Thanks for the Oreos

In response to my story from last Sunday, Mike B. and Bette G. both dropped of HUGE supplies of Oreos to me this week. I have gained 10 pounds in Oreos this week alone...but they sure have been good!

Come Play Golf With Us!

The snow is melting , the sun is out, IT’S TIME FOR GOLF!!!!

The Fourth Annual PCC GOLF TOURNAMENT will take place on FRIDAY, APRIL 16th, at Mill Quarter Golf Course, 8 a.m. shotgun start.

Gather up your golf buddies and join us for an awesome day of golf! At our tournament all snacks, drinks, Turner’s BBQ Lunch, and homemade desserts from PCC’s finest are included.

It’s still $75 per person or $300 per team to play. Click here for the registration form. Simply print it off and mail it in to the address on the form along with your check to Powhatan Community Church. Please mark “golf” in the memo line.

There is a very good possibility that this year we will have a full tournament – all day! Those that register first will have the option of first or second flight should be reach that milestone. If we reach that point, we will contact you. Otherwise, plan for registration beginning at 7 a.m. with a shotgun start at 8 a.m.

Not only can you play in the tournament, your business or company you work for can be a sponsor at the tournament. Opportunities are a hole sponsorship for a donation of $100 and we also have snack cart sponsorships and a lunch sponsor. If sponsoring a hole, the same registration form attached can be used and sent into the church office. Snack cart and lunch sponsorships, please contact our team at golf@powhatancommunitychurch.org for more information and possibilities.

Don’t delay, print off this form before it gets forgotten in your inbox and forward it on to your golf buddies so they can join in on the fun this year!

We look forward to seeing you all again this year on April 16th!

Thanks!

PCC Building Fundraising Team
Sherry Adams
Robert Bishop
Mary Margaret Dickerson
Susan Lawson
Cabel Metts
Anita Ridings
Angie Sposa
Bonnie Toibin
Matt Towler
Amber Tucker
Kelly Williams
Nancy Williams
Kim Wooten

Can I Donate an Item for the Building?

People are asking what we need for the building. We are compiling and trying to keep a list updated. You can see it by clicking here. We are grateful for donations of items and gifts to our building fund. Together, we can move in, complete the project, and pay off the debt!

Top Opps

Been sitting on the sidelines for a while? Ready to get plugged in at PCC?

Top Opportunities to get involved in serving at PCC:

• MIB “Men in Black” - for those who like to work behind the scenes setting up the stage on Sunday morning; WIB welcome too. (every other week)

• Camera Crew – able to zoom in with a single lens…will train. (video for Sunday mornings every other week)

• Caffeine Crew – willing to serve, not necessarily consume, on Sunday mornings. (rotating basis)

• First Steps (preschool) Small Group Leaders & Apprentices – have fun with creative activities and games to teach children that ‘God Loves Me’, ‘God Made Me’ & ‘Jesus wants to be my friend forever.’ (every other week)

• Security/Medical Response Teams - Patrol and secure the church campus and respond to medical emergencies if needed. A background check (paid by PCC) is required for this position. Emergency medicine skills needed for medical team. (rotating basis)
• Greeters/Ushers – first impressions are lasting aren’t they? Be a part of making a great one for those coming to PCC! (rotating basis)

• Westchester Launch Team - Are you interested in getting in on the ground floor of something wonderful and much larger than yourself? There are tons of ways to use your gifts for God as we launch this new venture called 'multi-site' in Midlothian.

•FOCUS Connector - Be the difference in a student's experience at our monthly program, FOCUS., for 7th-12th graders. Make them feel welcome and wanted. Connect them to other students. Encourage and support them between FOCUS programs. (once a month)

• 4th-6th grade Small Group Leader – 85% of people become Christ followers between the ages of 4-14! Join us on Sunday mornings in the PowerJam ministry making an impact with some awesome kids. Curriculum & training provided. . A background check (paid by PCC) is required for this position.(bi-weekly or weekly)

• Office - assist in the Church Office during the week on a per-project basis. Tasks include running copies, finishing and assembling booklets or packets, etc. Computer skills a plus, but will train.

PCC also offers a “First Serve” Opportunity where you can come check out a ministry with no strings attached.

For more information, contact volunteer@powhatancc.org or

598-1174.

The Latest Rendering

Isn't this cool? It's a very close rendering of what the actual building will look like when it's complete. The Portico won't be up when we move in, but it will be installed shortly after that. And when it's finished, the roof lines and everything will look like it looks in this image.

What's the Rush?

Some people have asked a great question about our building: What's the rush? Why push so hard? Why not delay moving in until it can all be completed the way we want it?

