It’s been a busy week at the Power House in Baltimore, Maryland.
It started out Sunday with Morning Worship. We had an unusual occurrence in that almost half of those gathered that morning drove to church. Several from within walking distance couldn’t be there and their absence was filled by people from outside the neighborhood. People stayed around the church and visited for nearly an hour afterward.
We began learning about the book of 1 Samuel at Kids’ Church that afternoon. For the craft we made construction paper crowns with the words “We Pray for Our Leaders” on them.
That evening was our monthly Celebration Service. We had a good crowd gather for it. Sarah led Crystal, Fred, and Bryce in telling about their experiences earlier this month at the Hunger Challenge. This was followed by many other testimonies of the goodness of God in people’s lives. Afterward we had a soup supper. Five people each brought a pot of soup to share. A few others brought desserts.
I met up with Ron on Tuesday morning. We went out to do and administration together. Afterward, we met up with Carol for lunch.
Nearly 90 people participated in Wednesday’s SonRisers activities. Afterward Gloria had an interview with a graduate student working on a project to better link some of the elements in the park with the rest of the neighborhood.
The nursing school cancelled its use of the front room this Wednesday. The Census Bureau, however, used the back room for its testing that same day. While the test was taking place I worked on getting our Easter postcard mailing ready.
That evening Tamara observed at the NA meeting for some of her class work. When it was finished a few of us gathered for our Mid-Week Service.
I had an interview on Thursday with the same woman who interviewed Gloria on Wednesday. That evening Danny and I went out for dessert and caught up. Once we were back I had some visiting time out on the street with several families.
Friday night brought Pizza Church. We had larger groups throughout the evening, especially the Middle School group. A couple of newer kids in that group who skateboard brought several friends from the skate park with them.
We had our monthly Sundae Church on Saturday evening. Meanwhile, Tamara, Vonceil, and Sarah were at Mervo High School to see the play Grease. One of our kids, Crystal, was in it.
Looking ahead to next week we have our full schedule of activities. In addition, we have our Holy Week services including a Last Supper Service on Thursday evening and a time of prayer and reflection on Good Friday. On Monday Gloria is meeting with the health department nurses in advance of their H1N1 shot clinic on April 11. Throughout the week we’ll be distributing fliers inviting people to Easter Sunday activities.
Along with the individuals and activities mentioned, please keep the following families in the forefront of your prayers:
The Evans Family
The Barnes Family
The Williams Family
The Smith Family
The Lambert Family
The Rhubottom Family
The Shaw Family
The Jackson 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, March 27, 2010
Saturday, March 20, 2010
3/21/2010
It’s been a busy week at the Power House in Baltimore, Maryland.
I started Sunday with getting ready for Morning Worship. The Brians came down from Pennsylvania and brought three young adults with them to spend part of the day in Pigtown. Some of them went out before the service to invite people to church.
After the service we had snacks. We’d been given a small box of tangerines that were left over from the mission center pastors meeting last Saturday so we gave them to people to take home. Tamara’s niece also brought in brownies to share that she’d baked to celebrate Tamara’s birthday.
After lunch we set up for Kids’ Church. The Brians were in charge of the crafts so they got things prepared for the kids. Kathy brought Joshua and Sarah was able to be there. We were fully staffed. Of course, very few kids came. We ended up with 10 adults and 5 kids so all the kids got lots of personal attention for the hour. Afterward, Sarah provided some biology tutoring for one of our high school students.
We had our Priesthood Meeting on Sunday night. We made some headway in the planning on a couple of upcoming events. This was especially true for the activities during the congregation’s upcoming 15th anniversary celebration.
On Monday St. Mary’s Seminary hosted a day with Brian McLaren. Ron & Carol and I spent the day in his classes. That evening Tamara joined us for the public lecture.
Nearly 80 kids participated in Wednesday’s SonRisers activities. Afterward we spent some time making arrangements for the 15th Anniversary Celebration. Among the scheduled activities that take the most planning are the community festival on the afternoon of Saturday, April 24, and the dinner for the congregation that evening.
We learned on Thursday that the city health department is having a city-wide flu shot day on Sunday, April 11. They’ve chosen The Power House to be their site for the southwest part of town. Gloria is coordinating these efforts.
Thursday evening the Americorps volunteers hosted a meeting at the church to narrow down the scope of the project they’ll be spearheading in the neighborhood this summer. After a couple hours of work they left with a challenging but doable project in mind.
Some of the nursing students are working on a project to better the emergency preparedness of the neighborhood’s residents. I spent some time with them on Friday reviewing the recent series of blizzards and both the needs that arose and the resources that proved vital during that time.
