It’s been a busy week at the Power House in Baltimore, Maryland.
It started out with a broken bookshelf on Sunday morning. Somehow the bookcases that hold our Bibles got broken while people were setting up in the morning. They will stand for now but will need to be replaced.
Nearly 50 people gathered for our Easter Celebration on Sunday morning. This included most of our regular crowd, some folks we hadn't seen in quite a long time, and several first-time guests, many of whom came in response to the postcards Bryce and I distributed last week.
We also had a couple from Missouri who Vonceil met while registering for online classes at Graceland. She learned that they would be in the area for Easter and invited them. Their daughter had been friends with Robert when he was at Graceland so they were glad to catch up with him, too.
That afternoon 30 kids came to Kids' Church. Of those who came, 21 were at Kids' Church for the first time. Some came with baskets anticipating an Easter egg hunt even though none was planned or advertised. Additionally, this crew had clearly been eating lots of Easter candy before arriving.
A few of the new kids' parents came and stayed for the session, too. We were able to visit a bit with them and point them to times the church is open throughout the week for their families.
Wednesday was the first day back to school for kids. This impacted our numbers and we only had 70 kids for SonRisers that morning. We put a few dozen leftover donuts in the freezer to use as snacks at next week's Solid Rock Cafe.
Wednesday was also Robert's first day at his new job. I hope to hear details about it this Sunday. His employment became a more critical issue this week as we learned that Ebony is pregnant and due in November.
Hunting Season began this week. It's that time of year when we spend a lot of our time trying to track down parents to get signatures on camp forms. We're still hoping for grant monies to come through to make sure we're on solid financial footings for camp.
I met with Eric at the church on Thursday morning. He's a community organizer newly assigned to Pigtown now that we're a food desert. He was looking to both share information and get some feedback on the current virtual supermarket program offered in the neighborhood. We had a constructive conversation and hope to continue to connect share in helping resolve the lack of food availability in the area.
That evening a couple of us were to meet at the church to get Kids' Church News and Pizza Church Press out for the month. Unfortunately, I was the only one who showed up. Fortunately it was a relatively small project this month so it didn't take as long as it could have. The newsletters are also available electronically at the above links.
Friday night brought Pizza Church. We had good sized groups throughout the evening. The first two groups learned the story of Jesus and the disciples on the road to Emmaus. The senior high group finished its study of the Gospel of Luke.
I spent the day on Saturday in Springfield, Virginia, at our Mission Center Conference. Bill, our Mission Center President, included a few words at the conference about our exceedingly tight finances. Several people offered to help out with the situation and a few gave very generous donation that instant.
Meanwhile back in Pigtown, we were a designated neighborhood for Rebuilding Baltimore. Several organizations had parallel projects happening throughout the day. Plans included fixing up a couple of houses (including the home of one of our families), a painting project at the skatepark, street cleaning, and other activities. I hope to get updated on what happened when I get to church in the morning.
Sarah, Tamara, and I took Terry to Friendly's for ice cream on Saturday evening. He had earned the trip through his participation in church activities. While there we learned that his older sister is pregnant and that the baby is due in mid-May. Before taking him home we stopped by the church and picked up one of the "new baby gift baskets" to give her. She was surprised and delighted to be remembered in this way.
Looking ahead to next week we have our full schedule of activities. In addition, we'll be pressing forward in registering campers for July's camp. Next Saturday is our monthly Solid Rock Cafe.
Along with the individuals and activities mentioned, please keep the following families in the forefront of your prayers:
The Sabedra Family
The Nickerson Family
The Stinchcomb Family
The Featherstone Family
The Burroughs Family
The Brown Family
The Price Family
The Martz 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, April 30, 2011
Saturday, April 23, 2011
4/24/2011
It’s been a busy week at the Power House in Baltimore, Maryland.
It started out Sunday with Morning Worship. A small group gathered to celebrate Palm Sunday.
That afternoon at Kids' Church we taught the story of Jesus' entry into Jerusalem. We then made our own palm branches with the word "Hosanna" on them out of craft foam.
We had a larger group gather for our monthly Celebration Service that evening. Several people shared how God had been blessing them then we shared in a meal together. We provided breads, cheeses, and lunch meats and people brought salads, desserts, and beverages for potluck. This was the first time we tried this format and people responded very positively toward it.