There are a couple of good answers to those questions:

1. We've waited a long time already. Our 'Ground Breaking' ceremony was in November, 2007. It's been almost three years.
2. There's always something else to do.
3. A week or two won't make a huge difference. In other words, there won't be a notable change in the building if we waited another month.
4. It makes sense to move in as soon as we have the Certificate of Occupancy in hand. Why let a perfectly good and usable facility sit?
5. The launch of our Westchester campus is dependent on us moving into our Powhatan facility. It doesn't make sense for us to purchase mobile equipment (like the trailer) to use for just a few weeks. It's better stewardship to move first, then use the mobile equipment for Westchester. We are pretty much locked in on launching Westchester on Easter Sunday (April 4).

Building Update

The closer we get to moving into our building, the more excited I get about the potential of this tool for reaching people. We have invested much to get here, but there is much to be gained for the Kingdom.

There are literally thousands of hours going into this now and we're giving it all that we've got. We are pushing as hard as we can for the first Sunday in March, but the weather is creating some uncertainty about that. Specifically, we know there are going to be some challenges installing the septic system. We're waiting for the Department of Environmental Quality to approve the permit and then the contractor can begin installation.

I wanted you to have a list of things that we will have in our building, and an idea of some things that we will not have - at least not on the day we move in.

First, the things we WILL have on day 1:

• Completely safe and county approved facility.
• State of the art sound and lighting system in the auditorium.
• An operating bookstore.
• Comfortable, padded chairs (with arms and without arms).
• Finished Atrium, with lighting designed to be very welcoming.
• Finished, tile flooring in the Atrium, primary hallway, bathrooms, and much of the children's floor.
• All painting will be complete.
• Student house will be onsite.
• Ceiling tiles in all public hallways, atrium, and in the foyer to the children's floor and the hallways on that floor.
• All interior doors will be stained and sealed.
• Paved entrance, with adequate gravel parking lot.

Here are some things we will not have on day 1. Weather is the reason for some of these, funding is the reason for others:

• The Auditorium and most of the rooms adjacent to the hallways will not have finished floors. We own all of the tile, so cost is not the issue here. Volunteers have worked extremely hard to get all of the flooring done, but we may run out of time. It's ok. Whatever we don't have finished on our 'move in' day, we'll complete in the days and weeks following.
• Many of the rooms adjacent to the main hallway and in the children's wing may not have ceiling tiles.
• The portico will not be on the building. We own it and we have it. However, weather delays have kept us from getting it done. In order to get a certificate of occupancy from Powhatan, it must either be completely finished or not started. We chose the latter rather than taking the chance that we'd get stuck because of weather (and this was likely).
• Most of the parking lot will not be paved.
• There won't be any finished concrete sidewalks. However, we will have packed, rolled, crush-n-run entrance areas and possibly poured concrete aprons.

There are other things that we'll begin working on the DAY we move into the building. We know it's a priority to finish things like the kitchen, landscaping, ceiling tiles, flooring, paving, curtains, building the playground, getting the widescreen tv’s….I could go on and on with the list.

We will develop a capital budget soon after we move in that will ensure that we are steadily making improvements in an order that makes sense and in the most cost effective way possible. Slowly, week by week, you'll see our facility improve.

You can help

1. You can give time before we move in. We need as many people as possible right now to paint, tile, assemble, sweep, etc. There is plenty to do for the skilled and for the not-so-skilled. Call Dennis Green at 804-400-9820 or Chris Ashman at 432-8917 if you want to know more. But someone is usually on the jobsite 6 days a week now. You don’t have to call. You can just come.
2. You can give time after we move in. As you now know, there will be plenty left to do even after our building opens. If you want to help, we can use you.
3. Make a special gift. As I mentioned, funding has been a challenge. We weren’t able to do some of what was needed simply because there wasn’t enough money. Your gift can help make it happen.
4. You can make a commitment to the Reach Campaign. Moving in is going to be so great. But the day after we move in, we start paying the mortgage. I have always hoped we would pay it off in five to seven years. If we all step up and make a regular, monthly commitment to the Reach Campaign, we can reach that goal and get the debt behind us.

More information will come in the next few days, probably in several posts, so keep an eye on this blog. I thought I’d close with some pictures. Thanks for your support and for your ongoing prayer for us and for the completion of this facility.

Children's Check-In Area

View of the auditorium from the sound booth

Main Hallway on first floor

One of the First Steps Rooms

PowerJam Stage

Children's Area Hallway

Atrium

We Need You...this weekend!

We are SO CLOSE to moving into the Powhatan Campus facility - it's very exciting! Time for one big push to work on a few specific items: painting,

tile work and staining the porte cochere.
WE CANNOT MOVE INTO THIS BUILDING WITHOUT YOUR HELP! We have to have some extra man/woman/student power to help get some of this stuff done! If you have a block of time, a few hours or an entire day, come help.

THIS WEEKEND: Friday - 8:00 - 5:00 or Saturday - 8:00 - 3:00
You can JUST SHOW UP or call Chris Ashman for more details (432.8917).

