It’s been a busy week at the Power House in Baltimore, Maryland.
It started out Sunday with one of our kid's parents coming by before the service. I had been trying to track her down for several weeks hoping to get the boy's camp forms signed. We were finally able to get that taken care of.
We had a small group for Morning Worship. During the service we celebrated Pentecost. Our theme was "God is Better than You Think."
We continued the Pentecost celebration that afternoon at Kids' Church. To help us remember the Spirit coming as wind and fire as described in Acts 2, we made flame decorations on kites. Afterward, several of the kids went to the park to try to fly them.
That evening we took the covers off of all the sofa and chair cushions in the front room. Already dirty before last month's 15th anniversary celebration, they were now stained from popsicles as well. We took them home and ran them through the washer.
On Tuesday we met up with a neighbor who is a contractor. Our downspouts had been damaged and he and his crew were able to repair them quickly and for a nominal charge.
89 kids participated in Wednesday's SonRisers activities. Later that day I received an invitation from Diggs-Johnson Middle School to represent the church at a dinner honoring organizations who had supported the school this year.
Our community service volunteer finished up her required hours on Wednesday. Job number one this week was getting the covers back on the cushions. She was able to get a lot of things done for us around the church as well as stimulate the rest of us to take care of some things, too.
We had good news and bad news about camp on Wednesday. The bad news was that one of our girls ended up with a conflicting activity and now will not be able to go. The good news was that the Hampton, Virginia, congregation sent funds to help send a couple more kids to camp. We still have a shortage in camp funding but this helped reduce it.
Just before the NA meeting that afternoon I was able to meet up with two more parents that I'd been trying to track down in recent weeks. I was able to get the camp forms signed for both kids.
After the Mid-Week service I was out walking around the neighborhood. In visiting with folks, I learned that Jean, whose leg had been amputated nearly a year ago, was now qualified to get an artificial leg. She and her family are very excited about her potential return to mobility.
On the TV news that night we learned of a scandal at one of the elementary schools in our neighborhood. A few years ago the school had achieved "Blue Ribbon" status and even had a visit from then First Lady Laura Bush because of their achievement as measured by standardized test scores. It was revealed that the kids' answer sheets had been altered and that the scores were now invalid.
We spent some time this week on the Kids' Church newsletter. We've gotten surprising amounts of positive feedback about this newsletter since we started it last fall. We're considering doing one for the parents of Pizza Church participants as well.
Friday night brought Pizza Church. My dad was in town for Bryce's 8th grade graduation so he came and helped with the groups. The first two sessions focused on Acts 2 communities. The third group continued with their video based curriculum. Damon, who had graduated from high school earlier that day, brought his diploma and notebook for all to see.
Toward the end of Pizza Church, Terry's mom stopped by. He had been invited to go with the group to Spectacular this summer at Graceland University in Lamoni, Iowa. She was thrilled with this opportunity for him and was excited to meet Tamara and Sarah, both of whom are chaperones, and learn more about what Terry would be experiencing there.
We now have 5 kids registered to go to Spectacular. It's the largest group of kids we've taken. We received some pledges this week from people who are going to help with their transportation expenses. We still have a ways to go but are moving the right direction.
Saturday evening we dropped by Sam's Club to pick up a cake for Sunday morning. We're celebrating high school and college graduations during Morning Worship. This naturally requires cake.
Looking ahead to next week we have our full schedule of activities. In addition we'll have our graduation celebration during Morning Worship on Sunday. We have one remaining camp form to track down before the June 1 deadline. On Wednesday I'll be attending the community partners dinner at Diggs-Johnson Middle School. Wednesday night is our final Mid-Week Service for the summer. I have a meeting with our Mission Center President on Thursday.
Along with the individuals and activities mentioned, please keep the following families in the forefront of your prayers:
The Yount Family
The Carnes Family
The Robinson Family
The Moore Family
The Jeffers Family
The King Family
The Bryant Family
The Johnson 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
http://thisweekatthepowerhouse.blogspot.com/
Saturday, May 29, 2010
Saturday, May 22, 2010
5/23/2010
It’s been a busy weeks at the Power House in Baltimore, Maryland.
It started Sunday with Morning Worship. Gloria presided and Sarah spoke at the service. I was at Graceland University attending Donald's graduation ceremonies and returned to Baltimore Monday evening.
