This Sunday, Please Welcome Anna Katz, a Grassroots Visitor Who Will Speak during Sunday Circle on the Theme of “Generosity”   Many parishioners are involved in volunteer roles each month, helping the Grassroots Crisis Intervention Center , so it's fitting that we’ll hear directly from a Grassroots visitor today, September 21. Join us at Sunday Circle from 9:30 to 10:15 a.m. in Old Brick or on Zoom. Anna Katz, who is director of grants and support, will describe Grassroots’ resources, which range from sheltering families to suicide prevention. The nonprofit organization answered more than 87,000 crisis calls on its hotline during Fiscal Year 2025 and provided substance-use-disorder services to more than 200 people. It helped more than 1,500 at the Day Resource Center (DRC), located at the Leola Dorsey Community Resource Center. That’s the location most familiar to many at Christ Church, where a team led by Outreach member Shahra Toth serves a hot midday meal on the second Monday of each month. Christ Church also funds the purchase of supplies for DRC’s pantry, ranging from sports drinks for hydration during summer to hand warmers in the winter. In response to a DRC request, the Outreach Commission at its Sept. 8 meeting approved a purchase of 300 pairs of socks for $213. These will be greatly appreciated by DRC clients, many of whom live outdoors in a vehicle or in a tent in the vicinity of MD Rt. 1 in Jessup. The socks were purchased with Vestry-approved funds donated to the church by parishioners. A hearty thanks! Our meals team also drops off dinner for residents of Grassroots’ Emergency Shelter, which houses 71 people. The next date to volunteer to provide meals at either facility is Monday, Oct. 13. Check our DRC online signup form or our Grassroots online signup form for details. Throughout the year, the Women of Christ Church sponsors “Home Sweet Home” housewarming kits to help those served by DRC or the shelter to get started in a new residence. Last week, Jo Emily Knox, Diane LaGuerre, Dione Mahoney, Shahra Toth, and George Toth shared their experiences during a “Service”-themed Sunday Circle. FISH board member Andy DeLong explained how parishioners can volunteer from their own homes once a month by speaking on the phone with people who seek help. You can view it by clicking the image below. As you respond to a call to help the less fortunate, keep in mind the scripture that underpins the mission of Christ Church Outreach: And the King will answer them, “Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brethren, you did it to me .” Matthew 25:40 Sign Up to Walk or Run in CAC’s ‘Steps Forward’ Fall Fundraiser The Community Action Council of Howard County (CAC) has launched Steps Forward , a Walk/Run campaign to raise funds. In partnership with Howard County Striders , CAC is inviting individuals or teams to rack up the miles during September and October while soliciting donations. Participants will receive a special T-shirt and discounted entry into the “Run through the Grapevine 8K” hosted by the Striders in Mt. Airy, Md. on Nov. 2. On race morning, a non-perishable food drive will benefit the Howard County Food Bank, which is operated by CAC. As Howard County’s designated anti-poverty organization, the CAC provides multiple services as described in its 2024 Impact Report . These range from early childhood education to eviction prevention. At its Sept. 8 meeting, the Outreach Commission approved a donation of $500 to CAC to help low-income households meet their utility bills at a time when rates are again rising in Maryland. The funds were drawn from a Vestry-approved budget based on parishioners’ contributions to Christ Church. Your generosity is greatly appreciated!   FISH and CCC Have Combined Pantries, and FISH Needs Phone Volunteers Recently, FISH   and  Columbia Community Care  (CCC) partnered to provide food services for Howard County residents. The two organizations have merged their pantries. FISH will continue to pick up donated goods from Christ Church and others. CCC will continue making distributions at three sites on Saturday mornings and by home delivery. For information, go online to Get Help . 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 keep bringing baby wipes and diapers, especially large sizes. FISH will continue to provide telephone support to Howard County residents to provide guidance and financial support because the personal touch is very important when people are in crisis. You could be the one to lend a helping hand, by lending an ear! Consider volunteering from home by giving just one day a month to assist those who could benefit from financial assistance from FISH. Training is provided. For information, ask parishioner and FISH treasurer Andy DeLong or email andydelong.fish@gmail.com .  Thanks 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.

