Keep scrolling down the screen for more details about the events listed below.

Weekly Ongoing Activities:

Arts & Ideas Elementary Election Night Celebration:  November 4th

You are cordially invited to join the students and staff of Arts & Ideas Elementary on Tuesday evening, November 4th from 6:00 to 9:00 p.m. for election night results in their kid-friendly environment.  There will be food and drink (do bring some as well), along with a couple of video projectors screening the latest online and broadcast results.  (There might even be some live entertainment!)  To RSVP, please email aielementary@gmail.com, with the number of persons in your party (please RSVP so they can prepare.)

Moveable Feast Desserts Due:  November 9th

Members of the Church of the Messiah's Moveable Feast Baking Team bake scrumptious desserts and bring them to the church for people who are HIV positive or who have cancer.  Carol Waldhauser, the program's coordinator, gathers and delivers these desserts to Moveable Feast, a nonprofit organization that serves nutritious meals to its homebound clients in Central Maryland.  This happens on the second Sunday of every month, so interested bakers may leave their individually-wrapped, homemade offerings (labeled "For Moveable Feast") in the Lower Hall kitchen on Sunday morning, November 9th. 

Parish Life Commission Meetings:  November 9th

Messiah's Parish Life Commission will hold two meetings on Sunday, November 9th:  the first one will be immediately following the 8:00 a.m. service, and the second one will follow the 10:30 service.  Please plan to attend one of these meetings to help the Parish Life Commission brainstorm about the activities our parish will participate in for the coming year. 

Building & Grounds Work Night:  November 10th

The Church of the Messiah was completed in 1922, so the maintenance on a building this age is endless.  The Building & Grounds Commission does its best to keep on top of things by meeting once a month for a "work night."  Everyone is welcomed and encouraged to come lend a hand!  All ages and skill levels are needed, and if you have tools, by all means bring them.  If you don't have tools, please come anyway!  For more information, contact Junior Warden Randy Steppe, or call 410-426-0709. 

Centering Prayer:  November 10th

Centering prayer is an opportunity to spend time quietly in the presence of God.  We gather in the Family Room, lowest level of the church hall.  The group meets for a brief meditation and an extended period of silent prayer.  We start at 7:30 p.m. and finish by 8:30 p.m., and many find it at least restful and at most quite refreshing.  All are welcome to share in this time of silent meditation, and there is no right or wrong way to do it, so why not give it a try?  Instructions are always provided.

Rector Search Kickoff Retreat:  November 15th

All members of the Self-Study Committee, Discernment Committee, and Vestry are strongly encouraged to attend the Rector Search Kickoff Retreat on Saturday, November 15th from 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.  Participants will be introduced to the self-study and discernment process tools that will be used in our rector search, and will work on discerning the gifts they will bring to that process.  The Rev. Stephen Swift will help facilitate the retreat.  Please RSVP to Carolyn at 410-426-0709 or email messiah.episcopal@verizon.net.  Lunch will be provided.

End Hunger, Cool the Planet:  Baltimore Food & Faith Talk on November 19th

Agricultural Missions and the Landless Rural Workers Movement of Brazil (MST), along with farmers and rural justice advocates in the U.S., are making their Baltimore stop as part of a national "Rebuilding Local Food Economies" tour on Wed., Nov. 19th, 7:00 p.m. in Thompson Hall at Towson Presbyterian Church.  These activists are making their voices heard from the grassroots up to the boardrooms of global agribusinesses, and are mobilizing mass movements addressing the root causes of our planet's environmental and hunger crises.  Come hear Rodrigo Lopez of the MST, US family farmers, and others talk about why support for localized agriculture (like our CSA Pick Up Site) is needed everywhere, in order to prevent hunger everywhere.  Towson Presbyterian Church is located at 400 W. Chesapeake Ave.  Please RSVP by Mon., Nov. 17th to 410-502-5069 or angsmith@jhsph.edu.

St. Matthias' Holiday Bazaar:  November 21st & 22nd

Our friends at St. Matthias, at 6400 Belair Road, will be holding their annual Holiday Bazaar on Friday, Nov. 21st from 4:00 to 8:00 p.m. and on Saturday, Nov. 22nd from 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.  This year's bazaar features handmade doll clothes and theme gift baskets, Christmas gifts, bake table, good food, and a raffle.  For more information, call 410-426-1002.

