7/1/2007

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

It started out Sunday with Morning Worship. As a part of the service we honored people who have served this year in the programs of the congregation that served the kids of our neighborhood. We also received prayer assignments for individual kids and staff members at camp.

Before the service, Nate shared with me that he'd been contacted by an old friend. This friend was getting ready to plant a church near the area where Nate now lives and that he'd been invited to be a part of the initial planning team. In the next couple of months he'll be working toward a launch of that congregation this fall.

In visiting with Charlene after the service we were able to set a date for her baptism. She wanted to get baptized on a Sunday for quite some time but usually has to work. She got her schedule in advance and is to have July 15th off so we're planning on it for that day.

That afternoon it was time to take kids to camp. 14 of the 18 kids we had registered showed up ready to go. We therefore were able to take 3 vehicles instead of 4. Traffic to Virginia was thick, even by DC standards, so it took us a little longer than expected to get there. People from other areas were caught in the traffic, too, so we weren't the last ones to arrive.

Danny was in charge of Evening Worship that night. Usually at the start of camp there's only a couple of people who show up for that service. This year they had a nearly normal sized group.

Once back from taking the kids to camp we came across one of the kids who didn't go. He had gotten mixed up as to what week camp was scheduled since it is usually held over the Fourth of July. He was frustrated and embarrassed about the situation.

After that I was able to go up and see Tamara at the hospital. She was doing dramatically better than the day before. I was able to visit throughout the week and see her make progress each day. By week's end she was out of intensive care but still had a long road to healing ahead.

This week was the deadline for registering for SPECTACULAR at Graceland University. Shawna had been hoping to go and got clearance to do so this week. I got a call from camp saying that John wanted to go as well so I got his mom's signatures on the forms and emailed them in.

We continued our "Summer of Love" during Adult Disciples on Wednesday. We began studying some of the statements of Jesus on the subject of love.

Ciara had her baby on Thursday. She and the baby's dad, Tavon, were both very active in the church during their teenage years. The baby was born at the same hospital where Tamara is but I didn't learn of it until it was about time for mom and baby to be released.

I went down to camp on Thursday afternoon. Two kids from Pigtown were being baptized that evening and I was invited to be in charge of the service. I baptized Courtney and Johnathan. Courtney was confirmed by Bonnie and Jenn and Johnathan was confirmed by me and Jenn.

Friday night brought Pizza Church. As expected because of camp we had small groups throughout the evening. Among the kids who came were two who had never been to church here before.

On Saturday Gloria, Vonceil, and I headed out to the airport to get the rental vans for bringing the kids back from camp. The line was moving very slowly so we left the airport almost an hour later than we had anticipated. That plus construction along the highway made us over an hour late in picking up the kids. They were, however, quite ready for us so it didn't take long to get them packed and on the road.

Looking ahead to next week we'll have an adjusted schedule of activities. Tim is scheduled for the message during Morning Worship. Due to Independence Day we will not have Adult Disciples on Wednesday though we will have our NA meeting that day. We're hoping that Tamara will be well enough to be released from the hospital. We'll also be dealing with attendance prizes earned through church participation over the last 12 months.

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

Katelin
Jackie
Leah
Forrest
Troy
Durrell
Charles
Jordan

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