On Monday I headed back to the post office to get postcard stamps at the new rate. Unfortunately they had not received any. They were able to find enough of the old rate and a corresponding number of 1-cent stamps for us to complete our project.
That evening we worked on the May newsletters for Pizza Church and Kids' Church. They'll both be assembled next week and will post on line on April 30.
While running copies at Staples on Tuesday, the manager stopped by to visit. She had a small box of free items for us and told us she should have several more things to donate by the end of the week.
Wednesday's class of nursing students met for the last time this week. Most of them will graduate in May.
Later that morning Bryce and I started handing out Easter postcards door-to-door. We handed out about 500 of them that morning.
We learned a few weeks ago that a woman who attended the church when she was a child has a baby due in a couple of weeks. We surprised her on Wednesday when we dropped off a basket full of gifts for the baby. A friend of hers who has two young children was at the house visiting when we stopped by. She asked about setting up a time to have her babies blessed at the church.
That evening after the NA Meeting and Mid-Week Service we started rearranging the furniture for the Last Supper Service and Good Friday Service. Since these services have the same basic content each year we try to make the settings a little different.
The place where Donna's Thursday nursing classes normally meets was closed this week for spring break. We made the church available to them so they were there during the day on Thursday.
Bryce and I distributed about 600 post cards Thursday afternoon. Afterward, Tamara, Vonceil, and Onalee joined us making the final preparations and decorating the church for that evening's service.
As the sun set that night we lit the candles and gathered around the table for our Last Supper Service. If I got my numbers right, we had one nine-year-old, two teens, two in their twenties, one thirtysomething, two in their 40s, and one each in their 50s, 60s, and 70s. By then end of the service, people seemed to have been quite impacted as they mostly only whispered to each other as they quietly exited. For a group that usually stands around and gabs for a long time after any activity, this was quite different.
We opened the church from noon - 3:00 p.m. on Friday for prayer, reflection, scripture reading, and meditation. In the few minutes before hand while getting things ready, I managed to spill several gallons of water down the front of me. Fortunately, Vonceil was home and able to run over a change of clothes right away.
We had created a "garden" worship center inside the church for the occasion. As expected, a handful of people came and went during this time. Nearly everyone who participated had not been a part of the service on Thursday evening.
Friday night brought Pizza Church. In all three groups we walked the kids through all the symbols of the Holy Week story they could see in the various worship centers around the church. For many throughout the evening this was totally new information. For at least one kid, this was the first time they'd heard the story of the crucifixion.
Bryce and I caught a break in the rain on Saturday morning and handed out another 500 postcards inviting people to the Easter services on Sunday. Once home I set up a Facebook event to remind folks who were on line.
The kids were all wound up when they came in for Sundae Church on Saturday evening. The fifth grade teacher inside me had to resurface for a while to bring some semblance of order to things.
Looking ahead to next week we have our full schedule of activities. In addition, we have Easter activities within our regular schedule on Sunday. SonRisers resumes on Wednesday. Throughout the week we'll be working on preparations for camp. Next Saturday is our Mission Center Conference in Virginia.
Along with the individuals and activities mentioned, please keep the following families in the forefront of your prayers:
The Brown Family
The Johnson Family
The Jackson Family
The Burley Family
The Leach Family
The Bryson Family
The Covington Family
The Burch 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. A small group gathered to celebrate Palm Sunday.
That afternoon at Kids' Church we taught the story of Jesus' entry into Jerusalem. We then made our own palm branches with the word "Hosanna" on them out of craft foam.
We had a larger group gather for our monthly Celebration Service that evening. Several people shared how God had been blessing them then we shared in a meal together. We provided breads, cheeses, and lunch meats and people brought salads, desserts, and beverages for potluck. This was the first time we tried this format and people responded very positively toward it.
On Monday I headed back to the post office to get postcard stamps at the new rate. Unfortunately they had not received any. They were able to find enough of the old rate and a corresponding number of 1-cent stamps for us to complete our project.
That evening we worked on the May newsletters for Pizza Church and Kids' Church. They'll both be assembled next week and will post on line on April 30.
While running copies at Staples on Tuesday, the manager stopped by to visit. She had a small box of free items for us and told us she should have several more things to donate by the end of the week.
Wednesday's class of nursing students met for the last time this week. Most of them will graduate in May.
Later that morning Bryce and I started handing out Easter postcards door-to-door. We handed out about 500 of them that morning.
