Apr. 16, 2014:  On Sunday morning, April 6, more was going on outside Christ Church Bronxville than in. This may sound a little unusual, but that's exactly what happened on Outreach Sunday.

Parishioners of Christ Church Bronxville faced both the elements and the glue gun to take on the needs of our community, from feeding the hungry to protecting the environment.

The day started early as CCB teens and their chaperones headed into New York City on a breakfast run, part of a program that helps feed the city's hungry, clothe them, and provide basic necessities.

The morning helpers returned back to Bronxville just in time for an abbreviated 10:00 am service just as the larger CCB congregation began its work. Church members took on a range of projects, including:

• Painting at Fessenden House, a transitional home for men offering help to those recovering from drug addiction or coping with mental health issues
• Spring cleaning for the Bronx River Parkway Reservation Conservancy--collecting trash that's accumulated around Bronxville Lake
• Supplying food for the Interfaith Food Bank, a warehouse and distribution center for other organizations that feed the homeless
• Cooking and preparing lunch for homeless men and women helped by the midnight run in Christ Church's Taylor Hall
• Putting needle to thread as part of Project Linus, which provides homemade blankets to seriously ill or traumatized children

The children of CCB were busy as well, making and decorating Easter baskets and favors both for the families of Thorpe Family Residence (which provides a protective shelter, programs, and services for homeless families in transition) and Sacred Heart Soup Kitchen.

Outreach Sunday is held twice a year, in the fall and the spring. As Father Michael Bird explained, "The tradition is significant to the life of the parish. While this day highlights the organizations to which we provide aid, it also reminds us that the call to offer a caring hand lasts more than just one Sunday."

Christ Church (Episcopal/Anglican) has served Bronxville and the rest of lower Westchester for over a century, and the church is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The church hosts four choirs and a bell choir, the Eliza Corwin Frost Child Center, and the widely known youth performance arts program Young at Arts. For church service times and a list of activities, visit www.ccbny.org.

Pictured here: Christ Church parishioners participating in Outreach Sunday.

Photos by Michael Pollack