Vonceil and Sarah ran Kids' Church Sunday afternoon. Only a couple of kids came.
That evening was our monthly Celebration Service. Gloria again presided over that service. A smaller than expected group gathered but seemed to enjoy themselves. We had pizza together afterward.
86 kids participated in Wednesday's SonRisers activities. Much of the rest of the day was dedicated to paperwork, including writing recommendations for jobs and schools for parishioners and continuing work on camp forms. We also received a coupon for a substantial discount on postcards so we designed and ordered the ones we'll use to market Bible School, saving nearly $100.
The leaders of the NA meeting stayed afterward to finalize their plans for Saturday's marathon session. I fielded several questions from the group about how to maximize their use of the facilities.
We've had continued problems with our video projector and have been trying to come up with a viable solution. After the Mid-Week Service, Gloria, Vonceil, and I had an impromptu meeting to look at some options. Good solutions are available but are outside our limited budget. Those that we might possibly be able to afford financially wouldn't serve the needs of the congregation.
The woman who is getting her community service hours through the church came and worked much of the day on Thursday. She helped with some additional spring cleaning. We'll be meeting again next week. Her hours are really helping us get our spring cleaning done.
Sarah and I spent some time talking about Camp and Spectacular. We're having a big push this weekend to try to get through the camp forms from the neighborhood. We've gotten some additional camp funds but still don't have enough to cover our anticipated costs. As for Spectacular, for the first time we could have 5 kids going. We've received scholarships to cover the cost of tuition but haven't yet been able to raise the money needed to get the kids there and back.
On Thursday afternoon I stopped by the school that is moving into the Diggs-Johnson Middle School building after it closes. I wasn't able to meet the principal but visited with some others and left a message for her. Hopefully we'll be able to be in contact before the school year is out.
Friday brought Pizza Church. The first two groups learned the story of Pentecost. The senior high group continued their video curriculum.
Between SonRisers and Pizza Church we had several new kids. With that we broke our participation record. The 2009-2010 school year has had more kids participate in activities at the church than any other year thus far. We have over a month until the year closes at the end of June so we'll see what our final total is.
The NA group hosted its marathon session from Noon - 8:00 p.m. on Saturday. They didn't know how many would show up and were overwhelmed with the turnout. We don't have firm numbers but it may have been the biggest event that's ever taken place in the building. As a thank you, the group gave funds to provide a campership for a kid from Pigtown.
Saturday evening brought our monthly Sundae Church. Our kids were coming in as the NA group was finishing. One of the kids had questions about addiction so I snagged a couple of friends who were in the NA group to join us for ice cream. They talked and the kids opened up with them and engaged in very frank discussions.
Looking ahead to next week we have our full schedule of activities. In addition we'll be finishing our camp forms as the registration deadline is June 1. We'll also be preparing for next weekend's graduation celebration.
Along with the individuals and activities mentioned, please keep the following families in the forefront of your prayers:
The Jones Family
The Harrod Family
The Adams Family
The Vincent Family
The Brown Family
The Walker Family
The Covington Family
The Gibson 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
http://thisweekatthepowerhouse.blogspot.com/
It started Sunday with Morning Worship. Gloria presided and Sarah spoke at the service. I was at Graceland University attending Donald's graduation ceremonies and returned to Baltimore Monday evening.
Vonceil and Sarah ran Kids' Church Sunday afternoon. Only a couple of kids came.
That evening was our monthly Celebration Service. Gloria again presided over that service. A smaller than expected group gathered but seemed to enjoy themselves. We had pizza together afterward.
86 kids participated in Wednesday's SonRisers activities. Much of the rest of the day was dedicated to paperwork, including writing recommendations for jobs and schools for parishioners and continuing work on camp forms. We also received a coupon for a substantial discount on postcards so we designed and ordered the ones we'll use to market Bible School, saving nearly $100.
The leaders of the NA meeting stayed afterward to finalize their plans for Saturday's marathon session. I fielded several questions from the group about how to maximize their use of the facilities.
We've had continued problems with our video projector and have been trying to come up with a viable solution. After the Mid-Week Service, Gloria, Vonceil, and I had an impromptu meeting to look at some options. Good solutions are available but are outside our limited budget. Those that we might possibly be able to afford financially wouldn't serve the needs of the congregation.