We have all been reeling from the tragic death of Charlie Kirk. He was a hero to some, and a villain to others. I didn’t know about him until I heard the story of his assassination. Based on information that has been disclosed, the assassin, Tyler Robinson, was very much intent on killing Charlie. For what reason, no one knows.    To gain a deeper understanding of who he was, I searched online and found numerous videos discussing his thoughts. I found some to be interesting, while others were offensive. As an African American, some of his thoughts were so offensive that I couldn’t believe that someone would be saying stuff like that. But, like it or not, that is exactly why we live in a free country, and each of us has that freedom of expression so each of us can say whatever we want to say without any fear. Yes, no freedom is absolute; we understand that. However, as long as I don't abuse that freedom, I can express myself and my thoughts in any way I like. And Charlie, in fact, used that freedom in the best way he thought he could.  It isn’t surprising that millions of people really liked what he said. They themselves couldn’t see themselves saying what he said, and so they applauded him for saying what they themselves couldn’t say. And those who didn’t like what he said did tune out. But all respected his right to say what he says - apart from Tyler Robinson. The fact of the matter is, I may disagree with what you say, but I must respect your dignified right to express your opinion.  I remember being a young seminarian assigned to a parish in a small town in my native Ghana. I didn’t have a TV set, and many people in the town didn’t own one either. Since I couldn’t visit different homes to watch my favorite TV show, one that was on CNN, I found a hotel in the next big town that had a TV, and they always had theirs set on CNN.    The ride from the little town to the big town was about an hour, but I traveled to the big town almost every day to watch the unfolding Bill Clinton saga on CNN.  To many people and the detractors of Bill Clinton, the system was working, and that was a good thing. They forgot that it is human beings like you and me who turn on the wheels of the system. And depending on who is managing the system, it can be skewed in any direction.  As I watched the whole thing happen on CNN, the real question was how and why do people take great delight in the destruction of other people? Yes, he may have abused his freedom, but did we have to take him through all of that? I don’t think so. What amuses me is that the acolytes of those years now seem to think that we now have a saint cast in the mold of St. Francis or Mother Teresa.  The events of that time highlighted the destructive nature of the term political enemies . Guess what - if we take away the political, what we are left with is an enemy. And the truth is, most people don’t really see the political; they only see an enemy.  I don’t watch or play video games, but we have learned from video games that an enemy deserves to be destroyed. We go to great lengths to destroy that enemy. For the detractors of Bill Clinton, he was an enemy that needed to be destroyed. And for Tyler, Charlie was an enemy that needed to be destroyed - and the method of destruction was not as important as the destruction itself. The goal was the destruction of the enemy. But why, and for what? Hear the words of Reverend Samuel Wells: “ Enemies don’t stop being enemies, but there’s a way to relate to enemies that doesn’t seek their destruction.”  If the point of all our politics is to serve the common good, then the difference between a Republican and a Democrat is simply a different means by which they can serve that common good. It is a means by which we can reach the same outcome - that is, if the goal is to serve the common good.  If the goal is to serve the common good, how then can a neighbor be described as an enemy? Indeed, it may not be as simple as I am making it out to be, but at the core of it all is a simple, uncomplicated way of serving others. And if it is our desire for service that drives us into public life, then why should we be acting as if we are on the battlefield?  Hear this: unless the goal of seeking public office is for domination of another person, politics shouldn’t be a battlefield strewn with blood. It should be like a playground where every object is for the enjoyment of everyone.  In fact, no philosophical argument is worth your life or anyone’s life.  Part of my love for watching CNN stemmed from my fondness for Crossfire. I loved Pat Buchanan, Paul Begala, James Carville, Tucker Carlson, Bob Novak, and the other hosts. They debated issues and ideas, and that was it. I wonder if these people are currently friends, or if they have drifted apart from each other because of the hardening of their core beliefs over time.  