Paving the Parking Lot!

There is a way you can make a real difference with a special gift to PCC. We know that folks (new folks especially) value good parking. Our parking lot is not...but it can be if we all work together!

We received a commitment for up to $20,000 in a matching grant from someone in the church. If we can raise $20K to go with it, we would have $40K and could pave the worst parts of the parking lot. This past Sunday, a family asked me about the parking lot. I gave them the update. They gave me a check for $1,000!

We have about $6,000 raised towards that initial goal. $14,000 more and we can get some paving done! Not all of it, but a good portion. We'd be well on our way.

Come on...Let's do this! We CAN do it!

Personally, susan and I are going to give $185 towards the parking lot for each driver in my home (4 of us) over the next 4 months. I have to make a little sacrifice during that time, but it's worth it.

Be a part of something that will make a difference! Help us pave the parking lot at PCC!

To give now, click here.

Thanks for your help and for doing what you can!

Shotguns, Expos, and other activities

You may not know that, while we are in our building, we still have a good bit of debt on our building. We are looking for ways to reduce the debt and, ultimately, pay it off.

One of the major ways this happens is through our Fundraising Team. This incredibly potent group of folks has worked tirelessly - and still does - to raise money for our building through special events. Led by Kim Wooten, this team has enabled more of our offering funds to go to ministry by helping raise money that improves our facility and pays the debt.

Their efforts have raised thousands and thousands of dollars - like, probably over $100,000.

The current project is a raffle for a shotgun. Last year, this was a huge success. Here is an email I got today from Kim, please take a look to see how you might participate.

Hi Everyone -

Thank you all for helping support the building fund by taking a book or two of tickets to sell to your friends and coworkers for the Browning Shotgun. You are helping to bring in funds for our building and are putting your face on our church name and some will see that as a direct invitation to come check us out. Not to mention, in Powhatan, some think that a church that raffles off a shotgun is just the kind of church they will fit in.

There are still 33 books of unsold tickets in our possession. Our small but mighty team needs your help! If you know of someone in our church that can take a book or two, please encourage them to see us on Sunday. If 33 people took a book of tickets to sell over the upcoming week, that's $1,650 for the building fund.

The gun retails for $1,400 so a $5 donation to the church is a great deal!

Thank you for your help with this fundraiser!

Kim Wooten

You can contact Kim at wootenvalley@yahoo.com

The Concert You Don't Want to Miss!

For the past 3 years, PCC has had a concert to help raise money to pay for our building. Though we're in the building, we still have a long way to go to pay for it.

Randy Lawson was a great friend of PCC. He became a great friend to me, too. One of the things that had a lasting impact on me was his serious and sacrificial commitment to make our building happen. As the cancer took its toll and he approached the end of his life, one of the thoughts in the forefront of his mind was that he would be unable to fulfill the commitment he made to our building. This deeply moved me.

But Randy was wrong. His legacy now reminds us that we CAN do it - together.

So, we get together once a year for this concert, displaying the talent and diversity that God has brought to PCC. Beth Brawley Stoddard carefully orchestrates an evening of excellent music that moves us at times and gives us pause to think and pray at others. It is a powerful experience that you won't want to miss. Tickets are on sale now, and our hope is to sell out the big room at the Powhatan Campus.

For more details, you can call our office or contact Kim Wooten (shown with Beth in the picture above) at wootenvalley@yahoo.com

See you there!

Creative Fundraising

Two girls from our church were at a family yardsale last week when they had a brilliant idea: let's set up a lemonade stand and raise money for PCC's building!

They proudly found me yesterday morning and presented me with this bag filled with money. Way to Go, Angelina and Karley! You are making a difference, and I'm so proud of you!

Thanks for your help!

Pastor Brian

p.s. (for the rest of us) Creative ideas from all of us will allow us to finish the building and pay off the debt. So keep thinking! And thanks for your hard work, too!

Great Shot at Winning

We are working really hard to finish our building. Our Grand Opening should happen in around 75 days. But we have some money to raise to have the final funds we need to finish. One way we're doing that is by raffling off a Browing Silver 3 1/2" Shotgun with Camo Dura-Touch stock and 3 choke tubes. It's brand new and I'm told it retails for about $1,400.

Get each ticket for a $5 donation to the PCC Building Fund. Only 1200 tickets will be sold! The winner will be drawn on Sunday, December 13th. You can get tickets any Sunday or by calling the church office. 804.598.1174.

And The Winner Is.....