The woman who is getting her community service hours through the church came and worked much of the day on Thursday. She helped with some additional spring cleaning. We'll be meeting again next week. Her hours are really helping us get our spring cleaning done.
Sarah and I spent some time talking about Camp and Spectacular. We're having a big push this weekend to try to get through the camp forms from the neighborhood. We've gotten some additional camp funds but still don't have enough to cover our anticipated costs. As for Spectacular, for the first time we could have 5 kids going. We've received scholarships to cover the cost of tuition but haven't yet been able to raise the money needed to get the kids there and back.
On Thursday afternoon I stopped by the school that is moving into the Diggs-Johnson Middle School building after it closes. I wasn't able to meet the principal but visited with some others and left a message for her. Hopefully we'll be able to be in contact before the school year is out.
Friday brought Pizza Church. The first two groups learned the story of Pentecost. The senior high group continued their video curriculum.
Between SonRisers and Pizza Church we had several new kids. With that we broke our participation record. The 2009-2010 school year has had more kids participate in activities at the church than any other year thus far. We have over a month until the year closes at the end of June so we'll see what our final total is.
The NA group hosted its marathon session from Noon - 8:00 p.m. on Saturday. They didn't know how many would show up and were overwhelmed with the turnout. We don't have firm numbers but it may have been the biggest event that's ever taken place in the building. As a thank you, the group gave funds to provide a campership for a kid from Pigtown.
Saturday evening brought our monthly Sundae Church. Our kids were coming in as the NA group was finishing. One of the kids had questions about addiction so I snagged a couple of friends who were in the NA group to join us for ice cream. They talked and the kids opened up with them and engaged in very frank discussions.
Looking ahead to next week we have our full schedule of activities. In addition we'll be finishing our camp forms as the registration deadline is June 1. We'll also be preparing for next weekend's graduation celebration.
Along with the individuals and activities mentioned, please keep the following families in the forefront of your prayers:
The Jones Family
The Harrod Family
The Adams Family
The Vincent Family
The Brown Family
The Walker Family
The Covington Family
The Gibson 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
http://thisweekatthepowerhouse.blogspot.com/
Saturday, May 15, 2010
5/15/2010
It’s been a busy weeks at the Power House in Baltimore, Maryland.
It started out Sunday with Morning Worship. This Mothers Day marked one year since we began the conversion from printing song lyrics in the bulletin to projecting them on screen.
During Kids’ Church we made Mothers Day gifts. The kids made picture frames while I printed off photos of them that we took after the day's lesson.
Our monthly Priesthood Meeting was Sunday evening. We hadn’t met in April and we had a lot of material to cover. Much of our time was spent on synchronizing the summer calendar. We then spent quite some time reviewing current issues and long-term vision.
On Monday I returned the keyboard to Charlotte. Traffic on the Washington Beltway was relatively clear so I was able to have lunch with the whole Holiday family before driving home.
72 kids participated in Wednesday’s SonRisers activities. Later that morning while I was trying to retrieve and save information from the church’s nearly twelve-year-old computer, I got a call from the manager of the recently closed Staples store. She had materials to donate to the church. When I got there in my van I saw that it wouldn’t hold everything so I called Woody. He came over in his pickup and we filled both it and my van with supplies ranging from pens and paperclips to filing cabinets and tables.
Wednesday evening was time for the NA meeting and the Mid-Week Service. Afterward, a few of us sorted through some of the Staples donation and discovered some real treasures.
Gloria spent some time on Thursday trying to track down an elderly friend of the church who we hadn’t seen in a few weeks. She was able to learn that he had been hospitalized and had been released. Since we’re not family, confidentiality rules blocked her from finding more information. The man has no other local family members so he’ll be missing to us until he makes contact.
Throughout the week we spent time tracking down parents in search of signatures on camp forms. We were able to get a couple but spent most of the time knocking on the doors of empty houses.
Friday night brought Pizza Church. Torrential rain impacted who could walk to church that evening. Some of those who did come acted as if they had never seen rain before.
Saturday started graduation season. Tamara graduated from Loyola with a Masters Degree in Pastoral Counseling. Her ceremonies were in downtown Baltimore.
The reason this newsletter is coming out a few hours early is that I’m headed to the airport to catch a flight to the Midwest. Donald’s commencement ceremonies are on Sunday in Lamoni, Iowa, and I’ll be going to celebrate with him.
