Of the many commercials that air on TV, I find two emotionally challenging. One of them is about hungry children in underdeveloped countries. The other one is about hungry abandoned pets. The message about these two commercials is simple: your donation and mine would provide the food hungry children and abandoned pets need. We can argue that the commercials are meant to play on our emotions and motivate us to donate, but the real point is, if you have felt the ache of hunger before or have felt a deep hunger for connection before, then you would most likely understand what the children and the pets may be going through. I have been hungry before. There have been times in my life when I have been hungry for food - just food to eat. Those were not days when, amid abundance, I had to starve myself; those were times when there was nothing to eat. In fact, there were days when my mother would ask us to fast, not for any particular spiritual or religious purpose but because she had no money to get food for her children. To satisfy the deep hunger, I would often walk to a friend’s house or to a relative’s house to find myself something to eat. That was when my hunger became unbearable. In the most sincere way, I identify with the hungry children we all see on TV. I identify with the hungry children and families that we support in our local schools. I identify with the hungry and homeless that we feed at the Dorsey Resource Center. I identify with the hungry and abandoned families that rely on Community Action Council of Howard County. I even identify with those abandoned pets who were once used to provide comfort and connection to their owners. Until recently, I didn’t know that the Bushmen of the Kalahari Desert in Southern Africa speak of two kinds of hunger. Little Hunger and Great Hunger. Little Hunger is the hunger that we all feel in our stomachs - the kind that was so unbearable that to deal with it, I had to go to someone else’s house to grab food to eat. Little hunger is the hunger many in our community feel due to the rising cost of living and affordability challenges. Little hunger is the kind of hunger that makes us want to fill our bellies with food. Great Hunger is the kind of hunger that isn’t satisfied materially. No amount of food can satisfy that kind of hunger. It is the hunger for meaning. It is the hunger that yearns for belonging. It is the hunger that yearns for purpose. It is the hunger for connection. It is the hunger for community. You have heard it said that ‘No man is an island.’ Regardless of gender, we all need connection and community. You have also heard it said that ‘It takes a village.’ It is true - it takes the collective effort of all of us to create communities of meaning and purpose. It seems to me that it is only when we create those communities where no man is an island and where we each believe in the village's values that we can eradicate Little Hunger. That is to say that when our efforts are geared towards creating meaning and purpose, or building communities of purpose and meaning, there will be no hunger among us. One of the important lessons from the Old Testament was that after harvest, farmers were encouraged to leave some of their produce on their farms for the poor, widows, and orphans. It seems to me that what the Old Testament is teaching us is that for us to deal with Little Hunger, we should first deal with Great Hunger. . Great Hunger makes us desire communities of connection and creates an unbelievable sense of awareness that we are not an island unto ourselves. Truth is, I am not the only hungry person; we are all hungry. We are hungry for food, we are hungry for connection, and we are hungry for meaning. When we cast our eyes across our world, all we see is a world suffering from both Little Hunger and Great Hunger. There are millions who hunger for food. And there are millions who hunger for connection, meaning, and purpose. As a faith community, we are always working to create opportunities for people to overcome their Great Hunger and connect with others. When I think about our multiple Sunday worship offerings and other gatherings - the Center for Spiritual Nourishment, Theology On Tap, Women of Christ Church, Men of Christ Church, Youth Ministries, among many others - what I see in each one is opportunities for helping us overcome our Great Hunger. One profound thought is that when we share the Peace of Christ with each other during worship, we are not simply shaking hands and talking about lunch and other things about life. All that we are doing is creating and building connections with each other and saying to the other that we are now at peace because God, through Christ, is at peace with us. I sincerely believe that the Christ through whom God offers us God’s peace is the same Christ who will go to any extent to take Manna as his name. After all, he is the bread from heaven, the only bread that satisfies not only our Little Hunger but our Great Hunger. I once heard someone say that ‘Water has no effect on fake flowers.’ And that is indeed true. You can pour as much water on fake flowers as you want, and it won’t make any difference. But if, as a community and world, we work to water genuine flowers while building authentic connections with each other, there is no doubt in my mind that we would satisfy our deepest hunger and the world’s deepest hunger. It seems to me that it is only when we deal with our Great Hunger that we can deal with the Little Hunger. How hungry are you? I am very hungry. But this time, I hope to be fed with something more than jollof rice. I hope to be fed with the Manna - Christ himself.  I am hungry. May you be hungry, too.  Manny+