But one thing I learned from them was this: no argument is worth killing another person, no matter how passionate you are about your beliefs, and as reasonable people, we can always find the middle ground that honors our beliefs and provides a pragmatic solution to the daily challenges of people.  The reality is that many of the arguments we fight over have been advanced by people on both sides for generations. Many of the people who have been on either side of these arguments are dead, those of us who are presently arguing will die, and those who will argue in the future will also die. Yes, these arguments shape society, but life is more valuable than these arguments. And it is always better to let those ideas speak for themselves-don’t let violence speak for you.  Although we are all different, we are equal. And this conundrum of not being the same but equal often incites a competitive edge within us. We want to see winners and losers. And that’s what competition does to us. But life should be about comradeship and not competition.  Should we compete, we must compete over ideas, and those ideas must ultimately advance the common good. Any idea that doesn’t uplift all of God’s creation isn’t worth anyone’s time and effort. If you want to discuss ideas, let's talk about how we can build a better society. Talk to me about how we can educate children for the next technological revolution. Talk to me about how we can improve test scores so others do not have to profit from the prison system. Talk to me about a future where we are still leading in the cutting edge of technology. Talk to me about how we can support families that are struggling. Talk to me about how we can ensure that everyone has access to healthcare. Talk to me about how we can solve the mental health crisis. Talk to me about how we can reach out to distressed communities. Talk to me about hungry neighbors. Talk to me about the crisis in Gaza and other war-torn areas. Talk to me about the immigrants and refugees who are escaping intolerable violence. Talk to me about comradeship, and how together, we can help solve some of the challenges of ordinary people. Talk to me. Talk to me about solutions to problems.  If you want to talk to me, talk to me about compassion because I know that acts of compassion light a path through someone’s darkest moment. Not only do we have a lot of people going through dark moments, but the darkest moments of people should be of ultimate concern to everyone. Remember, we are about the business of human dignity, and our compassionate acts tell more about being comrades than competitors.  Competition creates winners and losers, and by extension, enemies. Comradeship doesn’t. Comradeship is about seeing yourself through the eyes of others. It is about a deep commitment to work with others for a common purpose. Someone recently sent me this quote: Whether we agree or disagree with the words a man speaks, we must never lose sight of his humanity nor forget the sacred dignity that lives within each and every person.  We must not allow righteous anger to harden into hatred, nor trade the dream of America for the nightmare of division. With this in mind, it is my prayer that the killing of Charlie will ignite a new sense of comradeship among all of us. Agree or disagree, we are in this together because no one is going out of this world alive. You may have heard this saying: If you lose your wealth, you lose nothing. If you lose your health, you lose something. If you lose your values and character, you lose everything. Make sure you don’t lose everything. Hold on to those things that matter: values and character. That's how we can hold life together, even in times of turmoil.   Manny+

Volunteers and Donations for the Flea Market are Still Welcome The Christ Church Flea Market and Craft Fair is just a little more than one day away, taking place this Saturday from 9:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. on the Christ Church campus.   Donations are still welcome! Baked goods can be dropped off this Friday in the Parish Hall (lower level of the office building) from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. , and on Flea Market morning (Saturday) before 9:00 a.m. Donations to the Book Sale and White Elephant tables (to benefit the much-needed Interfaith Refugee Ministry ) can be dropped off in the Parish Hall (lower level of the office building) this Friday from 9-5. We still need volunteers to help with directing traffic and general help. Email us at info@christchurchcolumbia.org if you can come and lend a hand - even if for a few hours. Either way, come to the Flea Market! Support your local neighbors and craftspeople! Enjoy some tasty baked or BBQ treats! Thank you.

