We want to make you aware of email and text message scams that are targeting members of religious institutions around the country. There are also recent reports of other Maryland and Howard County churches having been affected by this issue, including Christ Church. This particular scam involves making a fake email account in Father Manny's name (using a "churchmail901" Gmail address in this case, although there may be other email addresses being used, as well) and then sending a request for gift cards allegedly from him to then give to members of the staff. We ask that you please be vigilant if you come across any email that appears to be from Father Manny, Deacon Denise, or any vestry, outreach leader, or parishioner that asks you to take some kind of unusual action (purchasing gift cards and replying with the serial numbers, clicking a link or downloading an attachment you didn’t request, wiring money to a specified account, or simply replying quickly). Their message might give some explanation of why they need your help immediately. They may include some story about another person in dire circumstances whom they are trying to help, or that they want to award staff with gift cards but need your help while they are "out of town". However, instead of helping a needy person, if you respond you might actually be turning over money and/or your identity information to a scammer. It's important to be very thorough with verifying these emails before doing anything. The emails seem harmless; they usually have the rector or staff member's name and an email address that looks legitimate, but upon further inspection you'll see that the email address is actually from a provider different than the "@christchurchcolumbia.org" address that we typically, and safely, use. In some instances, the sender’s name may look correct but is missing a single letter. Or, it may otherwise closely resemble the real email address; for example, bob@churchstaff.org becomes bobchurchstaff@gmail.com, or similar. If you receive an email that appears related to Christ Episcopal Church but you're unsure of its authenticity, please do not respond directly to it or click any links in the email. Instead, please email us at info@christchurchcolumbia.org and place "Phishing scam?" in the subject line. Please do not forward the email to us; alternatively, you can type the sender's email address in the message body or take a screenshot of the email (how to do this - Windows / Mac / Android / iPhone) and include that image in the email. We will tell you if the address is in our official CEC database, or if it appears to be a scam. General email DOs and DON’Ts: DO double-check your emails carefully. DON’T ever respond to an email asking you for money. DO verify in person, by email to a trusted address, or by phone any request involving money or personal information. DON’T reply. DON’T click on any links within the message. You can learn more about how to protect yourself, as well as how to report suspected phishing emails or text messages, by visiting the Federal Trade Commission's website here. If you got a phishing email, forward it to the Anti-Phishing Working Group at reportphishing@apwg.org. If you got a phishing text message, forward it to SPAM (7726).

Today is the Twenty-First Sunday after Pentecost. Collect of the Day: Almighty and everlasting God, increase in us the gifts of faith, hope, and charity; and, that we may obtain what you promise, make us love what you command; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen. Readings for today: Leviticus 19:1-2,15-18 Psalm 1 1 Thessalonians 2:1-8 Matthew 22:34-46

Support the Diocese of Maryland Sutton Scholars at a Virtual Gala on Oct. 27 The Sutton Scholars® High School Enrichment Program invites you to its first virtual celebration. program for Baltimore City youth, brought to you by the Episcopal Diocese of Maryland. An email invitation from the diocese included photos of two of the scholars. Several participants in the most recent Christ Church “Conversations on Race” asked about ways to improve the lives and educational outcomes of young people in underserved neighborhoods in Baltimore. Bishop Eugene Taylor Sutton had asked that same question and, in 2008, directed the Diocese “to identify areas of need among Baltimore City youth that we could help address.” To read about what transpired, you can go to the scholars’ program portion of the Diocese website. Or why not meet some of the young people, at least virtually, to hear their heart-warming, first-person stories? You can do so during the virtual gala. Register here. The livestreaming event also will include a special