Beginning this fall, Christ Church will be offering a weekly Parenting Seminar on Sunday mornings in the Parish Hall from 9:30-10:15. This is also an opportunity for young families to share the stories of parenting, and to be a support system for each other. Parenting Seminars will begin with a DVD presentation. Seminars will be facilitated by Ron and Alexia Couch; and Jason and Erin Whong. If you are interested in being a part of this seminar, please sign-up at the narthex.

Welcome! That's one of the most powerful words in any vocabulary. It connotes acceptance and goodwill, a warm embrace that highlights the fact that wherever one finds himself or herself, there could not be another place where one would desire to be. Welcome carries with it an assuring peace and tranquility that all is good, all will be alright and all will be just fine.  When I was a teenager living with my mother in Sekondi-a coastal city in Ghana, there was something about welcome that meant a great deal to me. I had an  aunt who always made me feel welcome in her home in Accra-the big city. Although I had scores of relatives in that city, I rarely visited them. There was something about their type of welcome, it didn't particularly feel genuine or sincere. In a way, it felt more like being tolerated than being welcomed. That was always an awkward feeling. This past Tuesday, many of our parishioners met by Old Brick and carpooled to Lake Elkhorn Middle School. One parishioner walked there by herself and some also drove there by themselves. We joined other ladies from Unitarian Universalist Congregation-which also supports Lake Elkhorn. At about 7:45 a.m. we all lined up on the walkway with some parents and siblings and welcomed the students back to school with clapping and shouts of "welcome" "welcome back to school" "have a great school year" among others. One of our parishioners-Patricia Fanning, actually had a bell, which she rang to the admiration and surprise of the students. Some of the students were enthusiastic about returning to school, others not so much. Some of the students were excited to see us clap them back to school, others, not so much. Some of the students said 'thank you', others said not a word but simply walked past. For us, it was simply a joy to welcome them back to school and to wish them the very best for the coming year. For us at Christ Church, this Sunday is our Annual Parish Picnic. The purpose of this parish picnic is to celebrate our parish and to welcome everyone back to Church after a summer break which, I believe, has been full of the adventures of travel, vacationing with loved ones, taking a well-deserved rest and relaxation. It is my hope that you found a deeper sense of connection and appreciation in all the activities with which you filled your calendar this summer, and that through your experience of each of them, you feel very much renewed for the coming year. As we welcome each to the beginning of the new program year, may we do so with excitement and gratitude for each other, for the blessing of this community of faith and for all the exciting programs that are meant to shape our faith, our lives, our relationship with one another and ultimately with God. I am reminded of a story in Luke's gospel "When the crowds learned it, they followed him, and he welcomed them and spoke to them of the kingdom of God and cured those who had need of healing." Luke 9:11. Jesus not only welcomes us, he tells us about the kingdom, heals us and models for us the ways of blessedness. It is my hope that the many and varied offerings at Christ Church will help us capture within us God's sense of welcome, God's teaching in the good news and God's act of selfless love. May today be a great start to a wonderful and fulfilling year. Welcome! Manny.

Beginning on October 2nd we will be offering Bible Studies in the homes of parishioners. Our readings and discussions will cover texts for the upcoming Sunday. We are, at this point, recruiting volunteers to host the Bible Study. If you feel called to host a session, please sign-up at the Narthex.

This past week we lost one of America's great heroes - Senator John McCain. I have always admired him - from a distance, of course. I loved his nickname 'Maverick'. It does not only tell a story of a man who liked to upend conventional wisdom, follow his own principles and is intuitively dedicated to what he believed was right. He was a man who argued against taking the easy path. That path that is inviting and easy, and for that reason more than a few like to tread on that path. The alternative to the easy path is the more tasking path, the one which requires more than simple platitudes, one that is difficult, yet easy because it simply requires you to reach beyond yourself.  Many of the tributes which have poured out by people of all political stripes extolling the character of a man with whom they may have disagreed with, can also attest to his character. It wasn't a flawless character but one that always sought to do what was right. I do not think the suggestion is for us to look at him as a perfect man, far from that. The main drive has been for us to ponder on his character-the one that requires of us to shun the easy path.  Many are those who would have taken the deal of a lifetime to leave the horror, destitution, mental and emotional abuse, and the pure torture of life at 'Hanoi Hilton'-the prison where he and other soldiers were kept, and return home to enjoy the blessing of being with family - after all, family is everything. But not so with Senator John McCain. He wouldn't leave his buddies behind. He wouldn't rest his fate on his father's good fortune. He had to chart a different course, not an easy course, if I may add, but a course which rings with deep echoes of his character. He didn't do that for his own self-aggrandizement but for the sake of the fellow soldiers with whom he shared no familial bond but only the bond of love and loyalty to country and to each other. There's a British patriotic hymn, "I Vow To Thee My Country", words of which was penned as a poem by Cecil Spring Rice, a former Ambassador of the United Kingdom to the United States. In the poem, Cecil writes of a kind of loyalty that sums up for me, the life of Senator John McCain. I vow to thee my country, all earthly things above, Entire and whole and perfect, the service of my love. The love that asks no question, the love that stands the test, That lays upon the altar the dearest and the best. The love that never falters, the love that pays the price, The love that makes undaunted the final sacrifice. And there's another country I've heard of long ago, Most dear to them that love her, most great to them that know. We may not count her armies, we may not see her king, Her fortress is a faithful heart, her pride is suffering. And soul by soul and silently her shining bounds increase, And her ways are ways of gentleness and all her paths are peace. In the poem, we read about our dual loyalty; one to the homeland to which we all pledge allegiance as citizens, and the other to God's heavenly kingdom of which we are also citizens by virtue of being joint heirs with Christ. Loyalty to both is seamless and requires of us to never take the easy path. It requires of us to serve a cause far greater than the self-the kind of love that asks no question, the one that pays the price. Truth is, to serve a cause greater than the self hurts a great deal, because love hurts-think about the crucifixion. Love requires so much of us, more than we are ever willing to give or offer. But the fulfilling nature of a loyalty wrapped in love is one that we can never imagine.  To the man who appealed to our higher ideals, we owe a great debt of gratitude for teaching us the joy of duty, the love of service, and the loyalty to both God and country. May we also be so strengthened in our resolve to never take the easy path but to always reach out beyond ourselves. Manny.