Pentecost XIV 8:00 a.m. Holy Eucharist without music in Old Brick 9:00 a.m. Family Worship in New Brick 10:30 a.m. Holy Eucharist with music in New Brick Collect for Today: O God, because without you we are not able to please you, mercifully grant that your Holy Spirit may in all things direct and rule our hearts; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen. Today's Readings: Jeremiah 4:11-12, 22-28 Psalm 14 1 Timothy 1:12-17 Luke 15:1-10 Sermon for Today: Father Manny provides today's sermon, and you can view it in the livestream video below once the service starts. You can also read the sermon's text here . Holy Eucharist Livestream: Our service livestream begins at approximately 10:20 a.m. this Sunday. The service leaflet for this worship service is here .

We Can All Use Nourishment of the Spirit. Get some this Saturday at 8:30 a.m. Join seekers of a deeper relationship with the Divine at the 2nd Saturday Center for Spiritual Nourishment. CSN offers free experiences for the community that engage the mind, body, and spirit by offering safe spaces to explore an array of opportunities for spiritual growth. This special gathering is for anyone interested in spiritual nourishment, regardless of religious affiliation or spiritual beliefs. Come for one session or the entire morning. This month’s CSN includes free group sessions for Spiritual Direction, Praying Through Art, Yoga, Contemplative Meditation, Community Bike Ride, and two discussion sessions - Self and Spirit: Creation and Spirit, and Spiritual Practices: Becoming Love. We will also be showing the film Facing the Giants. The morning sessions conclude, and we finish with a short Community Reflection Circle Service that everyone can gather for. Come to the Center for Spiritual Nourishment this Saturday, September 20th, from 8:30 a.m. to 12:00 noon. View the detailed schedule and program descriptions at www.cecevents.org/CSN-Sept2025 and email us if you have any questions - csn@christchurchcolumbia.org   #nourishyourspirit   #SpiritualNourishment   #allarewelcome   #RefreshYourSpirit   #refreshyourspirit   #hocomd   #episcomd   #columbiamd   #columbiamaryland

A few days ago, members of the Spiritual Life Commission - a group of parishioners who work on the Advent Retreat, Lenten Quiet Day, the Wednesday Evenings in Lent series, and the weekly Prayers of the People, among other spiritually nourishing events. Their work is vital to the spiritual growth and development of each of us, and I have found great value in this particular ministry. Having served in several congregations before coming to Christ Church, it is only here at Christ Church that we have a dedicated corps of parishioners who write the Prayers of the People for our Sunday worship. These prayers more than speak to us and about us; they provide a real-time reflection of what’s going on in our lives and in our world. And so, as chaotic as our world may be, these prayers calm our nerves and assure us of God’s presence. As turbulent as our lives and world may be, these prayers comfort and strengthen us for the task ahead of us. Gathering with our fellow parishioners was incredibly joyful. It uplifted my spirit to hear of where we are and where we desire to be as fellow pilgrims on God’s path. The big deal is that we walk together on God’s path. We labor together on God’s path. We support each other on God’s path. We hold hands together on God’s path. We lift each other up on God’s path. And it is essential to know where we are on that path and how long we must go, so that we are not deluded into thinking more of ourselves than we ought to think. Listen to the words of the first letter of St. Paul to the Church in Corinth: So, if you think you are standing firm, be careful that you don’t fall! After prayerful deliberation, we settled on the theme: Building Relationships Through Love . We picked this theme because of the profound hope in seeing everyone connect with everyone in this congregation. We desire to see others develop a connection with everyone in this congregation. Our goal is for all of us to create lasting relationships with everyone in this congregation. But we can only undertake these tasks through love.   