Since 1619, when a group of Africans was brought to the shores of Virginia on the White Lion, millions of enslaved Africans were later brought to these shores, almost always against their will. They were bound by chains and locks and whatever restraining instrument you can think of. The enslaved Africans were often starved for days. The enslaved Africans sat and slept in human waste for weeks. The enslaved African got sick and never got any treatment. Those who couldn’t survive were simply thrown overboard. Those who survived the long, arduous journey were sold as Slaves. Once sold, the enslaved labored for their masters on plantations, farms, homes, mines, and any other areas of work that they were asked to. These enslaved Africans were beaten, whipped, starved, maltreated, and even killed. There is no way that you and I can ever recount the many ills that were meted out to the enslaved African in these United States. The humiliating dehumanization of the enslaved African reached its zenith with the Three-Fifths Compromise. This was a Constitutional formula used to count enslaved Africans within a given area. Truth is, the cherished Constitution of these United States classified the enslaved African as being three-fifths of his White masters, overseers, and neighbors. We have been led to believe that this compromise was intended for the allocation of congressional seats. On the surface, that sounded reasonable to those who drafted, voted, and signed off on the Constitution and benefited from this arrangement. But whether the compromise was for political purposes or not, those who believe in the plain text and reading of the Constitution, and still uphold the plain text of the language of the Constitution, haven’t forgotten that their African American neighbors, colleagues, parishioners, students, teachers, doctors, engineers, priests, janitors, and customer service associates were deemed to be Three-Fifths. And because they haven’t forgotten, they take steps, concrete steps that take us back to the time when the Constitution was written. They take us back to make the point that the African American is still Three-fifths of a human, and that any effort by anyone or all of us to remedy that injustice would never fly. Those who desire to take us back aren’t ordinary men and women; they are men and women in positions of power who come in Black Robes. I have no doubt that the folks in Black Robes are good, decent, and honorable American citizens who have a job to do. More than that, they also desire the best for themselves, their families, and their countrymen and women. But we can all attest that our desires and wants are not always enough. There is more to life than the simple wants and desires that we have. The more to life is the calling not to simply respond to our wants and desires, nor to feed them. Our calling is holy, our calling is sacred, our calling is to repair the breach, our calling is to usher in a new birth. Our calling is not to equity, because there is nothing like equity. Our call is to right wrongs and to lead the transformation of individual lives and that of communities. Our call is to agree with John Locke when he argues that “The strength of a society is its commitment to justice and equality.” Here is an insightful thought for your consideration. In the Lord’s Prayer, Jesus teaches this line “Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.” Our prayer for the coming of the kingdom means that there shouldn’t be any difference between what is done in heaven and on earth-our call then is to make earth heavenly. Viktor Frankl, a Holocaust survivor who developed logotherapy write a powerful book Man Search for Meaning. In it, Viktor writes this: “Freedom, however, is not the last word. Freedom is only part of the story and half of the truth. Freedom is but the negative aspect of the whole phenomenon whose positive aspect is responsibleness. In fact, freedom is in danger of degenerating into mere arbitrariness unless it is lived in terms of responsibleness. That is why I recommend that the Statue of Liberty on the East Coast be supplemented by a Statue of Responsibility on the West Coast.” Viktor never visited the United States, but he knew of the Statue of Liberty and suggested another Statue of Responsibility. He was keenly aware that at the heart of true freedom lies the blessings of responsibility. Responsibility is the gift we owe ourselves and our neighbors. Responsibility is the