guest as Master of Ceremonies; an online silent auction, and entertainment by the Greg Hatza ORGANization jazz band. You can visit the Sutton Scholars Facebook page to learn more and share this event. Good News: The Somos Amigos Medical Missions Clinic is Open Despite the restrictions and challenges of the pandemic, the Somos Amigos Medical Missions clinic has found safe ways to serve its patients in a rural, mountainous region of the Dominican Republic. The Outreach Commission has received encouraging reports from the nonprofit organization that many Christ Church parishioners have supported over the years, both in person and through donations. In ordinary times, several parishioners travel to the Dominican Republic for an October clinic, joining dozens of other volunteers who provide medical and dental services four times a year in collaboration with residents of Naranjito. Members of Christ Church learned about their work and heard stirring success stories as recently as March 8, during the sermon delivered at worship services by Executive Director and CEO Frank Brightwell. He joined parishioner and long-time Somos Amigos volunteer Mary Keath at an adult forum that day. It was a time before the emerging coronavirus had yet to widely impact the United States and the Caribbean. So much has changed. On Oct. 13th, he sent an email, accompanied by a photo, in which he addressed supporters: Dear Friends, Another three months have passed and our lives continue to be shaped by the pandemic. These are difficult times indeed, and we all long for normalcy to return soon. Even while faced with the challenges brought about by COVID, our commitment to serve our patients is unwavering. Yes, even during the pandemic, they know they can count on us. This week would be the week when we would have a volunteer group at the clinic. But travel remains difficult and is not safe for our volunteers. The U.S. Embassy in Santo Domingo continues to advise against travel to the Dominican Republic due to health and safety concerns. As we did in July, once again we have two Dominican physicians working with us for the next three to four weeks. They are joined by a team of several others and, following strict COVID protocols, will see patients by appointment. Today was the first day we welcomed patients, and already we have the next two weeks filled with appointments. Given the state of the pandemic in the U.S. and in the D.R., we know already that we will again not be able to have a volunteer team in the clinic in January. We will ask the same local team to work with us again, and in January we hope to add two local dentists to our team. Perhaps by the time to plan our April trip we can consider having volunteers travel again. As always, we will follow the guidelines of trusted medical organizations. Thank you for your continued support of Somos Amigos. Sincerely, Frank Somos Amigos has recently posted its 2020 annual report, in which we learn that from July 2019 through January 2020, the clinic had 1,084 unique medical visits and 444 unique dental visits. By April, due to the pandemic’s impact, Somos Amigos had pivoted to telemedicine and on filling and delivering critical prescriptions to more than 260 patients. Read more at: https://somosamigos.org/annual-report-2020/ Howard County Announces $1.5 Million in Rise to the Challenge Nonprofit Grants On Oct. 15, Howard County Executive Calvin Ball announced $1.5 million in Rise to the Challenge grants to 40 Howard County nonprofits --many of which you will recognize as among those supported by the Outreach Commission and members of Christ Church. For example, the operations manager of Grassroots Crisis Intervention Center, Anna Katz, said, “this funding will support our efforts to shelter vulnerable people during the pandemic and provide them the services they so desperately need.” The Rise to the Challenge grants are funded through the CARES Act. To learn more and to see the 39 other recipients, read the announcement. The list of nonprofit grant recipients is a good source of information to help broaden our knowledge of needs within the county and the role that various organizations are playing to address these needs. 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. Springfield Hospital Christmas Gifts We will once again be collecting Christmas gifts for our friends at Springfield Hospital.  This has been a particularly difficult year for them, as they have been unable to have visits due to the pandemic. Though we haven’t been able to make our usual visits, we will be gathering gifts for them to bring a little Christmas Joy.  