There were more than a few texts from scripture that helped us in our deliberations. But the one that stood out to me was John 13:35: By this, everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another. It is important to me, and I am sure to everyone within this congregation, that as people of faith, we look at each other through the prism of love. We must understand that there is no other way to connect and build without the gift of love. It is love that helps us to see. It is love that moves us to embrace. It is love that allows us to affirm. It is love that inspires us to engage. It is love that breeds the desire in us to want to transform a life. It is love that mitigates any selfish desires in our hearts and helps us look at each piece of our lives as being connected. Just as what brings you life, brings me life, and brings all of us life, so does what hurts you, hurts me, and hurts all of us. There’s a story of a Rabbi, Yisrael Meir Kagan. He lived during a time when train travel was revolutionizing the travel industry. The Rabbi once observed a peasant helping himself to some of the steel that was lying on the ground for the rail track. He said to him, “What are you doing?” The peasant said, “Listen, Rabbi, steel is a valuable commodity, and I don’t think anyone’s going to miss this solitary piece of track.” But the Rabbi said, “It’s a train track. It’s needed.” The man countered, “Thousands of miles of steel tracks have been laid. This one piece of track won’t make a difference.” I'm sure that we can all appreciate the inherent absurdity and the naivete of the peasant here. But the problem is this: when you choose to do your own thing, thinking that what I do, what I say, and how I conduct myself is my business and doesn’t affect anyone else, just isn’t true. The opposite is, in fact, true because whatever you do certainly affects someone else. The trouble is, when you think you’re doing what you want, and that what you want makes no difference to others, the reality is you risk derailing everyone else in the process. To the peasant, the track was a solitary piece of steel, but he failed to see that it was connected to other tracks. And so are you connected to other tracks. Here at Christ Church, we pride ourselves on being a diverse congregation - it is truly a blessing. There are not many congregations like Christ Church. If others complain about 11:00 a.m. being the most segregated hour in America, that isn’t our experience. 11:00 a.m. at Christ Church is a reflection of God’s Rainbow of Love, a rainbow of different colors in which we have found great solace and comfort, and in the common table that welcomes each of us without exception. Consider yourself a piece of steel on a rail track. The train cannot travel, nor can it get to its destination without you. If you consider yourself a steel track, it would be easier to see another person as a steel on a rail track. The connection between you and that person is the fishplates that hold both of you together.  In our Christian language, the fishplate is love - and it is that one gift that we all have in equal amounts and through which we can connect and build lasting relationships. Remember, we are all tracks of steel, and God’s mercy train can only get to its destination when we are not only connected by love with each other, but we build relationships of love, which then makes our ministry of life transformation possible. And so, through love, stay connected through treasured relationships.  Manny+

Hear Parishioners Discuss Service during Sunday Circle this Sunday, and Welcome a Grassroots Visitor on the theme of Generosity next Sunday, Sept. 21 Here’s the chance to hear directly from some of the people who volunteer on behalf of Christ Church. This Sunday at 9:30 a.m., several parishioners will speak about their spiritual and practical motivations during Sunday Circle's presentation, entitled Service . You are welcome to gather in Old Brick or on Zoom (look for details in the weekend email).   They’ll describe personal experiences performing service that involves travel abroad as well as close to home. Internationally, the main topic will be Somos Amigos Medical Missions , which holds a quarterly clinic in a rural mountain village in the Dominican Republic. Discover why volunteers go the extra mile and return year after year.   The main topic locally will be the Grassroots Crisis Intervention Center , which members of Christ Church help in multiple ways. Many of you are familiar with the team that comes together on the second Monday of each month, when Christ Church serves a hot midday meal at Grassroots’ Day Resource Center (DRC) and drops off dinner for residents of Grassroots’ Emergency Shelter.   