Friday night brought Pizza Church. As usually happens this time of year we had some kids show up at the wrong time. They’re used to darkness reminding them that it’s time for church but with the time change it was still light when Pizza Church started.
Looking ahead to next week we have our full schedule of activities. In addition, Sunday night is our monthly Celebration Service. It will be followed by a soup supper. The Census Bureau is using the building one last time on Wednesday for employment testing. Throughout the week we’ll be preparing our marketing materials for Easter and for the Anniversary Celebration. We’ll also be making the final plans for our Holy Week activities. Next Saturday evening is our monthly Sundae Church for our high school students.
Along with the individuals and activities mentioned, please keep the following families in the forefront of your prayers:
The Adams Family
The McEachern Family
The Griffin Family
The Shoforn Family
The Gladden Family
The Tynes Family
The Howard Family
The Tyndall 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/
I started Sunday with getting ready for Morning Worship. The Brians came down from Pennsylvania and brought three young adults with them to spend part of the day in Pigtown. Some of them went out before the service to invite people to church.
After the service we had snacks. We’d been given a small box of tangerines that were left over from the mission center pastors meeting last Saturday so we gave them to people to take home. Tamara’s niece also brought in brownies to share that she’d baked to celebrate Tamara’s birthday.
After lunch we set up for Kids’ Church. The Brians were in charge of the crafts so they got things prepared for the kids. Kathy brought Joshua and Sarah was able to be there. We were fully staffed. Of course, very few kids came. We ended up with 10 adults and 5 kids so all the kids got lots of personal attention for the hour. Afterward, Sarah provided some biology tutoring for one of our high school students.
We had our Priesthood Meeting on Sunday night. We made some headway in the planning on a couple of upcoming events. This was especially true for the activities during the congregation’s upcoming 15th anniversary celebration.
On Monday St. Mary’s Seminary hosted a day with Brian McLaren. Ron & Carol and I spent the day in his classes. That evening Tamara joined us for the public lecture.
Nearly 80 kids participated in Wednesday’s SonRisers activities. Afterward we spent some time making arrangements for the 15th Anniversary Celebration. Among the scheduled activities that take the most planning are the community festival on the afternoon of Saturday, April 24, and the dinner for the congregation that evening.
We learned on Thursday that the city health department is having a city-wide flu shot day on Sunday, April 11. They’ve chosen The Power House to be their site for the southwest part of town. Gloria is coordinating these efforts.
Thursday evening the Americorps volunteers hosted a meeting at the church to narrow down the scope of the project they’ll be spearheading in the neighborhood this summer. After a couple hours of work they left with a challenging but doable project in mind.
Some of the nursing students are working on a project to better the emergency preparedness of the neighborhood’s residents. I spent some time with them on Friday reviewing the recent series of blizzards and both the needs that arose and the resources that proved vital during that time.
Friday night brought Pizza Church. As usually happens this time of year we had some kids show up at the wrong time. They’re used to darkness reminding them that it’s time for church but with the time change it was still light when Pizza Church started.
Looking ahead to next week we have our full schedule of activities. In addition, Sunday night is our monthly Celebration Service. It will be followed by a soup supper. The Census Bureau is using the building one last time on Wednesday for employment testing. Throughout the week we’ll be preparing our marketing materials for Easter and for the Anniversary Celebration. We’ll also be making the final plans for our Holy Week activities. Next Saturday evening is our monthly Sundae Church for our high school students.
Along with the individuals and activities mentioned, please keep the following families in the forefront of your prayers:
The Adams Family
The McEachern Family
The Griffin Family
The Shoforn Family
The Gladden Family
The Tynes Family
The Howard Family
The Tyndall 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, March 13, 2010
3/14/2010
It’s been a busy week at the Power House in Baltimore, Maryland.
It started out Sunday with Morning Worship. The group from Michigan included a praise band so they lead the congregation in worship that morning. I brought the communion message and Tamara and Jenn (who accompanied the group as the trip pastor) served the emblems. We also had a couple of first time visitors at the service as well as a few people who made their first trip back to church since the snow storms.
After the service Tamara provided lunch for our guests. As they finished up the nursing students began arriving to set up for the health fair so everyone joined in the work.
Just before the fair started Sarah pulled up in the van. She dropped off the five kids from this congregation that had taken part in the mission center’s annual Hunger Challenge in Springfield, Virginia. Each of the participants seemed to have had a great experience there and felt empowered that the event had raised several thousand dollars in relief aid for Haiti.
About 75 people participated in the health fair that afternoon. It was a good experience for the nursing students, the congregation, the community, and the Michigan group.
