Service & Outreach
Christ Church envisions a community in which everyone has enough to eat, where all have safe homes and good health, where work and education are valued – and where we pursue a fulfilling spiritual life.
We seek to make God’s love visible by welcoming and nurturing members of the community and by reaching out to those in need. Here are some ways you can bring your gifts.
In this election season, check out this toolkit from the Episcopal Church Office of Government Relations on Election Engagement: Vote-Faithfully-2024-OGR-Election-Engagement-Toolkit
Within Christ Church
Worship
It takes many hands and voices to make our worship vibrant and accessible. Here are some of the ways you can take part:
- Reading scripture
- Leading prayers
- Acolyting (carrying the cross, assisting at the altar)
- Altar Guild (setting up for Holy Communion, cleaning the vessels after worship) – contact Jane Hobbs
- Flower Guild (arranging flowers for the altar) – contact Danielle Webber
- Livestream Team (running Zoom and production software for streaming) – Contact Brian Niemi
Hospitality
Hospitality is a key at Christ Church – we seek to make a safe space for newcomers, anticipate needs and questions, and foster opportunities to build relationships that form a rich community. How we welcome anchors everything we do. We welcome you to make others welcome by:
- Greeting at worship services – in person and online (Contact Rev. Kate)
- Hosting social hour on Sundays (bringing simple finger food and coming early to make coffee/tea/lemonade, depending on the season). Contact Janet Niemi.
- Helping coordinate occasional parish lunches – Contact Bonnie Rafer
- Welcoming Plentiful Pantry participants on Fridays – Contact Michael Albrittain
Administrative
Like all human organizations, Christ Church needs administration in order to effectively tend the resources we are given and have inherited – our finances, our buildings, our investments, our life together. We welcome your participation in:
- Vestry – This is the leadership team that oversees the life of Christ Church, and works with the rector to ensure that our spiritual life is engaging and rich; our worship vibrant’ our finances are well tended; our buildings clean and safe. The Vestry and rector together assess priorities to keep us moving toward the goals of our strategic plans.
- Strategic Planning – We are finishing the third year of the Diocesan “Thriving Congregations” initiative called Tending Our Soil. Our focus has been on articulating our mission and priorities, and developing a strategic planning process that will be ongoing – as we meet one goal, we begin on another. The Tending Our Soil team will become the Missional Movement team to help keep this process on track through all the various initiatives going on at any given moment in our common life. Contact Rev. Kate to volunteer and learn more.
- Finance – from assistance with counting money to oversight of our finances through our Investment Team, those who are gifted in working with money are welcome to offer help. Contact Rev. Kate
Outreach to the Community
Plentiful Pantry
The Food Pantry is an outreach ministry of Christ Church in La Plata. The pantry, on church grounds at 112 Charles Street, is open each Friday from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m., except for some holidays. Food items such as canned meats, fruits and vegetables, as well as fresh produce, dairy and eggs (when available) are given to residents of Charles County.
Laypersons of the parish and outside volunteers run the pantry: food pickups, Food Bank purchasing, and fundraising. Volunteers are always welcome to help with food pick-ups at area stores on Thursdays and Fridays (trucks needed) and with food distribution on Friday mornings.
Serving people who are homeless
We are increasingly meeting people who have lost housing and are living in encampments. We have an ongoing need for decent tents (an 8-person, 2-room dome tent such as this would be optimal), tarps to go under and over the tents, glow in the dark rope and small propane canisters (usually six to a pack). You can place these items in the Miracle Box by the Food Pantry.
To volunteer, please contact us.
Community Fridge
We have opened the first Community Fridge in Southern Maryland to give 24/7 access to free food and local produce. Please contact Rev. Kate if you are interested in being part of the team that will keep it monitored and refreshed. We need regular drop-offs of food – produce and protein especially. Please start buying a little extra at the store and putting it into the fridge.
Donation Rules
Allowed items:
- Whole fruits and vegetables
- Eggs and frozen meat
- Pre-packaged, non-potentially hazardous foods (shelf-stable), including baked goods and dry cereals
- Commercially packaged meals
- Homemade goods following Maryland Cottage Food Laws
Donations must be labeled with:
- All ingredients, package date, expiration date, and any allergens.
- Allergens may include: dairy, eggs, fish, shellfish, wheat/gluten, soy, and nuts
Green Initiatives
We are launching a Green Team in 2024 to begin to set priorities and goals to move us toward Zero Waste, energy efficiency and other initiatives to help care for this creation and address the damage of climate change. If you are interested in serving on this team, please contact Rev. Kate.
Outreach to Foster Youth
For the past four years we have been involved in helping to support the development of foster youth in our county, with a particular focus on helping to equip those who will soon age out of the foster care system. This ministry is in transition at present; if you are interested in learning more, please contact Lisa Lawler Colvin.
Justice Initiatives
Racial Justice
Periodically we convene new discussions circles of this powerful curriculum. Here are some comments from those who participated last year:
“If you have not experienced Sacred Ground, please include this in your Spiritual Practice. Of all the programs released by the Episcopal Church, this is the best I’ve seen.”
“I am thankful for this space to learn about racial justice where I can ask questions and become a better champion with a deeper understanding. Confronting my own bias has been an incredible experience.”
LGBTQUI+ Youth Outreach
We have started an effort to reach out to LGBTQIA+ youth and families in the region, hosting a picnic last summer, participating in the first Charles County Pride Fair, and engaging with other congregations who feel the same calling. This effort is currently on hold.
What’s your passion? Who do you want to reach out to? Let us know, and see if we can support you. Many of our members are involved in outreach projects as individuals. All are invited to share this work with the community.
“…I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, I was naked and you gave me clothing, I was sick and you took care of me, I was in prison and you visited me.” – Jesus, quoted in Matthew 25:36-37
