Christ Church Outreach News: August 18, 2022

Invitation to Take a Virtual Trip to Uganda as Leaders of Friends of Sabina Join the Sunday Zoom Coffee Hour at Noon on Aug. 21st

Plan to see and hear the latest on how leaders of Friends of Sabina (FOS) are making progress at Sabina Primary School in rural Uganda. At noon on Sunday, Aug. 21, the Outreach Commission will host FOS leaders Maria White, who recently returned from Uganda, and Ann Marie Davis, who went last spring.

The FOS Adult Forum will flow seamlessly from our regular coffee hour. The link to our Zoom gathering can be gotten by emailing outreach@christchurchcolumbia.org. Or participate as a small group after the second worship service by assembling downstairs in New Brick at the laptop.

Sabina students returned after the pandemic lockdown in Uganda to find many improvements on campus in 2022, such as upgraded sanitation and better dormitories. Currently, the school enrolls 321, consisting of 138 boarding students and 183 day scholars.

Davis described what a difference the upgrades have made for students, teachers, and staff in an April 23 letter posted online during her stay from March 10th through May 2nd. White traveled to Sabina from July 18th to Aug. 10th and is eager to tell you about her stay on Zoom.

Some of the latest changes include the introduction of a music program, advances in agriculture, and progress on the new computer lab that you can read about in a July 2, 2022 newsletter.

For more than a decade, the Outreach Commission at Christ Church has backed efforts at the school, especially in a library that serves as a community center. In May, Christ Church sent $2,000 in Vestry-approved budget funds to pay for internet service, periodicals, and the annual salary of the librarian, Richard Tumusiime. Thanks to all for making that possible!

Outreach also encourages parishioners to sponsor Sabina students whose families otherwise cannot afford fees and tuition (they are among Sabina students pictured here). Since 2020, members stepped forward to sponsor nine children, who then ranged in age from 8 to 15. Parishioners and the first names of the students are Steve and Linda Alpern (Sharon); Tim and Sherry Beaty (Herbert and Sylivia); Ellen and Charles Hoke (Josephine); Patricia Fanning (Patricia); Diane Phillips Laguerre (Jackson); Paula and Chuck Rees (Sandra); Catherine Whittaker (Brian); and Melanie and Nick Yaksich (Marvin).

We’re hoping sponsors and would-be sponsors will join Zoom to hear about possibilities. And for everyone, seeing the FOS leaders' shared images will be like traveling to Uganda’s Central Region, which is west of Lake Victoria and north of the border with Tanzania. For some members of Christ Church – the Hokes, the Alperns, and Teddy and Sonni Aribiah and their sons, Jonah and Luke – it will remind them of their own travels to what is now called the Kyotera District to visit Sabina Primary School.

For more information, please contact Davis or White directly at info@friendsofsabina.org.

LEMS Ministry Update: School Supplies Have Been Delivered!

Our summer-long drive to provide much-needed school supplies for local students at Lake Elkhorn Middle School has been a resounding success, and we've delivered these important items to LEMS this week. You can see the photos and read all about it on our website's LEMS update.

Columbia Community Care Requests Diapers, Personal Care Items

At Christ Church, members of R.A.G.E and the Outreach Commission ask parishioners to continue 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 Snacks, Crackers, and Cookies to FISH in Bin on our Breezeway

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 to our neighbors in need.

In general, if you have suggestions about ways to help the community, if you want to get involved, or if you need assistance, please email Christ Church Outreach at outreach@christchurchcolumbia.org. Your help is greatly welcomed and appreciated. Thank you.