3/1/2009

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



It started out Sunday with Morning Worship. We took a break from our series on the Beatitudes and focused this week on the Great Commission. During the service Russ and Joyce were both baptized and confirmed.



After the service Bryce and Smitty finished putting the covers back on the furniture cushions in the front room. They had been washed a while back and it took two people working together to get them back on.



We had a good sized group at Kids’ Church that afternoon. Several of the kids were new. They made refrigerator magnets to help them remember the Great Commission.



Shortly after the service Dennis, a friend of Violet’s who is a professional HVAC repairman, came over to look at our furnace and give us a second opinion. He was there quite a while checking things out but left saying that he thought he could find a way to fix it rather than replace it.



We had a small group at Evening Worship, most of whom were not the usual crowd. Afterward, Earl met with Danny in as a part of preparation for the Evangelist’s Blessing.



Dennis came back to the church Monday evening and was able to repair the furnace. It only cost us 10% of what replacement would have been.



While he and I were at the church, Joe came by. He had some questions about some deep-seated spiritual concerns. It happened that I was reading a book addressing those very issues when he arrived. After visiting a few minutes I sent the book home with him.



Just over 60 kids participated in Wednesday’s SonRisers activities. Near closing time a couple of the nursing students came by. We visited for a while about logistics and brainstormed some ideas to make the upcoming health fair a success.



Immediately afterward, Sarah and I headed down to Springfield, Virginia, together. We met up with Dave, Edith, and Wade at the church there for a staff meeting. We made it back just in time to get my kids from school.



That evening’s schedule was a bit different than usual. After the NA meeting we were scheduled to have a business meeting rather than Adult Disciples. The only topic on the agenda was to amend the budget so we could replace the furnace. Since the furnace repair was within the budget we were able to cancel the meeting.



With that open time I was able to visit with some parents about their kids going to IYF and Spectacular this summer. In the end, all five kids who qualified and were received parental permission to go.



Since it was a nice evening, many people were outside getting some fresh air. I visited with quite a few while walking about. Some of the kids I talked with had heard about this weekend’s Hunger Challenge in Springfield and asked for permission slips so they could go.



I got an email from Gloria Wednesday night about an opportunity available through the Village Center. Next Thursday they have a group of people needing community service hours. That was the same time we were scheduled to distribute fliers for the health fair. The next morning I took a copy of the flier to the center. Not only will they distribute them throughout the neighborhood next Thursday, they will also make all the copies themselves.



With five kids now having permission to go to IYF and Spectacular, we started working to get the expenses covered for them. Registration, transportation, and housing costs for these back-to-back events will run about $800 per kid/$4000 total. So far someone has pledged to cover the expenses of one of the kids. We’re also working on getting some institutional scholarships and setting up some fundraising events so that these kids can go.



Friday night brought Pizza Church. After the last couple of weeks, the first two groups had lessons from the Bible on the importance of how we treat one another. Since a couple of senior high kids were going to attend the Hunger Challenge, we started talking about that. However, we had three new kids in the group and, as the lesson developed, we very necessarily geared it back to the same topic as the first two groups.



Sarah picked up Damon and Crystal early on Saturday morning to go to Springfield for the Hunger Challenge. Tamara went down by herself a little later to spend the day there helping with the activities. She came home that night while the event continues through mid-day on Sunday.



When Danny was finishing emptying the font on Saturday evening, he was saying that Robert’s schedule this weekend was different because he was in Virginia due to his nephew’s death. I hadn’t yet heard that Anne’s infant (his nephew) had died. I contacted him on the phone then contacted some church members in Virginia who had visited the family in the hospital a few weeks earlier.



Our core high school kids are usually the only ones who attend Sundae church. With some out of town, one sick, and one at a birthday party we thought we might not have anyone in attendance. However, the three new kids from senior high Pizza Church came and brought a friend with them.



Looking ahead to next week we have our regular schedule of activities. Sarah will return with the kids from the Hunger Challenge sometime mid-afternoon on Sunday. We’ll be working on putting the finishing touches on next Sunday’s Health Fair. In addition, we’ll continue working on lining up funding options for IYF and Spectacular. I have an evangelism teleconference next Saturday.



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



The Stinchcomb Family

The Batz Family

The Gurlack Family

The Foskey Family

The Meyer Family

The Holmes Family

The Ferguson Family

The Strider 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