9/27/2008

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



It started out Sunday with Morning Worship. We anticipated a small crowd due to several people being away, including the 6 women at the women’s retreat. We had some guests come so it wasn’t quite as small as anticipated.



During Kids’ Church we learned the story of Moses and the burning bush. The kids traced their feet and made designer shoes to take off and place on holy ground.



As Kids’ Church was ending the women arrived back in Pigtown from their trip to Deer Park Campgrounds in Pennsylvania. I got to hear a few quick stories of things that happened at the retreat then they all headed home.



The Ravens game was in the late afternoon rather than at 1:00. It basically started at the end of Kids’ church and continued on until the Night Clinic was ready to start.



Instead of Evening Worship that night we took time to set up for the Night Clinic. We had centers setup in the main room for health education, screening for blood pressure, vision, weight, etc., wound care, STD testing, needle exchange, pregnancy, infant care, and community health care resources. In the front room we provided a lasagna dinner for those who were interested.



Overall, the Night Clinic went extremely well. Over 30 people received services and people from the different health related organizations were able to network and find common ground to help each other in upcoming projects.



One direct result of the night together is the launch of a “New Moms’ Group.” It’s scheduled for the 5 Wednesdays in October over the lunch hour at the church.



80 kids participated in Wednesday’s SonRisers activities. I was at the church for a little while afterward and while I was there several young adults came by thinking that we were still open for donuts as late as we were in years past. They were glad to catch me there and get some breakfast.



I spent a couple of hours that day trying to get our tax exempt status reinstated with the power company. What started out as a simple email (following their instructions exactly) turned into a crazy game of telephone calls and emails involving several people at BGE and some folks at church headquarters. As of this writing, we’re still paying quite a bit in taxes each month unnecessarily with no way of seeming to resolve this situation.



We also learned on Wednesday that we’ll be privileged to host The Arundel Singers, a choir from a neighboring county, for a Christmas Concert this December. We were able to make this connection through a friend of the church who is a member of that group.



People were lined up early for Family Bowling Night on Wednesday. We again had about 40 people participate with several of the newer families bringing friends with them. As we were winding down for the night, the father of one of these families pulled me aside and said, “Thank you for having this. My wife has cancer and only has 7 months to live. It’s been so great for all of us to be able to get out of the house and just have fun together each week.”



We had a tow truck come to the church Thursday afternoon. Danny had gotten an extension ladder for the church work a couple of months ago but didn’t have a vehicle big enough to get it to the church. A tow truck was big enough so he worked with the driver to find a time he was coming this way when he could put it on the truck and drop it off.



Friday night brought Pizza Church. We had good attendance at all three sessions. The middle school group was especially squirrelly. It took so long to get through the lesson that they barely had time to eat.



On Saturday I visited a couple of households with “new moms” living there to invite them to participate in next Wednesday’s group. One of these young women had just had her baby overnight on Monday so knowing she would have access to a nurse was a relief for the whole family.



We had just a few kids at this month’s Sundae Church on Saturday night. We had a good time eating and laughing and telling stories.



Looking ahead to next week we have our full schedule of activities. In addition, Ron Gillilan is meeting with someone at the church before Morning Worship on Sunday to give an Evangelists Blessing. A couple of the nursing students from the Night Clinic are scheduled to stop by SonRisers to meet some of the kids in the neighborhood. Our New Moms group will start at noon this Wednesday. At the end of the week I’ll be heading out of town for meetings.



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



The Harrison Family

The Harris Family

The Ferguson Family

The Young Family

The Ball Family

The Ghaffar Family

The Whittington Family

The Brown 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