If you would like to contribute, we have placed a large container in the Tower Room to accept your unwrapped donations, before December 14th.  If that’s inconvenient, please contact Cathy Gold and we will find a way. Heycathy@verizon.net or (410) 440-4178. DreamBuilders: Save the Dates for our Third Desk Build! The DreamBuilders’ first two efforts at building portable and foldable desks for students was so successful, and the demand for our desks is so great, we will be hosting a third event in November! As before, we’ll be working on two successive Saturdays - November 7th and 14th. We will be moving our work site inside, to a large warehouse. As before, we will include social distancing, masks, family teams, and other measures to minimize potential exposure to the Coronavirus. We are especially looking for family teams to work the multi-person work stations. Stay tuned to this space for details on registration and location. October LEMS Committee Update On October 8th, the Lake Elkhorn Middle School Committee at Christ Church made their second coordinated contribution to the LEMS Weekend Food Program! We plan to continue to provide food for ten families once a month throughout the fall semester, though as with everything, we may need to adjust to changing circumstances and needs. During remote learning, the purchasing, bagging, and delivery is being handled a bit differently than normal, including strict safety precautions. When both LEMS and Christ Church resume normal operations, we look forward to any interested volunteers helping out. In addition to the Weekend Food Program, this month the LEMS committee is using funds contributed by Christ Church parishioners to purchase 250 additional headphones for LEMS students, to be distributed by the school. The teachers and staff have identified that headphones with microphones are a tremendous help to the students as they continue to attend school using Chromebooks. You can find more photos on the Christ Church blog, located here. If you have any questions, please contact lemspc@christchurchcolumbia.org. Donations can be made towards future LEMS support online using Realm and listing LEMS in the memo line. Baltimore International Seafarers' Center Donations The Seafarers charity is again requesting donations from Christ Episcopal Church. The group is looking for warm hats for men, 2021 Calendars, and copies of the following magazines : Time ; People;  Sports Illustrated; National Geographic. These items may be placed in the bin marked 'Seafarers' in the vestibule of New Brick. Thank you for your attention to this important community outreach. To learn more, click here. Columbia Community Care Settles Into Two-Days-A-Week Routine Providing food and other necessities for neighbors in need, Columbia Community Care (CCC), has consolidated operations to three sites, which welcome drop-off donations during operating hours. They are Swansfield Elementary School; Oakland Mills Middle School, and Howard High School. The times are Wednesdays from 5 to 8 p.m. (CCC volunteers report at 4 p.m.) and Saturdays from 10:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. (CCC volunteers report at 9:30 a.m.) In addition to staffing a site, volunteers can sign up on Facebook to perform duties to meet the needs of people without transportation. “Translator/dispatchers” coordinate lists of items for specific families and communicate by text message to arrange the contactless deliveries; “Shoppers,” who use cellphones to receive the texts, go to special pantries that have been established at two participating churches and assemble the items to fulfill each shopping list, and then deliver the goods to the assigned addresses. Several parishioners have volunteered in various capacities or donated to CCC. This ad-hoc group formed last spring in response to the coronavirus impact, which has especially hard hit the county’s low-income residents. Here’s a recent article about CCC that appeared in The Baltimore Sun last month. For those of you who wish to drop off non-perishable food items, diapers, or personal care products in CCC-marked donation bins, you can do so at one of the two churches: Bethel Korean Presbyterian Church, 3165 St. Johns Lane in Ellicott City or New Hope Church,12350 Hall Shop Rd. in Fulton, or at these participating businesses: Bonheur Patisserie & Deli, 7106 Minstrel Way; Philly’s Best, 5134 Thunder Hill Rd., and LA Mart, 5865 Robert Oliver Place, all in Columbia. For anyone who has suggestions about ways to help the community or want to get involved, please email Christ Church Outreach at outreach@christchurchcolumbia.org. Your help is greatly welcomed and appreciated. Thank you.