We learned a few weeks ago that a woman who attended the church when she was a child has a baby due in a couple of weeks. We surprised her on Wednesday when we dropped off a basket full of gifts for the baby. A friend of hers who has two young children was at the house visiting when we stopped by. She asked about setting up a time to have her babies blessed at the church.
That evening after the NA Meeting and Mid-Week Service we started rearranging the furniture for the Last Supper Service and Good Friday Service. Since these services have the same basic content each year we try to make the settings a little different.
The place where Donna's Thursday nursing classes normally meets was closed this week for spring break. We made the church available to them so they were there during the day on Thursday.
Bryce and I distributed about 600 post cards Thursday afternoon. Afterward, Tamara, Vonceil, and Onalee joined us making the final preparations and decorating the church for that evening's service.
As the sun set that night we lit the candles and gathered around the table for our Last Supper Service. If I got my numbers right, we had one nine-year-old, two teens, two in their twenties, one thirtysomething, two in their 40s, and one each in their 50s, 60s, and 70s. By then end of the service, people seemed to have been quite impacted as they mostly only whispered to each other as they quietly exited. For a group that usually stands around and gabs for a long time after any activity, this was quite different.
We opened the church from noon - 3:00 p.m. on Friday for prayer, reflection, scripture reading, and meditation. In the few minutes before hand while getting things ready, I managed to spill several gallons of water down the front of me. Fortunately, Vonceil was home and able to run over a change of clothes right away.
We had created a "garden" worship center inside the church for the occasion. As expected, a handful of people came and went during this time. Nearly everyone who participated had not been a part of the service on Thursday evening.
Friday night brought Pizza Church. In all three groups we walked the kids through all the symbols of the Holy Week story they could see in the various worship centers around the church. For many throughout the evening this was totally new information. For at least one kid, this was the first time they'd heard the story of the crucifixion.
Bryce and I caught a break in the rain on Saturday morning and handed out another 500 postcards inviting people to the Easter services on Sunday. Once home I set up a Facebook event to remind folks who were on line.
The kids were all wound up when they came in for Sundae Church on Saturday evening. The fifth grade teacher inside me had to resurface for a while to bring some semblance of order to things.
Looking ahead to next week we have our full schedule of activities. In addition, we have Easter activities within our regular schedule on Sunday. SonRisers resumes on Wednesday. Throughout the week we'll be working on preparations for camp. Next Saturday is our Mission Center Conference in Virginia.
Along with the individuals and activities mentioned, please keep the following families in the forefront of your prayers:
The Brown Family
The Johnson Family
The Jackson Family
The Burley Family
The Leach Family
The Bryson Family
The Covington Family
The Burch 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, April 16, 2011
4/17/2011
It’s been a busy week at the Power House in Baltimore, Maryland.
It started out Sunday with Morning Worship. Since Onalee was sick and Vonceil was at home with her, Bryce tried his hand at running the AV equipment. We continued our series on Power.
During Kids' Church we learned the story of Lazarus being raised from the dead. 19 kids came, several of whom were new to the church.
With the new kids we crossed another attendance milestone for the year. We've now crossed over 800 kids that have participated in activities at the church since July.
Shortly after the kids left we had our monthly Priesthood Meeting. We usually have it in the evening but moved it forward so people would have time to get home to watch the simulcast from church headquarters that night. The item that took the most time out of the agenda was focused on the calendar for summer.
We spent some time on Monday adjusting our plans for "Peace for Everyone" at the Peace Pavilion. We had realized at the end of last week that we would not be able to use a couple of centers that we had planned to use. We put together some new ones on Monday but discovered what we had made was too big to get laminated at Staples.
So, Tuesday we worked on reworking what we had already reworked on Monday. Fortunately we were able to reach into the box of things that Staples had donated to us last year and find a whole stack of supplies that were exactly what we needed.
118 kids participated in Wednesday's SonRisers activities. Afterward we put the final touches on the Peace Pavilion and took pictures of it to post on the blog. You can see them here.
The 5th grade class from School 34 arrived at the Peace Pavilion that afternoon. Tamara, Gloria, and I were joined by about 8 nursing students to provide the staffing for their visit.
That evening after the NA Meeting and the Mid-Week Service we started reworking our mailing list. Our old one was beyond repair so we decided to just start from scratch. Our goal was to have it ready to assemble over the weekend and get the Easter postcards in Monday's mail.