Looking ahead to next week we have our full schedule of activities. Since I’m out of town Gloria will preside at Morning Worship at 11:00 a.m. and our monthly Celebration Service at 6:00 p.m. Vonceil will take the reigns at Kids’ Church. Sarah is the speaker in the morning and will stay for Kids’ Church, too. In addition, our Narcotics Anonymous group is hosting a marathon session (from noon - 8:00 p.m.) next Saturday. That evening is our monthly Sundae Church.
Along with the individuals and activities mentioned, please keep the following families in the forefront of your prayers:
The Alexander Family
The Ramirez Family
The Knight Family
The Murphy Family
The Martz Family
The Howe Family
The Wagner Family
The Epps 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
http://thisweekatthepowerhouse.blogspot.com/
It started out Sunday with Morning Worship. This Mothers Day marked one year since we began the conversion from printing song lyrics in the bulletin to projecting them on screen.
During Kids’ Church we made Mothers Day gifts. The kids made picture frames while I printed off photos of them that we took after the day's lesson.
Our monthly Priesthood Meeting was Sunday evening. We hadn’t met in April and we had a lot of material to cover. Much of our time was spent on synchronizing the summer calendar. We then spent quite some time reviewing current issues and long-term vision.
On Monday I returned the keyboard to Charlotte. Traffic on the Washington Beltway was relatively clear so I was able to have lunch with the whole Holiday family before driving home.
72 kids participated in Wednesday’s SonRisers activities. Later that morning while I was trying to retrieve and save information from the church’s nearly twelve-year-old computer, I got a call from the manager of the recently closed Staples store. She had materials to donate to the church. When I got there in my van I saw that it wouldn’t hold everything so I called Woody. He came over in his pickup and we filled both it and my van with supplies ranging from pens and paperclips to filing cabinets and tables.
Wednesday evening was time for the NA meeting and the Mid-Week Service. Afterward, a few of us sorted through some of the Staples donation and discovered some real treasures.
Gloria spent some time on Thursday trying to track down an elderly friend of the church who we hadn’t seen in a few weeks. She was able to learn that he had been hospitalized and had been released. Since we’re not family, confidentiality rules blocked her from finding more information. The man has no other local family members so he’ll be missing to us until he makes contact.
Throughout the week we spent time tracking down parents in search of signatures on camp forms. We were able to get a couple but spent most of the time knocking on the doors of empty houses.
Friday night brought Pizza Church. Torrential rain impacted who could walk to church that evening. Some of those who did come acted as if they had never seen rain before.
Saturday started graduation season. Tamara graduated from Loyola with a Masters Degree in Pastoral Counseling. Her ceremonies were in downtown Baltimore.
The reason this newsletter is coming out a few hours early is that I’m headed to the airport to catch a flight to the Midwest. Donald’s commencement ceremonies are on Sunday in Lamoni, Iowa, and I’ll be going to celebrate with him.
Looking ahead to next week we have our full schedule of activities. Since I’m out of town Gloria will preside at Morning Worship at 11:00 a.m. and our monthly Celebration Service at 6:00 p.m. Vonceil will take the reigns at Kids’ Church. Sarah is the speaker in the morning and will stay for Kids’ Church, too. In addition, our Narcotics Anonymous group is hosting a marathon session (from noon - 8:00 p.m.) next Saturday. That evening is our monthly Sundae Church.
Along with the individuals and activities mentioned, please keep the following families in the forefront of your prayers:
The Alexander Family
The Ramirez Family
The Knight Family
The Murphy Family
The Martz Family
The Howe Family
The Wagner Family
The Epps 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
http://thisweekatthepowerhouse.blogspot.com/
Sunday, May 9, 2010
5/9/2010
It’s been a busy weeks at the Power House in Baltimore, Maryland.
It started out Sunday with Communion at Morning Worship. Bill Brian and some young adults from his area came down to participate. Because we had the keyboard at the church one of them played it for a prelude and then played and sang during the serving of communion.
After lunch we set up for Kids’ Church. Bill taught the lesson and everyone worked together on the craft. Though there was a small group of kids, two of the new kids from the week before returned.
That evening the Arundel Singers arrived in the neighborhood for their spring concert. We had a sparse crowd for the audience but those who were there seemed to enjoy themselves quite a lot.
