In a few days, we will be ushering in a new year - 2023. Like you, I also hear people expressing sentiments that the year has gone by so fast. Indeed, it has, because we started January 1st not too long ago. My response to these sentiments of the year going by so fast sort of runs like this: when you are busy, the days go by quickly. Like 2020 and 2021, when we had to deal with the new horror of the pandemic, this year has been challenging, as well, and truly devastating for a lot of people. I cannot begin to name the many challenges that each of you has gone through this past year. Many are the difficult stories that I have heard. Many are the tears that I have seen roll down your cheeks over a loss that you had experienced. Many are the mistakes that you and I have made - call them sins, if you may. Many are the ways in which we have disappointed one another. Many are the estranged relationships that bedevil us. Many are the questions and concerns that we yearn for answers to. Life’s tribulations and challenges are numerous, and they can be pretty daunting. To this, I always wonder how people who have no faith deal with the myriad of challenges that come their way. But through all our challenges, faith invites us to soldier on, to believe that all will be well and that all must be well. Mary Peters, in her poem Through the love of God our Saviour, writes this: Though we pass through tribulation, All will be well. Ours is such a full salvation, all, all is well. Happy, still in God confiding, fruitful, if in Christ abiding, holy, through the Spirit’s guiding, all must be well Mary believed that all will be well. And I believe faith invites us to find true joy in our belief that all must be well. I want to share with you a story of a Nigerian billionaire named Femi Otedola. In an interview once, he recounted the levels of happiness that he had experienced. Listen to him: “I have gone through four stages of happiness in life and finally I understood the meaning of true happiness. The first stage was to accumulate wealth and means. But at this stage, I did not get the happiness I wanted. Then came the second stage of collecting valuables and items. But I realized that the effect of this thing is also temporary, and the luster of valuable things does not last long. Then came the third stage of getting big projects. That was when I was holding 95% of the diesel supply in Nigeria and Africa. I was also the largest vessel owner in Africa and Asia. But even here I did not get the happiness I had imagined. The fourth stage was the time a friend of mine asked me to buy wheelchairs for some disabled children, about 200 kids in all. At the friend’s request, I immediately bought the wheelchairs. But the friend insisted that I go with him and hand over the wheelchairs to the children, so I got ready and went with him. There, I gave these wheelchairs to the children with my own hands. I saw the strange glow of happiness on the faces of these children. I saw them all sitting on the wheelchairs, moving around, and having fun. It was as if they had arrived at a picnic spot where they are sharing a jackpot winning. I felt real joy inside me. When I decided to leave, one of the kids grabbed my legs. I tried to free my legs gently, but the child stared at my face and held my legs tightly. I bent down and asked the child, "Do you need something else?" The answer this child gave me not only made me happy but also changed my attitude toward life completely. This child said, “I want to remember your face so that when I meet you in heaven, I will be able to recognize you and thank you once again.” I want to remember your face so that when I meet you in heaven, I will be able to recognize you and thank you once again. This is a profound statement by a kid who had been gifted a wheelchair by someone he didn’t know. A thoughtful statement by a child who probably never thought that he would ever have the luxury of sitting in a wheelchair. A moving statement by a child who, even at his/her young age have had enough of life’s challenges. What challenges do you have? What are the trials that you are going through? This child had probably, in the silence of the night, prayed that they would one day sit in the comfort of a wheelchair. But they clearly didn’t know how or when. And looking at their surroundings, and the children who were in a similar situation, this child might have thought that people didn’t care enough to see them, nor did they care enough to change their circumstances. But someone cared. Femi proved that we can yet believe in one another. Whereas life alerts me to the fact that I cannot take anything for granted, faith invites me to hope for a brighter tomorrow. I may not know how, or when, this tomorrow would come, but faith bids me to always expect this bright tomorrow. Faith bids me to hope in this bright tomorrow. Faith demands that I look at the brighter side of life. Mary concludes her poem with words that sum up our hope for the coming year: We expect a bright tomorrow, All will be well. Faith can sing through days of sorrow, All, all is well. On our Father’s love relying, Jesus every need supplying, in our living, in our dying, all must be well One thing I so admire about the child is the idea that the gratitude they had offered for the wheelchair wasn’t enough. This one child believed