ultimate duty. For that reason, I believe that the true exercise of our freedom is to be responsible actors. And being responsible actors would mean that we look beyond our own parochial interest and politics for the sake of the common good-that's where the kingdom of God abides. It therefore confounds me that despite all the trauma and suffering that the enslaved Africans and their descendants have endured in these United States, folks in Black Robes believe that they do not deserve some modicum of representation in Congress. For some strange reason, these folks in Black Robes believe that they serve some good by gutting part of the Voting Rights Act. It wouldn’t surprise me that these folks in Black Robes probably believe that the attempt to right the wrongs of the past wasn’t necessary. And even if it was and still is, who cares? After all, the people we are talking about are Three-Fifths. Over the past week, I have pondered the Supreme Court's decision. And I have asked myself multiple times, how does their decision serve the common good? How does their decision provide a voice to the descendants of the enslaved? How do we expect to hear the voices of the marginalized? The more I thought about it, the more I realized that the folks in Black Robes simply affirmed what has always been said in the backrooms-they are three-fifths of us. An author, Wayne Dyer, once said this: It is my prayer that some of us will learn the gift and blessing of changing the way we look at things. Our sad reality is that things unfortunately remain the same-the more things change, the more they remain the same. Human behavior, unfortunately, remains the same. Habits, unfortunately, remain the same. What needs to happen is to change the way we all look at things, not just the folks in Black Robes. Happy and Glorious Eastertide, Manny+

Seventh Sunday in Pentecost and Survivor Sunday 8:00 a.m. 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, you have prepared for those who love you such good things as surpass our understanding: Pour into our hearts such love towards you, that we, loving you in all things and above all things, may obtain your promises, which exceed all that we can desire; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen. Today's Readings: Acts 16:16-34 Psalm 97 Revelation 22:12-14,16-17,20-21 John 17:20-26 Sermon for Today: Deacon Kiona Lookingbill provides today's sermon, and you can view her giving it in the livestream video below once the service starts. Holy Eucharist Livestream: Our service livestream begins at approximately 10:20 a.m. this Sunday. The service leaflet for this worship service is here.

EASTER VII & SURVIVOR SUNDAY 8:00 Holy Eucharist in Old Brick 9:00 Family Worship in New Brick 10:30 Holy Eucharist with Music, Choir, and Lumen Christi in New Brick On this Sunday, the final Sunday of the Easter season and Survivor Sunday, our services begin in Old Brick at 8 a.m., an intimate worship without music. Our Family Worship then takes place in New Brick at 9 a.m. and centers on engaging the younger members of our church and features a Communion gathering around the altar. We then conclude worship today with Holy Eucharist accompanied by music, choir, and the wonderful Lumen Christ liturgical dancers at 10:30, also in New Brick. FORMATION CONCLUDES THIS MORNING Sunday School, Parenting Group, Youth Formation, Adult Forum: Sunday Circle, and all of our other formation and fellowship gatherings take place today, so be sure to join us. This is also the final Sunday of Spring Formation, as we'll take our summer break after this weekend. #worship #EasterSeason #episcomd #hocomd #episcopalchurch #GatherWithUs #gatherwithlove #survivorsunday

Counting Down to the Spring Food Drive on Saturday, May 16, 10 AM to 2 PM, with a Streamlined Plan For Volunteers at River Hill Giant in Clarksville You can be a part of one of the most rewarding ways to help feed the hungry. Please sign up for a shift during the Spring Food Drive on Saturday, May 16, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., at River Hill Giant Food, 6050 Daybreak Circle, Clarksville, Md., 21029. It’s a hands-on, family-friendly activity that occurs twice a year to help two food pantries. Please volunteer for a one-hour shift. You’ll find a signup sheet in the Narthex or in Old Brick. For information, email outreach@christchurchcolumbia.org. Once again, Christ Church is adapting to corporate rules that limit the number of volunteers on the supermarket premises. In response to a request from the management of Giant Foods, we must streamline how we conduct our traditional drive. We are limited at any one time to four people, of whom two will interact with Giant customers, one will pack and one will sort and help overall. Others who do not have a shift are encouraged to participate by planning their own shopping trip at River Hill Giant during the drive. With the shopping list in hand, you can buy some of the pantry's requested items. Groceries collected at the supermarket go to the Howard County Food Bank, which is operated by the Community