Walking the trail around Lake Elkhorn, or any other trail, can be a fantastic learning moment. Lots of life lessons abound by simply being on the trail. Columbia has a lot of trails, and although I have walked on several of them, I am most familiar with the trail surrounding Lake Elkhorn. I like to walk around the lake and then make my way to Oakland Mills, walk by the church, and then get on another trail and walk home. It is always a fascinating walk. A few times I have seen parishioners in the middle of a walk or run. The two people I often see are Alex and Elizabeth Everett. A couple of days ago, Alex ran by me as he pushed his son, Andrew. The sad part is that we cannot really stop and chat with each other as we walk or run because we may not even recognize each other as we swiftly pass by. A few weeks ago, I walked past Mavis Glover; we both did not initially recognize each other because we were wearing our masks, but then we chanced upon each other again and this time we recognized each other, stood six feet apart, and had a brief chat. The three parishioners I mentioned are but a few of the people I meet as I walk on the trail. There are lots and lots of different people on the trail - White, Black, Brown, and people of every ethnicity and background. These people are mostly adults, but there are also kids who join them for a walk. Some of the people I see take the time to say hello, but a good majority of them simply walk by. I do not say hello to everyone that I meet; for the most part, I, too, simply walk by. One magical part of being on the trail - especially at this time of the year - is to behold the beauty of God’s gift of creation in the changing color and falling leaves. The weather is chilly in the morning, but gets warmer throughout the day. That is the nature of being on the trail; there is nothing permanent about it. Remember the story where Jesus talks about the lilies of the field being here today, and yet gone tomorrow?   Another interesting part about being on the trail is the sight of many people walking their pets, mostly dogs of varying breeds and sizes. There is this Asian lady that I see regularly who has a very tiny dog. I do not know which breed, but it is smaller than a chihuahua. The little dog, like any other dog on the trail, is always on a leash. That, alone, is a perfect image of the limitations that we all have, limitations that God actually gives to us. As free as we may be, there are some limitations that come with being on the trail and, for you and me, the limitations come in the duty we owe to God and one another. Remember the story of the people of Israel, about how they journeyed from Egypt to the land of Canaan. It was like being on a trail. At some point on the journey, God gave them a set of rules - The Ten Commandments. The beauty of these commandments is that when split equally into two, they reflect our duty to God and to our fellow human. Should you think deeply about them, you will come to realize that they are not about you, per se; rather, they are about a duty that you owe. And being on the trail means you have to honor and uphold that duty. Living life is like being on a trail - you begin from home, and your destination is home. On the journey, you meet a lot of different people. Some of the people you meet may make an impression on you. Others, not so much. There are folks you would meet again and again, because life’s trail is like the Lake Elkhorn trail - it is circular. This is also the very essence of God - He has no beginning, and no end. For that reason, in so far as we stay on the trail, there is the likelihood that we may meet again. While on the trail, some of the people you see will simply say, "Hello" and move on, and some will say nothing. Whether we say anything or not, we do acknowledge, at our core, that each person we see - regardless of race, color, ethnicity or ability, and whether walking, running, or biking - is on the same trail, just as you are.  Growing up, I read in a weekly newspaper, The Mirror, in my home country, Ghana. There was always this cliché in it, which read, “Be mindful of the people you meet on your way up, for it is the same people you meet on your way down.” There is also a variation on the saying that I read several months ago: “I don’t care who I meet on my way up because I ain’t coming back down.” It may be true that you may not be coming back down, but that is only when your perspective of life is lateral or vertical, a perspective where your duty is only to yourself. But if your perspective of life is circular, like the Lake Elkhorn trail, then you may have to pay particular attention to the duty that you owe to one another and to God, especially during this heightened political season. Although millions have already voted, millions more will go out to vote on November 3, 2020. It is an important task - a duty we owe as citizens. Many of you will vote either Democrat or Republican, because you believe that a particular individual or party reflects your values more than the other. That also is about being on the trail. But then one important fact you must always appreciate is that no matter whether you vote Republican or Democrat the fact remains - we may be moving in different directions, but we are, nonetheless, on the same trail. More importantly, there is nothing permanent on the trail except God, and no one single party has dominated forever. I do not know whether you walk on the Lake Elkhorn trail, or perhaps you use some other trail. I want to encourage you that whenever you get on any trail - whether you are in a wheelchair, running, walking, or biking - always remember that there are others like you on the same trail, and there will always be others like you on that trail, long after you’ve gone home.  To those people, whether you know them or not, you owe a certain duty. Upholding that duty is not only heavenly, but that is how the glory of God is made manifest. So, my beloved, find a trail, and in so far as you remain open while on the trial, you will find more than enough reason to rejoice in the God who created you in His likeness.  ~Manny.