The Macedonia Team Talent Show was a HUGE success!  A great time was had by all in attendance, as we marveled at an amazing display of skill, creativity and talent. 

In terms of helping students raise funds for their upcoming World Changers trip, the show was a tremendous success.  With food and ticket sales and donations, the team raised almost $3000!  

We'd like to say a big "thank you" to all who participated, either by putting together an act, helping organize the show or showing up for the entertainment.  A special shout-out goes to John Starkey, Don Grubb and Cathy Rusch for assisting with audio and food.

Although every act was outstanding, we did announce that the winner would be determined by audience votes.  Each performer had a bucket, in which fans could put tickets (representing $1 each) or cash.  Based on audience reaction, here are the winners:

Third Place - Holly Cook

Holly is a tremendous young vocalist.  She's been at PCC for several months now and is looking forward to getting involved with student ministry and more music activities.

Second Place - Eli Tiller
Eli's rendition of a Junior Asparagus song from Veggie Tales brought down the house!  An active participant in Power Jam, Eli also serves in the worship choir at every opportunity.

First Place - Amanda Meadows
Amanda is a talented musician, committed to Power Jam and Rise Above the Reflection.  Her original medley of piano pieces demonstrated her musical ability and dedication to practice.

Congratulations to all who gave us a great night of entertainment and fun!

To see more photos, check out Beth Brawley's Facebook page!

Building With Bricks!

Last Sunday was our first opportunity to walk through the new building.  If you missed the tour, check out the video below for a taste of what several hundred of us experienced last Sunday.  It was awesome!  

During the tour, many of you heard about the opportunity to buy a brick for our patio on the back of the property.  Here's the scoop:  PCC is selling commemorative bricks that will be placed in a patio we will construct directly outside the back door in the Atrium. These bricks sell for $50 each. You can buy one (or more) in honor of someone you care about or in memory of someone special. These bricks will be engraved with up to 3 lines of text with about 15 characters per line available.   This is the only opportunity anywhere in the building we have to place an item in honor of, or in memory of someone.

Besides creating a functional patio, this is also a fundraiser for PCC. The monies raised with these bricks will go to help fund some of the capital needs we have – like chairs, tables, etc. Be sure and let your family and friends know that they can help too. Perhaps they would want to buy a brick in honor of you or a grandchild. Anyone can participate, whether or not they attend PCC.

In order to have this patio installed with your bricks by our grand opening date, we need to place the order in early June. Please have your orders into the office no later than June 1st; include the money for each brick and what you would like it to say.  You can also put this information in the offering basket or boxes on Sunday.

Call the office (804-598-1174) or email Lori Wheeler (lori.wheeler{at}powhatancc{dot}org) or Dennis Green (dennis{at}powhatancc{dot}org) with your orders and/or your questions.

One last thing- should you want to use a credit card to pay for these bricks, we hope to have that ability by May 10th. Keep an eye here for more details.

PCC Tour Sample from JB Media on Vimeo.

Pictures of Folks Who Helped Today

Yesterday and Today, a number of people came out to help our house building projects.  If you haven't been reading the updates on this blog, I would encourage you to start with my post from January 31 and keep up from there.  This is an important part of our strategy and we really need your help.  Especially right now, when many of us have fewer dollars to work with and less money to give, we can still help pay for our church building with our time. (This doesn't mean we don't need financial contributions, and I am very grateful for those who can and do continue to be faithful with REACH Campaign commitments).

Anyway, here are a few of the great pictures from yesterday and today...

Is Building Houses a Distraction for PCC?

(This post refers to the project referenced in the January 31 post entitled "Good Things Are Happening")

One really good question that people frequently ask me is this:  "Isn't this whole idea of building a house a distraction from our core mission?" The answer is surprisingly simple:  Yes it is.  No question about it.

Let me take you back in time to the weeks leading up to our church's first Sunday.  I had extensively researched why people don't go to church and knew that one of the top reasons was the perception that the church was out to get peoples' money.  To overcome this, I resolved that we would never pass an offering basket at PCC.  Instead, we would simply put offering boxes at the back of the room and encourage anyone who felt so led to put their gifts to the church in there on their way in or out of the service each week.  

Attendance at PCC grew exponentially.  Giving, on the other hand, was dismal.  It wasn't that it didn't grow at all, but that it didn't keep up.  The hard reality is that people expect a church to do certain things and the larger the church, the more money it takes to do them, but the money simply wasn't there.  We were dying before we had hardly begun, but you would never have known it because there were hundreds of people coming every week!  People just didn't put money in those boxes for all kinds of reasons.

