Christ Church Outreach News: December 5, 2024
SLYC Invites Christ Church to its Christmas Cafe this Saturday, December 7
Please consider attending the “Christmas Cafe” to be held by St. Luke’s Youth Center (SLYC) from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday, Dec. 9. The location is the Church of the Good Shepherd, 1401 Carrollton Ave., Towson, MD 21204. If you wish to ride in a carpool that will depart Christ Church at 2:15 p.m., tell us no later than Friday in an email to outreach@christchurchcolumbia.org.
The annual celebration includes food, music, and a chance to meet and interact with SLYC children, parents, and volunteers. SLYC is a collaborative group of West Baltimore families that provides youth with critical resources, life-enriching experiences, and a safety net of support. Its leaders visited Christ Church on July 28, when they met with parishioners during a presentation recorded on Zoom. SLYC thanked us for ongoing support, including $1,500 for youth to attend Camp Imagination, as described in the Outreach Blog of July 11, 2024.
Inviting You to Join Our Monthly Outreach Meeting on Monday, Dec. 9
Learn many ways to help others by joining us remotely for the Outreach Commission meeting on Monday, Dec. 9, at 7:30 p.m. Our mission has a local, national, and international scope, and there are many in need, especially during this winter holiday season. Email us at outreach@christchurchcolumbia.org for the Zoom details. We look forward to seeing you!
Angel Tree Gifts Due by this Sunday, December 8th, to Grant Wishes for a Dozen Children
Parishioners rapidly filled up the list for our annual Angel Tree tradition, buying gifts to brighten Christmas for a dozen children aided by the Howard County (Central Maryland) division of The Salvation Army. See the Christ Church 2024 Angel Tree SignUp to view choices and find instructions. The deadline to bring unwrapped gifts is 4 p.m. on Friday, Dec. 8. Please put these in the Parish Hall teller’s office. Thank you!
Any monetary gifts go toward purchasing a pair of shoes for each child. To help, consider a contribution to Christ Episcopal Church made online through Realm, by check, or by putting cash in a marked envelope in the collection plate. Designate "Outreach/Angel Tree" on these donations, including a note online in the memo section.
Help the Homeless on Monday, Dec. 9, by Preparing a Dish for Grassroots’ Emergency Shelter or Serving a Meal at Its Day Resource Center
On the second Monday of each month, Christ Church provides a hot midday meal for the homeless at the Day Resource Center (DRC) and drops off dinner for 50 to 70 residents at its Emergency Shelter, formerly called the Live-In Facility. We last participated on Nov. 11th (above images). 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 carpooling to the DRC.
To join us on Monday, Dec. 9, please check our DRC online signup form, which describes their midday meal procedure. Drop-off time is 12:45 p.m. in the parking lot near Old Brick for DRC’s side dishes. Later, parishioners who cook or shop for the evening meal at Grassroots’ shelter arrive in the Old Brick parking lot between 3:15 and 3:30 p.m. Get details in our Grassroots online signup form. Grassroots staff serves the evening meal. It’s efficient to provide for both venues on the same day. Your donations and Vestry-approved funds pay for the fried chicken entrees.
Recently, your generosity helped ease life for some of our homeless neighbors, who rely on sundries from the DRC pantry in Jessup. In response to staff requests, the Outreach Commission approved spending $161 for six packs of men’s underwear. These were purchased with funds donated to the church by parishioners who give to “General Outreach” or specifically to DRC or Grassroots. A heartfelt thanks to those donors!
FISH Asks for Volunteers As Well as Groceries and Toiletries in its Bin and Basket
FISH of Howard County is calling for new volunteers. If you are interested, ask parishioner Andy DeLong, who is FISH treasurer and a newly-elected board member of the nonprofit, which provides committed support to Howard County residents.
Please continue to put non-perishable foods and toiletries in the FISH basket at the altar or in the marked yellow bin on the breezeway between Old Brick and Parish Hall. The neighbors you help are grateful for all you do in their support.
Columbia Community Care Plans Holiday Activities, Ways to Help Kids
Columbia Community Care (CCC) plans holiday activities to help children and their families, including CCC’s annual giveaway of children’s presents. That distribution of toys and gifts for kids 2 to 16 will take place on Saturday, Dec. 21 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. during a celebration at Wilde Lake Middle School (WLMS). The deadline is Friday, Dec. 20 to donate items at WLMS or at Cozy Cafe, 8006 Main St., Ellicott City, MD. Check the CCC Facebook Group for updates. To volunteer, go online to “Support CCC”.
Those who need help are urged to go to “Get Help” on CCC’s website. Please keep collecting diapers, baby wipes, sanitary and personal care items and adult diapers. Put them in the yellow bin, marked “CCC,” inside the Parish Hall. Our point of contact is Leigh Smith, who monitors the bin and delivers its contents.
DreamBuilders Has a Few Upcoming Events in 2025
Join us for our General Meeting on Sunday, January 12th, at 3 p.m. at Temple Isaiah - Come hear about all the work we will be doing in 2025! We have a spring project with the ARC of Howard County in April, and we are talking with Bridges to Housing Stability about renovating one of their properties as soon as January! And we’ll be returning to Kentucky in June for another blitz build. We’ve got a great video to show of our 2024 Kentucky team, featuring our own Christ Church missioners, Jasmine, Alexander and Kiona along withl their team mates.
And mark your calendars! The annual DreamBuilders Spaghetti Dinner and Silent Auction will take place on Saturday, March 8th at Temple Isaiah. This is our biggest fundraiser of the year, and we’re going to need your help! We will be organizing donations for the silent auction soon. Blitz Builds are expensive, as we fund building materials as well as housing, food and transportation for our missioners.
To learn more, visit https://dreambuildersmd.org/
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.