Readings for today are found here. We apologize, as this Sunday's Sermon could not be recorded.

Very early in my ministry as a Vicar of a small church in Ghana, I got myself a puppy as a pet. That was my first pet. I am tempted to think that that puppy was the most popular and well cared for puppy in that little town. Unfortunately, I had to give him away because it grew increasingly violent and bit a couple of kids. In his later years, I understand he was kept in a pen and never let out. My second pet was a daschund -Sweetie. She was a cute little dog which my wife and my two older daughters picked at a shelter. They had talked about getting a dog, and when they got one, he too was a little too violent and so we took him back to the shelter and got Sweetie. She lived with us for about five years until we gave her up. My family wants to get a new pet but we are yet to settle that issue. Pets, be it dogs, cats, sheep, fish, birds, rabbit or any other animal very often becomes a part of a family; we may see them in family pictures, on family vacations or walking along on a sidewalk. These are moments of immense gratitude, for although we recognize that our pets are not necessarily human like we are, they also deserve our care, attention and love. And much as I understand that the love of a pet is reciprocal, yet, it is always unconditional. It is within the context of reciprocity that I tell a story of an unconditional love shown by a pet to an older parishioner who lives by herself with her pet-a cat. This parishioner has an aide who helps her during the day but she leaves sometime early evening. On this particular day, after the aide had departed, this parishioner unfortunately took a heavy fall. And because she could not get up by herself, she laid on the floor through the night till the aide arrived the next morning and found her on the floor. As she narrated her story to me, the incredible part was, that as she laid on the floor with no support or help from anyone, her pet-the cat, came and sat by her all through the night, offering her the presence and comfort that she needed but didn't have. I am sure the cat thought that even if there was no way she could lift her up, she can at least lay by her side and offer her the presence that no one else could offer at that time. There is something to be said about the unconditional love of pets. I believe the cat loved her just as much as she loved her. But how do you quantify the love of your pet? One might ask. Well, you cannot quantify it, because it is given, it is unconditional. Does it sound like the love of God which is both given and unconditional? In many ways it does. Think about the dog which jumps all over you and licks your hands and face when you open the door to your home. Think about the dog and cat who sometimes believe that your bed belongs to them. Think about the cat which follows you and desires to sit by you. Think about the rabbit which feeds from your hand. Think about the horse which enjoys your company when you stroke it, pet it and ride it. Think about all that you give to your pets, yet all you receive from them is the gift of presence. Maybe, that's all that God requires of us-presence, to ourselves, others and all of creation.   The love of a pet which is both given and unconditional, is made perfect in his or her presence. I believe that's the presence our parishioner felt as her cat simply laid by her side. May you also feel the presence of a loved one. Manny.