So, I went to our Steering Team and said, "We have  to start passing an offering basket each Sunday."  Their passionate reply:  "NO!"  "No.  Brian, don't you remember that unchurched people say that they don't come to church because they believe the church just wants their money?"  

In other words, they were asking this question:  "Won't passing the basket be a distraction from our mission?  Won't doing this deter some from coming to our church?"  The answer was surprisingly simple.  Yes it will.  No question about it.

But we had to weigh the cost vs. the benefit.  If we die right here, in this gymnasium (we met in the elementary school gym at that time), because we run out of money, how many people won't be reached?  Or, to put it another way:  How many people would we otherwise reach if we are able to keep going who we won't reach if we die?   We had to put that question against this one:  How many people will we turn away because we will confirm their stereotype that all we want is their money by passing an offering basket?  

We decided that some, in fact, would walk away.  And we were right.  Some left and they never came back.  They thought we betrayed our promise, diverted from our purpose, and distracted from our mission.  I lament those losses.  Every one of those people matter.  I grieve that they felt betrayed.

But as I look back, I can't help but to think of how many more came to church because we were able to remain viable.  And how many of those came to know Christ?  The answer:  Hundreds.

Now fast forward to these house building projects, and our original question:  Is this activity a distraction?  Yes it is.

It takes some energy for me and others to do these projects that we could otherwise be putting towards reaching and serving people.  Frankly, I'd rather be doing those things.  I'm not called to be a builder or a fundraising expert or a finance guru or a dealmaker.

But we also have to consider the cost.  The economy went south in the middle of our building project, which dramatically hurt most of our folks' ability to give to our building program.  Further, the end of the PCC Building project is quickly coming and we have a bill to pay.  To do nothing would put our church in jeopardy.  We weighed the cost of the distraction vs. the benefit.  The obvious benefit is money.  These projects, because they are done largely with volunteer labor are hugely profitable.  

But the benefit is not just money.  Imagine the emotional freedom of knowing that we are able to pay our bills.  Most people can relate to the burden of wondering week in and week out how they are going to pay their mortgage.   So, solving the problem was a distraction on the one hand, but it also  allowed us to be less distracted because we no longer had to worry about how we would get this monkey off of our backs.

All of this is to say that I believe the benefit is worth the cost.   Would it be ideal if some wealthy benefactor just donated a few million and we could get back to the one thing we are called to do?  Sure.  Absolutely.  Let me know if you want to be that person.  Otherwise, I'm just glad God gave us the gift of creativity, some talented and skilled people, and a healthy sense of discernment.

We need your help

First, read the post from January 31, called 'Good Things are Happening', if you haven't read it already.  It's long, I know, but it will help you to understand what we're doing.  

Then, if you can and are willing, we need your help.  This week we're beginning to frame these houses.  We'll be framing at least one on Friday and Saturday (maybe both).  We need lots of people.  You don't have to have any skill - and everyone can help.  This is a way that you can make a real difference in paying for our building, so if you can join us on Friday or Saturday or both, please come out and help us.  It will be fun, there will be lots of us there, and you will know you are making a difference.

Also, if you are able to help any other time this week, we need some help with block work and a few other things.  Please contact Dennis Green at Dennis dot Green at Powhatan Community Church dot org.

I'll be there all day Friday and Saturday, along with my Susan and my Dad and a couple of my teenagers.  Looking forward to seeing you there, too.

Good Things Are Happening

By now, you've probably heard that we are getting pretty creative in order to find ways to pay for our building.  I always feel like I'm working between two points of tension:  on the one hand, if I'm brief, people are more likely to read everything I write.  On the other hand, brevity means I have to leave out details, which means that there are unanswered questions.  So, what I'm going to do is give a quick overview here and then write a series of questions and answers that will come over the next few days.  Maybe that will be a good way to break it up so it's not all coming at once.

First, A Little Background...

We always knew that we had to build a building.  Powhatan is not Chesterfield or Henrico, where buildings that will hold large churches are numerous.  The school system has the only buildings that will house PCC on a Sunday.  While we've always enjoyed a great relationship with the school board, Dr. Meara, and the administration, we are keenly aware that our future is in their hands.  We recognized that it was important to have a permanent facility that we could secure.

We dug deep, and many people sacrificed in ways that still bring me to tears.  Many of you put off vacations, donated your family jewelry, went without a car you needed, ate out less and put up with countless inconveniences so that you could commit - not just once, but to TWO building fundraising campaigns.  These two campaigns (we're half way into our second one now) will have raised $1.5million or more when it's all said and done.  