that their gratitude extends even to heaven - their hope was to see Femi, the benefactor, in heaven, and then thank him once more. This is a faith that can sing through days of sorrow with the belief that all will be well, that all must be well because this faith relies solely on the Father’s love. On whose love do you rely? This is my hope for tomorrow, my hope for the coming year of 2023. I cannot guarantee that all will be rosy, but with faith, we can sing through the days of sorrow. Relying on the Father’s love, I expect tomorrow to be as bright as the first day of creation. I expect the coming year to be glorious. I expect the coming year to be heavenly because we can tap into this child’s joy and hope. It has been a long year, and you may not need a wheelchair, but we can all make do with a lift from the floor upon which we crawl. I wish you all a glorious and Happy New Year. Manny+

There's so much to love about Christmas... Whether it's the miraculous story of Jesus' birth or the cherished time we spend with family and friends, this is truly a blessed time of year. Join us in the New Brick Sanctuary for our wonderful Christmas services, and thank you for being a member of our family. Yours in faith, Christ Episcopal Church Christ Church's Christmas Pageant Saturday at 4:00 p.m. Everyone is welcome to join us at 4:00 for the Christmas Pageant at Christ Church, a glorious family worship. Our youth are an integral part of a beloved tradition that has been performed for many years, providing folks of all ages with a memorable telling of the greatest story ever told. We will also livestream this service on our website, YouTube, and Facebook, and the service leaflet can be found here. Christmas Eve at Christ Church Saturday at 8:00 and 11:00 p.m. Music and choir begin 30 minutes prior Saturday evening, our excellent choir and instrumentalists will lead the seasonal music presentation prior to both uplifting Festal Eucharist services, so arrive at 7:30 and 10:30 p.m. to grab great seats and join us as we celebrate in joyous song! We will also livestream these services on our website, YouTube, and Facebook, and the service leaflet can be found here. Christmas Day Worship Sunday at 10:00 a.m. Christmas Day Eucharist is a truly wonderful service, and so as the hymnist suggested... “Come and worship… worship Christ, the new-born King!” We will also livestream this service on our website, YouTube, and Facebook, and the service leaflet can be found here.

There’s a story of a rich African father who decided to take his son to his African village to experience how poor people in his village lived. They traveled to the village and spent a day with a poor family. The following day, on their return home, the father asked the son a question. “Son, how was the trip?” he asked. To his surprise, the son responded, “It was great.” The surprised father then asked, “What was great about it? What did you learn from it?” The father continued: “Did you see what they didn’t have in life? Did you see the way they were suffering?” The son responded, “We have one dog; they have four. We have one pool, and they have a river. We have light at night, but they have the stars. We buy food, and they grow their own food. We have walls to protect us; they have friends. We have a television; they spend time with family and friends.” The father’s reaction to the son’s response was one of incredulity. He was utterly speechless. Noticing the disbelief on the father’s face, the son said to the father, “Dad, thank you for showing me how poor we are.” There’s a different kind of richness that cannot be substituted by material wealth, and we make a terrible mistake if we assume that being rich is all material. In my humble opinion, you must be a really poor person if you tend to think that everything is about you. You must be a really miserable person if all you have is centered around you. After all, we have been blessed to bless others. We have been blessed to change the lives of others. And we have been blessed in so many ways to be gracious to so many people. The father thought he was so rich, but the son had to teach him how poor they truly were. But their poverty had nothing to do with material wealth; it was really about the effort that the father put into expressing whatever love that he had for his family and for others. It isn’t your wealth that makes you rich; it is your respect for others, your ability to spend time with others, and the love you demonstrate to others that makes you so. I often remind couples at weddings that love is the only commodity that both the rich and the poor have in equal amounts. It is the one commodity that the Slave and the free, the Black and White, the Gay and Straight, have in equal amounts. The truth, however, is that it may not matter how much you possess - what matters is how rich you see yourself. There’s a story of a rich young man whom Jesus invited to sell all that he had, give the money to the poor, and come follow him. This young, rich man, upon hearing these words, turned round and went away. He simply couldn’t see himself in any other way than how he had come to look at himself - through the prism of his wealth. One of the interesting aspects of Christmas, for me, is the extent to which it reminds me of the blessings of being rich. Many are those who travel far