Pittsburgh, PA - June 14-20

News from Pittsburgh!

Wow, what a week it has been! Through PowerPlant this week we have seen God work in people's lives and in this community.

As the week came to an end, many of our church groups had amazing opportunities to leave their mark in this city. Faithbridge-one of our church plants- sponsored a community-wide block party. This party had inflatables, food, contests, sporting events, and countless other activities, but the coolest part was the baptisms that took place. Not only was Dax baptized, but many others from the community were as well. What an amazing picture of Christian community-people getting together and having a big party to celebrate what God has done and continues to do in people's lives.

The groups not involved in the block party had amazing opportunities as well. One group hosted a dog wash in a major park in Pittsburgh to get the word out about Iron City Church. Another group continued renovating an elderly woman's home.

As you can tell, many people's lives have been touched by these student's efforts and obedience to the Holy Spirit. Pray that God continues to reap a harvest from the seeds planted this week. Pray that these students would continue to look for ways to live as missionaries at home. Pray that these church plants would continue to grow and be blessed by God.

Pittsburgh will never be the same because of these students' willingness to serve others in order to make an impact for Jesus Christ!

Story of the Week

For a fellow PowerPlant participant, last week was just a normal week. Dax, an upcoming eighth grader, just recently moved back to Alabama from Arizona. He was going to visit his grandmother for a week and did not expect for his life to change so fast. He went to a Vacation Bible School with his siblings. His sister had a lot of questions about Christ and salvation and decided to follow Christ that day. Dax heard what his sister had done and had many questions also. He decided to follow Christ also.
Five days before Golden Springs Baptist was leaving for PowerPlant, they had one opening left, and Dax got an invitation to join them in Pittsburgh. Golden Springs was Dax’s grandmother’s church. He jumped at the opportunity. Although Dax knew no one, he got out of his comfort zone and was ready to serve the Lord.
Golden Springs was paired with Faithbridge Community Church as their church plant for the week. On the last day of the project Faithbridge has a block party for their community to come and have a fun time with free food and games. The pastor of Faithbridge was going to have a time of baptism for people who had never been baptized. Dax knew that he needed to be baptized so he got the okay from his parents and was baptized at the block party on Thursday evening.
If you would have asked Dax two weeks ago if he thought his life was about to radically change his answer would have been no, but God had a different plan in mind. Dax is an awesome testimony of obedience to new believers and to fellow believers.

News from Pittsburgh!

Hello again from Pittsburgh. The last two days have been busy ones for our participants as they have been ministering all over the city. Our groups are doing backyard Bible clubs, flyer distribution, car washes, home renovations, passing out water, and even washing dogs! These projects have created opportunities to serve others and share the gospel.

Last night we had an opportunity to worship God through a service called the concert of prayer. This service incorporates four aspects of prayer: adoration, confession, thanksgiving, and supplication. I am confident that God used this service to bring healing, peace, and forgiveness to the lives of our participants.

Pray that God would continue to use these students to impact this community. Pray that these groups would leave here changed and more passionate about living for Christ. Pray that as our participants return home they would better understand what it means to live as a missionary wherever they are.

Be sure to check out the pictures as we update them. Check back soon for more from Pittsburgh!

News from Pittsburgh!

Hello from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Although yesterday was rainy and blustery, today was an amazing day in the steel city. All of our groups arrived safely yesterday and are excited to start a week of ministry. The following church groups have partnered with the following church plants in the area:

Mount Zion Baptist Church-Hunstville, Alabama: Faith Bridge

Pleasant Grove Baptist Church-Fuquay Varina, North Carolina: Iron City

Golden Springs Baptist Church-Anniston, Alabama: Faith Bridge

Brookwood Baptist Church-Oklahoma City, Oklahoma: Iron City

The Pittsburgh area consists of over 2 million people from different social, geographic, and demographic backgrounds. Over two-thirds of this city is unchurched. Although one-third of this city is churched, many don't understand the significance of what it means to be in relationship with Jesus.

Please pray that God uses these students to impact the communities they will be working in. Pray that God continues bless these church plants in their efforts to reach people for Christ. Finally, pray God will impact these students as they learn about church planting and what it means to live as a missionary in their communities.

Click Here for More Photos!