Today is the Third Sunday of Advent. Collect of the Day: Stir up your power, O Lord, and with great might come among us; and, because we are sorely hindered by our sins, let your bountiful grace and mercy speedily help and deliver us; through Jesus Christ our Lord, to whom, with you and the Holy Spirit, be honor and glory, now and for ever. Amen. Readings for today: Isaiah 61:1-4, 8-11 1 Thessalonians 5:16-24 John 1:6-8,19-28 Psalm 126 Today's Worship Livestream:

Thanks to Parishioners as the Virtual Angel Tree Drive Concludes In an outpouring of generosity, Christ Church parishioners responded to brighten Christmas for Howard County children during this year’s Angel Tree drive. The Outreach Commission once again focused our support on children ages 10 to 12 to meet a need identified by The Salvation Army. Twelve “angels” will be receiving a complete package that includes three toys, a coat, a pair of shoes, and an outfit of clothing. Of course, since these are pre-teens, their wish lists were age-appropriate with items ranging from an easel and art supplies to a skateboard. If you are among those who signed up, please accept the heartfelt gratitude of the families who would not have otherwise had such a bright Christmas to anticipate. Please bring in your gifts by the deadline, which is 2 p.m. this Friday, December 11th. Here’s the procedure: ● If you need to review the signup list to label your gifts after shopping, click here. When you are ready to drop off the gifts, please place them — unwrapped — inside a plastic bag and tie a tag or label on it that clearly states the name and identifying number of the angel. ● You may put multiple gifts for the same angel in one bag. Put gifts for a different angel(s) in separate bags. The bags can be dropped off in a marked bin at the church just inside the Parish Hall door until 2 p.m. through Friday. Please call the church office (410) 381-9365 to let them know when you are coming. Due to pandemic precautions, our Angel Tree signup was handled virtually and another option allowed some parishioners to order online and have gifts shipped directly to The Salvation Army. That means Christ Church was able to help additional children, and we thank those who participated in the “hands-off” option. Through either method, we are lifting the hearts not only of the angels but of their parents, who obtain the unwrapped gifts from The Salvation Army. If you have any questions or need assistance, please call Melanie Yaksich at (410) 908-3520 or email outreach@christchurchcolumbia.org. A Limited Selection of Stocking Stuffers Available to Benefit DreamBuilders Traditionally the Outreach Commission has sold fair-trade coffee, tea, and chocolates to benefit DreamBuilders prior to Christmas. Despite the pandemic upending our traditions and keeping us apart, we can make a limited inventory available. If you want to purchase any of the following items, one of us will make a curbside dropoff between now and Dec. 20th and give you instructions to mail a check in payment directly to DreamBuilders, which has been building desks for underserved students this fall. Here are the choices in our remaining inventory of chocolate: 14 dark chocolate bars, size 1.2 ounce; 3 for $5 or $1.75 each, 4 milk chocolate bars, size 1.2 ounce, 3 for $5 or $1.75 each; 3 bags of Java Drops (chocolate-covered coffee beans), size 16 ounce, $12 each. In our remaining inventory of coffee, we have several bags of each of the following, in order of the heartiest to lightest flavor blend: Italian Expresso, (whole bean only), 16 ounces, $11; Moka Sumatra (ground only), 16 ounces, $11; Uprising Breakfast Blend (ground only), 16 ounces, $11; Hazelnut Dream (ground only), 16 ounces, $11; Peru French Roast Decaf (ground only), 16 ounces, $11. There’s no tea nor hot cocoa available, unfortunately. To order, please email outreach@christchurchcolumbia.org. Springfield Hospital Christmas Gifts - Deadline is December 14th 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. For anyone who has suggestions about ways to help the community, would like to get involved, or if you need any assistance, please email Christ Church Outreach at outreach@christchurchcolumbia.org. Your help is greatly welcomed and appreciated. Thank you.

Today is the Second Sunday of Advent. Collect of the Day: Merciful God, who sent your messengers the prophets to preach repentance and prepare the way for our salvation: Give us grace to heed their warnings and forsake our sins, that we may greet with joy the coming of Jesus Christ our Redeemer; who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen. Readings for today: Isaiah 40:1-11 2 Peter 3:8-15a Mark 1:1-8 Psalm 85:1-2, 8-13 Sermon for Today: Deacon Denise gave today's Sermon, and you can read the text of it here. Today's Worship Livestream:

On December 13th, our Director of Music and Organist, Adam Detzner, will present Christ Church's December Organ Recital from the choir loft of New Brick. A selection of works from J.S. Bach and Jan Pieterszoon Sweelinck will be performed on our church organ, and we invite you to view the program here and watch Adam's performance on our website, Facebook, or YouTube page at 5:00 p.m. Adam writes: I have only been admitted to one European organ competition, in Saxony in 2017, where I did not make it past the first round. But it was still an unforgettable experience. I played three eighteenth-century Baroque organs, experiencing the feelings and sounds that composers like Bach might have enjoyed. I attended a number of concerts by the competition’s jury members and others, including a few very famous organists. I visited Leipzig and saw Bach’s tomb, outside the Thomaskirche where he served as Cantor; I visited Dresden and saw the opulent Zwinger palace complex, including the Gemäldegalerie Alte Meister, an art gallery absolutely stuffed with masterpieces by Raphael, Titian, Rubens, Rembrandt, and Vermeer. I met a number of young organists from around the world, communicating almost exclusively in German. At that time it was also election season in Germany, so I saw some interesting political ads and demonstrations. Some say that the hardest part of these competitions is getting in. They require an audio CD or MP3 file as part of the “pre-recorded round.” On the one hand, these recordings have to be more or less “note-perfect;” on the other hand, they can’t sound too “careful.” The juries for these prerecorded rounds listen to a hundred or more recordings of the same two or three pieces – how does one stand out? For my monthly organ recital next Sunday evening, I am going to play some of the music for the prerecorded and live rounds of these competitions. You may recognize some of it as preludes and postludes from the past year, but I hope there’s been some improvement! There will be a program with some notes on the music, communicated electronically, and located in the recital’s Facebook feed. I invite you to tune in at 5 p.m. on December 13th In Christ, Adam Detzner Director of Music

Collect of the Day: Almighty God, give us grace to cast away the works of darkness, and put on the armor of light, now in the time of this mortal life in which your Son Jesus Christ came to visit us in great humility; that in the last day, when he shall come again in his glorious majesty to judge both the living and the dead, we may rise to the life immortal; through him who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen. Readings for today: Isaiah 64:1-9 1 Corinthians 1:3-9 Mark 13:24-37 Psalm 80:1-7, 16-18 Today's Sermon: Deacon Denise gave today's Sermon, and you can read the text here. Today's Worship Livestream:

“Shining God’s Light in the World” Led by the Rev. Denise Schiavone, Deacon​ Saturday, December 5th from 9:00-11:00 a.m. This online retreat will be a morning of respite and restoration. Exploring how we nurture the light within to allow us to shine forth in the world, we will share time in active reflection, discussion, and exercises. We’ll also participate in a guided meditation session, led by guest facilitator/yoga instructor Danielle Beyers. The retreat will conclude with an online Eucharist. One of our hopes for this contemplative morning is to compile a Pandemic Journal, to explore how this 10-month period of semi-isolation has affected our lives. This retreat is a time to connect with each other expressing our concerns, our hopes, and our need for joy in our lives. We encourage all interested individuals - both parish members and visitors - to participate. Home communion kits are now available for no-contact pick up at the church. They’re in a marked box in the breezeway between the Christ Church office and Old Brick, so stop by at your convenience and take one; we’ll be using these for Eucharist at the close of the retreat. For planning purposes, we would love to know if you plan on attending. However, a spontaneous decision to attend is more than welcome. If you'd like to join us, email us at info@christchurchcolumbia.org and we'll send the Zoom details to your inbox. We hope you’ll join us for this special day of centering, contemplation, and connection. Please have handy writing materials (pen/paper or your computer) and a comfortable blanket nearby, if you’d like.