Action Council of Howard County, and to SAFE, its partner pantry that provides free gluten-free and allergy-safe foods to low-income families and individuals. At our Fall Food Drive held at a Giant supermarket in Dorsey’s Search, we collected 1,776 pounds for the food bank and 307 pounds for SAFE (see photos). That combined total of 2,083 pounds amounts to more than a ton of food and staples! During the drives, the experience provides hands-on service not only to our volunteers but also to shoppers we approach with a list of requested items. Most importantly, access to food and necessities is a lifeline for people struggling to make ends meet in Howard County. Inviting You to Join Our Monthly Outreach Meeting on Monday, May 11 Learn many ways to help others by joining us remotely for the Outreach Commission meeting on Monday, May 11, at 7:30 p.m. Our mission has a local, national, and international scope. Look for Church notices about online activities. See you on Zoom! Help Grassroots by Providing Food for the Homeless on Monday, May 11 On the second Monday of each month, Christ Church serves a hot midday meal at the Day Resource Center (DRC), operated by the Grassroots Crisis Intervention Center. We last participated on April 13. A team led by Outreach member Shahra Toth makes side dishes and desserts that we serve in person after car-pooling to the Leola Dorsey Center in Jessup. To help on Monday, May 11, please check our DRC online signup form, which describes the procedure. Drop-off time is 12:45 p.m. in the parking lot near Old Brick. Another way to help our hungry neighbors is to shop for the pantry at the DRC and Grassroots’ two other sites. We welcome in-kind donations of items such as canned meats and hearty soups, peanut butter, and fruit cups to be dropped off that day or ahead of time in the Parish Hall kitchen for delivery on the second Mondays. Find Grassroots’ monthly needs list on our signups under “Related Files.” Some parishioners prefer to cook or shop for the evening meal at Grassroots’ Emergency Shelter, whose staff serves the residents. Please arrive between 3:15 and 3:30 p.m. in the Old Brick parking lot, where a volunteer will pick up the food for delivery to Grassroots. Get details in our Grassroots online signup form. It’s efficient to provide for both venues on the same day, in total, feeding more than 150 people. Your donations and Vestry-approved funds pay for the fried-chicken entrees. Thank you! Mark Your Calendars! DreamBuilders Fundraiser at Bushel and a Peck - May 13 DreamBuilders will host their Spring fundraising event at Bushel and a Peck - 12250 Clarksville Pike in Clarkesville. It takes place on Wednesday, May 13th and you can reserve your seats for happy hour and dinner on their website. Then, join us from 4:30 - 8:30 p.m. that evening as we help raise funds to build three homes in Hazard, Kentucky. When you make your reservation, please put a note that you are there for the DB event. You can also call B&aP at 410.531.1809 to reserve space. Bring Items for FISH/CCC, and Consider Volunteering to Take Calls from Home FISH and Columbia Community Care (CCC) partnered last year and merged pantries. CCC continues to hand out food at three sites on Saturday mornings and by home delivery to Howard County residents. For information, visit Get Help online. For updates on community services such as youth programs, check CCC’s Facebook page. FISH continues to pick up donated goods from Christ Church and others. Please put non-perishable food and personal care products in the altar basket or in a bin just inside the Parish Hall. Look for a combo label “FISH/CCC”. Please bring baby wipes and diapers, especially large sizes. FISH will continue to provide telephone support to Howard County residents, offering guidance and financial assistance because the personal touch is very important when people are in crisis. For information, ask parishioner and FISH treasurer Andy DeLong (seen in this photo) or email him at andydelong.fish@gmail.com. You could be the one to lend a helping hand by lending an ear! As a phone volunteer, you can help from your home by giving just one day a month to assist those who could benefit from financial assistance from FISH. Training is provided. Thank you! SAVE THE DATE! June 7 is the Next Annual Matzohball 5K Run Join in the 22nd Annual Matzohball Run, organized by DreamBuilders member congregation Temple Isaiah on Sunday, June 7th, starting at 8:00 a.m. at Western Regional Park in Woodbine. The proceeds benefit DreamBuilders, Grassroots, HopeWorks, and others to make a difference in the lives of vulnerable communities in need of support. Christ Church supports all of these organizations, so your help directly assists these groups. If you would like more information, please speak with Cathy Gold at church. In general, if you have suggestions about ways to help the community, if you want to get involved, or if you need assistance, please email Christ Church Outreach at outreach@christchurchcolumbia.org. Your help is greatly welcomed and appreciated. Thank you.

