Live from Cleveland

PowerPlant Staff- Brittany Burdine (Program Specialist), Jonathan Ellis (A/V Techninja), Jonathan McLeod (Worship Leader), Tori Sharpe (Office Mgr), and Chad Hall (Team Leader and Mission Communication Specialist)

The week is nearing an end. I arrived here in Cleveland, OH last Friday with the Pittsburgh Team and Susan Peugh. We helped set-up the Cleveland project in advance of the Cleveland Team that had already worked 2 consecutive weeks (we didn't do much more than offer support really). After worship at Worldview Community Church last Sunday morning the Pittsburg team took off for their next project and the Cleveland Team went into high gear.

We have 4 teams this week- a small but awesome group from Amissville, VA, a group from Indiana, a group from Independence, KY and Rob Ray's group from West Heights in Pontotoc, MS.

We've worked with 5 Church Plants- most of them in the inner city, reaching some of the most marginalized people in society. The church planters are awesome- they are heroes.

You can learn more about the project this week at www.power-plant.net.... go to the Cleveland project.

Dave Bever- Church Planter Speaker at PowerPlant. He's the Pastor of one of the local church plants. How'd you like to have this guy as your pastor?























Felicia, Joslyn & Sofia at the Ring Toss at a neighborhood Carnival. Earlier in the week their team had passed out about 2500 flyers to promote the event...they think they might have had 600 people show up...it was amazing!

Live from Pittsburgh

I've been in Pittsburgh since Saturday afternoon with PowerPlant. PowerPlant is a North American Mission Board sponsored initiative that connects youth groups with church planters for the purpose of strengthening their work as well as training the students in church planting. There's a good mix of hands-on assisting the Church Planter and worship/training at the church we're living at. You can learn more about PowerPlant and even check out some blogs & pics at www.power-plant.net


This week we are assisting two full-time church planters, both of whom have relocated to the Pittsburgh area because this is a great American city with a great need for missional churches. We are working with two new church plants- Faith Bridge Community Church & Iron City Community Church. Our students are not only encouraging these guys and their families but they are adding muscle and people-power to a number of projects. Projects such as free car washes, free dog washes (that's pretty creative, huh?), they handed out free bottles of water at a park earlier this week, they are leading backyard Bible clubs in the McKees Rocks neighborhood and hosting a block party tomorrow night. These are all simple acts; but it takes people to make it happen. Our students are providing a boost of manpower and prayer power this week. They are learning about church planting from our Veteran Church Planters. They are learning to "be" the church and not just go to church or invite people to church.

I guess the highlight for me is to get to work with an awesome summer staff. They are all college students who are working their ends off- they started last week in Nashville, and of course they are here in Pittsburgh this week. They have next week off but then they will be in Baltimore, then Chicago, then Halifax, Nova Scotia followed by Ontario, Canada. How's that for a cool way to spend the summer.

I'm going this weekend to Cleveland, Ohio to serve with another Team for another week of PowerPlant. You can pray for me as I continue my little road trip...but please pray for my newest friends as they continue their summer of serving students and Christ through PowerPlant. Pray for their safety as they drive all over the Eastern US hauling a HUGE trailer behind them, pray for them to continue to grow in their relationship with Christ and in community with one another and pray for them to stay fresh and energetic when they need to be fresh and energetic and for their rest when they have those rare opportunities to do so.

Below: Carla Lahey- Project Coordinator for Pittsburgh (headed back to Jacksonville, FL after this week), John Weirick- Worship Leader, Caroline Burns- Missions Communication Specialist, Seth Ray- Program Specialist, Christina Wingo- Office Manager, and Lee Midget- Team Leader and A/V Guru.

Travelling again...and some NEWS.

I'm on the road again. Drove from my Dad's house in Mize, MS down to the Coast Sunday morning so I could attend church at Bayou View one more time (and have lunch with Avery and her Mom...haven't seen them since before I went on The World Race).

I spent a lot of last week on the road too. I drove up to Hinds Community College last Wednesday night and saw my buddy Gary Permenter as he was speaking at SYC (Summer Youth Camp...pretty original huh?).

I drove to Camp Garayway Thursday night to see some of my "girls" at GA Camp- a couple of BVBC kids are working there as well as some girls that were in Greece with me back in March.

I worked on my jeep a good bit...added street tires, a header and a new exhaust that added about 4 mpg to my fuel efficiency.

I drove up to Aberdeen and Amory after church Sunday and spent the night with my mother after visiting with Chris Thomas at FBC Aberdeen.

Yesterday I drove to Birmingham where I spent the night with the Trammell clan. Today I'm on my way to Atlanta to buy new shoes at REI (and try to get out of there without maxing out a credit card). I'm having dinner tonight with my niece. Tomorrow I'll begin my search for a place to go Riverboarding in NC on my way to Worldchangers/Powerplant Camp in Pittsburgh, PA.

Also, yesterday I finally received an email from the Insurance people that are clearing me for my interview with the IMB. I have less than a week to receive clearance and they were still sort of jerking me around. I sent them a fairly strongly worded email yesterday and today received an email saying that they still want me to have my Cholesterol checked again...but that...yes, I am finally cleared to go to the interview.

So there you have it. I will OFFICIALLY interview with the International Mission Board in Richmond, VA July 29-August 2. That doesn't mean they will offer me a job or that I will take it if they do. But I am looking forward to going through the process.