We started brainstorming about Bible School this week. It actually started with a lightening bolt when Charlotte called with an idea about a possible activity this summer. Over the course of the week Tamara and I came up with quite a few good ideas for themes and projects.
101 kids and a few adults participated in SonRisers on Wednesday morning. As usual, we started out with 168 donuts. When we closed the door we had 4 left.
We had a neighbor who needed some community service hours for the courts. She arranged to come by Wednesday morning so she and I tackled the storage closet. She was an amazing worker and we got miraculous amounts of work done. She’s coming back the next few Wednesday mornings as well to tackle some other projects.
That evening after the NA meeting we had our Mid-Week service. We only have a few more weeks of this activity until it goes on summer vacation.
We were in communication this week with World Service Corps. They’re going to be placing two young adult volunteers here for the month of August.
We also spent some time this week hammering out the details of the summer calendar. A few events are landing on the calendar a little differently than in recent years so it’s taking some shuffling to make things work smoothly.
I spent the day on Friday at InJOY’s Chick-fil-a Leadercast. A church out by the airport was the host site.
I got out of the event in time to set up for Pizza Church. When we got in the building it was full of thousands of bugs. Though they were all over the building, so many were by the back door that birds were looking through the glass trying to get in for the buffet. Fortunately, the bug spray we had was quick in doing its job.
The three Pizza Church sessions went well. I taught the first two groups and Tamara led the discussions for the senior high kids.
We spent some time on Saturday trying to track down signatures for camp forms. The time wasn’t as productive as hoped as we only got one additional kids signed up. One mom, though, came to the church at the start of Solid Rock and got the forms signed for her two kids.
We had a good group for our monthly Solid Rock Café on Saturday night. Tamara brought a new game and Sarah helped some kids learn how to play ping pong.
Looking ahead to next week we have our full schedule of activities. In addition, we have our monthly Priesthood Meeting on Sunday night. We’re hoping to make connections throughout the week to do things ranging from returning the keyboard to meeting with the principal of the charter school that’s moving into the former middle school. We’ll be working in the church on Wednesday with our community service hours volunteer. Throughout the week we’ll be tracking down signatures for camp forms. Next Saturday night I’m flying out to the Midwest to attend Donald’s graduation from Graceland University.
Along with the individuals and activities mentioned, please keep the following families in the forefront of your prayers:
The Coleman Family
The Davis Family
The Mills Family
The Burke Family
The Grimes Family
The Williams Family
The Glover Family
The Breyer 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 http://thisweekatthepowerhouse.blogspot.com/
It started out Sunday with Communion at Morning Worship. Bill Brian and some young adults from his area came down to participate. Because we had the keyboard at the church one of them played it for a prelude and then played and sang during the serving of communion.
After lunch we set up for Kids’ Church. Bill taught the lesson and everyone worked together on the craft. Though there was a small group of kids, two of the new kids from the week before returned.
That evening the Arundel Singers arrived in the neighborhood for their spring concert. We had a sparse crowd for the audience but those who were there seemed to enjoy themselves quite a lot.
We started brainstorming about Bible School this week. It actually started with a lightening bolt when Charlotte called with an idea about a possible activity this summer. Over the course of the week Tamara and I came up with quite a few good ideas for themes and projects.
101 kids and a few adults participated in SonRisers on Wednesday morning. As usual, we started out with 168 donuts. When we closed the door we had 4 left.
We had a neighbor who needed some community service hours for the courts. She arranged to come by Wednesday morning so she and I tackled the storage closet. She was an amazing worker and we got miraculous amounts of work done. She’s coming back the next few Wednesday mornings as well to tackle some other projects.
That evening after the NA meeting we had our Mid-Week service. We only have a few more weeks of this activity until it goes on summer vacation.
We were in communication this week with World Service Corps. They’re going to be placing two young adult volunteers here for the month of August.
We also spent some time this week hammering out the details of the summer calendar. A few events are landing on the calendar a little differently than in recent years so it’s taking some shuffling to make things work smoothly.
I spent the day on Friday at InJOY’s Chick-fil-a Leadercast. A church out by the airport was the host site.
I got out of the event in time to set up for Pizza Church. When we got in the building it was full of thousands of bugs. Though they were all over the building, so many were by the back door that birds were looking through the glass trying to get in for the buffet. Fortunately, the bug spray we had was quick in doing its job.
The three Pizza Church sessions went well. I taught the first two groups and Tamara led the discussions for the senior high kids.