The following week, when the theme is Generosity , please join us in welcoming a visitor from Grassroots. Anna Katz, who is director of grants and support, will discuss Grassroots’ resources, which range from sheltering families to suicide prevention. She will update us on an ongoing expansion of homeless services, in collaboration with Howard County. Please join us on September 21 from 9:30 to 10:15 a.m. in Old Brick or on Zoom.   As you respond to a call to help the less fortunate, keep in mind the scripture that underpins the mission of Christ Church Outreach: And the King will answer them, 'Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brethren, you did it to me.” Matthew 25: 40 Free Bikes 4 Kidz Calls for Volunteers for a Move to Savage on Sept. 26 and To Donate Used Bikes at Howard County Fire Stations on Saturday, Oct. 4   Please help Free Bikes 4 Kidz Maryland (FB4K) get ready for its 2025 drive to gather, refurbish, and give away bikes to families who cannot afford to buy new ones. Many children will see their Christmas wishes come true after FB4K makes its holiday distribution. Find updates on its Facebook page . The first opportunity to volunteer involves a moving day, transferring bikes and tools from one location to the next. On Friday, Sept. 26, FB4K calls for volunteers to help move bikes from a barn at 12985 MD Rt. 144, West Friendship, MD, to a warehouse at 8870 Greenwood Place in Savage, Md. Go online to offer your vehicle or sign up as a bike loader in West Friendship or a bike unloader in Savage. The second opportunity involves FB4K’s annual collection day: Saturday, Oct. 4, from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Look in the garage, spread the word among friends and neighbors, and donate your used bikes at any Howard County fire station. And, after that, consider volunteering to help fix the child- or adult-sized bikes. Sign up online to help on collection day or later by refurbishing used bikes. FB4K will give them away to local children in need and to nonprofit organizations. Since 2019, FB4K has given away about 12,000 bikes. Last year, it gave away more than 3,000, according to an article published June 16, 2025 , in The Howard County Beacon . Before that, FB4K honored requests by Christ Church. In 2023, an adult bike was given to an Afghan refugee family supported by our Interfaith Refugee Ministry . In 2022, another went to St. Luke’s Youth Center (SLYC) for a college-bound youth as described in the Outreach Blog of Sept. 22, 2022 . FISH and CCC Have Combined Pantries, and FISH Needs Phone Volunteers Recently, FISH   and  Columbia Community Care  (CCC) partnered to provide food services for Howard County residents. The two organizations have merged their pantries. FISH will continue to pick up donated goods from Christ Church and others. CCC will continue making distributions at three sites on Saturday mornings and by home delivery. For information, go online to Get Help . 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 keep bringing baby wipes and diapers, especially large sizes. FISH will continue to provide telephone support to Howard County residents to provide guidance and financial support because the personal touch is very important when people are in crisis. You could be the one to lend a helping hand, by lending an ear! Consider volunteering from home by giving just one day a month to assist those who could benefit from financial assistance from FISH. Training is provided. For information, ask parishioner and FISH treasurer Andy DeLong or email andydelong.fish@gmail.com .  Thanks 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.

Pentecost XIII 8:00 a.m. Holy Eucharist without music in Old Brick 9:00 a.m. Family Worship in New Brick 10:30 a.m. Holy Eucharist with music in New Brick Collect for Today: Grant us, O Lord, to trust in you with all our hearts; for, as you always resist the proud who confide in their own strength, so you never forsake those who make their boast of your mercy; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen. Today's Readings: Jeremiah 18:1-11 Psalm 139:1-5, 12-17 Philemon 1-21 Luke 14:25-33 Sermon for Today: Father Manny provides today's sermon, and you can view it in the livestream video below once the service starts. You can also read the entire sermon's text here . Holy Eucharist Livestream: Our service livestream begins at approximately 10:20 a.m. this Sunday. The service leaflet for this worship service is here .

