Depending on when I fall asleep, I am usually up by 4:00 a.m. Today was no different. I woke up, prayed, read some emails and some news, texted a few people, and simply relaxed in bed, thinking about what I planned to share with you all today. In fact, my plan was to write about a question: “What don’t you know?” But as I thought about it while daylight broke, I picked up a call from my brother. The message of his call broke my heart to pieces and was so painful that I had to change what I had planned to share with you. I lost a dear brother. I was with this brother recently - July 19th, to be precise. He looked healthy and strong. In fact, he has always been strong. We talked about so many different things. We went all the way back to the time when we were in Sunday School and learned a particular song. He was surprised that I remembered that song. And then a little over a week after our parting, this young soul passes on. For what? Why? These are questions that I can never stop asking. They go to the core of the mystery of who we are as human beings, as people, and as living creatures who have a beginning and an end. You may be asking similar questions, too. I know, for example, a parishioner who had to deal with the loss of three family members within six months. Her questions are similar to mine... For what? Why? Times like these remind me of the words of James: “Why, you do not even know what tomorrow will bring. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes.” More so, it reminds me of Jesus’ parable of the Rich Fool, which we will read in Church this Sunday. Life is given and life is taken away, often without our input and beyond our control. So, where do we go from here? A philosophy professor stood before his class with some items on the table in front of him. When the class began, he picked up a very large and empty mayonnaise jar and proceeded to fill it with rocks, each about 2 inches in diameter. He then asked the students if the jar was full. They agreed that it was. Then the professor then picked up a box of pebbles and poured them into the jar. He shook the jar lightly. The pebbles, of course, rolled into the open areas between the rocks. He then asked students if the jar was full. They agreed it was. The professor subsequently picked up a box of sand and poured it into the jar. Of course, the sand filled up the remaining open areas of the vessel. He then asked once more if the jar was full. The students responded with a unanimous “Yes.” “Now,” said the professor, “I want you to recognize that this jar represents your life. The rocks are the important things - family, partner, health, children - things that, if everything else was lost and one remained, your life would still be full. The pebbles are the other things that matter, like your job, house, and car. The sand is everything else - the small stuff. If you put the sand into the jar first, he continued, “There is no room for the pebbles or the rocks. The same goes for your life. If you spend all your time and energy on the small stuff, you will never have room for the things that are important to you. Pay attention to the things that are critical to your happiness. Play with your children. Take your partner out dancing or go for a walk. There will always be time to go to work, clean the house, give a dinner party, or fix the disposal.” Take care of the rocks first - the things that really matter. Set your priorities. The rest is just sand. Remember this: the question is not so much about life being insignificant, empty, or worthless. If it were so, Christ Jesus wouldn’t have died to save us. There is some worth to life, but what do we consider to be the important things in life? What are the rocks in your life? What are the pebbles in your life? What’s the sand in your life? If I am here today and gone tomorrow with no trace, then what should, or can, I do? What should be my drive? What should be my motivation for life? What should be my dream in life? What does my life consist of? I may not know the answers to all these questions. But one thing is clear to me: the important things in life may not be money, wealth, or possessions - they never have been and never will be. The important things may be the loving relationships that you keep, so develop them, nurture them, build them, sustain them, cherish them, and give meaning to them. That may be the answer to our longing questions... For What? Why? Manny.