Parishioners Respond as the Virtual Angel Tree Drive Continues through Dec. 11th We’re almost midway through the timeline of this year’s Angel Tree drive, as the Outreach Commission invites you to collect toys and clothing before Christmas to complete gift “packages” for young angels. We are focusing our support on children ages 10 to 12 to meet a need identified by The Salvation Army. Since we are not physically in church together, our Angel Tree has gone online. And so far, nearly half of the items on our angels’ wish lists have been promised. (For those who prefer to go totally virtual, please skip to the “Hands Off” section below.) Instead of taking a tag with a child’s name and suggested gifts as in the past, you can sign up as follows: - Click here to choose an angel. A child’s complete package includes (3) toys and (2) clothing/shoes gifts (such as one outfit and a coat). - You may sign up for as many — or as few — angels/gifts as you want. You will receive an email notification regarding each angel and gift you have selected. - When you are ready to drop off gifts, please place them — unwrapped — inside a plastic bag and tie a tag or label on it that clearly states the name and identifying number of the angel. You may put multiple gifts for the same angel in one bag. Put gifts for a different angel(s) in separate bags. - The bags can be dropped off in a marked bin at the church just inside the Parish Hall door until 2 p.m. on every weekday through Friday, December 11th. Please call the church office (410) 381-9365 to let them know when you are coming (same day is fine). The last day to drop off gifts is Friday, December 11th. Staying safe by keeping “Hands Off:” If you would like to participate, but want to do everything (shopping and delivery) online, you may do so directly on The Salvation Army web page. Go to www.angeltreemd.org and click on the red bar that says “Adopt an Angel.” Go to Ellicott City (Howard County) and click on “Adopt an Angel” to choose an angel, order gifts online and have delivery made to the Howard County Angel Tree warehouse. Delivery instructions for Amazon should pop up automatically but you can also access them using this link. Please tell us via emailing outreach@christchurchcolumbia.org so that we can keep track of how many children Christ Church supports this year. Through either method, we will lift the hearts not only of the angels but of their families. Parents obtain the unwrapped gifts from The Salvation Army to prepare for a Christmas that will be much brighter than they could otherwise afford. If you have any questions or need assistance, please contact Melanie Yaksich at outreach@christchurchcolumbia.org. Friends of Sabina To Share 2021 Plans during Online Fundraiser - Dec. 10th For more than a decade, Christ Church has backed efforts to educate students at Sabina Primary School and to strengthen the surrounding community in a part of rural Uganda that is now known as the Kyotera District. The Outreach Commission earlier this year encouraged parishioners to begin sponsoring Sabina students whose families otherwise cannot afford fees and tuition. Christ Church members stepped forward to sponsor eight children, ranging in age from 8 to 15. Anyone who may be interested in exploring that option yourself is invited to email outreach@christchurchcolumbia.org. Due to the nation’s pandemic restrictions, only the eldest students have been permitted to return to class, but there are expectations that additional grades will be cleared to return in January. What a surprise that may await them! Construction has begun on a new kitchen complex and learning center, which is the subject of the upcoming online fundraiser to be conducted by the nonprofit, Friends of Sabina (FOS). Go to its website for instructions on viewing this, their inaugural fundraiser, to be held from 8:00 to 8:30 p.m. EST on December 10th. “By stepping out on faith, we built the foundation of our vision to renew and support the Sabina School,” said the FOS leaders. “Through generous donations and additional funding, we raised the walls and brought hope to the community. Our goal is to complete the complex by the start of the new school year in January, which will impact so many lives through nourishment of the body and mind.” 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. For anyone who has suggestions about ways to help the community, would like to get involved, or if you need any assistance, please email Christ Church Outreach at outreach@christchurchcolumbia.org. Your help is greatly welcomed and appreciated. Thank you.