Here's a clip of our incredible Altar Guild, which is hard at work preparing for our final worship of the day, our Taizé Vespers. What is Taizé Vespers? In short, it's something you should not miss. Taizé Vespers is a liturgy of evening prayer that combines readings, prayer, meditation, and music - in all, this is a truly beautiful service of contemplation that allows you to reflect on God's love and presence in one's life, to offer prayer for oneself and others, and to share in a supportive community of fellow pilgrims - in our case, your friends and neighbors - on the journey. Come and gather with us for this special worship. #taize   #worshipwithus   #specialworshipservice   #uniquechurch   #hocomd   #episcomd

Inviting You to Join Our Monthly Outreach Meeting this Monday, September 8 Learn many ways to assist others in our community and around the world by joining us remotely for the Outreach Commission's monthly meeting, taking place on Monday, September 8, at 7:30 p.m. Our mission has a local, national, and international scope, and always needs more hands and hearts to help. Email us for the Zoom details - outreach@christchurchcolumbia.org Help Grassroots next Monday, September 8, by Providing Food for the Homeless On the second Monday of each month, Christ Church serves a hot midday meal at the Day Resource Center (DRC) and drops off dinner for residents of the Grassroots Emergency Shelter. Both are operated by the Grassroots Crisis Intervention Center . A team led by Outreach member Shahra Toth makes side dishes and desserts that we serve in person after car-pooling to the DRC in Jessup. To help on Monday, Sept. 8, 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 for DRC’s side dishes. We last participated on Aug. 11, when we were blessed with four different family pairings: husband and wife, mother and daughter, and two mothers and sons. Summertime gave our team of volunteers greater flexibility in serving, preparing or dropping off dishes. Each second Monday, the parishioners who cook or shop for the evening meal arrive in the Old Brick parking lot between 3:15 and 3:30 p.m. Get details in our Grassroots online signup form . Grassroots handles serving that meal to shelter residents, who include numerous children. It’s efficient to provide for both venues on the same day, usually feeding a total of about 150 people. Your donations and Vestry-approved funds pay for the fried-chicken entrees. Thank you! Save the Dates: Parishioners Will Speak about Service  on Sept. 14, and a Grassroots Visitor Will Speak on Generosity  on Sept. 21 during Sunday Circle Here’s the chance to to hear directly from some of the people who volunteer on behalf of Christ Church. Several will speak about their motivation and personal experiences during Sunday Circle on Sept. 14 from 9:30 to 10:15 a.m. in Old Brick or on Zoom. The theme is “Service.”   The following week, when the theme is “Generosity,” please join us in welcoming a visitor from Grassroots. Anna Katz, who is director of grants and support, will discuss Grassroots’ resources, which range from sheltering families to suicide prevention. She will update us on an ongoing expansion of homeless services, in collaboration with Howard County. Please join us Sept. 21 from 9:30 to 10:15 a.m. in Old Brick or on Zoom.   As you respond to a call to help the less fortunate, keep in mind the scripture that underpins the mission of Christ Church outreach: And the King will answer them, “Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brethren, you did it to me.” Matthew 25:40 FISH and CCC Have Combined Pantries, and FISH Needs Phone Volunteers Recently, FISH   and  Columbia Community Care  (CCC) partnered to provide food services for Howard County residents. The two organizations have merged their pantries. FISH will continue to pick up donated goods from Christ Church and others. CCC will continue making distributions at three sites on Saturday mornings and by home delivery. For information, go online to Get Help . 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 keep bringing baby wipes and diapers, especially large sizes. FISH will continue to provide telephone support to Howard County residents to provide guidance and financial support because the personal touch is very important when people are in crisis. You could be the one to lend a helping hand, by lending an ear! Consider volunteering from home by giving just one day a month to assist those who could benefit from financial assistance from FISH. Training is provided. For information, ask parishioner and FISH treasurer Andy DeLong or email andydelong.fish@gmail.com .  Thanks 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.