LEMS Partnership: Please Help Us this Weekend Thanks to all of you who have expressed an interest in helping with the Lake Elkhorn Middle School Partnership. To date, we have received over $3,000, enabling us to order school supplies for 125 students. We will need your assistance in putting bags together for 50 students on Saturday morning, July 30th from 9:00 to 11:00 a.m. in the church office basement. Some of the boxes of supplies are heavy, so people with strong arms and backs are helpful, but all help is appreciated. The supplies for the remaining 75 students will be distributed over the course of the school year, as needed. We also need help at the church on Tuesday, August 16th from 9:00 to 11:00 a.m. to deliver the supplies to Lake Elkhorn Middle School. We are in need of a truck or van to transport the supplies and people who are able to load and unload heavy boxes, so if you can help, please let us know. We are extremely thankful for the financial assistance that we have received thus far. In addition to school supplies, Melissa Shindell, principal at LEMS, has asked if we can support their staff appreciation pizza party on August 26th and possibly buy the staff spirit wear as we did last year. If you would like to support these activities that help both students and staff start the school year with enthusiasm, you may give in any of the following ways: If you’d like to write a check, please make sure you write “LEMS school supplies” on the memo line, drop it off at the church office, or mail it in. For giving online via computer/tablet, you'll find our "Support Christ Church" button at the top of every page of our website, or you can click here. On the secure form, choose "LEMS" from the FUND drop-down menu and write "school supplies" on the MEMO line. To give via text, simply text CECGIVING to 73256 using your mobile device, and you'll immediately receive a link to our secure form. Click the link, choose "LEMS" from the FUND drop-down menu, and write "School Supplies" on the MEMO line so that your donation is used as you wish. (Note: This number will never send you unsolicited texts. To cancel further messages, text STOP. If you need assistance with text giving, text HELP. Standard text message and data rates may apply). If you have questions about our LEMS partnership or would like to help on either of those days, please contact Cathy Whittaker at catharinewhittaker@gmail.com. Thank you! Claggett’s Camps Offer Restful Getaways to Developmentally-Disabled Adults and to Children From Families Coping with the Opioid Crisis Rest, play, pray, and build lifelong friendships. This description of a session at the Claggett Camp and Conference Center applies to more than one set of campers who have made their way this week and next to the 268-acre site with its view of Sugarloaf Mountain. On Sunday, July 24th, a group of adults with developmental disabilities started their session of fun and friendship at Special Challenge Camp. For more than 40 years, volunteers and Claggett counselors have offered these adults 21 and older a relaxing experience at the retreat in scenic Adamstown, Maryland. Activities include nature hikes, swimming, fishing, canoeing, arts and crafts, and daily chapel. Starting Sunday, July 31st, young people whose family life has been upended by the nation’s opioid crisis will spend a week at Claggett’s Camp Spirit Song, which lasts through August 5th. At each camp, one person who might not otherwise afford to participate can attend thanks to parishioners at Christ Church. At the Outreach Commission meeting in May, we approved a $1,300 donation to Claggett toward expenses at the two different camps. The funds come from the commission’s Vestry-approved budget for 2022, which is derived from your pledges and contributions. Thanks to all on behalf of our campers – and their extended families – for an experience that is meaningful at the moment while having a year-round impact. Please lift them in your prayers. The first camp program of its kind on the East Coast, Camp Spirit Song serves children entering grades 4 to 8 who can benefit from a week of fun and more. Activities include swimming, games, crafts, canoeing, a ropes course, and chapel. Campers are drawn from Province III of the Episcopal Church. That is made up of a group of dioceses in Maryland, Delaware, Virginia, West Virginia, Pennsylvania, and Washington, D.C. The Episcopal Diocese of Maryland, which operates Claggett, describes Camp Spirit Song as a “safe space created for children to have fun while surrounded by caring, compassionate staff and peers who can relate to their experiences.” Given the aftermath of a tragic overdose or the other ways that children can be harmed by their loved one's addiction, the motivation is simple. Provide children “an opportunity to meet God through the support of a Christian community, fellowship with peers who share a common experience, and time to rest and play away from the distractions of everyday life,” said a Claggett statement when Camp Spirit Song resumed last year after a pandemic hiatus in 2020. Camp Spirit Song was first held in 2019. As the Maryland Diocese said in a news release: “The Claggett Center partnered with the SpiritWorks Foundation to provide children an opportunity to lay down some of their heavy burdens and just be kids for a week.” The healing includes daily small-group sessions led by Spiritworks counselors. After its first season, BBC America featured it in 2019, as Part III of a documentary series on struggles with opioid addiction in the United States. (View at 0:47 to 5:33 minutes and from 43:55 to the end for a look at the camp in session.) Claggett collaborates through Camp Spirit Song with Partnership to End Addiction, an organization dedicated to ending substance abuse and supporting families and teens in recovery. The organization has a state-by-state list of partners that includes Claggett and five others in Maryland. Please share with someone whom you may know in need of help. Columbia Community Care Requests Diapers, Personal Care Items At Christ Church, members of the Outreach Commission and our Racially Aware Group of Episcopalians ask parishioners to continue supporting the all-volunteer organization, Columbia Community Care (CCC). Please collect diapers, baby wipes, sanitary and personal care items, and adult diapers. Put them in the yellow bin, marked “CCC,” inside the Parish Hall on weekdays when the church office is open or on Sunday. Our representative is Violet Smith, who takes parishioners’ donated items to a CCC site for distribution on Saturdays. Updated information about distribution can be found on the CCC Group on Facebook. Donate Toiletries, Cleaning Supplies for FISH in its Yellow Bin Organizers for FISH of Howard County are continuing to ask for cookies, crackers, and snacks to fulfill its shopping lists. The yellow bin is between Old Brick and the Parish Hall. Thanks for your contributions. 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.