Journey with us as we discover the ways we view God as a divine mother and explore how we celebrate those who have played a nurturing role in our lives. Among other programs at May's Center for Spiritual Nourishment, we celebrate the introduction of our first-ever Sound Bath experience! Our inspirational film options are split into two sessions, so that you can mix and match your choices throughout the morning. The 2nd Saturday Center for Spiritual Nourishment (CSN) provides opportunities for us to be in closer relationship with God by offering an array of experiences that engage the mind, body, and spirit. If you want to learn more about future Center for Spiritual Nourishment events, submit your email address below to receive regularly updated information (we will not share or sell your address to anyone). Whether you've joined us before or are a first-timer, we are sure that there's something special waiting for you here. Everyone is welcome, and we hope to see you there! Schedule of Events: 8:30 – 9:00: Breakfast and social time 9:00 - 9:10: Greeting; Outline the day's sessions 9:10 – 10:05: Spiritual Mother: Legacy, Influence, Impact Spiritual Direction Circle Film Screening #1 10:15 – 11:15: Sound Bath Community Bike Ride Film Screening #2 11:30 – 12:00: Reflection Circle Join us on Saturday, May 9 as we offer: Spiritual Mother: Legacy, Influence, and Impact led by Toni Summerell This session honors the sacred role of the spiritual mother—a presence found across all faiths, traditions, and walks of life. Whether through mentoring, guiding, encouraging, or quietly holding space for others, spiritual mothers shape lives in profound and lasting ways. Together, we will reflect on the women who have nurtured our growth, explore the unique influence they/we carry, and consider the legacy they/we are creating—often in ways unseen but deeply felt. We will create legacy maps as a part of the session. This is an invitation to recognize, reclaim, and intentionally live into the impact of spiritual mothers in our own lives and communities. Spiritual Direction Circle: Experiences of Mothering led by Carol Abbott In our spiritual direction session, we will use poetry and memory to explore experiences of mothering using the following questions as an opening to deeper understanding of ourselves and others. Think of a time when you experienced the mothering aspects of God such as love or nurturing. Did you name it as mothering at that time? How do you feel about naming the mothering aspects as being part of God/Holy Spirit? What experiences of your own mothering (or lack thereof) might have influenced how you experience God? Film Screening #1: It's All Connected led by George Toth A Perfect God Only Plans Perfectly We often marvel how a series of small actions result in something great and amazing. The quaint expression “the butterfly effect” tries to encapsulate such thinking, but often we only see a single or at most a few threads creating the event. What would one say if an entire book written over centuries by countless, unknown authors had more threads pointing to one single event in human history, an event which changed the entire course of the world? Would such a story grab us to learn about it? Come watch this amazing presentation proclaiming how the Perfect God has a Perfect Plan with a precision of execution that cannot even be imagined. Sound Bath led by Tiffani Peguese Join us for a deeply restorative Sound Bath and Guided Meditation experience in celebration of Mother’s Day and all who gather in the spirit of love and connection. Immerse yourself in the healing vibrations of crystal singing bowls, chimes, and the gentle sounds of ocean drums as soothing sound waves wash over your body, melting away tension and stress. A warm, guided meditation will lead you through a journey of gratitude, self-compassion, and inner peace — honoring the many forms of love, strength, and nurturing energy that exist in our lives. This experience is thoughtfully designed for everyone in the room, whether you are a mother, celebrating a mother, holding space for a complicated relationship or simply in need of rest and renewal. Come as you are, breathe deeply, and allow this shared space to hold and restore you.