We learned on Wednesday that Robert got a job. He'll be working in the jail downtown. We'll know more information about what exactly he'll be doing once he reports in a couple of weeks.
Two classes of 3rd graders came through the Peace Pavilion on Thursday afternoon. Staffing included the 8 nursing students who helped with "Peace for Us" a few months ago.
Later that afternoon I met with Bill. We had been given new tax forms this year and they were extremely confusing. We sorted through them and he was going to take them by his accountant to have them checked. He also updated me on the meetings he was at at church headquarters last week.
Beautiful weather on Thursday brought people out on the streets that evening. In walking around and visiting, I was greeted with, "Hey your that guy from the Power House" comments from many third graders who were out and who I had seen earlier in the day at the Peace Pavilion. Some of them introduced me to their parents (many of whom I already knew) and we talk about what they had learned.
Later that night we finished up the Easter mailing list and got the labels printed.
Friday brought 1st grade classes to the Peace Pavilion. Those who staffed that event were there for the first time that week.
That afternoon I stopped by the post office to pick up the postcard stamps for the Easter mailing. They didn't have enough but would have more on Monday. As I paid for what they did have in stock, the attendant said, "Of course, you know they will cost more next week because the rate goes up on Monday." It was then that I learned that the stamps in my hands had to be on the postcards and in the mail on Saturday or they would not be sufficient. We had to rearrange plans in order to get the labels and stamps on the postcards that night in order to make it into the postbox on time.
At Pizza Church that night we focused on the Palm Sunday scriptures. Between session Tamara worked with some of the kids to make the T-shirts they had earned.
Earl and I joined folks from around the mission center for meetings on Saturday in Virginia. Though normally a slow drive due to traffic congestion, this weekend was especially bad, taking over 2.5 hours to go about 75 miles.
Looking ahead to next week we have our full schedule of activities. In addition, we have our monthly Celebration Service on Sunday evening followed by a sandwich supper. We'll be getting the last of the postcards in Monday's mail. With school closed for spring break we won't have SonRisers on Wednesday. Wednesday is also the last session for the nursing students for the semester. Thursday evening is our annual Last Supper Service and the church will be open on Good Friday from noon - 3:00 for personal prayer and reflection. Throughout the week we'll be walking the neighborhood distributing invitations for next Sunday's Easter services. Saturday is our monthly Sundae Church.
Along with the individuals and activities mentioned, please keep the following families in the forefront of your prayers:
The Meile Family
The Latham Family
The King Family
The Iman Family
The Whitfield Family
The Wharton Family
The Boycheck Family
The Mueller 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. Since Onalee was sick and Vonceil was at home with her, Bryce tried his hand at running the AV equipment. We continued our series on Power.
During Kids' Church we learned the story of Lazarus being raised from the dead. 19 kids came, several of whom were new to the church.
With the new kids we crossed another attendance milestone for the year. We've now crossed over 800 kids that have participated in activities at the church since July.
Shortly after the kids left we had our monthly Priesthood Meeting. We usually have it in the evening but moved it forward so people would have time to get home to watch the simulcast from church headquarters that night. The item that took the most time out of the agenda was focused on the calendar for summer.
We spent some time on Monday adjusting our plans for "Peace for Everyone" at the Peace Pavilion. We had realized at the end of last week that we would not be able to use a couple of centers that we had planned to use. We put together some new ones on Monday but discovered what we had made was too big to get laminated at Staples.
So, Tuesday we worked on reworking what we had already reworked on Monday. Fortunately we were able to reach into the box of things that Staples had donated to us last year and find a whole stack of supplies that were exactly what we needed.
118 kids participated in Wednesday's SonRisers activities. Afterward we put the final touches on the Peace Pavilion and took pictures of it to post on the blog. You can see them here.
The 5th grade class from School 34 arrived at the Peace Pavilion that afternoon. Tamara, Gloria, and I were joined by about 8 nursing students to provide the staffing for their visit.
That evening after the NA Meeting and the Mid-Week Service we started reworking our mailing list. Our old one was beyond repair so we decided to just start from scratch. Our goal was to have it ready to assemble over the weekend and get the Easter postcards in Monday's mail.
We learned on Wednesday that Robert got a job. He'll be working in the jail downtown. We'll know more information about what exactly he'll be doing once he reports in a couple of weeks.
Two classes of 3rd graders came through the Peace Pavilion on Thursday afternoon. Staffing included the 8 nursing students who helped with "Peace for Us" a few months ago.