Afterward we ordered pizza. Danny came over to the church to visit with people and share his story with the group while they were eating. We also played games and visited until it was time for bed.
On Monday the group spent several hours working at Diggs-Johnson Middle School. They worked with the kids to encourage them in preparation for the next day’s state standardized testing. Later that afternoon and evening they visited the Inner Harbor.
I got word on Monday that everything is set for Donald’s graduation from Graceland University in May. I’ll be going out to support him at commencements.
Tuesday sent the group from Michigan to Carroll Park for some spring landscaping. Gloria arranged for the city to provide mulch, rakes, gloves, wheel barrows, and the like. Upon completion of the project they were given a tour of the historic mansion in the park. Afterward they cleaned up and we went out to Ron and Carol Gillilan’s house for dinner.
88 kids participated in Wednesday’s SonRisers activities. Some were able to reconnect with the group from Michigan who also participated. Later that morning the group walked over to Paul’s Place to help with their activities. About half of the group worked in the lunch area (Paul’s Place serves about 350 hot lunches each day) while others worked in another room with Marjorie’s nurse station.
After an afternoon of seeing other tourist locations in Baltimore, the group gathered at the church to join our Mid-Week Service. During this time together we took the opportunity to review and reflect on the week as well as engage in prayer for the community.
Through this week’s activities we crossed over the 600 mark in the number of kids that have participated in at least one church activity so far this year. We are 2/3 of the way through our year at this point.
Jenn and I took the group from Michigan to the train station on Thursday morning so they could ride the rails to Washington, DC, for a day of sightseeing. While they were gone, Jenn finished a project she had planned to do before moving back to Michigan but hadn’t quite finished when she moved. I had an interview with a student from the University of Maryland who was working of a project for her masters degree in history. She was looking at ways that local museums and historic sites (like the mansion in Carroll Park and the B&O Railroad museum, both in Pigtown) could better connect with the daily lives of people in the surrounding neighborhoods.
Though it was close to midnight when we picked them up at the train station, the group headed back to Michigan on Friday morning. They arrived safely that evening.
I ran out to the store to grab a few craft supplies we needed for Kids’ Church this Sunday. What I though would be a quick and easy trip turned into a wild goose chase in which the goose won. Fortunately, the Brians are coming down this Sunday and agreed to come up with a replacement project.
Friday night brought Pizza Church. During the sessions we learned that Davon had been accepted to Mervo High School when he starts 9th grade in the fall. This is the school at which Vonceil teaches and three of our current senior high students already attend.
It was off to Virginia early Saturday morning for a Pastors Gathering in Stafford. We met together until about 3:30 that afternoon. They had some leftover food at the event so we brought it back to Baltimore for the congregation.
While I was in Virginia, Vonceil and the kids went over to the church to get a few things ready for morning and to set up for Solid Rock Café. When they got there they discovered that the building had quite a substantial leak from the day’s rain.
About a dozen kids came to the Solid Rock Café Saturday evening. They were quite excited to have the raw vegetables from the pastors meeting to go with their donuts.
Looking ahead to next week we have our full schedule of activities. In addition, Sunday night is our monthly Priesthood Meeting. On Monday I’m in training all day at St. Mary’s Seminary. Brian McLaren is the presenter. Americorps is using the church on Thursday evening for a community development meeting.
Along with the individuals and activities mentioned, please keep the following families in the forefront of your prayers:
The Smith Family
The Harrispod Family
The Singer Family
The Williams Family
The Lee Family
The Jones Family
The Rakes Family
The Burris 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. The group from Michigan included a praise band so they lead the congregation in worship that morning. I brought the communion message and Tamara and Jenn (who accompanied the group as the trip pastor) served the emblems. We also had a couple of first time visitors at the service as well as a few people who made their first trip back to church since the snow storms.
After the service Tamara provided lunch for our guests. As they finished up the nursing students began arriving to set up for the health fair so everyone joined in the work.
Just before the fair started Sarah pulled up in the van. She dropped off the five kids from this congregation that had taken part in the mission center’s annual Hunger Challenge in Springfield, Virginia. Each of the participants seemed to have had a great experience there and felt empowered that the event had raised several thousand dollars in relief aid for Haiti.
About 75 people participated in the health fair that afternoon. It was a good experience for the nursing students, the congregation, the community, and the Michigan group.
Afterward we ordered pizza. Danny came over to the church to visit with people and share his story with the group while they were eating. We also played games and visited until it was time for bed.
On Monday the group spent several hours working at Diggs-Johnson Middle School. They worked with the kids to encourage them in preparation for the next day’s state standardized testing. Later that afternoon and evening they visited the Inner Harbor.