Pentecost VII 8:00 & 10:30 a.m. in New Brick Today's Collect: O God, the protector of all who trust in you, without whom nothing is strong, nothing is holy: Increase and multiply upon us your mercy; that, with you as our ruler and guide, we may so pass through things temporal, that we lose not the things eternal; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen. Readings for Pentecost V: Genesis 18:20-32 Psalm 138 Colossians 2:6-15, (16-19) Luke 11:1-13 Today's Sermon: Deacon Denise's sermon for today, entitled "Let's Get Personal," can be read here. Today's Service Livestream: You can worship with today's livestream by using the service leaflet that's located here.

Thanks to all of you who have expressed an interest in helping with the 2022 Lake Elkhorn Middle School Partnership. We're currently in the process of getting the supplies together for 125 students and will need your assistance in putting bags together for 50 students on Saturday morning, July 30th from 9:00 to 11:00 a.m. Some of the boxes of supplies are heavy, so people with strong arms and backs are appreciated, but not required. The supplies for the remaining 75 students will be distributed over the course of the school year, as needed. We also need help at the church on Tuesday, August 16th from 9:00 to 11:00 a.m. to deliver the supplies to Lake Elkhorn Middle School. We are also in need of a truck or van to transport the supplies and people who are able to load and unload heavy boxes, so if you can help, please let us know. We so appreciate the financial assistance that we have received thus far. In addition to school supplies, Melissa Shindell, principal at LEMS, has asked if we can support their staff appreciation pizza party on August 26th and possibly buy the staff spirit wear as we did last year. If you would like to support these activities that help both students and staff start the school year with enthusiasm, you may give in any of the following ways: If you’d like to write a check, please make sure you write “LEMS school supplies” on the memo line, drop it off at the church office, or mail it in. For giving online via computer/tablet, you'll find our "Support Christ Church" button at the top of every page of our website, or you can click here. On the secure form, choose "LEMS" from the FUND drop-down menu and write "school supplies" on the MEMO line. To give via text, simply text CECGIVING to 73256 using your mobile device, and you'll immediately receive a link to our secure form. Click the link, choose "LEMS" from the FUND drop-down menu, and write "School Supplies" on the MEMO line so that your donation is used as you wish. (Note: This number will never send you unsolicited texts. To cancel further messages, text STOP. If you need assistance with text giving, text HELP. Standard text message and data rates may apply). If you have questions about our LEMS partnership or would like to help on either of those days, please email us at lemspc@christchurchcolumbia.org. Thank you!

