Block Party!

Both the Texas team and New Jersey teams have been working side-by-side all day making preparations and creating games and carnival activities. We got ready for neighborhood kids to join us. Several had been stopping by this afternoon as we were going through our set up. Music, bubbles, games, hot dogs and more. Several of the girls handled the face painting, which everyone seemed to enjoy.  There were games throughout the parking lot much like the games we play at our Harvest Festival.

Part of our morning activities included receiving a big load of food from the Maryland Food Bank. We will be handing out food and paper goods to those in the neighborhood who were without power during the recent storms. We went into the local neighborhood in small groups and passed out VBS flyers and talked with a few residents after the food was put in the church's pantry. One of the groups talked to a little girl who was just about ready to accept Christ. She was so glad to get the flyer and is excited about coming to VBS!

Most of the kids and leaders seem to be working well together, as if we had always been one large group. It's so nice to see God at work in all our lives!

Reaching into Stillmeadow's neighborhood...

The Baltimore Sun reported today would be the 11th straight day of temperatures "hovering near 100 degrees." Adding insult to injury, the blazing heat follows on the heels of a "historic storm" on June 29th, which left 748,000 customers without power. Stillmeadow EFC was one of those customers.

Initial reports came back that the church may not have power in time for the start of BUMP today. BUMP site leaders and many others from across the country prayed together and on July 4th, days ahead of the expected timeframe, the power returned!

Trials in this area have been great - despite being uncomfortable, those without power lost all their food. Stillmeadow operates a food pantry and God is providing them a way to reach out to their neighborhood. One of the ways BUMP students serve at Stillmeadow is by completing work projects needed on the church. In light of the difficulties of the last week and a half, Stillmeadow is foregoing their work projects so the funds can instead be used to purchase food from a pantry to share with those who have lost much.

Today's story also reported the region's "reward for making it through 11 straight days...is a full week in the 80s." and Baltimore Gas and Electric Company announced today all customer's power is restored!

Praising God for the relief on the way - from the heat, from the lack of electricity and from the lack of food! "Praise God from whom ALL blessings flow!"

BUMP Sunday

We woke up this morning about 7:00 am to start our day. We got dressed and went down for a light breakfast and then a little quiet time.  Then we started consolidating our things to try to make room for 19 more people who would be coming from Randolph, NJ.  Then we moved stuff again to clear the rooms for Sunday school classes.  Church services started downstairs at 10:15 and opened with some praise music.  The sanctuary is not air conditioned, so they just have chairs set up in the Fellowship Hall.  There was a meet and greet time after church with the locals.  We then headed back upstairs to move our things back to the classrooms.  We had a Team Leader meeting with our on-site BUMP coordinator, Evette and started working on plans for the week.

We started working on decorations for the VBS that we will be conducting this week.  The NJ group arrived a little after 5:00 pm and we all sat down together for supper and then our Orientation.  Everyone received 2 different BUMP shirts to wear this week at all of our activities at the church and in the community.  After a Team Leader meeting, we started grabbing kids to work on decorations and start getting games figured out for our Block Party that we will be hosting tomorrow.  Everyone has their area of expertise and many were all to happy to jump in and help.  This is going to be a fun and rewarding week.

Did I mention that there is ONE shower to accommodate 37 people?  A shower schedule has been made along with a K.P. schedule. It's been hot and humid (just like home), but in a day or so, the temps should be coming down to the 80's. Internet connections are very slow, so we'll add pictures later as connections allow. Keep us all in your prayers!

Countdown to BUMP Baltimore!

Teams will hit the road to BUMP Baltimore in just a few days! Pray this week for logistics - from travel to weather to the last minute things that need completed.

Be sure to follow this blog so you get email alerts everytime the BUMP teams post! We are believing God will do great things through and in those coming to serve!

Two weeks of prayer left!

Only two weeks remain until Bethlehem Church, Randolph, NJ, and and Hope EFC, College Station, TX, roll into Baltimore's Stillmeadow EFC! This week's prayer focuses on the teams and their leaders - that they would be READY!
        Ready to: receive all that God has planned for them.
        Ready to: sacrifice all of themselves to God's work in and through them.
        Ready to: learn the lessons God desires them to know.
        Ready to: stretch as God pushes them outside their comfort zone.
        Ready to: grow as their faith is invigorated
        Ready to: transform beyond BUMP week
        Ready to: return home and change their world!

"Seek the shalom of the city..."

"Prayer for the cities is missionary activity. "Seek the shalom of the city," Jeremiah told God's people in Babylon, "and pray for it!" (Jer 29:7) Neither Satan nor city problems can withstand the effects of prayer... Prayer is missionary action." from Roger S. Greenway's "The Challenge of the Cities"

Prayers last week for BUMP focused on the six cities BUMP serves, beginning with Baltimore. Mike Wilkerson in Redemption describes shalom as "the universal peace, harmony and wholeness of God's original design of humankind and the whole earth." He also reminds us that in the end, "God will wipe away every last trace of sin's vandalism and re-create shalom... Wherever we find chaos and sin unmaking God's creation, we find a God who ultimately triumphs over them by making a new creation."

THAT is our prayer for our BUMP cities - that they would become places where God's triumph is evident through the new creations He makes, particularly during BUMP week!

30 Days of Prayer for BUMP

BUMP Baltimore begins in just 30 days! Join us as we prepare together for the work God will do in and through the teams and church!

Welcome to BUMP Baltimore!

BUMP Baltimore will once again be held at Stillmeadow EFC ! Joinning forces to serve are youth and leaders from Hope EFC, of College Station, TX, and Bethlehem Church of Randolph, NJ. Both teams are preparing for their week of service - July 8-14th!