Your investment of time will allow PCC to continue to honor the call that God has given us to do ministry in Powhatan.
It's a good thing - not to mention that you'll have FUN!
See you this weekend!

A Visit to Blue Ridge

Today, six members of the PCC staff went on a field trip to Blue Ridge Community Church in Lynchburg. We went a few years ago, right after Blue Ridge had moved from their temporary home in a school to their their new, 50,000+ sq ft facility. When we toured their building then, our own building was a mere dream...a concept. We went back today because we are now counting the days to moving into our own building. As you can imagine, today's tour and conversation had an entirely new meaning and focus.

I learned a lot today. I think our staff did, too. We gained some practical knowledge that will help us be better prepared and we saw some little 'tricks' that will cost almost nothing but will make us a lot more effective. The staff of Blue Ridge rolled out the red carpet for us, as they did a few years ago. What great hospitality. As they prayed for us after we had taken 2 hours of their time, I was again reminded that we are all on the same team.

We have done our homework on this facility. I sleep easy knowing that we've done all we can to prepare for our move. The building won't be perfect, but I don't know how we could be more 'ready'. We'll learn even more after we move in sometime next month. But we're ready now. And we're very excited!

(you can see more about Blue Ridge Community Church at www.blue-ridge.org)

Five Reasons I Use Facebook

Facebook has its critics. But I believe it's one of the most powerful tools the church has ever had. Sure, I know people who waste an unhealthy amount of time on FB and are frankly addicted to it. I’m not advocating anything like that. Still, it has become an important resource. Here are five reasons I use it:

1. Email is old-school. There is an entire generation now who don’t do email. Hard to believe, I know. Instead, they use FB to communicate by sending and receiving messages and writing on walls. Truth be told, there are plenty of not-so-young people (like me) who are increasingly using FB as an alternative to overflowing email inboxes.
2. Efficient, Real-Time Communication. Using group member lists and status updates, FB allows for exponentially fast, viral transmission of information.
3. Effective Group and Team Discussion. More and more, I'm using FB to have group community conversations on discussion boards about a variety of topics. I'm not talking about shooting the breeze over meaningless issues. I'm talking about real debate over things that matter. This means good, well considered decisions happen with fewer face to face meeting, saving people time and money. They can participate in the discussion on their time at their convenience.
4. Excellent Care. FB allows us to check in with our friends and respond with care when they need us. A quick run down of the latest status updates alerts us to friends who are hurting or need a word of encouragement or need someone to pray for them.
5. Eliminates the Pictorial Directory. You may remember the days when folks came to church with their family at the appointed time and a few weeks later everyone received a copy of the photo album. When someone asks me now, “Why don’t we have a church directory?” I say, “We do…it’s called Facebook”

Hope you will consider FB if you're not there already. It's safe, secure, and a potent tool for connecting with the existing church and reaching new people. Plus, it's relevant. PCC is a Facebook church. Hope to see you there!

PCC ONSITE SERVICES CANCELLED TOMORROW

Due to projected weather and road conditions, PCC will NOT have services at the High School tomorrow. However, we WILL have services ONLINE at 11am at http://www.ustream.tv/channel/pcconline.

Hope to see you tomorrow ONLINE!

Credit Where Credit is Due

Just a quick note to give credit to some of the language and a lot of the inspiration for this past Sunday's message. I learned a lot about the subject of 'happiness' from Craig Groeshel, the Senior Pastor of Lifechurch.tv.

I got a lot of compliments on the message, and wanted to be sure that I let you know that Craig spoke into it through his own teachings on the subject. I admire him and our church has benefited from his leadership.

Chatting as the New Normal

We got lots of feedback from yesterday's Internet service on Ustream. LOTS of positive comments, but some frustration expressed about the chat room. Some of that was technological. But some of it was philosophical. Let me speak in to this a little.

Chatrooms during teaching moments is the new normal. People of my generation and older don't quite understand them, but we need to take a step back and open our minds a little. Let me explain.

I was raised that you focus and pay attention to someone talking. I was raised to believe that it was actually rude to do something else while another was speaking to you.

But that world doesn't exist anymore. Colleges and other learning institutions all over are embracing the new reality that the next generation of leaders and learners are multi-sensory students. They chat, text, listen, watch, and take notes all at the same time. And while you and I might think it's impossible to do this effectively, those who have never known any other way would argue otherwise.

Churches are even experimenting now with large screens to the side of the teaching pastor on Sundays where twitter chat rooms happen, so that people can tweet about the message, while it's happening, during the service.

You and I might not really understand this, but we need to give it another look. We said we'd do whatever it took to reach people. We can either relate to young people, or we can wither into the pages of irrelevance, like so many churches who have gone before us. Let's keep and open mind, recognize that chatrooms are not sinful, and learn to be a part of the new normal.

I know it's hard. It's hard for me, too. But while we're learning to chat, your teenager or young adult child or grandchild is talking about the coolest church they know.