​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​ Please consider bringing a yoga mat/blanket and pillow to enhance your experience. Film Screening #2: Miracle, Episode One led by George Toth Science Confirms the Existence of Miracles Joshua W. Brown, a neuroscientist, is diagnosed with a brain tumor, and he and his wife, who is an academic/scientist, go on a long road trip, looking for healing both spiritual and physical. His focus seeks people and places where healing miracles are heard to be real leading him to quest areas of South America and Africa. Witnessing and documenting what he experiences, always hoping he might be saved he becomes immersed in his quest and experiences forgetting his own condition only to find after some time that his tumor has gone and only scar tissue remained. Have Questions? Wish to Help Lead Future CSN Sessions? #nourishyourspirit #SpiritualNourishment #allarewelcome #RefreshYourSpirit #divinelove #hocomd #episcomd #columbiamd #columbiamaryland

FAITHFULNESS: Taizé Vespers at Christ Church This Sunday at 6 p.m. in New Brick Each month, Christ Church offers a service of contemplative prayer and music, in which we focus on a single perspective or discipline. Taizé Vespers is this special service, and this Sunday, May 3, we will focus on FAITHFULNESS. Taizé Vespers is a unique and meditative form of evening prayer that emphasizes communal singing and brief scripture readings, creating a contemplative space where participants can experience inner stillness and calm. This community also promotes peace and justice through prayer and meditation, and offers a chance to meditate and 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 on the way. Come and join us at 6 p.m. for a new way to sense a special connection with the divine. This is a place where lives are renewed. You can view the livestream below, and use the service leaflet here. #Taizé #taize #prayer #EveningPrayer #Vespers #episcomd #howardcountymd #columbiamaryland #episcopal #episcopalian

Easter V at Christ Church We have three services this Sunday morning: Holy Eucharist in Old Brick at 8:00, Family Worship in New Brick at 9:00, and Choral Eucharist in New Brick at 10:30. Collect for Today: Almighty God, whom truly to know is everlasting life: Grant us so perfectly to know your Son Jesus Christ to be the way, the truth, and the life, that we may steadfastly follow his steps in the way that leads to eternal life; through Jesus Christ your Son our Lord, who lives and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen. This Sunday's Readings: Acts 7:55-60 Psalm 31:1-5, 15-16 1 Peter 2:2-10 John 14:1-14 Sermon for This Sunday: Father Manny delivers this Sunday's sermon, and you can view it in the video below once worship has begun. Sunday Worship Livestream: Our service livestream begins just before 10:30 a.m. The service leaflet for this worship is here.

A Streamlined Plan For Volunteers at Our Spring Food Drive on Saturday, May 16, 10 AM to 2 PM, at River Hill Giant to Help Two Food Pantries You can be a part of one of the most rewarding ways to help feed the hungry. Please sign up for a shift during the Spring Food Drive on Saturday, May 16, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., at River Hill Giant Food, 6050 Daybreak Circle, Clarksville, Md., 21029. It’s a hands-on, family-friendly activity that occurs twice a year, in spring and fall. Look for a signup sheet in the Narthex or in Old Brick, starting on Sunday. Please volunteer for a one-hour shift. To learn more, email outreach@christchurchcolumbia.org. Once again, Christ Church is adapting to corporate rules that limit the number of volunteers on the supermarket premises. In response to a request from the management of Giant Foods, we must streamline how we conduct our traditional drive. The policy will limit us at any one time to four volunteers, of whom two will be interacting with Giant customers. For information, email outreach@christchurchcolumbia.org. Walk-in volunteers will be encouraged to do their part by taking a shopping list and purchasing some of the pantries’ requested items. Groceries collected at the supermarket will go to two food pantries. One is the Howard County Food Bank, which is operated by the Community Action Council of Howard County (CAC). The other is SAFE, its partner pantry that provides free gluten-free and allergy-safe foods to low-income families and individuals. At our Fall Food Drive held at a Giant supermarket in Dorsey’s Search, we collected 1,776 pounds for the food bank and 307 pounds for SAFE. That combined total of 2,083 pounds amounts to more than a ton of food and staples! During the drives, the experience provides hands-on service not only to our volunteers but also to shoppers we approach with a list of requested items. Most importantly, access to food and necessities is a lifeline