Knowing that wasn't enough, God sent us a gem in Kim Wooten, who put her heart and soul into building a powerhouse fundraising team.  Through their efforts, we have three major events each year - an auction, a golf tournament, and a concert - and we raise tens of thousands of dollars.

Corinne Campbell assembled a team of people who faithfully stand at a table every Sunday to sell Food Lion gift cards.  PCC earns 5% and it costs those of us who buy them absolutely nothing, they spend just like cash.  We're well on our way to breaking $20,000 raised through that effort.

Rose Livermon has quietly worked a yardsale every year and $10,000 has been raised through that effort.  Honorariums and Memorial gifts have come.  We have done everything we can reasonably think of to do.  And we'd have likely been in great shape, if the economy hadn't fallen apart.

But a few months ago, it was obvious that, in spite of all this effort and all this sacrifice and all these hours and sweat and labor...we were still going to come up short.  

This is very personal to me.  God led me and a small group of folks to start PCC.  We had been through fires and trials before.  I knew He hadn't brought us this far for nothing.  Burying my head in the sand wasn't an option.  We had begged our people as much as we could. We'd appealed to their sense of obligation, spirituality, responsibility and insanity.  I stepped back and said to God, "Lord, what do you want us to do?"  

God doesn't speak to me audibly...and He didn't this time, either.  But as clearly as I know anything, God let me know that He was going to show me the way.   And I believe He has.  

Some Pieces of the Puzzle

Along the way, as our building moved from paper to drawings to plans to architects, there were many people who came to me and said, "Hey, I'm ready to donate my time to build this building!"  They were serious.  And they were skilled.  Electricians and plumbers and carpenters and tradespeople of every kind.  But there was a problem.  You simply can't build a 32,000 square foot building on nights and weekends.  The building team, which was assembled at that time to select a builder, considered the idea and decided as a team that it simply wouldn't work.  The building was too big, the risks were too high, it would take too long.  Further, the bank would probably not extend the construction loan for that long and the General Contractor would add some stipulations.  In the end, it would likely end up costing us a lot of headache, a lot of money, and some really hurt feelings.  

But it kept nagging at me.  'We've got all these people willing to donate serious time...in their trade....to reduce the cost of our building.  I wonder...I just wonder...if they would be willing to donate that same time, in their trade to build something else that we could make money on to help us pay for our building.'  It would be apples and apples.  So, I started floating the idea, and it started to get some traction. This went on for weeks.  Until, one day....

A family in our church donated a lot to PCC for the purpose of us building a house to sell with donated labor, the proceeds of which would help pay for our building.

It Gets Better...

I know this family pretty well, and we started thinking beyond building the house labor free, but also with donated materials, too.  And I had an idea:  If there was a second house, I'll bet it would be incentive for contractors and vendors to make donations.  We could say, 'Look, we're trying to raise money for the church.  We'll buy the material for one house from you at market costs if you will donate the material for the other house for free.'

Some people thought I was nuts....but it's happening.  A lot.

So, I called a banker I know and told him I wanted to personally borrow the money to build a house.  After he finished laughing, he reminded me that this is the worst housing market in 30 years.  I told him I knew, but that I wanted him to take a look at it anyway and to tell me I'm crazy after he reviewed my proposal. 

He called me the next day very excited.  He said that no banks were lending for housing starts, but that this was something they were interested in.  They would like to do this deal with me.  I made a deal with the family and personally bought the lot next door to the one the church would own. 

The Advantage

Over and over again, we've been able to get donations for the church's house that we wouldn't have otherwise gotten if I hadn't bought that lot or if I hadn't gone out on the limb, took a big risk and built this house.  Let me give you a few examples:

• We were able to get all of the windows for both houses for $50 each.  Since I would normally have to pay $100 for a window, I agreed to pay for all of the windows in the cost of my house, meaning that there would be no cost in the windows of the church's house.  
• We think we're going to be able to get 2 heat pumps (one for each house) for half price.  If so, I'm going to pay for both of them in the cost of my house, and the church's heat pump will be free.
• The excavation work on the church's lot was done for free on the condition that, while the excavator was there, he could do my lot and get paid for it.
• We think we have a deal worked out with a lumber yard where all or a large portion of the framing package will be donated on the church's house if we buy the framing package on my house from them.

These are just a few examples.  Over and over again, we've found that contractors and material suppliers were much more open to making a donation when they found out that the lot next door would be a paying customer.  This was absolutely a win for the church.

It Gets Even Better....

