Christ Church Outreach News: October 26, 2023
Our Support of Claggett Camps Brightened Summer 2023 for Disabled Adults and for Youth Whose Families Grapple with Opioid Misuse
The Outreach Commission for several years has supported summer camps at the Claggett Center in Adamstown, Md., the retreat, camp, and conference center of the Episcopal Diocese of Maryland. To parishioners, please accept heartfelt thanks for our ability to support two campers, drawing from vestry-approved budget funds.
Back in May, Christ Church donated $1,700 to Claggett by designating funds for one person to attend Camp Spirit Song, held for children affected by a loved one’s opioid substance use disorder, and one person to attend Special Challenge Camp. That experience for adults with developmental disabilities is so much in demand that registration for 2024 begins Dec. 1.
Late fall is also a good time to start thinking ahead about the possibility of volunteering next summer. To read about Special Challenge Camp and what it’s like to volunteer at the 5-day, 4-night session, go to the June 15, 2023 Outreach Blog. You can read about Camp Spirit Song in the July 28, 2022 Outreach Blog.
Claggett also beckons youth in general, offering week-long sessions for those who have completed second grade up to recent high school grads. Many campers across all Claggett sessions are only able to attend on scholarship, so your contributions directly impact campers' experiences all summer long. To glimpse Adventure Camp and other Claggett programs, go on Facebook Camps at Claggett.
As described in the Bishop’s Appeal, Claggett’s 266-acre property overlooks Sugarloaf Mountain and the Monocacy River Valley, a perfect setting for learning, growth, and spirit-filled renewal. To personally support the camps, you can do so through the appeal, on Claggett’s website, or by directing a Christ Church contribution to “Outreach/Claggett” in the memo line of a check or on Realm.
The hope is to make a difference at a pivotal moment in someone’s life. The Right Rev. Robert W. Ihloff, assisting bishop in the diocese, told of his pivotal moment at age 14 during remarks at a Christ Church Lenten supper in March and in a sermon on Dec. 4.
“I arrived at the camp as an angry teenager, determined to be as nasty as I possibly could because I didn’t want to go to camp,” he said. “I was simply shunted off there because my mother wanted to get rid of me over the summer when my father was recuperating from a heart attack that I felt guilty about maybe causing him. And so I arrived at camp with a chip on my shoulder. And everything I did was designed to be as obnoxious as I could because my aim was to be sent home from camp. And no matter what I did, these people loved me.“
The staff was forgiving despite his efforts to misbehave. “And before I left that camp, I realized the God with whom I’d grown up, a God of judgment who was constantly looking over my shoulder and judging me to be falling short of the mark, was not the real God. The real God was of these folks who had this wonderful sense of love, and their love and compassion for me changed my heart,” he said. “I wouldn’t be standing here if it were not for that group of campers and that group of counselors at that wonderful camp. And it's one of the reasons why, as a bishop in your diocese…I’ve been so active and avid about the Claggett Center because I really believe that church camps change lives, and I know they changed my life.”
Thank You from DreamBuilders
Many thanks to all who supported the DreamBuilders Spaghetti Dinner and Silent Auction on October 14th. Whether you donated items for auction, worked during the dinner, bought a raffle ticket or bid on items, you were a big help. With your support, we were able to raise $20,945 to help fund our upcoming mission trips to Puerto Rico and Kentucky!
Registration Closing November 1st for DreamBuilders Puerto Rico Mission Trip
Hurricane Maria devastated Puerto Rico in September of 2017. Now, six years later, hundreds of Puerto Ricans are still living in damaged homes, or crowded in with family members waiting for the day when their homes can be made livable again. DreamBuilders will be making its fourth trip to the island this January 14-20, 2024 to work with SBP-Puerto Rico to repair damaged homes.
Registration will be open until November 1st. The cost of the trip is $1000 per missioner, which covers the flights, housing, food, and rental vehicles. Daily temperatures in San Juan for January average between 80-83 degrees.
You can register as a volunteer on our website: DreamBuildersMd.org You will pay half the fee upon registration ($500) so DreamBuilders can reserve the flights, housing, and rental vehicles.
If you have any questions, please contact Cathy Gold at heycathy@verizon.net.
Columbia Community Care Seeks Baby Care Items, More Volunteers
Please support Columbia Community Care (CCC) by donating items or volunteering. Choose tasks such as translating to enable home deliveries or sorting at the pantry. Check the CCC Facebook Group or go to the “I Can Help” portion of its website.
In a plea posted last week for volunteers, CCC pantry manager April Lee wrote: “I know it's a really hectic time of year just before the crush of the holidays, but if you can spare a few hours to help us get food to our hungry families that would be wonderful. I often remind our volunteers that what they do when helping us get groceries to our food-insecure neighbors is literally an answer to someone's prayers. Never underestimate the impact you can make in others' lives. We appreciate all of you so, so much! Thank you!!”
Continue collecting diapers, baby wipes, sanitary and personal care items, and adult diapers. Put any of these in the yellow bin, marked “CCC,” inside the Parish Hall. Drop off items on weekdays when the office is open or on Sundays. The Christ Church point of contact is Leigh Smith, who monitors the bins and delivers the contents.
Seafarers Center
WOCC representatives will deliver donations to the International Seafarers Center in Baltimore in mid-November. The Seafarers Center helps seamen and women whose ships come into the Baltimore Harbor. The Center appreciates receiving any of the following items for the Seafarers: calendars for 2024; warm hats, gloves, and scarves; stationery; magazines (e.g., current affairs and sports magazines, National Geographic, Smithsonian, etc.). Donations should be placed in the designated bin in the Tower Room by November 13th. This will be our last trip to the Center before Christmas. Let’s try to brighten the holidays for those who are so far from home. If you have any questions, please speak with Carolann Sawyer or Cindy Read.
Donate Snacks, Crackers, and Cookies to FISH in Bin on our Breezeway
FISH of Howard County needs non-perishable foods and toiletries. FISH provides committed support to select families in need. Please put your donations in the basket at the altar or drop them into the marked black and yellow bin on the breezeway between Old Brick and Parish Hall. The neighbors you help give thanks for all you do in their 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.