for people struggling to make ends meet in Howard County. Prepare for Mother’s Day by Buying DreamBuilders Goods This Sunday, May 3, as Christ Church Takes Steps to Support a June Trip to Kentucky Look for fair-trade coffee, tea, cocoa, and chocolates being sold to benefit DreamBuilders just in time for Mother’s Day, a week later. The goods will be available after all three worship services on Sunday, May 3. It’s all for a good cause as a team of youth and adults get ready to rebuild after devastating floods in Hazard, Ky. One youth from Christ Church will be traveling June 21-17 on what will be the group’s fourth trip in a row to build homes there. At its April meeting, the Outreach Commission approved spending $750 to subsidize the youth’s trip. These are Vestry-approved funds derived from your pledges and contributions. Thank you! ‘The Source’ Project Calls Attention to the Work of Columbia Community Care WMAR-TV aired a report on operations of Columbia Community Care (CCC) as the nonprofit organization looks forward to eventually moving its headquarters to The Source, a community center facilitated by Howard County to expand opportunities for young people. CCC Pantry Director April Lee was interviewed for WMAR2 News Baltimore’s report, posted online on March 28, 2026. You can also find information on CCC’s Facebook page under the title, “Leaders in Howard County break ground on new community center called ‘The Source.’ The location at 10750 Little Patuxent Parkway, Columbia, Md. 21045 is the former site of the Columbia Flier building, which Howard County acquired in 2014 and that CCC briefly utilized as a pantry and headquarters prior to its demolition. CCC promotes youth programs, including STAND and PUSH, that will use space at The Source to provide services such as tutoring. The community center​ is expected to house a gymnasium, wellness programs, mental and physical healthcare services, and childcare. Mark Your Calendars! DreamBuilders Fundraiser at Bushel and a Peck - May 13 DreamBuilders will host their Spring fundraising event at Bushel and a Peck - 12250 Clarksville Pike in Clarkesville. It takes place on Wednesday, May 13th and you can reserve your seats for happy hour and dinner on their website. Then, join us from 4:30 - 8:30 p.m. that evening as we help raise funds to build three homes in Hazard, Kentucky. When you make your reservation, please put a note that you are there for the DB event. You can also call B&aP at 410.531.1809 to reserve space. Bring Items for FISH/CCC, and Consider Volunteering to Take Calls from Home FISH and Columbia Community Care (CCC) partnered last year and merged pantries. CCC continues to hand out food at three sites on Saturday mornings and by home delivery to Howard County residents. For information, visit Get Help online. For updates on community services such as youth programs, check CCC’s Facebook page. FISH continues to pick up donated goods from Christ Church and others. Please put non-perishable food and personal care products in the altar basket or in a bin just inside the Parish Hall. Look for a combo label “FISH/CCC”. Please bring baby wipes and diapers, especially large sizes. FISH will continue to provide telephone support to Howard County residents, offering guidance and financial assistance because the personal touch is very important when people are in crisis. For information, ask parishioner and FISH treasurer Andy DeLong (seen in this photo) or email him at andydelong.fish@gmail.com. You could be the one to lend a helping hand by lending an ear! As a phone volunteer, you can help from your home by giving just one day a month to assist those who could benefit from financial assistance from FISH. Training is provided. Thank you! SAVE THE DATE! June 7 is the Next Annual Matzohball 5K Run Join in the 22nd Annual Matzohball Run, organized by DreamBuilders member congregation Temple Isaiah on Sunday, June 7th, starting at 8:00 a.m. at Western Regional Park in Woodbine. The proceeds benefit DreamBuilders, Grassroots, HopeWorks, and others to make a difference in the lives of vulnerable communities in need of support. Christ Church supports all of these organizations, so your help directly assists these groups. If you would like more information, please speak with Cathy Gold at church. In general, if you have suggestions about ways to help the community, if you want to get involved, or if you need assistance, please email Christ Church Outreach at outreach@christchurchcolumbia.org. Your help is greatly welcomed and appreciated. Thank you.