Later that afternoon I met with Bill. We had been given new tax forms this year and they were extremely confusing. We sorted through them and he was going to take them by his accountant to have them checked. He also updated me on the meetings he was at at church headquarters last week.
Beautiful weather on Thursday brought people out on the streets that evening. In walking around and visiting, I was greeted with, "Hey your that guy from the Power House" comments from many third graders who were out and who I had seen earlier in the day at the Peace Pavilion. Some of them introduced me to their parents (many of whom I already knew) and we talk about what they had learned.
Later that night we finished up the Easter mailing list and got the labels printed.
Friday brought 1st grade classes to the Peace Pavilion. Those who staffed that event were there for the first time that week.
That afternoon I stopped by the post office to pick up the postcard stamps for the Easter mailing. They didn't have enough but would have more on Monday. As I paid for what they did have in stock, the attendant said, "Of course, you know they will cost more next week because the rate goes up on Monday." It was then that I learned that the stamps in my hands had to be on the postcards and in the mail on Saturday or they would not be sufficient. We had to rearrange plans in order to get the labels and stamps on the postcards that night in order to make it into the postbox on time.
At Pizza Church that night we focused on the Palm Sunday scriptures. Between session Tamara worked with some of the kids to make the T-shirts they had earned.
Earl and I joined folks from around the mission center for meetings on Saturday in Virginia. Though normally a slow drive due to traffic congestion, this weekend was especially bad, taking over 2.5 hours to go about 75 miles.
Looking ahead to next week we have our full schedule of activities. In addition, we have our monthly Celebration Service on Sunday evening followed by a sandwich supper. We'll be getting the last of the postcards in Monday's mail. With school closed for spring break we won't have SonRisers on Wednesday. Wednesday is also the last session for the nursing students for the semester. Thursday evening is our annual Last Supper Service and the church will be open on Good Friday from noon - 3:00 for personal prayer and reflection. Throughout the week we'll be walking the neighborhood distributing invitations for next Sunday's Easter services. Saturday is our monthly Sundae Church.
Along with the individuals and activities mentioned, please keep the following families in the forefront of your prayers:
The Meile Family
The Latham Family
The King Family
The Iman Family
The Whitfield Family
The Wharton Family
The Boycheck Family
The Mueller 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, April 9, 2011
4/10/2011
It’s been a busy week at the Power House in Baltimore, Maryland.
It started out Sunday with Morning Worship. A larger group than in recent weeks gathered for the communion service. We had some technical difficulties during the service as we started a series on Power from the Holy Spirit.
In an unusual twist we had only one kid come to Kids' Church on Sunday afternoon. She and I worked on the craft together while Tamara and Vonceil took the opportunity to do some worship planning for Easter Sunday.
We spent the evening straightening out the summer calendar. We had lots of activities and schedule adjustments for mid-May through mid-September and got it all blocked in.
116 kids participated in Wednesday morning's SonRisers activities. When Donna came in afterward to set up for her nursing students we finalized plans for her two classes to help staff the Peace Pavilion on Wednesday and Thursday next week.
That evening after the NA Meeting, Tayvia came in for the Mid-Week Service. She was still talking about the good time she had a few weeks ago at the mission center young adult activity in Laurel. Sarah and Tamara met afterward for a camp planning session.
I met with a new staff member of People's Health, a clinic in the neighborhood, on Thursday morning. They've started a new program for women who are pregnant and/or new moms. They brought me up to speed with the program and we looked at way the church could partner with it.
Once home from the meeting I learned that Tim's father died overnight. The funeral was scheduled for Saturday.
That afternoon I spent some time on a phone call to Michigan to make sure I had all the elements of "Peace for Everyone" located and ready for assembly. We were able to find everything but I was not successful in getting all the software for a couple of the centers to cooperate with our computers.
Friday night brought Pizza Church. We had a couple of new kids at the first session and good behavior throughout the evening.
Afterward Jonathan pulled up. He's a young adult who went through our program here when he was in school but has since moved away. He says he's working two jobs at a nursing home and seemed to be doing quite well.
Earl and I attended Tim's dad's funeral on Saturday morning. I heard that a couple other church members stopped by during visitation on Friday.
Bryce and I spent the afternoon working on setting up "Peace for Everyone" at the Peace Pavilion. We still have a bit of work to do between now and when the kids come on Wednesday.