There are times when we are moved by the thoughts of so-called ordinary people-not theologians, celebrities, politicians or scholars but ordinary people whose profound thoughts and observations hit us in the gut and make us wonder, where did he or she get that from? These are the thoughts that open our eyes to see how someone has been dealing with a particular issue, and more importantly how we can also deal with issues that would require us being obedient. I tell a story of a lady I met at Dorsey Center this past Monday. The Dorsey Center is a multi-purpose center which provides a range of services to those in need. Christ Church is actively involved in serving hot meals to the less fortunate in our community on the second Mondays of each month. I try to join our dedicated and wonderful parish volunteers whenever I can. My role is really simple: stay out of the way of the ladies, taste the fried chicken to make sure it's great and then serve the fried chicken to our patrons when they ask me to. It is one of those places where obeying directions matters a lot!! While I was serving the fried chicken on Monday, a lady with a child came by. She looked at the sumptuous fried chicken that I was serving and then said, "no, I cant have fried chicken." "why not?" I asked. "For medical reasons I don't want to have it. I prayed to God that I stay away from fried chicken today." "Good for you." I responded. And then she said to me "I can have it, but obedience is the key." Woow!! Obedience is the key!! That hit me in the gut. At that point all I could do was to thank her, not only for her desire to be obedient but the recognition that that is the key. Although, I did not ask which medical condition she may be dealing with, I was simply thankful that of her inclination to be obedient "Obedience is the key" she said. Thinking about obedience reminded me of the story of King Saul and the Prophet Samuel. The king was tasked to destroy the Amalekites "Now go, attack the Amalekites and totally destroy all that belongs to them. Do not spare them; put to death men and women, children and infants, cattle and sheep, camels and donkeys." However, Saul will later tell the prophet that he kept the best sheep and cattle, and all that was good with the intention to sacrifice them to God. The prophet's words in response to Saul's action were sharp and pointed "Obedience is better than sacrifice...." Living a life of sacrifice is often about living as we wish and insisting on our rights no matter what. The life of obedience, however, is one where our awareness of God's grace opens the door for us to develop an abiding intimacy with God predicated on the fact that all our life is dependent on Him. And that His all sufficient grace provides more than we need or can ever imagine. Only if we will obey. Obedience is Key, she said. Obedience motivates us to embrace our own limitations, not with spite but with joy. Obedience provides more than enough reason for us to live gracefully-we listen, not only to others but ultimately to God. And when we listen, we decline all that may not be good for us, even a free piece of fried chicken. Manny

As many of you know, we have over the past several weeks been working on developing and in fact building an enduring partnership with Lake Elkhorn Middle School- a Title I school which sits right in the middle of Columbia, Howard County, and about a mile from Christ Episcopal Church. A school which is situated right in the middle of abundance and wealth but where students struggle mightily with poverty, and homelessness, and which is lacking mentors who can help transform the lives of these young minds. One of the clichés' I heard from friends and acquaintances who lived in Maryland as I prepared to move to Columbia was that 'Howard County is one of the richest counties in the United States.' 'Howard County has so much to offer.' Howard County this, Howard County that. Those are all good things-nothing bad about Howard County. I have loved Howard County and I am all too blessed and lucky to be here. The tragedy, however, is because of our view of the county, we lose sight of the other side of Howard County which many do not know but does exist. Hidden In Plain Sight within the 'Howard County this' and 'Howard County that' is endemic poverty-stories of poverty which will make you cry. According to the Howard County Community Action Council, the number of students who receive Free and Reduced-price Meals (FARMs) grew from five thousand eight hundred and seventy-nine (5879) in 2008 to twelve thousand one hundred and seventy-seven in 2017. In Lake Elkhorn Middle School nearly half of the students receive the FARM benefit. That is an astonishing statistic, one that is incomprehensible and should not be tolerable, especially in Howard County. I learned that during the hot summer months, the Howard County Public Schools target the most disadvantaged parts of the county for its summer feeding program. This is to provide assistance to children so they wouldn't have to miss their meals. The Owen Brown/ Cradlerock neighborhood is part of this program. And as most of you know, our Church sits right in this neighborhood. And so Hidden In Plain Sight are an unimaginable number of children who live around our Church but who go to bed hungry. As parents, we know how it feels like when our children begin to complain of hunger. We want to do all that we can to provide them with food to eat. But what if you have nothing to provide? And more than that, what if you find yourself in a situation where you have to provide food and school supplies but have nothing to provide either or worse still you have to choose between dinner and school supplies? As unbelievable as this scenario may sound, Hidden In Plain Sight are many families we do not know, children and youth we do not know, but who share the same dignity with us, desire to live a life of relative comfort but cannot because of their circumstances. As a community of faith, we are blessed with incredible amount of resources. And not only that. we celebrate our blessings and desire to share those blessings with others-especially the students and families of Lake Elkhorn Middle School. As a community of faith we desire to make known all that is Hidden In Plain Sight. Our first major push will be to take one burden off the plate of struggling families. Many of you have generously donated school supplies and funds toward the purchase of additional supplies to stuff the 100 backpacks that we are donating to Lake Elkhorn Middle School. For that, I am grateful for your kindness and generosity. Please join us on August 19, 2018, the Principal of Lake Elkhorn Middle School will join us at both the 8:00 and the 10:30 service. Between the two services, we will all gather in the Great Hall, New Brick and fill each of the backpacks with the necessary supplies. All that is hidden shall be revealed, says Luke. And in my mind, your generosity and faithfulness to the call of a disciple is revealing that which is Hidden In Plain Sight. Thanks a lot. Manny.

Readings for today are found here.

Readings for today are found here.

Readings for today are found here.