We spent some time on Saturday trying to track down signatures for camp forms. The time wasn’t as productive as hoped as we only got one additional kids signed up. One mom, though, came to the church at the start of Solid Rock and got the forms signed for her two kids.
We had a good group for our monthly Solid Rock Café on Saturday night. Tamara brought a new game and Sarah helped some kids learn how to play ping pong.
Looking ahead to next week we have our full schedule of activities. In addition, we have our monthly Priesthood Meeting on Sunday night. We’re hoping to make connections throughout the week to do things ranging from returning the keyboard to meeting with the principal of the charter school that’s moving into the former middle school. We’ll be working in the church on Wednesday with our community service hours volunteer. Throughout the week we’ll be tracking down signatures for camp forms. Next Saturday night I’m flying out to the Midwest to attend Donald’s graduation from Graceland University.
Along with the individuals and activities mentioned, please keep the following families in the forefront of your prayers:
The Coleman Family
The Davis Family
The Mills Family
The Burke Family
The Grimes Family
The Williams Family
The Glover Family
The Breyer 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 http://thisweekatthepowerhouse.blogspot.com/
Saturday, May 1, 2010
5/1/2010
It’s been a busy weeks at the Power House in Baltimore, Maryland.
It started out Sunday with Morning Worship. Larry Norris was the speaker at this service in which we celebrated our 15th anniversary as a congregation and looked to the future. Folks from the Towson Congregation and some people who were instrumental in the early days of the church (like the Carnahans and Ms. Suzy) joined in the celebration.
As a special element of the service, Vonceil put together a 10+ minute music and photo show that traced the group’s history. This was well received, especially by the young adults who could watch themselves grow up on screen.
The Jamisons brought in more household supplies for people who might want them. They’re downsizing in preparation for a move and the supplies they’ve brought in have been both a treat and a blessing for folks, especially those trying to establish themselves in their first apartments.
After Tamara, Larry, and I had lunch together we came back and set up for Kids’ Church. Among the kids who came were six who were first time visitors to the church. Larry led the lesson for the day.
Afterward Sarah stayed to tutor one of our high school students in biology. While they were doing that I was trying to get some things to print in the front room. I think that I need to have a funeral for the printer. It came with us from Texas so it’s coming up on 13 years old. Unfortunately, the computer it’s hooked up to is about 11 years old and doesn’t have a port that will connect it to a modern computer. I need to take some time to copy the files on to 3.5 inch floppy disks then send those disks to school with Vonceil where there’s a computer in the lab that can still read them. She can then write a CD for us so we can transfer the materials to the new computer.
Larry met with those available from the leadership team that evening. We held the informal session at Friendly’s so we could enjoy some ice cream together. His flight home was early Monday morning so the kids and I took him to the airport before they went to school.
We got lots of good feedback about the weekend via Facebook. At least three people (one teen and two young adults) talked about their experiences at the anniversary celebration in their statuses. Positive public feedback from that crew is a treasure.
Overnight Sunday there was a shooting in the neighborhood. The TV news actually reported on it. They said the victim was at the Shock-Trauma unit of the hospital. Neighbors said that when they came out of the house to see what was happening the victim was under a white sheet. We won’t ever know the whole story.
I learned on Tuesday that Donald, who plays on the baseball team for Graceland University, pitched a no-hitter. He and I chatted about it just a bit on the computer. With his graduation coming in just a couple of weeks it was a great way to end his college baseball career.
About 100 kids participated in Wednesday’s SonRisers activities. Half our staff was out that morning but we made it through just fine. By this time of year the kids know the procedures quite well so they needed minimal instruction.
I got a chance to visit with the mother of one of our 5th graders for a few minutes there. With the closure of the neighborhood’s middle school she’s become extremely frustrated in trying to find a school with open enrollment that will take her daughter and is reasonably close by.
Afterward we opened the church for the nursing students. This was their last meeting for the semester. The University is looking to use the church for a site again next fall.
During the day on Wednesday my primary focus was on camp. Saturday was the deadline for the early registration discount so I wanted to get as many of the forms filled out and signed by that deadline as possible. It’s a delicate balance this year as our fundraising for camperships is down dramatically from years past. We’ve got to get as many as possible in early so we can stretch our money further yet we’re still working to raise funds so we can’t go too far beyond what our account has at present.