I got word on Monday that everything is set for Donald’s graduation from Graceland University in May. I’ll be going out to support him at commencements.
Tuesday sent the group from Michigan to Carroll Park for some spring landscaping. Gloria arranged for the city to provide mulch, rakes, gloves, wheel barrows, and the like. Upon completion of the project they were given a tour of the historic mansion in the park. Afterward they cleaned up and we went out to Ron and Carol Gillilan’s house for dinner.
88 kids participated in Wednesday’s SonRisers activities. Some were able to reconnect with the group from Michigan who also participated. Later that morning the group walked over to Paul’s Place to help with their activities. About half of the group worked in the lunch area (Paul’s Place serves about 350 hot lunches each day) while others worked in another room with Marjorie’s nurse station.
After an afternoon of seeing other tourist locations in Baltimore, the group gathered at the church to join our Mid-Week Service. During this time together we took the opportunity to review and reflect on the week as well as engage in prayer for the community.
Through this week’s activities we crossed over the 600 mark in the number of kids that have participated in at least one church activity so far this year. We are 2/3 of the way through our year at this point.
Jenn and I took the group from Michigan to the train station on Thursday morning so they could ride the rails to Washington, DC, for a day of sightseeing. While they were gone, Jenn finished a project she had planned to do before moving back to Michigan but hadn’t quite finished when she moved. I had an interview with a student from the University of Maryland who was working of a project for her masters degree in history. She was looking at ways that local museums and historic sites (like the mansion in Carroll Park and the B&O Railroad museum, both in Pigtown) could better connect with the daily lives of people in the surrounding neighborhoods.
Though it was close to midnight when we picked them up at the train station, the group headed back to Michigan on Friday morning. They arrived safely that evening.
I ran out to the store to grab a few craft supplies we needed for Kids’ Church this Sunday. What I though would be a quick and easy trip turned into a wild goose chase in which the goose won. Fortunately, the Brians are coming down this Sunday and agreed to come up with a replacement project.
Friday night brought Pizza Church. During the sessions we learned that Davon had been accepted to Mervo High School when he starts 9th grade in the fall. This is the school at which Vonceil teaches and three of our current senior high students already attend.
It was off to Virginia early Saturday morning for a Pastors Gathering in Stafford. We met together until about 3:30 that afternoon. They had some leftover food at the event so we brought it back to Baltimore for the congregation.
While I was in Virginia, Vonceil and the kids went over to the church to get a few things ready for morning and to set up for Solid Rock Café. When they got there they discovered that the building had quite a substantial leak from the day’s rain.
About a dozen kids came to the Solid Rock Café Saturday evening. They were quite excited to have the raw vegetables from the pastors meeting to go with their donuts.
Looking ahead to next week we have our full schedule of activities. In addition, Sunday night is our monthly Priesthood Meeting. On Monday I’m in training all day at St. Mary’s Seminary. Brian McLaren is the presenter. Americorps is using the church on Thursday evening for a community development meeting.
Along with the individuals and activities mentioned, please keep the following families in the forefront of your prayers:
The Smith Family
The Harrispod Family
The Singer Family
The Williams Family
The Lee Family
The Jones Family
The Rakes Family
The Burris 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, March 6, 2010
3/6/2010
It’s been a busy week at the Power House in Baltimore, Maryland.
It started out Sunday with Morning Worship. As we gathered we learned that one congregant’s home had been broken into on Saturday. We also learned of equipment being stolen from the park. The topic for the message was the Transfiguration.
At Kids’ Church we started talking about the book of Ruth. For the craft time we made a dessert together. Though I wasn’t too sure about this project one of the kids said that this was, “The best Kids’ Church EVER!”
We had a steadier stream of kids coming to SonRisers this Wednesday. Over 60 participated in it. Of them 10 were either new or hadn’t been to church since at least June. That evening after the NA meeting we shared insights during the Mid-Week service.
We had three different requests by other groups to use the church for community based activities in the upcoming weeks. These included the census bureau, Americorps, and the middle school. We also had a request to meet for information from a University of Maryland student who is writing a paper on interactions among community organizations.
We worked on next week’s visit from the group from Michigan State University. Throughout the week we hammered out some details, made last minute adjustments, and made final preparations. Among those things was the fact that Paul’s Place had overbooked volunteers the day they were scheduled so only a portion of the crew can go that day.
Gloria and I joined with several other community leaders Thursday night at the church for a meeting lead by Americorps. In it we discussed community issues and possible projects in which Americorps could engage.
We also learned this week of the first person to be hired as a result of taking the Census Bureau test at the church. Hopefully it will be the first of many jobs that come from those tests.