Annual Meeting:  November 23rd

The Episcopal Church of the Messiah will hold its Annual Meeting on Sunday, November 23rd at 9:00 a.m. in the Lower Hall.  Please plan to attend so that you can cast your vote in the election to fill four vestry seats, to review the 2009 budget, and to hear about and discuss the state of the church and its mission in the year ahead.  It's an important opportunity to participate in the life of this parish.  Many denominations do not afford their members the same level of democratic participation that we in the Episcopal Church are blessed to enjoy.  It is a legacy that we hold dear, and we hope that you will set aside the time to be a part of it.  Childcare will be provided so that all adult members, including Sunday School teachers, can attend and cast their votes.

Annual Thanksgiving Eve Service at St. Matthias:  November 26th

The tradition of our two congregations coming together in thanks at St. Matthias Episcopal Church, 6400 Belair Road, continues this year on Wednesday, November 26th at 7:00 p.m.  Father Steve will be preaching, and St. Matthias' rector, the Rev. Eleanor Holland, will be the celebrant.  The choirs from both churches will join together to sing the anthem.  This special service is a wonderful opportunity to take a bit of time to anchor our Thanksgiving around the source of our blessings and to celebrate the bond between our two Northeast Baltimore parishes.  Refreshments will follow in the parish hall.

Potluck Lunch:  December 7th

Members of the Church of the Messiah like to have a potluck lunch on the first Sunday of the month during the program year, so please plan to bring a dish to the December potluck lunch on Sunday, December 7th around 11:30 a.m., after the 10:30 service.  As a parish family, we enjoy food and each others' company, and our potluck lunches are an excellent way to have both!  Please bring a dish if you can, but by all means come anyway if bringing one is difficult -- the Parish Life Commission makes sure that a main dish will be available so that there will be plenty to eat.  For more information and/or to sign up with a dish, contact Parish Life Commission co-chairs Janet Taylor or Stanley Wood, or call 410-426-0709.      

Building & Grounds Work Night:  December 8th

The Church of the Messiah was completed in 1922, so the maintenance on a building this age is endless.  The Building & Grounds Commission does its best to keep on top of things by meeting once a month for a "work night."  Everyone is welcomed and encouraged to come lend a hand!  All ages and skill levels are needed, and if you have tools, by all means bring them.  If you don't have tools, please come anyway!  For more information, contact Junior Warden Randy Steppe, or call 410-426-0709. 

Centering Prayer:  December 8th

Centering prayer is an opportunity to spend time quietly in the presence of God.  We gather in the Family Room, lowest level of the church hall.  The group meets for a brief meditation and an extended period of silent prayer.  We start at 7:00 p.m. and finish by 8:00 p.m. (note the earlier time this month!), and many find it at least restful and at most quite refreshing.  All are welcome to share in this time of silent meditation, and there is no right or wrong way to do it, so why not give it a try?  Instructions are always provided.

Moveable Feast Desserts Due:  December 14th

Members of the Church of the Messiah's Moveable Feast Baking Team bake scrumptious desserts and bring them to the church for people who are HIV positive or who have cancer.  Carol Waldhauser, the program's coordinator, gathers and delivers these desserts to Moveable Feast, a nonprofit organization that serves nutritious meals to its homebound clients in Central Maryland.  This happens on the second Sunday of every month, so interested bakers may leave their individually-wrapped, homemade offerings (labeled "For Moveable Feast") in the Lower Hall kitchen on Sunday morning, December 14th. 

Tea Fellowship:  January 3rd

The Parish Life Commission will ring in the New Year by holding its second Tea Fellowship on Saturday, January 3rd at 3:00 p.m. in the newly remodeled Upper Hall.  We will each bring our own teacup but if you need one, just let Stanley Wood or Janet Taylor, Parish Life Commission Co-chairs, know and one will be provided for you.  For more information, see Stanley or Janet, or call 410-426-0709.

Open Book Group:  January 14th

The Open Book Group meets seasonally (and monthly during the summer) to discuss a novel available in paperback or in the local library.  This winter we will be discussing Slow Man by J.M. Coetzee on Wednesday, January 14th in the downstairs Family Room from 7:00 to 8:30 p.m.