Urban Impact Choir: Click Here for Video

This is a great little video that one of our volunteers put together. It is of the Urban Impact Choir at Atria's, a local North Side restaurant that sponsored our Choir Christmas party. I hope you enjoy it!

Prayer Requests:

• PAA Students auditioning for CAPA (Creative and Performing Arts school)
• Grant writing for the PAA and UI Choir
• Finishing strong the Fall PAA semester and gearing up for the spring semester.
• Praise for great volunteers

Thank you all for your support and prayers!

Top Secret: Please Read Aloud

One Bible story that has constantly stuck out to me throughout the process of working with Urban Impact is Matthew 25:14-30. In this passage Jesus tells a parable of a Master who goes on a journey and leaves three workers in charge of certain shares of his business. Two go out and invest what was given them and the other basically stuffs it under his mattress. Later the Master comes back and asks how the business is going. The two investors doubled their money and the Master says, "Well done my good and faithful servant!" This good mood does not last long though. The Master soon turns and sees his last employee returning only what was given to him. Of course the poor guy tries to make up some excuse about why he didn't do anything with it, but the Master will not have it. Some harsh words are thrown back and forth and what the guy put under the mattress is taken from him and given to an investor.

This is good financial advice, but I think Jesus' parable symbolizes more than money management. I was thinking about this the other morning and wondering, "Am I acting as a multiplier or a bum on a log?" Then I realized I am very blessed and continually blessed and very busy and continually busy. I know I could invest my time better, but it is very encouraging to know God has not given up on me yet and still challenges me everyday. If God continues to challenge me it must mean he hasn't taken away his investment from me... Blah, blah, blah and now for the --

PAA Story of the Week:

We last left off with the Elementary drama class learning a little cheer that I'm pretty sure is not found in the Bible. Since then the class has been going really well with the occasional escorting of students to "Mean" Principle Kelly. The other classes in the PAA are also going well, each with their own small hurdles and fun stories. Musical Theatre has a really strong class who are all getting along very well and bringing up some of the deepest questions during Bible study. Elementary Visual Arts has gone well with the exception of some splattered paint mishaps. (Washable Paint: check.) Middle/High School Visual Arts has three boys in the class and they love to paint, draw, and create beautiful pictures of wars, armies, and other people with guns. Improv is improv. I have know idea how or what dancing is doing, but it looks good. And Miss Laura runs a tight ship with the Middle/High School Acting class. She has many stories to tell of her own exciting PAA adventures.

My favorite story happened last week in my Elementary Drama class. Don't worry it is short and sweet. In the class Miss Karen, a volunteer, has been receiving several Top Secret letters and packages, which she ironically opens reads aloud to the entire class. Each package has a different color paper and verse (think Sunday school beaded bracelets). Over the weeks these verses and color have illustrated how God loves us, created us, sent his son Jesus as a sacrifice for us to conquer the sin/ooey, gooey, icky, nastiness in our lives. Last week marked the end of the Top Secret packages and everyone received their own bracelet as a reminder of the gift that God has given them. After we reviewed what the bracelet meant, we closed in prayer and 9 girls accepted the gift and asked Jesus into their hearts! For those of you who don't realize this is awesome let me just tell you how awesome it is... Oh wait, I can't; it's that awesome. Awesome, awesome, awesome. But the real kicker and cherry on top was after the class when one little girl came up and said she already accepted Jesus into her heart, so prayed for those who were accepting Christ instead. And she's only eight. That sure beats ending class with a skirt shakin' cheer.

Prayer Requests:

• Our students who will audition for the Creative and Performing Arts School (The best public school in Pittsburgh)
• The 9 young girls who recently accepted Christ into their hearts
• Praise for sending some great volunteers to the PAA!
• Dec. 17th PAA Parents' Open House
• PAA Grant Proposal that they have asked me to write (EEK!)
• The North Side families this Thanksgiving and Christmas Season

I am thankful for all of your prayers they mean so much to so many.

Happy Thanksgiving...

"My name is Eric, and I'm here to say..."