My first introduction to the idea of an instrument was when I first learned about the Mathematical Set for school - "math set," for short. It was a very popular educational kit among students in grade school. For some, it was more like a rite of passage. I don’t remember ever seeing one in the United States but among children in former British colonies, it still is very popular. A math set a rectangular shaped aluminum container which holds the following instruments: 17 cm pencil, 15 cm clear plastic ruler, Alphabet and numeric stencils, Lab instrument stencils, Metal divider compass, 180° protractor, 45° set square, 60°, sharpener, eraser and useful fact sheet. Every kid in my class had one for their maths lessons. Although it was a proud moment for each kid, it didn’t take long for kids to begin losing the instruments. Looking back, what was fascinating about the math set was the different types of instruments contained within. Each had a different name, was shaped differently and functioned differently but each was an instrument, nonetheless. And each of us, you and I are instruments too. St Francis’ prayer was that we may be instruments of peace, not the kind of peace which the world cannot give, but God’s peace. That peace which surpasses human understanding. Men and women - instruments - of goodwill must work for that peace. A few days ago, the members of The Spiritual Life Commission held their annual meeting to prayerfully consider our parish theme for the coming year which begins in September. The theme that the Commission settled on is Be an Instrument of God’s Peace. This is part of the Prayer of St. Francis. I was moved by the desire of members to consider the state of our individual lives, our communities, our nation, and our world - the state of our math set - and to invite us, those who are born instruments, to now BE instruments. I do not think Francis was talking about the math set with his prayer. But I think he was talking about the role each instrument in a math set can play - the one role that you play as an instrument. Let's imagine that the world is a math set, and we are all instruments in a math set, different instruments, yet useful in creating a kind of world that engenders and flourishes in peace. So, St. Francis prays: Make me a channel of your peace Where there is hatred let me bring your love Where there is injury, your pardon Lord And where there is doubt true faith in You Where there is despair in life let me bring hope Where there is darkness only light And where there's sadness ever joy Oh, Master grant that I may never seek So much to be consoled as to console To be understood as to understand To be loved as to love with all my soul The reality is that God will not come down and make peace for us... instruments like you and me must be that peace, and we must work for that peace. God has already provided us with the means by which we can achieve that peace. There’s a story of a husband who went to see a doctor with this complaint: “Doc,” he said, “I think my wife is going deaf.” The doctor gave it some thought and said, “I need to understand the extent of the problem, so go home and try talking to her at different distances, from 20 feet to 10 feet, but remember to keep your voice at the same volume each time.” So, the man went home and immediately started the experiment. First, he stood 20 feet away from the wife who was washing dishes by the sink and asked in an even voice, “Honey, what’s for dinner?” He heard no response. He moved closer to 18 feet and tried again. “Honey, what’s for dinner?” Still no answer. He inched closer still... 15 feet. “Honey, what’s for dinner?” Nothing. 10 feet. “Honey, what’s for dinner?” Silence. Finally, the man came and stood directly behind his wife and asked in a clear voice, “Honey, what’s for dinner?” His wife turned away from the sink and glared at her husband. “Like I told you four times already, we’re having chicken. Are you growing deaf?” If I were to ask you what is wrong with our society, your list would include some of the following: erosion of values, failures of our systems, destruction of the family unit, discrimination, gun violence, racism, failing schools, corruption, injustice, unfair practices in the workplace, inadequate housing, poverty, and a host of others, not least a challenging economy. It is interesting how we blame others for all our problems. But if we insist that it is someone else’s fault, then it stands to reason that we must wait for that someone to change their behavior before problems can be solved. But if we are to assume full responsibility for the problems created by ourselves and by others, then the only person who must change for our problems to be solved is YOU - God’s instrument. St. Augustine, one of the Early Church fathers wrote a treatise, the City of God. In it, Augustine presents two visions of human life: one that accepts the place of disaster, death, and disappointment, while the other holds out hope of a better life and therefore provides a sense of direction in the world. In chapter 19, especially, he writes about peace and makes the claim that all creatures, even wild animals desire to have peace. He further writes the following: “Those in the City of God are active in their pursuit of peace with fellow man (woman), regardless of the fellow man’s (woman’s) religion or philosophy.” Being active is making yourself a useful instrument in the pursuit of peace without any recourse to barriers. The point St. Augustine seeks to make is one where the burden is on the instruments in the City of God, those whose eyes are set on the eternal good, to use earthly and temporal things to achieve that particular end - the good. See, "The man of faith, of energy, of warmth…steps in and does something.” Vincent van Gogh wrote to his brother Theo. He also wrote that “Many painters are afraid of a blank canvas, but a blank canvas is afraid of the truly passionate painter who dares-and who has once broken the spell of ‘you can’t.’” Can you be that painter who isn’t afraid of the canvas? A man or woman of faith is God’s painter - let the world be your canvas because you can paint beautiful pictures that evoke serenity and point us towards that City of God. A man or woman of faith is God’s instrument - let the world be your math set because you are capable of the good that can turn the world around. Be that instrument that only seeks to build peace... that seeks only the eternal good. Manny.

