REBUILDING TOGETHER PROJECT DAY

On Saturday 28 April, Christ Church will be working on a house being occupied as a group home. Help is need for gardening, wallpaper removal, and more.

Here’s the link to signup to volunteer for this years REBUILDING TOGETHER PROJECT DAY:

Go to http://rebuildingtogethermc.force.com/GW_Volunteers__PersonalSiteJobListing
Scroll down to CHRIST EPISCOPAL CHURCH KENSINGTON/ REVERE BANK and click on “Sign Up.”

If you have trouble, just email Liz and she will take down your information.

THANKS FOR MAKING A DIFFERENCE!

 

COMFORT CASES

For the month of May, we will be collecting the items that go into a child’s Comfort Case. There will be lists available in the bulletin, newsletter and on the Outreach table.   Donated items can be left in the basket in the vestibule. Special thank you to Charlie Briggs, who will be keeping an inventory of what we have collected.

And then MARK YOUR CALENDARS, because on Sunday, June 3rd, we will have our “packing party” in the undercroft.  We encourage all parishioners, including children and adults to help us fill the Comfort Cases duffel bags.   We will need a lot of assistance at the packing party, helping stuff duffel bags, checking bags for accuracy, and help ensuring the event runs smoothly.

Let’s all come together to make a difference in these children’s lives!

 

OUTREACH HIGHLIGHTS 2017

• Arcola Elementary:  We have partnered with the Linkages to Learning program at Arcola Elementary to provide school supplies, snacks, food bags for the Thanksgiving and Christmas breaks and “angel gifts.”
• Bethesda Cares:In addition to the many cases of water, socks and toiletries that were donated to Bethesda Cares to share with their clients, the Bethesda Cares Sandwich Brigade continued to make sandwiches for the homeless the first and second Saturdays of each month.
• Heifer International:  For over 20 years, the children of our parish and their families have fed Agnes their pennies in hopes that the monies collected will buy a cow, a goat or even a basket of chicks for Heifer International whose goal is to help families achieve self-reliance by providing them the tools they need to sustain themselves.  Agnes reminds us that we have the power to give a hungry family the training it takes to feed themselves and their children; to give a young girl a chance at an education; to empower a woman to have a voice in her community. To change the world, one family, one community, at a time. And it all starts with a gift — a cow, a goat, basket of chicks and so much more.
• Rebuilding Together:   The last Saturday in April our parish volunteers to be part of the annual Rebuilding Together Montgomery County work day when multigenerational teams of volunteers will meet at the selected ‘project house’ for a day of down and dirty raking, digging, painting, scrubbing, etc. to fix up the home of someone in need.  This year, working in partnership with other community resources, we will be working on a group home for young adults.
• Episcopal Relief and Development:  Once a year, our parish’s Outreach effort focuses on supporting Episcopal Relief and Development (ERD), the worldwide relief agency of the Episcopal Church (see below).  Our parish generously donated $1,786 for ERD in 2017.
• Arcola Elementary:  We donated supplies for the summer camp program at Arcola that provides children two meals a day and fun, fun, fun!   From painting to water balloons, the children enjoyed their special time in camp thanks to Christ Church and other non-profits.
• Arcola Elementary:  Our generous parish sponsored 60 backpacks, filled with school supplies, for those children identified at Arcola Elementary who do not have the means to purchase supplies on their own.
• Nyumbani: We hosted a NIGHT OF CULTURE – KENYA STYLE to benefit the Nyumbani, Programs for Children and Caregivers affected by HIV/AIDS in Kenya.

  

  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Episcopal Relief and Development

Working in partnership with the worldwide Church, ecumenical agencies and local organizations, Episcopal Relief and Development (ERD) saves lives and strengthens communities around the world.  Their programs work toward achieving the Millennium Development Goals, which hope to reduce extreme poverty significantly in the coming years.  Specific program areas include: Alleviating Hunger and Improving Food Supply; Creating Economic Opportunities and Strengthening Communities; Promoting Health and Fighting Disease; Responding to Disasters and Rebuilding Communities Worldwide and Domestically.  Additionally, ERD is working in this country with parishes and dioceses in Disaster Preparedness.  A great strength of ERD is it can respond quickly to disasters because partners are already there in the vicinity of the disaster worldwide.  And ERD stays after the news media are gone to keep the long-term recover going.  Members of Christ Church Parish Kensington  support ERD through outreach donations, specific collections in response to disasters, and through the Gifts for Life program.  For more up-to-date information, the website is www.episcopalrelief.org