I humbly apologize for the long absence of blogging. The past month has been a busy time for Laura and I, but God has been so good in making sure we have time to sleep most weeks. Lets get everyone caught up:

• Wrote an Urban Impact Musical Theatre Camp Proposal to the Pittsburgh Public Schools: It's long and not to fun to read, but hopefully something will come of it.
• Started the fall semester of the Urban Impact Performing Arts Academy: I now administrate the academy and also teach Improv and Elementary Acting
• Spoke at Laura's home church: We had a wonderful time in Westfield and Laura made Apple sauce
• Helped with and went on the Urban Impact Choir Retreat: Nothing like spending the weekend with a cabin full of gassy middle school boys.
• Said goodbye to a few Performing Arts staff as we welcomed on new staff and friends.
• And have now almost, possibly, may have, fully raised most of my support! This is still depending on few things, but it is so exciting.

Since the Performing Arts Academy has started back up so has the PAA story of the week!

This story happened on first day of class at the beginning of October. I was finishing up with what had been a very long but productive day. The academy had just about finished up its first week as a success. At this time I was teaching the elementary class and we were reviewing what we had learned in class that day. "We are all God's creations,"said several of our little kids. One girl read her memory verse and another said, "We don't have to be afraid of who we are especially on stage." And I think one girl even said, "It's fun to create characters just like God created us."

By this time I am beaming. I look over at the other two volunteers, Mr. Rick and Ms. Karen, and I can tell they feel the same way I do. The feeling of using your gifts to bring glory to God's name makes all the stress and running around of the busy day worth it. If only I'd closed in prayer and sent them home right then, but for every mountain top there is a valley.

We had a little extra time at the end of the class so as we were about to close in prayer two of the little girls in the class asked if they could go on the stage and perform a cheer. "Yeah, sure why not?" I thought, "This is what acting is all about, performing." WRONG, WRONG, WRONG. Silly ol' me thought they would get up and say a cheer like "Here we go Oliver! Here we go! Woot! Woot!" or even "Bump, set, spike", but no.

The girls got up whispered to each other around the corner and then came on to the stage to perform. One little 1st grader stood at the front of the stage look forward out into the audience and starts cheering:

My name is Madea

And I'm here to say

I'm gonna shake what I got

In my skirt today.

I'm gonna turn around

And drop it real low

And shake what I got

In my skirt today.

This of course has spinning and twisting moves to it and repeats and the other 1st grader joins in the singing. I am in shock and really have no idea what to do. I look over at Mr. Rick and he is staring down at an empty chair and Ms. Karen has her jaw slightly dropped probably very similar to my own. Thankfully it stops before everyone starts to shimmy and shake. The two little girls on stage want to do another cheer, I say it's time to pray.

I learned my lesson, but the damage was done. Instead of going out talking about how God created them and how they can create characters, the students left humming "Shake what I got in my skirt today."

Prayer Requests:

• The Proposal to the Pittsburgh Public Schools
• The last itty, bitty, tiny bit of support raising (this is also a big praise!)
• The next step for this past Summer's Young Men's Bible Study
• The Performing Arts Academy

North Side Neighbors

Laura and I are finally moved into our apartment! We are now in the process of unpacking ,organizing and reorganizing and reorganizing. Within the first few days of living on the North Side we had a few very interesting observations: Trash trucks sometimes operate very loudly at 3:00 in the morning, one way streets are merely suggested, and people (for the most part) on the North Side stop and say, "Hi." The last observation interests me quite a bit. Already Laura and I have interacted more with our neighbors in our building than we did our entire time at our previous apartment. Lola, a little old black lady on the floor below us, showed us how to correctly carry a desk up the stairs, Fransisco, the nice Hispanic man who lives above us, has a bad back, and the lady who lives beside us stopped us when we were moving in and apologized for her boyfriends music. It's pretty amazing to think that even though we have moved into a high crime area with boarded up buildings all around that people on the North Side are more interested in saying "Hi" then the "nice family" borough of Pittsburgh. Another perk of living on the North Side, I now live close enough to walk to Urban Impact. In the short ten minute walk I get to pass by several different bus stops and corners where people congregate. At each of these places it's nice to stop and visit; I hope to be able to use even these short moments to build relationships.

At Urban Impact things are shaping up really well for the fall. The choir continues to grow and the Performing Arts Academy, which I am now in charge of administrating, has more students pre-registered than ever before and we still have a month left. The day after we hung posters around the North Side a mother came into our office and started crying. She had seen a poster in the local barber shop and wanted to get her kids involved but couldn't pick them up after class. At this time Meghan, our dance instructor, simply said she could take her children home after class and the mother broke down in tears and made Meghan give her a hug. The Performing Arts Academy starts October 1st.