Not only is the church benefiting in this way, but some folks are donating time and materials on my house, too.  And when they do, every single nail, 2x4, and hour given goes straight to the church.  For example, someone donated all of the nails for both jobs.  I will write a check to PCC to cover what I would have spent on nails.  Today, Dennis Green dug the footings for both houses.  His time was donated, but I won't benefit from that.  PCC will get the value of his donation when I pay our church what I would have spent for someone to dig the footings.  That's what I've done in the past...that's what I'll do now.

What's It Add Up To?

These are starter homes.  1208 square feet each.  They are exactly the same.  They are in Cartersville.  They are appraised at $165,000 each.  When it's all said and done, the church might have $20,000 in its house.  Even if it only sold for $120,000 (just for even numbers), we would make $100,000.   That's before donated labor and material value from my house.

A Gift To Our People

I meet people every week who have recently lost their jobs.  These are folks who feel devalued, want to contribute, want to constructively use their time while they're out of work.  They often ask me if they can help.  Recently, I realized that this was part of the plan God was working at our church.  There are so many people who can't contribute money right now, but they can contribute time.  This is not only a benefit to the church, it is a gift to them as well.  It's a way for them to know that they really are valuable during this strange season of their lives...that they still can make a difference and a contribution to our church, even if they can't put a check in the basket.  The value of that gift to our folks cannot be overstated. 

Not everyone is happy

Not everyone is happy about this project.  Some feel that it is a distraction.  I agree.  But I assure you that doing nothing was no option.  God calls us to use our brains, to look around us, use our senses to process what's happening and what we see, to pray and seek counsel, and to take action.  That's what leaders do.  That's what we did.  That's what I did.  I wasn't going to stand by while D-Day got closer and closer, knowing the builder would walk in the door, hold out his hand for half a million dollars that we didn't have and we'd have to shrug our shoulders and look like idiots.  Nobody had any other ideas. 

Frankly, I feel a little like...a disciple.  Standing at a distance, seeing no way that we can make this number that we have equal that number that we need...God comes along and holds up what what we do have, breaks it and multiplies it in ways that only He can and feeds the multitude.  We brought what we had to the Master Multiplier...and that's what God has been doing.  People said this wouldn't work...but the donations of labor and material are pouring in.  This idea does work.

This story is about what God is doing among us when we set aside our traditional notions of what we should or should not be doing (or what the pastor should or should not be doing) and realize that we're just making it happen.  That's what we do.  

And, to be honest, it's feels...alive!

I'll deal with some questions that linger tomorrow or Monday.   If you have some, ask them, OK? (if this is sloppy, I apologize.  Gotta get back to work on tomorrow's stuff)

Churchwide Letter from Brian Hughes

October 1, 2008

Dear PCC Friends,

A couple of weeks ago, the topic of our weekend service was called “Making Ends Meet”, and we focused on Jesus’ words about money:

“So do not worry, saying, 'What shall we eat?' or 'What shall we drink?' or 'What shall we wear?' But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.” (Matthew 6:31, 33-34, NIV)

Jesus charged his followers – then and now – to focus our lives on what God wants and trust Him to care for our needs. Worry about money and material things is a distraction from the best life that God wants for us.

But Jesus is not telling us to bury our heads in the sand and ignore reality. Being a good steward means recognizing our financial reality and living within our financial capacity. That’s why I’m writing to you today…because it is important that we all recognize PCC’s financial reality. First, the good news…

From our inception in September, 2002 through 2007, PCC’s income increased 479%![1] That’s an average increase of over 100% each year for 4 years. In 2003, it took two months to receive what is now given in a single Sunday! During that same period, average attendance at our weekend services tripled and today we typically see almost 1,100 people each week! We have baptized almost 300 people; given tens of thousands of dollars to people in need; sent scores of volunteer missionaries to 3rd world countries, to Mississippi, and to help people in our own backyard. We’ve hired an incredible staff, bought land, started building, and planted a new church.[2] It has been an incredible journey and God has blessed us in ways we couldn’t imagine six years ago.

Now for the harder reality. It is no secret that our country is facing an economic crisis. The housing market is in the worst condition in at least a generation. Food and fuel prices are at or near record highs, while the supply of money and credit is at or near record lows. Banks, financial institutions, and other large companies are failing. These and other factors are starting to trickle down to the average person…and that affects our church. People are seeing their jobs eliminated, their incomes reduced, their retirements evaporate. It is hard not to worry, isn’t it? I find myself fighting the urge to be anxious about it all and to worry…especially about our church. I have to remind myself that Jesus told us not to worry.