and near to spend time with family - that is being rich. Many are those who invite others into their homes to break bread with them - that is being rich. Many are those who take upon themselves the joy of making others happy during this joyful season - that is being rich. Many are those who choose to devote themselves to others, especially those who are lonely - that is being rich. Many are those who light up the world of others by making the Christmas story come alive for them - that is being rich. Many are those who create familial memories that last a lifetime - that is being rich. Life has never been about little-to-no disagreements, squabbles, or even major conflicts between family and friends. Heaven knows there are many of us who are not on speaking terms with some family members and friends, and some simply don’t even want to see those people with whom they are in conflict. But how rich can you be if you can’t see beyond the conflicts that dehumanize and tear us apart? How rich can you be if your world is determined by anger and disappointments? I remember St. Paul’s sober words to the Church in Rome: If, at all possible, in so far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone. Are you at peace with everyone? How rich are you? When I first relocated to Atlanta from Ghana, I met two priests: David Moss, and his wife, Denni Moss. Denni had just graduated from a seminary I had just enrolled in. Both David and Denni took a particular interest in me and my three roommates and invited us to their house for Christmas and Easter. They knew we had no family in Atlanta, and for them, the best they could do was to be rich towards us by inviting us into their home, spending time with us, and simply being with us - being family to us. The Christmas question is, how rich are you? I believe that you are very rich. I believe you have the capacity in you to welcome, reach out, embrace, reconcile, tend, heal, renew, and give. I know you have it within you to be incredibly rich. I believe you have it within you to love unconditionally. Rumi once wrote these words: They will ask you what you have produced. Say to them, except for love, what else can a lover produce? And so, this Christmas, make it the best one yet. This Christmas, produce love. This Christmas, be rich. I wish you all a very Merry Christmas. Manny+

Support Continues for the Community Action Council, Helping People To Avoid Eviction and To Shop at the Howard County Food Bank Once again, Christ Church is supporting the Community Action Council of Howard County (CAC). Earlier, our Thanksgiving Food Drive and a monetary donation helped with holiday meals through the Howard County Food Bank. To help keep food on the tables through the New Year, Christ Church donated an additional $250 to the food bank. CAC’s food bank was one of the first in the country to install a shopping model identical to navigating a grocery store. “This restores dignity and choice to the families we serve,” CAC says on the Food Assistance section of its website. Thanks to our parishioners for helping make those choices possible! The need is so great that the food bank counts more than 50,000 annual visits. Outreach members at the December meeting also approved a $1,000 donation to CAC for eviction relief and prevention. “Your assistance helps keep the lights on and a family safe in their home,” CAC says on the Energy and Housing Assistance section of its website. The eviction and nutrition funds are the latest approved by the Outreach Commission in 2022 for CAC’s efforts to help disadvantaged residents. Earlier we sent $1,000 for general purposes that include early childhood education. In response, CAC honors Christ Church among its “Village of Supporters” in various ways, including recognition of partners during its annual Holland Awards event. Here’s a hearty “Thank-you” to parishioners for your contributions to Christ Church, as Vestry-approved funds for Outreach purposes go to these good causes – locally, nationally, and internationally. Columbia Community Care Requests Diapers, Personal Care Items At Christ Church, members of R.A.G.E and the Outreach Commission ask parishioners to continue support of the all-volunteer organization, Columbia Community Care (CCC). For updates, such as site distribution closures over the holidays, go online to the CCC Facebook Group. Those looking for ways to help, for example, will find a need for volunteers to sort grocery items at the CCC pantry building, 10750 Little Patuxent Parkway in Columbia. Please keep collecting diapers, baby wipes, sanitary and personal care items and adult diapers. Put any of these in the yellow bin, marked “CCC,” inside the Parish Hall. Drop off items on weekdays when the church office is open or on Sunday. The Christ Church point of contact is Leigh Smith, who monitors the bins and delivers their contents. FISH Asks Our Prayers Along with Snacks and Cookies Our representative from FISH of Howard County sends his thanks for our prayers during 2022 as he has been recovering from surgery. Paul Wisniewski also says other representatives will replace him during 2023. Pickups have resumed from our yellow bin between Old Brick and the Parish Hall. Please continue donating cookies, crackers, and snacks to fulfill the shopping lists. 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.

