12/9/2007

It’s been a busy week at the Power House in Baltimore, Maryland.



It started out with lots happening at the church before services started. When I arrived at church only Robert and Gary were there as Danny was having further trouble with is foot and would not be able to make it to church. There was still a lot of work to do to get things ready. In the midst of the clean-up, Gary hit his nose with a table while folding it up so it was gashed open and bleeding. Things got organized for the service, but just barely.



We celebrated the sacrament of the Lord’s Supper during Morning Worship. This was Tamara’s first time to serve communion in the congregation. Since it was the first Sunday of Advent we had an extra reading and the lighting of the first advent candle as part of the worship experience. The topic for the morning focused on listening for God.



During Kids’ Church we reviewed the Christmas story. Afterward we had cutouts of a nativity scene that the kids colored. It is now up on the wall greeting everyone as they enter the main room of the church.



We had a different group than usual gather for Evening Worship. Several of our adults who normally come weren’t there but a few kids who rarely do showed up instead.



Last week we were given the opportunity to have a World Service Corps volunteer here for a few months this winter. We tried but were unable to line up housing for her so she won’t be able to come.



88 kids participated in Wednesday’s SonRisers activities. Afterward I got the bulletin board installed in the exterior sign. We had the first snow storm of the season hit that afternoon so we had small groups the rest of the day.



On Thursday morning Dave Anderson came up from Virginia. He and I distributed about 1200 fliers advertising Sunday’s petting zoo and Christmas bake sale. 200 fliers also went home with all the kids in the Catholic school. Another set of fliers went home with the kids at Charlotte’s Day Care Center, many of whom participated in Bible School last summer.



That night the Men’s group went out to eat together. We did this in celebration of finishing our latest book together and in preparation for our next one.



I got a call this week from our friend Glen from Michigan. He’s going to be at a conference in Washington, DC, in January and will be able to spend the weekend with us afterward.



Friday night brought Pizza Church. In all three sessions we reviewed the Christmas story as told in the Gospel of Luke. During pizza time, one girl said, “So, you mean Christmas is Jesus’ Birthday? I NEVER knew THAT!”



Saturday’s monthly Solid Rock Café was a bit unusual. We had quit a few kids who were first-time participants in church activities and several others who we hadn’t seen in a long time. Kids were all well behaved but excessively loud for the night. Then, almost everyone left about 15 minutes before it was over (Usually we have a hard time getting everyone to leave when it’s over).



Looking ahead to next week we’ll have our full schedule of activities. In addition, we have our petting zoo from 2:30 – 4:00 p.m. on Sunday. At the same time we’re having a bake sale to raise funds for the denomination’s AIDS orphans program in Africa. Since the Ravens are playing later in the evening, the young adult group has invited the rest of the congregation to join them in watching the game at the church.



Along with the individuals and activities mentioned, please keep the following families in the forefront of your prayers:



the Butler family

the Banton family

the King family

the Teller family

the Curtis family

the Addison family

the Mitchell family

the Yankee family



Thank you for your continued prayer support.



Jeff and everyone at

The Power House

“Building the Kingdom of God Here and Now”

PowerHouseMD@Juno.com

www.pigtownchurch.org