But He did not tell us to ignore reality. So, I need you to be aware of the reality of PCC’s financial condition. First and foremost, we are financially sound. We always have been and we always will be. I and the other leaders of PCC have been committed to this from our very first day. We have practiced solid financial management policies. We have relatively low debt[3], and all of that debt is related to our building. We also have excellent audit controls in place.[4]

One of the primary reasons we are in good shape is that we are careful not to spend more than we bring in. As I mentioned earlier, our income increased dramatically from 2003 to 2007. But in 2008, the rate of increase slowed dramatically. Since our attendance is still high and all of the other measurements are strong, we can safely conclude that the troubled economy is affecting our people. For example, while September had the 3rd highest attendance in our history, it also saw the lowest per capita giving since May, 2006. This means that people, on average, are giving less. Again, I think it is safe to say that the economy is affecting giving at our church.[5]

How will this affect us? Well, again, we are committed to living within our means. Since actual income continues to be far below our budgeted income, we are soon to face some really tough choices. We are in the middle of our building project and that will move forward as planned. That leaves us with few alternatives. We have to eliminate every expense that is not absolutely necessary. We’ve been doing this for months. We also have to consider cutting back on our staff expense – either by laying off folks or reducing already below-market salaries…or both. Every staff member is aware of what is happening. This is not where we want to be, but it is where we are.

The church, like any family, goes through trials from time to time. That is what this is. You can help. If PCC is valuable to you and you have not been giving sacrificially, I ask you to consider doing that now. If you have not made a commitment to the REACH Campaign to help pay for our building, I ask you to consider that, too. From now to the end of the year (for three months), Susan and I are going to be exceptionally frugal and we will use our cost savings to make an additional contribution – beyond our normal giving and beyond our REACH commitment – each month. Perhaps you can make an extra contribution for the next few weeks, too.

We need to face reality, but we need not worry about it. We need to do what we can to persevere, but we need to trust God for the results. I’m choosing to be joyful in this trial, and I hope you will, too. There are many great days ahead for us!

Thanks for your partnership,

Dr. Brian C. Hughes
Senior Pastor

“Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. Test me in this," says the Lord Almighty, "and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that you will not have room enough for it.” (Mal 3:10, NIV)

“Consider it pure joy… whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.” (James 1:2-4, NIV)

[1] 2007’s undesignated income of $655,199 compared to 2003’s undesignated income of $113,154.
[2] Amelia Community Church. PCC is the primary church sponsor in this church plant.
[3] When our building is complete, we will owe approximately $3.5million, which will be roughly 3 times 2009’s income. We are aggressively paying off that debt.
[4] Go to http://www.powhatancommunitychurch.blogspot.com/ for more information about our financial processes.
[5] It is important to note that most churches are reporting a decline in income. Our income is actually up, just not as much as we thought it would be.

Youth Fundraising

PCC youth go on a summer mission trip every year, and this summer will undoubtedly provide another week of awesome experiences with God and with others. This year, the Senior High Youth will participate in a World Changers project in Cherokee, North Carolina; all youth have an opportunity to attend a Passways Youth Camp in July. Both are certain to be life-changing experiences. If you are a teen or a parent of a teen who might like more information about either trip, I hope you'll investigate the opportunity to participate!

As a church, we are doing our best to support the youth and their adult sponsors in this endeavor. Because the camps are not inexpensive, several fundraising opportunities are available - and, in spite of the rain, today's activities proved to be profitable and fun!

Several people gathered at Brusters here in Powhatan for a combination car wash/ice cream sale. Cars were washed and ice cream was eaten, and a good time was had by all!

The next opportunity for a car wash/ice cream combo will be at the end of this month. Mark your calendars for April 26th! There are other ways you can participate as well; this year, we have set up special fundraising accounts for all of the students. You can make a donation to the general fund, and it will be equally dispersed to all participants - or you can make a special donation to a specific individual. We will also establish a general scholarship fund. This is a great way to support and encourage PCC youth as they invest their time and resources to make a difference in the world, in the name of Jesus.

Interested? Contact Angie Frame or the church office...

AND - you can get your car washed and eat some ice cream! Chauncey and Chris Starkey - two happy customers!

These ice cream dippers look confident!


These ones? not so much.....

Every time a waffle cone doesn't come out quite right, somebody gets to eat it....yum!

Can I wash your car? Can I? Please?

We thought the CARS were supposed to get washed....

Jackie does a great job getting things organized!