Want to take a break from the hectic pace of holiday craziness, and unwind with fellow parishioners for an hour or two? Looking for a gathering where you can have a nice chat about interesting religious articles of the day? Theology on Tap is that event, an opportunity for informal, structure-free conversation with other parishioners each month. Theology on Tap takes place tonight, December 21st at The Ale House in Columbia, so come and join us at 7 p.m. for a fun evening! The address is 6480 Dobbin Way. Questions? Email Sarah at sbtrunandsing@gmail.com. Hope to see you there!

CENTERING PRAYER Mondays at 7 p.m. on Zoom Centering Prayer is a receptive method of Christian silent prayer which deepens our relationship with God, moving us beyond conversation with Christ and towards communion with Him. It allows us to take a brief break from the hustle and bustle of our hectic lives and reintroduce much-needed calm and peace. Everyone is welcome to join us for this unique virtual gathering on Mondays at 7:00 p.m., so if you'd like the Zoom details, let us know and we'll send them to you. Email us at info@christchurchcolumbia.org

A Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols Sunday, December 18th at 6:00 p.m. in the New Brick Sanctuary of Christ Church and livestreamed via the CEC website, Facebook, and YouTube Christ Church will hold a Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols in New Brick, a truly wonderful gathering whose origins date back to late 19th century England. All are most welcome to join us in this celebration of glorious carols, anthems, and hymns led by our wonderful choir, interspersed with Bible passages. Please join us - in person or online - for an evening of joyful expression, in word and song, of the greatest story that has ever been told. The leaflet for this service is here.

Immense Gratitude for a Memorable 2022 Angel Tree Drive The Angel Tree drive will be memorable for each of the 12 children whose Christmas wishes are being fulfilled, for their families, and for all the helpers who have made it happen. We focused our support on a group of 10-, 11- and 12-year-olds to meet a need identified by the Howard County (Central Maryland) division of The Salvation Army. It sponsors the Angel Tree in Howard County and elsewhere. Generous parishioners granted many of the children’s wishes, either by purchasing new items or by donating more than $200 for specific purposes such as a scooter. Please accept this hearty “Thank You!” During the hybrid sign-up process, parishioners chose to help six girls and six boys whose families had requested items. These were arranged by category in 48 slots. For example, one wish for electronics in the “educational” category was for a tablet and headphones. All of the “Angels” will have new clothing to wear when they return to school next month, as their needs for outfits, coats, and shoes were apparent. Several of these pre-teens likely had outgrown their old favorites or may have had few options in their closets, based on their parents’ requests to the Salvation Army. How welcome our gifts will be! The logistics of matching parishioners to their “Angels” went smoothly thanks to Matt Gately and Sarah Rich, who set up the hybrid signup with added artistic touches, to tree-decorators Diane Phillips LaGuerre and Patricia Fanning, and to fulfillment volunteer Angela Braham. Once again, Outreach Commission member Melanie Yaksich led the drive at