Our monthly Solid Rock Cafe was on Saturday night. We had over 30 people participate in this activity and had some behavior challenges as several kids showed up high.
Looking ahead to next week we have our full schedule of activities. In addition, we have our monthly Priesthood Meeting on Sunday evening (We moved it to an earlier time so people will be able to get home and watch the simulcast from church headquarters). Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday afternoons the classes from School 34 are scheduled to come over for "Peace for Everyone" at the Peace Pavilion. We plan on putting together our mailing for Easter sometime mid-week. Next Saturday is a Pastors Gathering in Virginia.
Along with the individuals and activities mentioned, please keep the following families in the forefront of your prayers:
The Luciano Family
The Cherry Family
The Lloyd Family
The Duvall Family
The Brown Family
The Nickerson Family
The Wilson 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. A larger group than in recent weeks gathered for the communion service. We had some technical difficulties during the service as we started a series on Power from the Holy Spirit.
In an unusual twist we had only one kid come to Kids' Church on Sunday afternoon. She and I worked on the craft together while Tamara and Vonceil took the opportunity to do some worship planning for Easter Sunday.
We spent the evening straightening out the summer calendar. We had lots of activities and schedule adjustments for mid-May through mid-September and got it all blocked in.
116 kids participated in Wednesday morning's SonRisers activities. When Donna came in afterward to set up for her nursing students we finalized plans for her two classes to help staff the Peace Pavilion on Wednesday and Thursday next week.
That evening after the NA Meeting, Tayvia came in for the Mid-Week Service. She was still talking about the good time she had a few weeks ago at the mission center young adult activity in Laurel. Sarah and Tamara met afterward for a camp planning session.
I met with a new staff member of People's Health, a clinic in the neighborhood, on Thursday morning. They've started a new program for women who are pregnant and/or new moms. They brought me up to speed with the program and we looked at way the church could partner with it.
Once home from the meeting I learned that Tim's father died overnight. The funeral was scheduled for Saturday.
That afternoon I spent some time on a phone call to Michigan to make sure I had all the elements of "Peace for Everyone" located and ready for assembly. We were able to find everything but I was not successful in getting all the software for a couple of the centers to cooperate with our computers.
Friday night brought Pizza Church. We had a couple of new kids at the first session and good behavior throughout the evening.
Afterward Jonathan pulled up. He's a young adult who went through our program here when he was in school but has since moved away. He says he's working two jobs at a nursing home and seemed to be doing quite well.
Earl and I attended Tim's dad's funeral on Saturday morning. I heard that a couple other church members stopped by during visitation on Friday.
Bryce and I spent the afternoon working on setting up "Peace for Everyone" at the Peace Pavilion. We still have a bit of work to do between now and when the kids come on Wednesday.
Our monthly Solid Rock Cafe was on Saturday night. We had over 30 people participate in this activity and had some behavior challenges as several kids showed up high.
Looking ahead to next week we have our full schedule of activities. In addition, we have our monthly Priesthood Meeting on Sunday evening (We moved it to an earlier time so people will be able to get home and watch the simulcast from church headquarters). Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday afternoons the classes from School 34 are scheduled to come over for "Peace for Everyone" at the Peace Pavilion. We plan on putting together our mailing for Easter sometime mid-week. Next Saturday is a Pastors Gathering in Virginia.
Along with the individuals and activities mentioned, please keep the following families in the forefront of your prayers:
The Luciano Family
The Cherry Family
The Lloyd Family
The Duvall Family
The Brown Family
The Nickerson Family
The Wilson 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/
Saturday, April 2, 2011
4/3/2011
It’s been a busy week at the Power House in Baltimore, Maryland.
It started out Sunday with a neighbor waiting outside the door to the church. When I arrived and unlocked the doors, he came in, put some money in the offering box, and left.
We had a small group at Morning Worship. During the service we finished our series on Peace.
The Transfiguration was the focus story at Kids' Church that afternoon. While many of our regular attendees were gone we had several kids who we hadn't seen in many months and some new kids participate.
We learned on Monday that Joe had died. He was not a part of the congregation, but many of his family members have been very active in the church over the years. We also learned that day that Tim's dad is now in hospice care.
Bill stopped by on Tuesday afternoon to talk about some administrative procedures. I had a couple of detailed phone calls with Sarah that afternoon in preparation for this summer's youth camp.