Prayer Requests:

• For volunteers for the PAA
• Final planning for the PAA
• Nate, Shiniqua, Shiquala, Breann, Valarie and Alicia as they start college and associates school
• As we look for a new staff member to fill in for Principal Rick
• To finish strong with support raising

Thank you all for your prayers and come and visit anytime in Pittsburgh.

August Catch-up

The summer programs have all finished, and now August gives us a chance to get caught up and prepared for the long winter months ahead. Before I get to busy planning and envisioning upcoming programs I thought it would be nice to reflect on the busy summer. So here is a short video with pictures of Tuesday Nights, Summer Day Camp, and other summer events.

Prayer Requests:

• My Grandma
• Fall Choir Retreat
• Planning for the Performing Arts Academy
• Students returning to school and graduated students going into the workforce and college
• Transition time from Summer to Fall program

Praise Report

• Support Trip Across America went very well and it was a huge blessing to see many friend and family and tell them about Urban Impact and the North Side
• Moving onto the North Side next week!

On the way, by the way.

Laura and I are now a little over half way through our Support Raising Trip Across America. It has been quite a journey getting to see old friends and family and let them know all the amazing things that are going on at Urban Impact. Thus far we have stayed in four different cities, five different beds, and Laura got to play with one dog, one cat, and a stuffed cat. The last part of our trip will take us briefly into Wisconsin before ending our journey in Kansas City and taking the very long 14 hour trip back to the 'burgh.

Speaking of getting back to Pittsburgh praise is due. Laura and I recently found an apartment on the North Side! It is very close to Urban Impact and to where many of our kids and students live. There are many great things already about this apartment but one of the biggest blessings we found came from a misquote in the rent. The landlord's sister quoted us a price that was a less than what the landlord was asking, but when we called the landlord said he would stick by the quoted price! I felt that God had given us a Monopoly card that said, "Bank error in your favor: Pay $100 less in rent." So... That is pretty amazing. Thank you all who were praying for our housing.

Prayer Requests:

• God would continue to guide us and give us safe travels.
• That we could be able to quickly get back into the swing of things in Pittsburgh.
• Transition time between Summer and Fall programs.
• One of our students trying to learn how to be a good father.

So much has been happening that it's hard to keep up with it all

Urban Impact's summer programs are now in full swing and the days and weeks seem to go by faster and faster. This means to things: We're keeping busy and having fun. For me this summer has been composed of a smattering of programs. I have been teaching two drama classes one for "Tuesday Nights" (which rocks) and one for the Summer Day Camp as well as starting a young men's discipleship group and coaching a Leadership team called the Servant Team. These have all been great and through them I have been building deeper and deeper relationships with the students on the North Side.
In the midst of all this Laura and I have also been planning a support raising trip across America (really just toward Kansas City) for the end of July. We start out in Pittsburgh and then weave across Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, and even a little bit of Wisconsin. We will end the trip with an eight hour jaunt to Kansas City to meet the Anderson clan for rip roarin' fun at the Anderson Reunion. We are very excited to see many friends and family members and hope that this will complete a large chunk of support raising.
Speaking of family and friends Laura and I were very blessed by the chance to go to Camp-of-the-Woods with the whole pine cone aka Brautigam family. (For the reason why they are called the pine cone family you would have to ask my niece, but I don't know if you would get a straight answer out of her.) Camp allowed for all things summer related. We had s'mores, played sand volleyball, ate ice cream, and hung out with family. This trip was a huge blessing to Laura and I, not only to see family but also to slow down a little bit and gear up for the second half of summer.
The second half of the summer and the second half of the summer Blog should include highlights of "Tuesday Nights" and Summer Day Camp. With clips from the student written story of Shadaracha and Meshaka and how they stand up to Queen Nebuchanesia and won't worship boys, and the reason why "Tuesday Nights" rock! All of these great stories and more will arrive in the weeks and months to come.

Prayer Requests:

• Support Raising Trip Across America
• One of my students who is grieving the loss of his sister who was hit by a car just weeks after his girlfriend committed suicide
• My Grandma
• Laura and I finding a place to live on the North Side
• Summer Day Camp and Tuesday Nights