Christian Jail Ministry Requests Parishioners’ Prayers, Expresses Gratitude for Continuing Support One of the nonprofit organizations that Christ Church has supported for many years is Christian Jail Ministry (CJM), doing so most recently by donating $450 for its work at the Howard County Detention Center (HCDC). The Outreach Commission approved the contribution at its July meeting, drawing from its 2022 Vestry-approved budget. That means your funds are helping reach people who might otherwise be ignored. CJM board member, Dr. Dale K. Pace, ThD, recently wrote to the parish: “In the last 16 verses of Matthew 25, Jesus says that when the Son of Man comes in His glory at the judgment, separation of the sheep from the goats for entrance into His kingdom will be impacted by the way they treated the hungry, the thirsty, the stranger, the naked, the sick, and the imprisoned. Jesus says the way such were treated is, in fact, how He was treated by them. This passage is very challenging for everyone. “This note directs your attention to some like those mentioned by Jesus: the thousand-plus people from Howard County who pass through the Howard County Detention Center, our local jail, every year. I hope your congregation prays for them, asking God to open their minds and hearts to Jesus, and to guide, encourage, and comfort them as they respond to Jesus. “I also hope your congregation prays for Christians who minister to those at the jail,” he wrote, adding that since 1979, CJM has provided chaplains as well as Scriptures and religious materials for inmates at HCDC. Some of you may recall that on Nov. 4, 2018, HCDC Chaplain Gerard M. Washington preached at both services of Christ Church. The Rev. Washington was accompanied by his wife, Gwen, and during his sermon was joined by a former detainee, Gerald, who spoke of God’s Grace and how CJM had helped him (above). “We appreciate the financial support from Christ Church and your help with administrative matters years ago,” wrote Dr. Pace. In response to his letter, please pray for him and other CJM leaders, for Chaplain Washington as he goes about his weekly rounds, for former detainees such as Jerry and, most fervently, for current inmates as CJM seeks to meet their spiritual needs. LEMS Partnership: We're Getting Ready, and You Can Help Thanks to all of you who have expressed an interest in helping with the Lake Elkhorn Middle School Partnership. We're currently in the process of getting the supplies together for 125 students and will need your assistance in putting bags together for 50 students on Saturday morning, July 30th from 9:00 to 11:00 a.m. Some of the boxes of supplies are heavy, so people with strong arms and backs are appreciated, but not required. The supplies for the remaining 75 students will be distributed over the course of the school year, as needed. We also need help at the church on Tuesday, August 16th from 9:00 to 11:00 a.m. to deliver the supplies to Lake Elkhorn Middle School. We are also in need of a truck or van to transport the supplies and people who are able to load and unload heavy boxes, so if you can help, please let us know. We so appreciate the financial assistance that we have received thus far. In addition to school supplies, Melissa Shindell, principal at LEMS, has asked if we can support their staff appreciation pizza party on August 26th and possibly buy the staff spirit wear as we did last year. If you would like to support these activities that help both students and staff start the school year with enthusiasm, you may give in any of the following ways: If you’d like to write a check, please make sure you write “LEMS school supplies” on the memo line, drop it off at the church office, or mail it in. For giving online via computer/tablet, you'll find our "Support Christ Church" button at the top of every page of our website, or you can click here. On the secure form, choose "LEMS" from the FUND drop-down menu and write "school supplies" on the MEMO line. To give via text, simply text CECGIVING to 73256 using your mobile device, and you'll immediately receive a link to our secure form. Click the link, choose "LEMS" from the FUND drop-down menu, and write "School Supplies" on the MEMO line so that your donation is used as you wish. (Note: This number will never send you unsolicited texts. To cancel further messages, text STOP. If you need assistance with text giving, text HELP. Standard text message and data rates may apply). If you have questions about our LEMS partnership or would like to help on either of those days, please contact Cathy Whittaker at catharinewhittaker@gmail.com. Thank you! Afghan Refugee Ministry Update We are so pleased to welcome members of the Columbia Jewish Congregation to our multi-faith Afghan refugee ministry work. CJC has a long history of working as advocate for and providing direct help to immigrants and refugees here in Howard County, so it brings new hands to help our efforts and knowledge gained from their years of experience. Welcome aboard, CJC, and thank you. Collection Drive Continues to Provide Diapers, Personal Care Items for CCC At Christ Church, members of R.A.G.E and the Outreach Commission ask parishioners to support Columbia Community Care(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. At Christ Church, Violet Smith is our representative and is responsible for taking parishioners’ donated items to a CCC site for distribution on Saturdays. Donate Toiletries, Cleaning Supplies for FISH in its Yellow Bin Organizers for FISH of Howard County are continuing to ask for cookies, crackers, and snacks to fulfill its shopping lists. The yellow bin is between Old Brick and the Parish Hall. Thanks for your contributions. 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.

