5/20/2006

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

It started out Sunday with Morning Worship. We talked about the importance of sharing with others our stories of God working in our lives. As a part of this we had an "open mike" time during which people told stories. Many people shared, including a few who hadn't done that with this group before.

In celebration of Mothers Day the group at Kids' Church made picture frames for their mothers. It was a tough crowd but we still had a lot of fun.

With many people at Mothers Day gatherings we weren't surprised to have a small group for Evening Worship. Afterward, a man stopped by looking for information about the services. He said he's active in a nearby church but was looking for a group to worship with on Sunday evenings, too.

On Monday we found a large, full dumpster parked in the church lot. After a couple of phone calls we found the owners and had it removed. Some of the construction garbage had spilled out and it took them a couple of days to come by to finish the cleaning the lot.

That evening the Village Center held a meeting at the church. People who live on Bayard Street were eligible for some home improvement grant money so they gathered at the church to discuss the ins and outs of getting the grants.

Nearly 100 kids participated in SonRisers this Wednesday morning. That evening the Adult Disciples group reviewed and discussed the importance of welcoming ministries. After the lesson, the group decided that over the summer they would read the book "The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe" together and discuss it in class.

We learned on Wednesday that Karen was in the hospital. I went up on Thursday morning to visit her just as she was being released. I was able to give her a ride home.

Throughout the week I spent time hunting signatures for our camp forms. So far we have 13 kids with forms all prepared for camp.

Thursday night Danny and I cleaned out the font then filled it with water for Friday's baptism. I waited to turn on the heater until Friday morning and the temperature was good by Friday night. We combined all three Pizza Church sessions for the baptism. Damon got there a few minutes early and we practiced together. About 25 people came to the baptism, including Damon's dad.

Our young adults went on a retreat this weekend. This has become an annual event that they plan. This year they were using this time in preparation for their leadership at the upcoming youth camp.

On Saturday morning I shared in a panel at the Healing Workshop in Towson. The group I was in talked about developing healing communities.

Looking ahead to next week we have our regular schedule of activities. On Sunday evening Ken Robinson will be joining us for a preaching service followed by a potluck dinner. In addition Tuesday night is our priesthood meeting. We'll also spend some time this week hunting down parent signatures for camp forms.

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

Daryl
Matt
Steve
Johnathan
Yvonne
Erika
Natasha
Aniya

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