or choose to stay for a couple of hours. YOU ARE ALWAYS WELCOME AT CHRIST CHURCH. Check out all of our Holy Week and Easter services and gatherings here . And if you cannot join us in person tonight, you can worship virtually. The service leaflet is here , and the livestream is below. You can also read Father Manny's sermon text here .   #holyweek   #MaundyThursday   #maundythursday   #episcomd   #howardcountymd   #howardcountymaryland   #columbiamd   #columbiamaryland   #columbiamdchurch   #columbiachurch   #episcopal   #episcopalian   #lent   #YouAreWelcomeHere   #youarewelcome