every step from launch to a shopping odyssey to fill gaps. Outreach used nearly $500 in Vestry-approved funds to pay for these purchases, so thanks to all who contribute to Christ Church during the year. Sorting took place on Dec. 10 in the Parish Hall, with Fr. Manny pausing to cheer on Melanie and Angela during the process. The pair delivered the gifts to a warehouse space set up by the Salvation Army so that families in need can receive and wrap the gifts in plenty of time. From the Outreach Commission to all who took part, thanks on behalf of our dozen “Angels.” SLYC Completes the Quilt Raffle at Its Christmas Cafe You’ll recall seeing the beautiful quilt that was handcrafted by parishioner Nancy Winchester to benefit St. Luke’s Youth Center (SLYC). The Baltimore nonprofit completed its quilt raffle on Saturday, Dec. 10, raising more than $1,500 on the sale of tickets. Thanks to all at Christ Church who participated! The raffle took place at the Church of the Good Shepherd in Towson, Md., with Nancy and three members of the Christ Church Outreach Commission looking on as a child drew the winning ticket. The quilt went to Jackie and Jordan Franklin, who are among SLYC’s parent leaders. The occasion was SLYC’s annual Christmas Cafe for kids, families, and supporters. West Baltimore families collaborate in SLYC’s leadership and offerings, which include “Moms on a Mission” and an after-school program. We heard about its founding on Sunday, Aug. 7, when Executive Director Amanda Gardner Talbot delivered the sermon at both services during a visit to Christ Church. The Episcopal Diocese of Maryland is among SLYC partners, and its reparations task force awarded a grant to SYLC and five other organizations. Columbia Community Care Holds Successful Holiday Drive, Plans a Christmas Break From children’s books to arts and crafts, the items donated by parishioners to the 2022 holiday drive were distributed on Dec. 11 by Columbia Community Care (CCC). Our Christ Church volunteer contact, Leigh Smith, took items from the yellow bin to CCC to be added to a trove of treats and gifts for children ages 2 to 12. A long line of parents and siblings waited in chilly, damp weather outside Oakland Mills High School for the chance to obtain kids’ gifts. Inside they found tables piled high, as seen on the above photo from the CCC Facebook Group. Organizer Sue Sharff Castonguay posted: “THANK YOU!! Wow, we had a very successful Holiday Toy Drive today thanks to all of you!” The all-volunteer organization is taking a holiday break. All sites and the pantry will be closed on Saturday, Dec. 24. But there’s no need to take a break from your participation. At Christ Church, members of R.A.G.E and the Outreach Commission ask parishioners to support CCC by collecting diapers, baby wipes, sanitary and personal care items, and adult diapers. Please put any of these items in the yellow bin, marked “CCC,” inside the Parish Hall. You can drop off items on weekdays when the church office is open or on Sunday. FISH Continues to Request Snacks and Cookies in Its Yellow Bin Our representative from FISH of Howard County had surgery earlier this year. Paul Wisniewski is recovering; please pray for his good health. A subsitute is expected to make pickups from our yellow bin between Old Brick and the Parish Hall. Please continue donating cookies, crackers, and snacks to fulfill the shopping lists. 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.

