Christ Church Outreach News: May 26, 2022
Take a Field Trip On June 10th to Saint Luke’s Youth Center and Support its Summer Camp with Your Prayers and through an Online Poetry Event
Youngsters in West Baltimore are already anticipating the 2022 summer sessions of Camp Imagination, which is held by St. Luke’s Youth Center (SLYC). It’s pronounced as “slick”. The non-profit organization operates year-round from the former St. Luke’s Episcopal parish at 217 N. Carey Street, Baltimore, MD.
You don’t have to go there in person to enjoy the poetry program, “The Dream Project,” to be held on Sunday, June 12th from 5 to 6 p.m. It will be available on Facebook Live. The fundraiser for camp will feature The SLYC Poets, Granny Slam, Gayle Danley, APoetNamedNate, and Jazz by Aaron Hill. You can link to the event from the website for SLYC.
By contrast, we are suggesting you go there in person on Friday, June 10th, when the Christ Church Outreach Commission is taking a field trip. We are inviting anyone interested to join us in carpooling or meeting up at historic St. Luke’s. We will spend an hour from 4 to 5 p.m. observing SLYC After School, a program that engages about 40 young people. There are pandemic protocols intended to keep everyone safe. To attend, please email outreach@christchurchcolumbia.org.
Many of the students also will be attending Camp Imagination. For the second year in a row, the Christ Church Outreach Commission has donated $500 in Vestry-approved funds to support SLYC’s summer camp. Thanks to all parishioners for your contributions to making that possible.
This summer, Kennedy Center Master Teaching Artist Gayle Danley will guide campers through an exploration of the theme of Roots, Reparations, and Renewal. Campers will be reading various texts, writing, and discussing how the theme relates to their own lived experiences. Throughout camp, they will work extensively with professional artists to create original works of art as an expression of their interpretations, emotions, and ideas.
Some of you may recall meeting leaders of SLYC in February when several visited Christ Church. In informal conversations, Board Member Nyah Vanterpool, Engagement Coordinator Darlene Clark and Executive Director Amanda Gardner Talbot described SLYC’s collaborative model. It includes families, staff members, and supporters and volunteers from several Episcopal parishes.
The Episcopal Diocese of Maryland is among the partners. The May 10, 2022 newsletter of the diocese has an article on the historic church and how it became a youth center. That was the mission of Talbot’s father, the Very Rev. Van Gardner, after retiring as Dean of the Cathedral of the Incarnation in Baltimore. After his death, his daughter carries on with their dream.
The church has a fascinating history that pre-dates the laying of its cornerstone in 1851. To learn more, watch a 5-minute video on YouTube by Baltimore Heritage’s executive director who is joined briefly by Gardner.
SLYC leaders, including Gardner, will speak at Christ Church on Sunday, Aug. 7, during both worship services. Please save the date.
They’ll describe in-person tutoring and other volunteer opportunities that you may wish to explore as individuals or in small groups when the 2022-23 school year begins. Requests to parishes for “time, gifts, and talents” go well beyond tutoring students in math, reading, and writing. For example, there are needs for carpenters, architects, and landscapers or for grant-writers and graphic designers.
To learn more, email the executive director at amanda@bmoreslyc.org. Or, email outreach@christchurchcolumbia.org, and ask to be put in contact with parishioner Michon Semon, who is the Outreach Commission’s liaison to SLYC.
Columbia Community Care Needs 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. You can put any of these items in the yellow bin, marked “CCC,” inside the Parish Hall. Drop off items on weekdays when the church office is open or on Sunday.
The items as well as groceries and produce are distributed at three sites: Long Reach Village Center, Suite 9, 8775 Cloudleap Ct.; Wilde Lake Interfaith Center, 10431 Twin Rivers Rd., and at the Barn/Teen Center indoor space in the Oakland Mills Village Center, 5851 Robert Oliver Place, all in Columbia.
Recipients are welcomed from 10 a.m. to noon on Saturdays. For volunteers, donations and drop-offs begin at 9 a.m. You’ll find updates, such as requests for volunteers at specific sites, posted in the CCC Facebook Group.
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.