Today is the Twentieth Sunday after Pentecost. Collect of the Day: Almighty and everlasting God, in Christ you have revealed your glory among the nations: Preserve the works of your mercy, that your Church throughout the world may persevere with steadfast faith in the confession of your Name; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen. Readings for today: Isaiah 45:1-7 Psalm 96:1-9, (10-13) 1 Thessalonians 1:1-10 Matthew 22:15-22

Save the Dates-- Oct. 19 and Nov. 16-- to Help Feed the Hungry at Grassroots On Monday, Oct. 19, Christ Church once again will provide the evening meal at Grassroots Crisis Intervention Center, where 50 people at its live-in facility on Freetown Road are no doubt anticipating a menu of fried chicken, side dishes, and tasty desserts. Co-coordinator Nancy Winchester will be at Old Brick at 3:30 p.m., when volunteers may drop off their contributions safely in the parking lot. Please wear masks and plan to practice social distancing. During the months of the pandemic, this rendezvous has become routine (see photos). Nancy acquires the chicken at Weis, meets the other volunteers as they drive up to Old Brick, and then transports the items to Freetown Road for handoff to the staff of Grassroots. A generous donation of $200 from the Women of Christ Church is helping to pay for the chicken. Christ Church has also claimed the slot for the third Monday next month, which means we’ll be providing the Grassroots evening meal on Nov. 16. Please mark your calendars. Additional volunteers -- and the resulting side dishes, desserts, fruit, and granola bars -- are welcome next week and next month. On their own, parishioners at Christ Church have signed up to provide the evening meal on several evenings this month for the 50 adults and children. Consider pitching in, by picking a date during the remainder of October or during November to provide an entree and side dishes. Grassroots encourages an order of six pizzas -- two with cheese and four with meat (any kind), or rotisserie chickens (12 to make a meal, plus sides), but discourages lasagna or other pasta entrees. Another welcome option is takeout from restaurants to help the workforce. Here is a link to the sign-up list maintained by Grassroots. Meanwhile, the Dorsey/Rt. 1 Day Resource Center remains closed due to the coronavirus, except for curbside distribution of non-perishables. Multiple Ways to Aid the Less Fortunate in Howard County You’ll recall that on a sunny fall day, slightly more than a year ago, Christ Church held one of its periodic food drives to collect non-perishables for the Howard County Food Bank. How could we imagine then that our string of successful drives at Giant supermarkets would be interrupted by a pandemic! Alas, like so many things, these drives cannot resume until 2021. Instead, we invite you to do two things. The first is to recall the year-ago outing, when we collected 953 pounds of food and $192 in cash on Sept. 28, 2019, from shoppers at the Palace Giant. While reflecting on the camaraderie and accomplishments of that drive and the people who - then and now - need our help, please take heart that opportunities to work together in hands-on outreach will come again. The second is to consider responding to the county government’s Fall Food Drive. On Oct. 17th from 8:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m., the Department of Recreation & Parks will host the drive at its headquarters, 7120 Oakland Mills Road. Items will be donated to the Community Action Council’s Food Assistance Program at the Howard County Food Bank. Right now, it is in need of a list of items that may sound familiar to all of you apron-wearing veterans of the Christ Church in-person drives. Here’s the Food Bank’s current list: canned and dried fruit, hot and cold cereal; soup; pasta and pasta sauce; tuna; 100 percent fruit juice; baby food; diapers and wipes; peanut butter; canned beans (pinto, kidney, and black); and low-sodium canned vegetables. For questions or more information, the county suggests that you email mbyrne@howardcountymd.gov. If you wish to obtain food availability information not related to the drive, the county offers a food aid map (click here) as an online resource of distribution sites. It is updated at least weekly, in cooperation with Howard County Community Organizations Active in Disaster (COAD). Columbia Community Care Settles Into Two-Days-A-Week Routine Providing food and other necessities for neighbors in need, Columbia Community Care (CCC), has consolidated operations to three sites, which welcome drop-off donations during operating hours. They are Swansfield Elementary School; Oakland Mills Middle School, and Howard High School. The times are Wednesdays from 5 to 8 p.m. (CCC volunteers report at 4 p.m.) and Saturdays from 10:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. (CCC volunteers report at 9:30 a.m.) In addition to staffing a site, volunteers can sign up on Facebook to perform duties to meet the needs of people without transportation. “Translator/dispatchers” coordinate lists of items for specific families and communicate by text message to arrange the contactless deliveries; “Shoppers,” who use cellphones to receive the texts, go to special pantries that have been established at two participating churches and assemble the items to fulfill each shopping list, and then deliver the goods to the assigned addresses. Several parishioners have volunteered in various capacities or donated to CCC. This ad-hoc group formed last spring in response to the coronavirus impact, which has especially hard hit the county’s low-income residents. Here’s a recent article about CCC that appeared in The Baltimore Sun last month. For those of you who wish to drop off non-perishable food items, diapers, or personal care products in CCC-marked donation bins, you can do so at one of the two churches: Bethel Korean Presbyterian Church, 3165 St. Johns Lane in Ellicott City or New Hope Church,12350 Hall Shop Rd. in Fulton, or at these participating businesses: Bonheur Patisserie & Deli, 7106 Minstrel Way; Philly’s Best, 5134 Thunder Hill Rd., and LA Mart, 5865 Robert Oliver Place, all in Columbia. For anyone who has suggestions about ways to help the community or want to get involved, please email Christ Church Outreach at outreach@christchurchcolumbia.org. Your help is greatly welcomed and appreciated. Thank you.