Friday night brought Pizza Church. For the first time in ages, all three groups had similar numbers of kids in them. The first group finished up its video curriculum, the second group finished the book of Ruth, and the third group continued its study of the Gospel of Matthew.
Five of our kids got up early on Saturday morning to go to the Hunger Challenge in Springfield, Virginia. Sarah picked them up at the church around 8:30. She’ll return them on Sunday afternoon.
This week kids started getting acceptance letters from local high schools. Bryce was accepted at Baltimore Polytechnic Institute. We’re still waiting on word from our other 8th graders.
The students from Michigan arrived in town around 6:30 p.m. After dinner in a local restaurant we gathered at the church to talk a bit about the week ahead. Once we finished that and had a time of devotions, the band set up for the morning then we took people to their host homes.
Looking ahead to next week we have our full schedule of activities. The band from Michigan will the music during Morning Worship on Sunday. That afternoon we host the University of Maryland’s Community Health Fair. We expect the kids who attended the Hunger Challenge to return to Pigtown sometime Sunday afternoon. Throughout the week, the students from Michigan will be working in conjunction with several community groups, including Diggs-Johnson Middle School, The Friends of Carroll Park, and Paul’s Place. In addition, I have an interview with a University of Maryland student on Thursday. We have a pastors gathering in Virginia during the day on Saturday and our monthly Solid Rock Café on Saturday evening.
Along with the individuals and activities mentioned, please keep the following families in the forefront of your prayers:
The Burley Family
The Lydick Family
The Cizic Family
The Stichcomb Family
The Miskimon Family
The Iman Family
The Sigafoose 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
http://thisweekatthepowerhouse.blogspot.com/
It started out Sunday with Morning Worship. As we gathered we learned that one congregant’s home had been broken into on Saturday. We also learned of equipment being stolen from the park. The topic for the message was the Transfiguration.
At Kids’ Church we started talking about the book of Ruth. For the craft time we made a dessert together. Though I wasn’t too sure about this project one of the kids said that this was, “The best Kids’ Church EVER!”
We had a steadier stream of kids coming to SonRisers this Wednesday. Over 60 participated in it. Of them 10 were either new or hadn’t been to church since at least June. That evening after the NA meeting we shared insights during the Mid-Week service.
We had three different requests by other groups to use the church for community based activities in the upcoming weeks. These included the census bureau, Americorps, and the middle school. We also had a request to meet for information from a University of Maryland student who is writing a paper on interactions among community organizations.
We worked on next week’s visit from the group from Michigan State University. Throughout the week we hammered out some details, made last minute adjustments, and made final preparations. Among those things was the fact that Paul’s Place had overbooked volunteers the day they were scheduled so only a portion of the crew can go that day.
Gloria and I joined with several other community leaders Thursday night at the church for a meeting lead by Americorps. In it we discussed community issues and possible projects in which Americorps could engage.
We also learned this week of the first person to be hired as a result of taking the Census Bureau test at the church. Hopefully it will be the first of many jobs that come from those tests.
Friday night brought Pizza Church. For the first time in ages, all three groups had similar numbers of kids in them. The first group finished up its video curriculum, the second group finished the book of Ruth, and the third group continued its study of the Gospel of Matthew.
Five of our kids got up early on Saturday morning to go to the Hunger Challenge in Springfield, Virginia. Sarah picked them up at the church around 8:30. She’ll return them on Sunday afternoon.
This week kids started getting acceptance letters from local high schools. Bryce was accepted at Baltimore Polytechnic Institute. We’re still waiting on word from our other 8th graders.
The students from Michigan arrived in town around 6:30 p.m. After dinner in a local restaurant we gathered at the church to talk a bit about the week ahead. Once we finished that and had a time of devotions, the band set up for the morning then we took people to their host homes.
Looking ahead to next week we have our full schedule of activities. The band from Michigan will the music during Morning Worship on Sunday. That afternoon we host the University of Maryland’s Community Health Fair. We expect the kids who attended the Hunger Challenge to return to Pigtown sometime Sunday afternoon. Throughout the week, the students from Michigan will be working in conjunction with several community groups, including Diggs-Johnson Middle School, The Friends of Carroll Park, and Paul’s Place. In addition, I have an interview with a University of Maryland student on Thursday. We have a pastors gathering in Virginia during the day on Saturday and our monthly Solid Rock Café on Saturday evening.
Along with the individuals and activities mentioned, please keep the following families in the forefront of your prayers:
The Burley Family
The Lydick Family
The Cizic Family
The Stichcomb Family
The Miskimon Family
The Iman Family
The Sigafoose 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
http://thisweekatthepowerhouse.blogspot.com/
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