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/