8/8/2010

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

Here are some highlights:

-On Sunday, July 11, we had our priesthood meeting in the evening. We reviewed the intense schedule for the next 8 weeks and spent some time discussing both feelings and plans regarding recent changes in our leadership team.

-We took kids who had earned a dinner at the Golden Corral there on Monday, July 12. Afterward, we stopped by Staples and each bought their $.01 items for the church's school supply drive.

-Our video projector had been on life support and we were able to catch a good sale on a replacement.

-The manager of the Staples in Pigtown that recently closed contacted me on Facebook. She had a donation for us from her new store. I met her there 2 hours later and loaded up the van with the free supplies.

-A couple of kids, Tamara, and I were able to participate in the Saturday (7/17) of our Mission Center Reunion in Springfield, Virginia.

-On Sunday, July 18, the air conditioning quit working mid-way through the sermon during Morning Worship. We had to move Kids' Church to the front room where the a/c still worked. The repairman arrived around 2:30 and was able to get it fixed (at emergency repair rates) before the evening service.

-Between Kids' Church and the Celebration Service that same day, Bill brought Larry McGuire and Jim & Jan Slauter to visit. We had a quick walk through the church and neighborhood. Jim and Jan were able to stay and participate in the evening activities which included a time of sharing about camp and other recent events as well as a potluck dinner.

-The Andersons were on vacation from 7/19 - 8/1. Gloria, Tamara, Robert, Earl, and others kept things running. Edith and Ron each also came in to provide the message on the Sundays I was gone.

-5 kids from The Power House participated in Spectacular at Graceland University in Lamoni, Iowa, August 24-31. Tamara served as a part of the staff from our area.

-One of our members had a mini-stroke. They're going through more tests to determine exactly what to do next.

-We were surprised when we clicked on the denomination's web page (http://www.cofchrist.org/) and saw a picture of one of our members on the home page.

-There was a last minute opening at Camp Opportunity. We had a girl in the congregation who was qualified to participate and Sarah was able to coordinate all the paperwork to make it happen.

-The August newsletters for Kids' Church and Pizza Church went out in the mail. You can read electronic copies at http://kidschurchnews.blogspot.com/ and http://pizzachurchpress.blogspot.com/.

-Our World Service Corps volunteers, Hannah and Sam, arrived on Monday, August 2. They'll be here until August 30. This week they worked on a couple of painting projects, organized the school supplies we've received for our drive thus far, helped staff activities, and had some fun at an Orioles game and an evening at the drive-in theater.

-I was able to participate in the Global Leadership Summit via satellite from Willow Creek this Thursday and Friday.

-We had an unusually high number of kids participate in Pizza Church this Friday evening (8/6). It was good for that many kids to meet Hannah and Sam early in their visit. It was Sam's birthday so Tamara brought a cake that we shared with the senior high group.

That's a rough overview of some of the happenings from the last month. Looking ahead to next week we have our full schedule of activities. In addition, we have our monthly Priesthood Meeting this Sunday evening. On Monday we'll be distributing fliers throughout the neighborhood promoting Bible School. We'll then get things set up and ready for the kids' arrival. Bible School is Tuesday through Friday from 10 :00 a.m. - Noon. Thursday afternoon I'm flying with Damon to Kansas City to get him started on his college career the next day at Graceland University in Lamoni, Iowa. If the plane is on time should be back in time for Friday's Bible School sessions.

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

The Ratcliffe Family
The Fitzpatrick Family
The Jones Family
The Carroll Family
The Bonnet Family
The Farley Family
The Kline Family
The Shiflett 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/