The NA group stayed after its scheduled meeting time for a planning session. In a couple of weeks they, along with two other NA groups, are using the church for an all day Saturday marathon (noon – 8:00 p.m.). Their plans are coming along well and they’ve started to promote the event. They left the building a few minutes after the Mid-Week Service group arrived.
We hit the pavement on Thursday tracking down parents to get the required signatures on camp forms. We also printed and assembled the May edition of “Kids’ Church News” so it could go in Friday’s mail.
While running copies on Thursday I learned that Saturday is the last day our local Staples store will be open. This is devastating to me. The store is just a few blocks from the church and it’s not unusual to be there multiple times each week. (We’re one of their top 20 customers.) We know the staff there by name and the store has donated thousands of dollars worth of supplies to us. They’ve also been a key player in our annual school supply distribution event. Fortunately all the employees have been offered jobs at other stores (though some walk to work so this might not work well for them). We’ll now have to drive out to the county just to make copies much less keep up with supplies.
Charlotte rode up with her friend on Friday morning to drop off her keyboard. She is graciously letting us use it for Sunday night’s Arundel Singers concert.
Friday night brought Pizza Church. The first two groups read John 21:1-14. We reviewed Easter before doing so. We have a lot of newer kids and quite a few had no idea what Easter was about and were quite skeptical of the whole story. Tamara led the senior high group with a video-based lesson. The group really opened up and shared a lot about how they cope with the trauma they experience on a daily basis.
As of Friday night the data base was telling us that we’ve had 700 different kids come to at least one activity so far since July (not including Bible School, festivals, and the like). We haven’t seen numbers this high in a several years and have potential to break our old record of 730 from 2004-05.
We had our Mission Center Conference on Saturday in Springfield, Virginia. On the way home I stopped in at Staples to pick up some supplies for the last time. The manager gave us a couple more bulletin boards and then took my phone numbers. As they finish packing the store this week she’ll call me if there are any odds-and-ends that they can donate.
Looking ahead to next week we have our full schedule of activities. Bill Brian and company will be coming down to worship and work with the group for Morning Worship and Kids’ Church on Sunday. Tamara is scheduled to share in the Washington, DC, congregation Sunday morning. In addition, the Arundel Singers will be here Sunday evening for their spring concert. We’ll continue working on camp forms and funding throughout the week. I’ll be attending a leadership training event during the day on Friday. Next Saturday evening is our monthly Solid Rock Café. Charlotte and I will be trying to connect sometime mid-week to return her keyboard.
Along with the individuals and activities mentioned, please keep the following families in the forefront of your prayers:
The Wyatt Family
The Watts Family
The Jones Family
The Tull Family
The Beo Family
The Brinkmeyer Family
The Sullivan Family
The Jones 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
http://thisweekatthepowerhouse.blogspot.com/
It started out Sunday with Morning Worship. Larry Norris was the speaker at this service in which we celebrated our 15th anniversary as a congregation and looked to the future. Folks from the Towson Congregation and some people who were instrumental in the early days of the church (like the Carnahans and Ms. Suzy) joined in the celebration.
As a special element of the service, Vonceil put together a 10+ minute music and photo show that traced the group’s history. This was well received, especially by the young adults who could watch themselves grow up on screen.
The Jamisons brought in more household supplies for people who might want them. They’re downsizing in preparation for a move and the supplies they’ve brought in have been both a treat and a blessing for folks, especially those trying to establish themselves in their first apartments.
After Tamara, Larry, and I had lunch together we came back and set up for Kids’ Church. Among the kids who came were six who were first time visitors to the church. Larry led the lesson for the day.
Afterward Sarah stayed to tutor one of our high school students in biology. While they were doing that I was trying to get some things to print in the front room. I think that I need to have a funeral for the printer. It came with us from Texas so it’s coming up on 13 years old. Unfortunately, the computer it’s hooked up to is about 11 years old and doesn’t have a port that will connect it to a modern computer. I need to take some time to copy the files on to 3.5 inch floppy disks then send those disks to school with Vonceil where there’s a computer in the lab that can still read them. She can then write a CD for us so we can transfer the materials to the new computer.
Larry met with those available from the leadership team that evening. We held the informal session at Friendly’s so we could enjoy some ice cream together. His flight home was early Monday morning so the kids and I took him to the airport before they went to school.