Pentecost VI 8:00 & 10:30 a.m. in New Brick Today's Collect: Almighty God, the fountain of all wisdom, you know our necessities before we ask and our ignorance in asking: Have compassion on our weakness, and mercifully give us those things which for our unworthiness we dare not, and for our blindness we cannot ask; through the worthiness of your Son Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen. Readings for Pentecost V: Genesis 18:1-10a Psalm 15 Colossians 1:15-28 Luke 10:38-42 Today's Sermon: Mother Marcia's sermon for today, entitled "The Good Host," can be viewed in the below video, or you can read the text here. Today's Service Livestream: You can worship with today's livestream by using the service leaflet that's located here.

Jacob was in love with Rachel, his uncle Laban’s daughter, and desired to marry her. But he couldn’t marry until he worked 7 years for free for his uncle. Jacob put his mind to it and worked those 7 years for his uncle. On the night after the marriage, he realized that he didn’t get what he bargained for. He had Leah instead of Rachel. The tradition was that the older sister had to marry first, and since Leah was older than Rachel, Jacob had to take Leah. But if he still desired to marry Rachel, he can work for 7 more years for her. Jacob did exactly that. He put his mind to it and worked 7 additional years for the woman he truly loved. The point? You get what you put in. If you desire something, you've got to put in the work. You must work hard for it. The depth of joy in our work should supersede even the perilous nature of the work because of our belief that we get as much as we put in. Do you put in all your effort? Do you put in your possible best? I was shocked by the horrific statistics I read in an article a few weeks ago. The article indicated that since the murder of the children and their teachers in Uvalde, Texas, there have been 730-gun related deaths. Twenty-three of those deaths were children. A few days ago, there was a story of a 10-year-old girl who was raped and impregnated by a 27-year-old man. It so happened that this Ohio native could not have an abortion in Ohio because of the recent Supreme Court decision. This girl was taken to Indiana where she could have an abortion because she was still within the timeframe for an abortion. Without the accessibility of this medical procedure, this 10-year-old girl would have had to carry the pregnancy to term. Well, ask yourself this question: how can a 10-year-old take care of a baby? How would we expect a 10-year-old to nurture a baby? Thinking about both the gun and abortion issues and how they affect real people, including children, you begin to wonder. Sometimes it feels like we have become so numb that we might as well give up on fighting and simply hope, hope that these issues will magically go away or at the barest minimum, pray that none of us or our loved ones become a victim. But do we have to live under such a scare in an open and free society? I don’t think so. There’s so much at stake for us to give up. Remember, we’re only going to get what we put in. There’s a story of a ranch in Japan that produces the best beef in the world. At any given time, there are no more than 1000 cows on the ranch. All the cows graze in the same valley, and every single plant, every blade of grass in that valley is known, catalogued, and deliberately cultivated by the owners of the ranch. The water they drink comes from wells that have all been sunk within this same valley. The same water is used to water the grass every day. There is a lab on the ranch that analyses everything that goes in or comes out of the cows. The animals’ urine and stool are tested to ensure they always have the right mineral levels. The ranchers take disinfectant showers before and after they come into contact with the cows; in fact, an automated system of gates and alarms has been installed to manage the movement of the livestock in and out of the grazing areas, and done so to minimize human contact. They have created a system that is so regimented and have paid so much attention to what goes into their products that their beef tastes the same, no matter which cow it comes from. They put the time and money and research to ensure that the very best goes into their beef. That is why their beef is the best in the world. That simple idea of producing quality beef by feeding their cows quality food reinforces the idea in this anonymous quote “Everything you do, everything you say, every choice you make, sooner or later comes back around.” In a very strange way, Jacob’s troubles are our troubles too because we also have that one woman whom we love or the one thing to which we are devoted. For that reason, we would have to work for as long as possible to ensure that we have the woman we want or the society we want. We do not have to be deterred by the length of time that we have to work. The abortion and gun issues scare me to hell - especially when considering the effect they can have on children. I cannot believe that the law would require a 10-year-old rape victim to carry a pregnancy to birth. If you need evidence of how broken down our society has become, may you please look no further. Jacob’s troubles highlight for me the desire of some to take advantage of the vulnerable. But it equally reveals our capacity to overcome abuse and injustice to make good our promises to the people we truly love. May our love for our children never cease. Like Jacob, they can’t speak for themselves but we don’t have to relent in speaking on their behalf. Manny.