On October 8, the Lake Elkhorn Middle School Committee at Christ Church made their second coordinated contribution to the LEMS Weekend Food Program! We plan to continue to provide food for ten families once a month throughout the fall semester, though as with everything, we may need to adjust to changing circumstances and needs. During remote learning purchasing, bagging, and delivery is being handled a bit differently than normal, including strict safety precautions. When both LEMS and Christ Church resume normal operations, we look forward to any interested volunteers helping out. In addition to the Weekend Food Program, this month the LEMS committee is using funds contributed by Christ Church parishioners to purchase 250 additional headphones for LEMS students, to be distributed by the school.  The teachers and staff have identified that headphones with microphones are a tremendous help to the students as they continue to attend school using Chromebooks. If you have any questions, please contact lemspc@christchurchcolumbia.org. Donations can be made towards future LEMS support online using Realm and listing LEMS in the memo line.

Christ Episcopal Church's Vestry election will take place during the Annual Meeting this Sunday, October 18th. The Vestry Nominating Committee has put forth the following individuals as candidates for election to the Christ Church Vestry (in alphabetical order): Jane Adams, Harrington Gardner, Beth Johnson, Sara Kirkpatrick, Andrea Leeman, Anne Moore, Jonelle Ocloo, and Diane Phillips-LaGuerre. Vestry candidate introductions, voting ballots, and detailed instructions have been mailed out to parishioners, so if you have not received them, please email us at office@christchurchcolumbia.org immediately. You can also read each vestry candidate's introductory statement on our website.

Today is the Nineteenth Sunday after Pentecost. Collect of the Day: Lord, we pray that your grace may always precede and follow us, that we may continually be given to good works; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen. Readings for today: Isaiah 25:1-9 Psalm 23 Philippians 4:1-9 Matthew 22:1-14

Multiple Ways to Aid the Less Fortunate in Howard County You’ll recall that on a sunny fall day, slightly more than a year ago, Christ Church held one of its periodic food drives to collect non-perishables for the Howard County Food Bank. How could we imagine then that our string of successful drives at Giant supermarkets would be interrupted by a pandemic! Alas, like so many things, these drives cannot resume until 2021. Instead, we invite you to do two things. The first is to recall the year-ago outing (pictured above), when we collected 953 pounds of food and $192 in cash on Sept. 28, 2019, from shoppers at the Palace Giant. While reflecting on the camaraderie and accomplishments of that drive and the people who - then and now - need our help, please take heart that opportunities to work together in hands-on outreach will come again. The second is to consider responding to the county government’s Fall Food Drive. On Oct. 17th from 8:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m., the Department of Recreation & Parks will host the drive at its headquarters, 7120 Oakland Mills Road. Items will be donated to the Community Action Council’s Food Assistance Program at the Howard County Food Bank. Right now, it is in need of a list of items that may sound familiar to all of you apron-wearing veterans of the Christ Church in-person drives. Here’s the Food Bank’s current list: canned and dried fruit, hot and cold cereal; soup; pasta and pasta sauce; tuna; 100 percent fruit juice; baby food; diapers and wipes; peanut butter; canned beans (pinto, kidney, and black); and low-sodium canned vegetables. For questions or more information, the county suggests that you email mbyrne@howardcountymd.gov. If you wish to obtain food availability information not related to the drive, the county offers a food aid map (click here) as an online resource of distribution sites. It is updated at least weekly, in cooperation with Howard County Community Organizations Active in Disaster (COAD). Columbia Community Care Settles Into Two-Days-A-Week Routine Providing food and other necessities for neighbors in need, Columbia Community Care (CCC), has consolidated operations to three sites, which welcome drop-off donations during operating hours. They are Swansfield Elementary School; Oakland Mills Middle School, and Howard High School. The times are Wednesdays from 5 to 8 p.m. (CCC volunteers report at 4 p.m.) and Saturdays from 10:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. (CCC volunteers report at 9:30 a.m.) In addition to staffing a site, volunteers can sign up on Facebook to perform duties to meet the needs of people without transportation. “Translator/dispatchers” coordinate lists of items for specific families and communicate by text message to arrange the contactless deliveries; “Shoppers,” who use cellphones to receive the texts, go to special pantries that have been established at two participating churches and assemble the items to fulfill each shopping list, and then deliver the goods to the assigned addresses. Several parishioners have volunteered in various capacities or donated to CCC. This ad-hoc group formed last spring in response to the coronavirus impact, which has especially hard hit the county’s low-income residents. Here’s a recent article about CCC that appeared in The Baltimore Sun last month. For those of you who wish to drop off non-perishable food items, diapers, or personal care products in CCC-marked donation bins, you can do so at one of the two churches: Bethel Korean Presbyterian Church, 3165 St. Johns Lane in Ellicott City or New Hope Church,12350 Hall Shop Rd. in Fulton, or at these participating businesses: Bonheur Patisserie & Deli, 7106 Minstrel Way; Philly’s Best, 5134 Thunder Hill Rd., and LA Mart, 5865 Robert Oliver Place, all in Columbia. Bridges Partners with Periodic Table for Oct. 15th Fundraiser If you missed the Chili & Challenge fundraiser or wish to re-live the experience of wining and/or dining for a good cause, Bridges to Housing Stability is holding an event from 6 to 8:30 p.m. on Thursday, Oct. 15th. Its “Taste of Wine, Splash of Charity” will take place at The Periodic Table, 8808 Centre Park Drive in Columbia. Enjoy a safe night out with loved ones or pick up dinner for the family. Get your tickets by noon on Monday, Oct. 12th to help Bridges provide affordable housing to prevent & end homelessness: https://bit.ly/towsoc5. For anyone who has suggestions about ways to help the community or want to get involved, please email Christ Church Outreach at outreach@christchurchcolumbia.org. Your help is greatly welcomed and appreciated. Thank you.

The text for this week's hymn, the third from our "Quarantine Quire Camp" series, is a translation of an ancient Latin hymn by J. M. Neale, a nineteenth-century English clergyman. He was also the translator of the well-known Easter Hymn "Come, Ye Faithful, Raise the Strain." The music is an adaptation of a piece by Henry Purcell, one of the greatest English composers in history. Purcell was Organist at Westminster Abbey, whence the hymn tune's name. While working there, he wrote coronation and funeral music for several kings and queens of England, much of which is still sung today. The words are below - sing along, and enjoy! Christ is made the sure foundation, Christ the head and cornerstone, chosen of the Lord, and precious, binding all the Church in one; holy Zion’s help for ever, and her confidence alone. All that dedicated city, dearly loved of God on high, in exultant jubilation pours perpetual melody; God the One in Three adoring in glad hymns eternally. To this temple, where we call thee, come, O Lord of Hosts, today; with thy wonted loving-kindness hear thy servants as they pray, and thy fullest benediction shed within its walls alway. Here vouchsafe to all thy servants what they ask of thee to gain; what they gain from thee, for ever with the blessèd to retain, and hereafter in thy glory evermore with thee to reign. If you want to know more about our fall musical offerings, please contact Adam Detzner, Director of Music, at music@christchurchcolumbia.org.