The Christ Church Angel Tree Goes Virtual to Brighten Christmas for Howard County Children It is that time of year when the Outreach Commission invites parishioners to collect toys and clothing before Christmas to complete gift “packages” for young angels. We are focusing our support on children ages 10 to 12 to meet a need identified by The Salvation Army. Since we are not physically in church together, our Angel Tree has gone online. (For those who prefer to go totally virtual, please skip to the “Hands Off” section below.) Instead of taking a tag with a child’s name and wish list as in the past, you can sign up as follows: - Click here to choose an angel. A child’s complete package includes 3 toys and 2 clothing/shoes gifts (such as one outfit and a coat). - You may sign up for as many — or as few — angels/gifts as you want. You will receive an email notification regarding each angel and gift you have selected. - When you are ready to drop off gifts, please place them — unwrapped — inside a plastic bag and tie a tag or label on it that clearly states the name and identifying number of the angel. You may put multiple gifts for the same angel in one bag. Put gifts for a different angel(s) in separate bags. - The bags can be dropped off in a marked bin at the church just inside the Parish Hall door until 2 p.m. on every weekday from Mon. 11/30 to Fri. 12/11. Please call the church office (410) 381-9365 to let them know when you are coming (same day is fine). The last day to drop off gifts is Friday, Dec. 11th. Staying safe by keeping “Hands Off:” If you would like to participate, but want to do everything (shopping and delivery) online, you may do so directly on The Salvation Army web page. Go to angeltreemd.org and click on the red bar that says “Adopt an Angel.” Go to Ellicott City (Howard County) and click on “Adopt an Angel” to choose an angel, order gifts online and have delivery made to the Howard County Angel Tree warehouse. Delivery instructions for Amazon should pop up automatically but you can also access them for future reference at this link. Please tell us via email (outreach@christchurchcolumbia.org) so that we can keep track of how many children Christ Church supports this year. Through either method, we will lift the hearts not only of the angels but of their families. Parents obtain the unwrapped gifts from The Salvation Army to prepare for a Christmas that will be much brighter than they could otherwise afford. If you have any questions or need assistance, please call Melanie Yaksich at (410) 908-3520 or email outreach@christchurchcolumbia.org. Gratitude to All Who Made the 2020 Thanksgiving Drive a Success The makings of many Thanksgiving meals have gone from the big yellow bin at Christ Church to the homes of Howard County families. Dozens of parishioners dropped off delicious desserts and non-perishable side dishes by the end of the drive on Nov. 22nd (click above image for slideshow). Others contributed financially to help make the holiday special in 2020. Thanks to one and all! In collaboration with the nonprofit organization, FISH of Howard County, Christ Church once again collected sides such as potatoes, stuffing, vegetables, and cranberry sauce. To keep people safe during the pandemic, the Outreach Commission also arranged for online purchase by Christ Church of 25 frozen turkeys and five fresh chicken roasters that were delivered directly to the FISH pantry. FISH volunteers made the first visits to participating families on the weekend, and more visits were set to take place earlier this week. The bounty turned out to be even greater than the needs of the families, who are now in line for much anticipated menu assistance for the Christmas holiday. Baltimore International Seafarers' Center Donations The Seafarers charity is again requesting donations from Christ Episcopal Church. The group is asking for warm hats for men, 2021 Calendars, and copies of the following magazines : Time ; People; Sports Illustrated; National Geographic, Reader's Digest, Smithsonian, New Yorker, Baltimore Magazine and travel magazines. These items may be placed in the bin marked 'Seafarers'. Because lower brick will be open for drop off and pick up of auction items this weekend, the bins will also be available during those times for donations. Please have your donations in by next Monday, November 30th. Thank you for your attention to this important community outreach. DreamBuilders - New Build Date The next DreamBuilders Desk Build date is December 5th. The DreamBuilders’ first two efforts at building portable and foldable desks for students was so successful, and we want to continue to get these desks out to those who need them. Our work site will be indoors, at a large warehouse facility and will include social distancing, masks, and other measures to minimize potential exposure to the coronavirus. To learn more about the Build Days and how you might be able to help, please visit the DreamBuilders' website at www.dreambuildersmd.org/volunteer-registration 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. For anyone who has suggestions about ways to help the community, would like to get involved, or if you need any assistance, please email Christ Church Outreach at outreach@christchurchcolumbia.org. Your help is greatly welcomed and appreciated. Thank you.

Next Tuesday, December 1st, is known as Giving Tuesday - a global generosity movement unleashing the power of people and organizations to transform their communities and the world. This year, Christ Church is inviting all of you to consider supporting your favorite CEC ministry. This support will help us to better serve as many people as possible during these perilous times. From Outreach to Music ministries, from Rector's Discretionary Fund to LEMS, and from Liturgy & Worship to Buildings & Grounds - each facet of Christ Episcopal Church is represented on the form at https://onrealm.org/christchurchcolumbia/give/givingtuesday, so you'll be able to direct your gift to the ministry you'd like to help. You can also give using your mobile phone by texting CECGIVING TUESDAY to 73256 (this number will never send unsolicited texts to you). Alternatively, if you prefer to give in a more traditional manner, you can send a check to Christ Church and place the name of the ministry you'd like to give to in the memo line. Thank you.

Collect of the Day: Almighty and gracious Father, we give you thanks for the fruits of the earth in their season and for the labors of those who harvest them. Make us, we pray, faithful stewards of your great bounty, for the provision of our necessities and the relief of all who are in need, to the glory of your Name; 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: Deuteronomy 8:7-18 Psalm 65 2 Corinthians 9:6-15 Luke 17:11-19 Today's Sermon: Kathy Lyon delivers today's Thanksgiving Sermon, and you can read the text here. Thanksgiving Day Worship Livestream:

Led by the Rev. Denise Schiavone, Deacon​ Saturday, December 5th from 9 - 11 a.m. via Zoom This online retreat, open to all, will be a morning of respite and restoration. Exploring how we nurture the light within to allow us to shine forth in the world, we will share time in active reflection, discussion and exercises. We’ll also participate in a guided meditation session, led by guest facilitator/yoga instructor Danielle Beyers. The retreat will conclude with an online Eucharist. One of our hopes for this contemplative morning is to compile a Pandemic Journal, to explore how this ten-month period of semi-isolation has affected our lives. This retreat is a time to connect with each other expressing our concerns, our hopes and our need for joy in our lives. We encourage all interested individuals - both parish members and visitors - to participate. If you have any questions or would like to join us, please email info@christchurchcolumbia.org and we'll send you the Zoom details. We hope you’ll join us for this special day of centering, contemplation, and connection. ​ The rest of our Advent and Christmas schedule will be published on our website soon.