Columbia Community Care ReOpens Pantry for Home Deliveries, Asking Supporters to Volunteer and Spread the Word to Those in Need The Outreach Commission and our Racially Aware Group of Episcopalians (R.A.G.E) ask parishioners to support the all-volunteer organization Columbia Community Care (CCC). One way is to pitch in at a time when CCC has resumed home deliveries at long last. Leaders wrote on the CCC Group on Facebook on July 6th that all the preparation and sorting had been completed at the organization’s new pantry, saying: “The new CCC pantry is up and running! We have several shoppers scheduled for today to make the first of our deliveries. Thank you to all the volunteers over these many weeks who helped divvy up bulk foods, diapers, baby wipes, personal hygiene items, etc. to get us ready for this day….” These helpers include parishioners Melanie (top photo) and Nick Yaksich. As a reminder, CCC noted that this pantry is not open to the public but, instead, is for volunteers who fulfill orders for people who do not have transportation and cannot get to its three distribution sites at Oakland Mills Middle School, Wilde Lake Interfaith Center, and Long Reach Village Center. If you know of someone who needs this service, here is the link. Please spread the word. CCC adds the following information for would-be volunteers and recipients: Delivery days and hours are limited and are as follows: Wednesday from 10 a.m.-3 p.m., Friday from 10 a.m. -3 p.m., and Saturday from 9:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m. The pantry is located at the former Columbia Flier Building, 10750 Little Patuxent Pkwy, Columbia, MD 21044. Volunteers “shop” at the CCC pantry rather than at a supermarket to fulfill a recipient’s order of groceries. The next step is to coordinate with a dispatcher to deliver to the individual or family’s home. Shoppers may sign up for a date in July or August on the CCC online form. Or if you wish to sort goods at the pantry, sign up online at the sorters’ online form, which has slots on Wednesdays, Fridays, and Saturdays through early September. Another opportunity to support CCC is to continue collecting diapers, baby wipes, sanitary and personal care items as well as adult diapers. Put them in the yellow bin marked “CCC” inside the Parish Hall door. At Christ Church, Violet Smith is our representative and is responsible for taking parishioners’ donated items to a CCC site for distribution on Saturdays. Please lift up your prayers for the volunteers, who are blessed to help, and for those who are blessed to receive help. Donate Toiletries, Cleaning Supplies for FISH in its Yellow Bin Organizers for FISH of Howard County are continuing to ask for cookies, crackers, and snacks to fulfill its shopping lists. The yellow bin is between Old Brick and the Parish Hall. Thanks for your contributions. 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.

Pentecost V 8:00 & 10:30 a.m. in New Brick Today's Collect: O Lord, mercifully receive the prayers of your people who call upon you, and grant that they may know and understand what things they ought to do, and also may have grace and power faithfully to accomplish them; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen. Readings for Pentecost V: Deuteronomy 30:9-14 Psalm 25:1-9 Colossians 1:1-14 Luke 10:25-37 Today's Sermon: Father Manny delivered today's Sermon, and the text can be read here.

During yesterday's 10:30 worship, we were treated to an incredibly beautiful song, "Nothing," written and sung by an extended family member of our parish family, Lisa Philipps. Thank you, Lisa, for sharing your wonderful gifts with us!