106 kids participated in Wednesday's SonRisers activities. After the nursing students arrived I spent some time disassembling "Peace for Us" in the Peace Pavilion in preparation for setting up "Peace for Everyone" next week. That afternoon We firmed up the date for the NA group's meeting marathon in May.
We've had both a shooting and an armed robbery in broad daylight this week. The two events appear to be unrelated.
Nick and I met at the church Thursday evening to package the April youth ministry newsletters. This was a day later than we usually would have done so because we waited until the Easter postcards arrived so we could include one in each of the envelopes along with the newsletters. You can find Pizza Church Press at this link and Kids' Church News at this link.
We spent some time this week hammering out the details of our summer activities. The primary things we worked on were scheduling and fundraising. In that, we received a couple more contributions to our travel fund for Spectacular at our Razoo site. Jenn Dubs set up a site inviting her friends to donate and shared a great testimony you can read at here.
Friday night brought Pizza Church. The first two groups learned about the Last Supper. One boy in the second group let us know that his favorite uncle had died on Thursday. The senior high group continued with its study of the gospel of Luke.
A new billboard popped up in the neighborhood warning people of the date that the world will end. I'm sure I'll get lots of questions about it.
Tamara and I took two kids to Friendly's for ice cream on Saturday evening. Neither of these fourth graders had ever been there before and were excited beyond belief. They had each come to church 40+ times in the last 9 months.
Looking ahead to next week we have our full schedule of activities. In addition, we'll be completing our setup of "Peace for Everyone" at the Peace Pavilion and putting the finishing touches on our Holy Week plans. Next Saturday evening is our monthly Solid Rock Cafe.
Along with the individuals and activities mentioned, please keep the following families in the forefront of your prayers:
The Saffran Family
The Ruby Family
The Starlipper Family
The Ceo Family
The Wheeler Family
The Edwards Family
The Bowie Family
The Nguyen 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 a neighbor waiting outside the door to the church. When I arrived and unlocked the doors, he came in, put some money in the offering box, and left.
We had a small group at Morning Worship. During the service we finished our series on Peace.
The Transfiguration was the focus story at Kids' Church that afternoon. While many of our regular attendees were gone we had several kids who we hadn't seen in many months and some new kids participate.
We learned on Monday that Joe had died. He was not a part of the congregation, but many of his family members have been very active in the church over the years. We also learned that day that Tim's dad is now in hospice care.
Bill stopped by on Tuesday afternoon to talk about some administrative procedures. I had a couple of detailed phone calls with Sarah that afternoon in preparation for this summer's youth camp.
106 kids participated in Wednesday's SonRisers activities. After the nursing students arrived I spent some time disassembling "Peace for Us" in the Peace Pavilion in preparation for setting up "Peace for Everyone" next week. That afternoon We firmed up the date for the NA group's meeting marathon in May.
We've had both a shooting and an armed robbery in broad daylight this week. The two events appear to be unrelated.
Nick and I met at the church Thursday evening to package the April youth ministry newsletters. This was a day later than we usually would have done so because we waited until the Easter postcards arrived so we could include one in each of the envelopes along with the newsletters. You can find Pizza Church Press at this link and Kids' Church News at this link.
We spent some time this week hammering out the details of our summer activities. The primary things we worked on were scheduling and fundraising. In that, we received a couple more contributions to our travel fund for Spectacular at our Razoo site. Jenn Dubs set up a site inviting her friends to donate and shared a great testimony you can read at here.
Friday night brought Pizza Church. The first two groups learned about the Last Supper. One boy in the second group let us know that his favorite uncle had died on Thursday. The senior high group continued with its study of the gospel of Luke.
A new billboard popped up in the neighborhood warning people of the date that the world will end. I'm sure I'll get lots of questions about it.
Tamara and I took two kids to Friendly's for ice cream on Saturday evening. Neither of these fourth graders had ever been there before and were excited beyond belief. They had each come to church 40+ times in the last 9 months.
Looking ahead to next week we have our full schedule of activities. In addition, we'll be completing our setup of "Peace for Everyone" at the Peace Pavilion and putting the finishing touches on our Holy Week plans. Next Saturday evening is our monthly Solid Rock Cafe.
Along with the individuals and activities mentioned, please keep the following families in the forefront of your prayers:
The Saffran Family
The Ruby Family
The Starlipper Family
The Ceo Family
The Wheeler Family
The Edwards Family
The Bowie Family
The Nguyen 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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