Two Sundays ago, Bishop Ilhoff visited Christ Church and led three services, one of which was a confirmation service, where he confirmed eight of our youth. It was a beautiful service. The candidates had been through Confirmation classes beginning in March of this year. We then took the summer off and resumed in September, meeting on Zoom almost every Sunday afternoon at 2:00 p.m. These confirmation classes were led by Mike, Denise, Marcia, and me. Prior to the Confirmation service, we held a two-day retreat for the candidates. It was beautiful spending time with them, and it was heartwarming seeing young minds with so much ahead of them, with life waiting to be explored, with zeal in need of direction and nurturing, with hope bursting at the seams, and with a faith that, like yours and mine, needed to be fired up. Bishop Ilhoff’s sermon that Sunday hit home with me, and I have been thinking about it quite a bit ever since. It, in fact, reminded me of a story about an elderly African American woman, Edith Childs. Edith - during the 2007 primaries as former U.S. President Barack Obama was campaigning in Greenwood, SC - shouted from the back of a room, “Fired up! Ready to go!” As if it was by design, everyone began to shout, “Fired up! Ready to go!” That became a slogan for a successful presidential campaign. What stuck with me about the sermon was the idea that we are fired up by the spirit and so have been made free to burn with a particular zeal that lends itself to sacrificial love. A prayerful reflection on being fired up led me to a stanza in a hymn “On This Day The First Of Days.” It reads thus: Holy Jesus may I be Dead and buried here with thee And, by love inflamed arise, Unto thee a sacrifice The joy, for me, is the gift of knowing that an awakened love is fired up at the prospect of offering itself as a sacrifice. The joy, for me, is that it is only an inflamed love that can awaken thoughts of sacrifice in us. It is this sacrifice that I see every day at Christ Church. This past Monday, I joined our Outreach Ministry meeting as they narrated all the work that they have done and are doing. At the meeting, I learned that Nancy Winchester, who took over the monthly Christ Church ministry to Dorsey Center/Route 1 back in April of 2011, and after sacrificially serving all these years, she decided to step down so another person who is also fired up for service can lead this important ministry. I am thankful that Shahra Toth will now be leading this ministry. This is also evidence of a love freed to be sacrificial. Over the past several weeks, we have been soliciting your support for our various parish initiatives - pledges, reparations, handbells, Angel Tree, Christmas flowers and music, among others. Sometimes it can be a little too much, and I understand that. The truth, however, is that you are our only source of support, and every single ministry to which we are committed is evidence of a love inflamed to be a sacrifice. Your generosity is evidence of that sacrificial love. I am always amazed by the extent of work we do - marvelous work by many different people, including you. In ways both small and large, all of you chip in to make sure that our ministry is ongoing, our common life is rich, and that each of us feels God’s touch in a way that not only supports the idea that we are fired up, but that we are fired up enough to bring that same fire to the many places of darkness. I read elsewhere that when one is in love, a cliff becomes a meadow. That is the love I feel here at Christ Church, and that is the love that comes alive, especially at this time of the year when each is reminded of the abundant love which makes it possible for us to offer ourselves as sacrifices. We are a few days away from the climax of our Christmas celebrations. If you ask me, Christmas is about being fired up. It is about being set free to be, to be born anew, to be the person who is unchained in expressing boundless compassion, unlimited in choosing love over fear, uninhibited by the desire to grow in their relationship with God and neighbor, touched by grace so unrelenting in its desire for the common good, and excited about being fired up. One more thing before I conclude... this Christmas, I am reminded of the amazing gift of YOU. I give thanks for your ministry and life here at Christ Church. I honor the many and varied ways in which, while being fired up, you bring that divine energy into this community of faith. I cherish the way in which you hold your own selves and families together with an awakened love. My only ask of you this Christmastide, my beloved, is to keep the fire burning in you. Are you ready for Christmas? I am fired up. Manny+

7:00pm: CENTERING PRAYER What is Centering Prayer, you ask? Well, Centering Prayer is a unique method of prayer that helps us be present and open to God, moving us beyond conversation with Christ and towards communion with Him. We gather virtually for a brief time every Monday evening, and newcomers are always welcome to join us for this special gathering. 7:30pm: CHRIST CHURCH OUTREACH'S DECEMBER MEETING The CEC Outreach Commission invites you to join its monthly meeting to learn about opportunities this fall. In keeping with our mission, the scope is local, national, and international. We ask that you stop by our Zoom gathering to learn more about the many Outreach opportunities that can help those less fortunate in our community. There are people and families in need - especially during this hectic time of the year - so even if you're new to our ministry, log into Zoom for a bit and see how you can help. For the Zoom details of all of Christ Church's gatherings, email us at info@christchurchcolumbia.org and we'll send them to you.

