6/15/2008

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



It started out Sunday with a fresh banner on the front of the church to greet people as they arrived for Morning Worship. We had a good number of people at the service for the two baby blessings scheduled as a part of the service. Each family brought several friends and relatives with them to share in the celebrations.



When it was time to have the baby blessings, one of the families indicated that they were still waiting for some others to arrive. So, Earl and I blessed the first baby then did some pinch hitting. First we had the congregation sing a song (no lyrics were available so not too many knew it). After that I talked for a minute about other kinds of sacramental blessings that are available for adults. Ron Gillilan was there so I put him on the spot to talk for a few minutes about Evangelists Blessings. We sang another song (again, no lyrics) then had Patricia and Tim each share testimonies about their Evangelists Blessings. At this point, the family, who had all been on cell phones trying to track the missing family member they had been waiting for, declared, “He’s not coming.” We had the blessing, a blessing of Godparents, and our closing song (with lyrics in the bulletin).



Of course, just as we finished the closing prayer the missing family member came in. He was to be a Godparent, too, so we had another Godparent blessing for him after the service.



Sunday was the annual city-wide park bike tour. After the service we went over to see Gloria, who had spent the morning helping with the Carroll Park portion of it. Even with the 100+ degree heat they had a record number of participants. This great activity has grown from just a handful of people when it started several years ago.



We started our summer schedule of activities at Kids’ Church that afternoon. We follow basically the same format as the rest of the year, but we sit on the rug instead of chairs and we sing campfire songs instead of singing and dancing with some CDs.



On my way back to the church for Evening Worship I noticed that the back tire of our car (which was parked at the church) had gone flat. Once I got the church set up I called AAA to come and change it, knowing that the last time this happened it took over an hour for them to come. Of course, this time they came just as we started the service so I spent the music time in the parking lot with the AAA man. I got back in just in time for the opening prayer.



Jenn was originally scheduled to be home from her trip in time for Kids’ Church. With the current air travel situation of cancelled flights, switching airlines, and further delays, she didn’t get in until around 9:00 p.m. It’s good to have her back.



With the heat wave my family and I got out of the house on Monday to cool off at the mall. While there we noticed a sign on a store that said “Nintendo Wii in stock.” This seemed odd as people are still lining up at stores before they open when shipments are announced. Since we needed to get three for the church, we stopped in and were able to buy the last two they had in stock, greatly disappointing the woman behind us in line. I did, however, please the salesman when he learned that they would be used at community activities at the church rather than auctioned off on eBay at a substantial markup.



With the heat on Tuesday I spent more time than usual in the air conditioning at the church. While there I got a message from Baltimore Fun-D, the group that granted us the money for the Community Bowling Nights project that we are using the Wii consoles and games for. Upon further review of the paperwork, they were not satisfied with our 501c3 papers from church headquarters. All the tax papers had the old name of the church on them which didn’t match anything else. They needed documentation that we were under the broader organization or they wouldn’t be able to award the funds as promised. Eight phone calls, a half-dozen email, and 24 hours later the grant was again ours.



The Friends of Carroll Park had their monthly meeting at the church on Tuesday evening. Afterward we had our monthly Priesthood meeting. Among the topics that took the most time on the agenda were additional calendar coordination and plans for partnering with the University of Maryland School of Nursing for three different ministry opportunities.



25 kids participated in Wednesday’s SonRisers activities. We were anticipating a small crowd because many students had already finished for the year. After we closed up, I took three dozen donuts to each of the schools near the church to provide treats for their staff. That night the Adult Disciples group continued its reading of Prince Caspian.



Throughout the week I worked through a mountain of paperwork. Camp forms, forms for Spectacular, parent letters, calendars, bookkeeping, fliers, and the like occupied more hours than I can count this week.



The original plan for Men’s Group on Thursday was to have the group work on some fix-it projects around the church. We’d been delaying a few for the lack of a tall enough ladder. At Danny’s work at an auto recycling center they got a utility van in that had been wrecked. Strapped to it and untouched was a 30 foot ladder that the church could have. The plans for getting the ladder to the church that day, though, fell apart so most of the projects remain undone but we’re hopeful to get them done soon.



We switched over to our summer schedule this week. The Exercise Group and SonRisers are both taking the summer off. Men’s Group will meet sporadically to work on projects this summer rather than each Thursday night. At the same time, a new NA group is scheduled to meet at the church beginning next Thursday evening at 5:30.



While trying to balance the checkbook on Friday (I’ve been getting the same error for 4 months and can’t find it ---- neither could anyone else who I’ve had look over the books so I finally gave and wrote off the loss) I got a call from Joe Coffey. He is the director of the neighborhood council and was working on a grant proposal the Operation Safe Streets Project. The grant for the project requires cooperation with various agencies in the community, including faith-based groups. We worked out a plan of support together and have made the building available for some of the community events that they will have if the grant is awarded to them.



Friday night brought Pizza Church. We had good groups at all three sessions. Over the course of the night we also had 9 kids come who had each earned a second slice of pizza through their participation in church activities so we went through the pizza quickly.



I came across Donald this week. He’s home from Graceland University for the summer and has a job at the airport. It looks like he’ll have two more years before he finishes his degree.



We had a baby shower at the church on Saturday afternoon. The baby, who is due in a month, is Derris’ daughter. It was good to reconnect with him and his mom and to meet members of his extended family.



When we were setting up for our monthly Solid Rock Café on Saturday, we discovered that the games for our Nintendo Game Cube were all missing. The have a specific spot where they are kept and several of us remember the circumstances around them being put away last month. We looked throughout the church but they were nowhere to be found. We did have a good group of kids come for the event, some of whom brought friends who had never been to the church before. Camp and Spectacular were primary topics of conversation that night.



And now, with the summer season upon us “THIS WEEK at the POWER HOUSE” will become more sporadic in its delivery. Camp, vacations, and a variety of other activities will be keeping us on our toes and away from the computer. On the weeks you don’t get a report, please say some extra prayers for us since you’ll know we’re in the thick of things and need some extra help.



Looking ahead to next week we’ll have our regular schedule of activities. In addition, the Adult Disciples group will be going to see the movie Prince Caspian together on Wednesday evening. Tamara and Jenn will be in the home stretch of camp preparation and planning. Our new NA group, Brothers and Sisters United, will have its first meeting at the church on Thursday evening.



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



The Farley Family

The Buss Family

The Love Family

The Coffman Family

The Chaffman Family

The Ball Family

The Leslie Family

The Leach Family

The Burley 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