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.

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)
Flower Guild (arranging flowers for the altar)

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).
Helping coordinate occasional parish lunches
Welcoming the Maryland Mobile Market and assisting with the Food Pantry

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 Mission Momentum 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

Mobile Market Food Truck – March 5, 1-3 pm

The Maryland Food Bank sends its Mobile Market to Wayside on the first Tuesday of each month – come on over to shop for food, or help others get food to their cars.

Wayside Food Bank

The Wayside Food Bank, which serves Newburg and Cobb Neck with a distribution of food on the third Saturday of each month, started out at Christ Church Wayside. Though it is now housed at Holy Ghost Catholic Church (15848 Rock Point Rd, Newburg, MD 20664), we continue to be involved in its leadership and support it with donations of food and funds. There are opportunities to help by shopping, stocking shelves and assisting with the distribution.

To volunteer, please contact us.

Maryland Mobile Market

On the first Tuesday of each month, the Mobile Market bus from the Maryland Food Bank parks at Christ Church for two hours. People in need of food are welcome to board and shop for free food – produce, meats, and other offerings. We always seek people to serve as hosts and help people get their food to their cars. Contact Sandy in the Parish Office.

Community Fridge

Christ Church in La Plata has opened the first Community Fridge in Southern Maryland to give 24/7 access to free food and local produce. We are hoping to open the second at Christ Church Wayside. Please contact Rev. Kate if you are interested in joining the team to make that happen.

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 try to reduce the amount of paper waste by recycling and reducing our use of printed materials when possible.

We plan to establish a Green Team to help our parish reduce our carbon footprint.

Justice Initiatives

LGBTQUI+ Youth Outreach

Christ Church Wayside joined with Christ Church La Plata to host a booth at Charles County’s first-ever Pride Fair in May of 2023. We are exploring an outreach to LGBTQIA+ youth and families as one way to share God’s fiercely accepting love to all God’s people.

Racial Justice

Periodically we convene new discussion 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.”

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