We got lots of good feedback about the weekend via Facebook. At least three people (one teen and two young adults) talked about their experiences at the anniversary celebration in their statuses. Positive public feedback from that crew is a treasure.
Overnight Sunday there was a shooting in the neighborhood. The TV news actually reported on it. They said the victim was at the Shock-Trauma unit of the hospital. Neighbors said that when they came out of the house to see what was happening the victim was under a white sheet. We won’t ever know the whole story.
I learned on Tuesday that Donald, who plays on the baseball team for Graceland University, pitched a no-hitter. He and I chatted about it just a bit on the computer. With his graduation coming in just a couple of weeks it was a great way to end his college baseball career.
About 100 kids participated in Wednesday’s SonRisers activities. Half our staff was out that morning but we made it through just fine. By this time of year the kids know the procedures quite well so they needed minimal instruction.
I got a chance to visit with the mother of one of our 5th graders for a few minutes there. With the closure of the neighborhood’s middle school she’s become extremely frustrated in trying to find a school with open enrollment that will take her daughter and is reasonably close by.
Afterward we opened the church for the nursing students. This was their last meeting for the semester. The University is looking to use the church for a site again next fall.
During the day on Wednesday my primary focus was on camp. Saturday was the deadline for the early registration discount so I wanted to get as many of the forms filled out and signed by that deadline as possible. It’s a delicate balance this year as our fundraising for camperships is down dramatically from years past. We’ve got to get as many as possible in early so we can stretch our money further yet we’re still working to raise funds so we can’t go too far beyond what our account has at present.
The NA group stayed after its scheduled meeting time for a planning session. In a couple of weeks they, along with two other NA groups, are using the church for an all day Saturday marathon (noon – 8:00 p.m.). Their plans are coming along well and they’ve started to promote the event. They left the building a few minutes after the Mid-Week Service group arrived.
We hit the pavement on Thursday tracking down parents to get the required signatures on camp forms. We also printed and assembled the May edition of “Kids’ Church News” so it could go in Friday’s mail.
While running copies on Thursday I learned that Saturday is the last day our local Staples store will be open. This is devastating to me. The store is just a few blocks from the church and it’s not unusual to be there multiple times each week. (We’re one of their top 20 customers.) We know the staff there by name and the store has donated thousands of dollars worth of supplies to us. They’ve also been a key player in our annual school supply distribution event. Fortunately all the employees have been offered jobs at other stores (though some walk to work so this might not work well for them). We’ll now have to drive out to the county just to make copies much less keep up with supplies.
Charlotte rode up with her friend on Friday morning to drop off her keyboard. She is graciously letting us use it for Sunday night’s Arundel Singers concert.
Friday night brought Pizza Church. The first two groups read John 21:1-14. We reviewed Easter before doing so. We have a lot of newer kids and quite a few had no idea what Easter was about and were quite skeptical of the whole story. Tamara led the senior high group with a video-based lesson. The group really opened up and shared a lot about how they cope with the trauma they experience on a daily basis.
As of Friday night the data base was telling us that we’ve had 700 different kids come to at least one activity so far since July (not including Bible School, festivals, and the like). We haven’t seen numbers this high in a several years and have potential to break our old record of 730 from 2004-05.
We had our Mission Center Conference on Saturday in Springfield, Virginia. On the way home I stopped in at Staples to pick up some supplies for the last time. The manager gave us a couple more bulletin boards and then took my phone numbers. As they finish packing the store this week she’ll call me if there are any odds-and-ends that they can donate.
Looking ahead to next week we have our full schedule of activities. Bill Brian and company will be coming down to worship and work with the group for Morning Worship and Kids’ Church on Sunday. Tamara is scheduled to share in the Washington, DC, congregation Sunday morning. In addition, the Arundel Singers will be here Sunday evening for their spring concert. We’ll continue working on camp forms and funding throughout the week. I’ll be attending a leadership training event during the day on Friday. Next Saturday evening is our monthly Solid Rock Café. Charlotte and I will be trying to connect sometime mid-week to return her keyboard.
Along with the individuals and activities mentioned, please keep the following families in the forefront of your prayers:
The Wyatt Family
The Watts Family
The Jones Family
The Tull Family
The Beo Family
The Brinkmeyer Family
The Sullivan Family
The Jones 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
http://thisweekatthepowerhouse.blogspot.com/
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