Inviting You to Remotely Join Us Next Monday at the Monthly Outreach Meeting As we wind up this year and look ahead to 2023, consider getting more involved in Outreach at Christ Church. Please join us remotely for the commission’s 7:30 p.m. meeting on Monday, Dec. 12. You can help us to fulfill our mission, which has a local, national, and international scope. Email us at outreach@christchurchcolumbia.org for the Zoom details, and join us! Expressing Gratitude as the 2022 Angel Tree Drive Draws to a Close on December 9th Many slots were being taken last Sunday to brighten Christmas for 12 children in this year’s Christ Church Angel Tree drive. Our deadline of Friday, Dec. 9th at 2 p.m. is fast approaching to turn in gifts! Names of the 10-, 11-, and 12-year-olds can be found on the 2022 Christ Church Angel Tree SignUp List and on the easel near the Angel Tree in the Narthex. We are focusing our support on children in this age range to meet a need identified by the Howard County (Central Maryland) division of The Salvation Army. The nonprofit organization oversees the Angel Tree initiative here and elsewhere. Columbia Community Care Winds Up Holiday Drive, Recruits Help for Dec. 11 Distribution At Christ Church, we’ve been participating in the annual holiday drive held by Columbia Community Care (CCC) for children ages 2 to 12, as described in the CCC Facebook group. Our effort, with a deadline of 2 p.m. Friday, Dec. 9th has focused on books and arts and crafts. Many parishioners have already put their items into the yellow bin in the Parish Hall, along with the usual diapers, baby wipes, sanitary and personal care items. Our point of contact is parishioner Leigh Smith. CCC also needs volunteers to sort the unwrapped kids’ gifts and to help distribute them at Oakland Mills High School on Sunday, Dec. 11th from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. or until supplies run out. Would-be volunteers may sign up online. Volunteer to Serve a Meal or Add to the Menus Enjoyed by Our Homeless Friends at the DRC and Grassroots Once again you can take part in the Christ Church tradition of helping the homeless on the second Monday of each month. To join us on Dec. 12th, please sign up by Sunday, Dec. 11th. 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 also gather at that time to car-pool to Jessup. Parishioners who cook or shop for the evening meal for 50 residents of a live-in center on Freetown Rd. make their drop-off later, arriving in the parking lot at 3:15 p.m. A volunteer transporting the food departs at 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 in both on Nov. 14th. Shahra Toth, with the continuing assistance of Dione Mahoney, becomes our coordinator starting this month. Nancy Winchester will continue to acquire the fried chicken. These facilities for the homeless are both operated by the Grassroots Crisis Intervention Center. It’s efficient to provide for groups at two separate venues on the same day. Your donations and Vestry-approved funds pay for the 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 under the words “Related Files” on each of the signup sites online. SLYC Invites Christ Church to its Dec. 10 Christmas Cafe Several of us are planning to carpool to attend the “Christmas Cafe” to be held by St. Luke’s Youth Center (SLYC) from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturday, Dec. 10th. The location is the Church of the Good Shepherd, 1401 Carrollton Ave., Towson, MD 21204. For information, please email outreach@christchurchcolumbia.org. The annual celebration, which includes food, music, and gifts, will be the occasion when SLYC completes its quilt raffle. Many of you bought raffle tickets during a visit to Christ Church by SLYC leaders on Aug. 7th, when the queen-size quilt was on display. It was sewn and donated by our own Nancy Winchester, who plans to attend the event. Christ Church is among the area congregations that support SLYC, which is the former St. Luke’s Episcopal parish. The Episcopal Diocese of Maryland is among partners, and its reparations task force awarded a grant to SYLC and five other organizations. FISH Continues to Request Snacks and Cookies in Its Yellow Bin Our representative from FISH of Howard County had surgery earlier this year. Paul Wisniewski is recovering; please pray for his good health. Pickups have resumed from our yellow bin between Old Brick and the Parish Hall. Please continue donating cookies, crackers, and snacks to fulfill the shopping lists. 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.