Jollof Rice is a West African delicacy. It is believed to have first started in the Senegambia region of West Africa. Due to migration and travel, it has spread throughout the entire region and further afield. This delicacy has generated significant interest among people who are not from that region. It has generated some heated competition among people from the Senegambia region, Liberia, Sierra Leone, Ghana, and Nigeria. People from these different countries believe that they cook the best Jollof Rice. A few years ago, we hosted a Jollof Rice competition here at Christ Church. Although our brothers and sisters from Nigeria won the competition, largely because of their numbers, it was a great showcase of communal spirit and a commitment to the openness that has come to define our Christ Church community. The truth of the matter is that different West African groups cook their Jollof Rice in different ways. Come to think of it, Jollof Rice is simply rice cooked in tomato sauce. But there is a distinct difference in the preparation of the tomato sauce, so it is safe to say that different groups add their own cultural identity or values to the sauce. This means that if Jollof Rice tastes different in Ghana, Nigeria, Liberia, or Sierra Leone, it is because they added their own unique cultural value to it. Ghanaians, Nigerians, Liberians, and Sierra Leoneans do not cook it in just the same way that they learned it from their brothers and sisters who first started cooking it. The point here is the human quest to add value - adding value to ourselves, and to whatever gift that we have received. Whatever it is that has been given to us - our lives, most especially - we work as hard as we can to add value to that. We do so because we instinctively know that whatever we have been given cannot remain the same. And so bit by bit, we make every effort, as difficult as it may be, to add value. Jesus tells a great story in the gospels about a master who gave his three servants some talents. To one he gave five, another two, and another one. He gave to each based on their ability. After a rather long trip, the master returned and invited the three servants to offer an account. The one who got five talents gained five more - he added value. The second servant who got two talents, gained two more - he added value. The last one who got a talent said he dug a hole and put the talent in it. He then gave the same talent to his master; thus, he added no value. The question for our consideration is: Have you ever lived? The Dalai Lama is reported to have said that to be born is a miracle. The fact that you are here is a miracle. The fact that you can exist to even think about Jollof Rice is a miracle. The fact that you can live and breathe is a miracle. The fact that you can get some education is a miracle. The fact that you have a job or don’t have a job is a miracle. The fact that you are retired is a miracle. The point is that your very presence is a miracle. It is important, then, to understand that your life is unique. No one has ever lived your life, and no one will ever live it. That is pretty special, if you ask me. But then again, the question is: Have you ever lived? Someone once asked, ‘Now that you have this life, what are you going to do with it?’ There’s a lot that you can do with it, but the most important thing is adding value to it. In just the same way that we have different flavors of Jollof Rice, simply because different people from different regions of West Africa cook it differently, you also must appreciate the fact that the value that you can add to your life could be essentially different, but it should be one that tastes delicious. At the moment, we are dealing with a community of people who are not only spiritually impoverished but also do not even know that they are impoverished. We have a community of people who want to believe that material satisfaction is equal to spiritual satisfaction, or it is the ultimate satisfaction of life. We have a community of people who prefer not to work on their weaknesses because they believe they have none. Each of us has a weakness, and that weakness lies in the choices we must make daily. Those choices we make choose us, and we are either going to be blessed by those choices or beaten up by them. Whatever the choices that we make, the question remains: Have you ever lived? To live is to add value. This is what Rumi said: “Don’t be satisfied with stories, how things have gone with others. Unfold your own myth. Be like a tree and let the dead leaves drop. Try not to resist the changes that come your way. Trust that every ending is quietly guiding you to a beginning.” Our ultimate desire must be to live - to live more fully by adding value to our lives, bearing in mind that it is only God who, through Christ, makes the full life abundantly possible. We live with full knowledge that, at the barest minimum, we added value to our Jollof Rice, which is why it is delicious. Happy Eastertide!  Manny+

One of the most colorful and fragrant spring traditions is back! The Christ Church Youth Ministry will be sponsoring its annual Flower Sale this Saturday, so stop by the Christ Church campus, May 2, from 9:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. and pick up your favorite spring annuals. We will have a wide variety of individual flowers in small pots, hanging baskets, and flower-and-herb combination pots. The flowers come from Walnut Springs Nursery in Howard County, and all proceeds go to support youth ministry activities throughout the year. So stop by the campus and grab some fragrant, colorful flowers for yourself, or maybe as a Mother's Day or graduation gift. They will surely help brighten anyone's day!