Welcome to Christ Church! Welcome to the beginning of another year! Welcome to the beauty that shapes our lives, our world, and the path that we walk. Welcome to the place where faith lives, hope lives, family lives, justice lives, and love lives. Welcome to the place of belonging - where we all belong, because we are all a part of a whole. And the whole doesn’t consign us to different, disparate parts of itself but holds us all together. Belonging should never have been a fantasy. It should be real for everyone. There is no doubt that there are those who have been made to feel welcome but still battle with a lingering sense of feeling that they truly do not belong. Welcome isn’t the same as belonging. Belonging is that part that makes one an integral part of the team. Belonging is that step that makes you an essential part of a community - that you not only have a voice, but that voice is affirmed by every member of the community, despite our differences. Belonging embraces this sense of community culture where there is not only unity in diversity, but we each strive to make each one of us a part of the whole. That is to say that the responsibility is not laid on one shoulder alone; we all carry that duty of making each other know that they belong. Hear what an author says about that: We have our eyes, and they see. The heart can’t see. But the eyes need the heart, and the heart needs the eyes, and the kidneys need the knees. And the pancreas can’t do what the lungs do. They are different shapes. They each have a very, very specific function. But all these different parts of the body appreciate and recognize what every other part can do. These thoughts are similar to what St. Paul talks about in his First Letter to the Corinthians, chapter 12. The verse that speaks to me in a special way is this: Now you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it. If each of us is a part of the body of Christ, how then do we create a community culture where each one knows and believes that indeed, they are also a part of the whole? To me, the benefit of appreciating each person is the first step towards creating a culture of belonging. This appreciation is unbounded, unlimited, not pre-determined nor determined by any factors other than the simple fact of presence; that you are, and I am. It isn’t even about the resources or gifts each brings to the table; it is about being, it is recognition, it is about presence at the table, and knowing full well that everyone appreciates the fact that you are at the table. I believe that it is only when we learn to do that - recognize each person despite our differences - that it is possible to have a healthy mind, and with that can create a healthy society. So, instead of being arrogant or fearful of our differences, we learn to value and appreciate our differences, we learn to understand that diversity engenders creativity, which is, in fact, a higher level of consciousness. And this type of consciousness requires a state of mind that is free enough to dance like a nine-year-old. Read the story of the dancing nine-year-old below: There’s a story of a group of men who were on their way to see their Rabbi. While on their way, they saw a broken-down house with a broken-down porch. But on the porch was a frail and skinny-looking boy, about nine years old, who was dancing on the broken porch. He is very pale, looks like he hasn’t eaten for days. The group of men came up to the boy and said to him, “Excuse me, who are you? What’s your name?” “Mendel,” he responded. “Well, Mendell, how old are you?” “Nine years old,” He said. And then they asked Mendel, “Mendel, what’s your glow? What is this all about? Who are you? You’re shining from one corner of the world to another.” Mendel responded, “Well, I haven’t eaten in three days.” “Well, if you haven’t eaten in three days, why are you shining? Why are you dancing?” the men asked. “I didn’t eat for three days, but I started wondering and thinking about all the things that I never thanked God for. It is true I don’t have food here right now, but what do I have? I have a mother. I have a father. I have a house, even if it’s kind of broken down. I have two shirts. I have had food before. Have I ever given God the proper thanks for all the things that I already have, before God gives me more things?” One of the men asked if he could speak to the father. "Where does your son learn? Who is his Rabbi?” asked the gentleman. The father said, "We are too poor, so we can’t send him anywhere to learn.” And there, with the father’s blessing, the two gentlemen took the boy to see the local Rabbi. The beauty of this story is that the nine-year-old boy who had not eaten for three days should have been melancholic over the lack of food, but instead, he danced on his broken porch because he knew that he belonged in that home, even if it was broken, even if there was no food in that house. The little boy could dance because dancing expresses the joy of belonging. Belonging had never been about a perfect house, a perfect porch, a perfect life, and a perfect you. Belonging is about whether the heart is full of gratitude, whether you feel limited by any lack, and whether you can notice the little blessings for which you haven’t thanked God. Belonging is about whether you are free and ready to dance. Remember, the dance floor isn’t meant for one particular person. All who are willing and ready to dance belong on the dance floor. In much the same way that we belong to each other and to this Christ Church community, we also belong to the dance floor that welcomes all who are ready to dance away. Come, let’s dance away to the rhythm of God's beat. That's how we glow! That's how we shine!  Manny+