Have you ever heard the expression, “Teamwork makes the dream work”? Here at PCC we believe that to be absolutely true. That’s why we have multiple teams at each campus that help with everything from making and serving coffee, to helping with kids and students, to running sound, cameras and lights. We call these teams DREAM TEAMS and without them, our church wouldn’t be able to function. It takes hundreds of people to make PCC run on a weekly basis, and there’s always room for more people who are ready to jump in and help. Dream Teamers don’t just help the church, they help themselves by taking another step out in faith to do what God has called them to do.
We decided to ask a few Dream Teamers to tell us about their experience and what it’s meant to them to serve at PCC. Here’s what they had to say:
From Tammy Batista (Member: Online; Dream Team: Online and Nottoway Campus Chat Host):
“We live in Deltaville, VA on the Rappahannock River so going to a local campus just doesn’t work for us – they are too far away. I can’t even remember how I got involved with the online hosting, but I am so HAPPY I did. Working with Mark Tapscott (the campus pastor) and the other hosts is wonderful. I enjoy seeing the same people online each week and trying to foster a relationship with them. I have a few people that I have bonded with and it makes the experience much richer. You would think that it’s hard to do, but if you reach out to people to check on them or just see how their week went, it goes a long way.
I feel as if I am able to give back to the church and the members by helping out where I can. I also help out with the PCC Online Facebook Group. I get to meet even more new people which is so exciting to me! My goal is to one day join a mission group where I can travel and go help others. This will also be great for building new relationships. I see the need we have for helping people in all different ways at our church, and I really enjoy it!”
From James Dewitt (Member and Dream Team: Nottoway Campus, Tech Coordinator):
“What is it like to serve on the Dream Team of PCC? Close your eyes and imagine being in the place where God’s hand is fanned out over
the people there, and you’re able to witness the miracles that are happening. People who didn’t know their role in the Kingdom are becoming sound in their knowledge of the new creation that the Father has transformed them into. Those who were blind, now able to see through their spiritual eyes. Those who were deaf, now listening to the talks and the emotionally charged testimonies of how good God is. Those who were depleted of Hope, now having Faith in who God is, and what He’s capable of doing.
This place that I’m seeing is the place where my eyes are already wide open as PCC travels every week into the prison to share God’s Love and deliver His messages of grace and salvation. God provides miracles to assure all of us that He is still on the throne. Serving on the Dream Team brings me face to face with many accounts of how God is blessing and changing people’s lives. It is an honor to be amongst brothers and sisters who seek to receive the words from the Father, “Well done my good and faithful servant” (Matthew 25:23). It is an honor to serve on the PCC Dream Team.”
From Jonathan Moon (Member and Dream Team: Nottoway Campus, Lead Usher):
“Serving on the Dream Team has given me the privilege to see how God is moving here at the Nottoway Micro-Campus. The life-changing power of God is allowing those who are called “prisoners” to live a true freedom that most have never experienced. My service has allowed me to meet lifelong friends and become mentors to those who are just starting their journey behind these walls. It has allowed me to learn from my co-laborers in this faith and has enabled me to show them a glimpse of a life lived within these walls.
Serving on the Dream Team has allowed me to find a boldness in Christ that has radically changed my life and continues to shape who I am today. It continues to show me that the same God who parted the Red Sea and sent his Son to die for me and you, is still moving inside and outside these walls of prison. It has allowed me to see the “dead” come to life, the heaviest chains shake the floor of our sanctuary (a sweaty, prison gym that is so full of the Holy Spirit that there is no room for doubt, fear, or despair), and big men brought to tears when they finally feel a love that only Jesus can provide. The Dream Team allows me to be the man He called me to be whether I am here, near, or far away.”
From Sharon Hall (Member: Powhatan; Dream Team: Powhatan Small Group Leader and Nottoway Campus Greeter):
I am proud to be a part of PCC’s Dream Team at the Powhatan Campus, as well as the Nottoway campus. I have been attending PCC for
almost 10 years now. When I started attending regularly, I decided to start going to a Small Group and eventually became the leader. Over time, the group slowly dwindled, and after one of the seasonal breaks, we decided to end the group. About a year ago, the Small Group Coordinator reached out to me out of the blue and asked if I would be interested in leading another group – they had many people signing up but not enough leaders. Praise be to God, I accepted! I am no Bible scholar, nor have I trained or been in school for religious studies. However, I choose to seek Him!
On a good week, we have eight all together in our Small Group. I say it’s “our” group, not mine, because we are all there to grow together in God. We help one another understand scripture that some of us just don’t get, myself included. We listen to one another when life happens (which is always!), and reassure one another that God is always with us and will see us through. We have cried together and we do a great deal of laughing together. But most importantly we pray together and for one another. What we have is a lifeline – a lifeline that leads straight to Jesus Christ! My Small Group makes my heart happy and I believe it makes God happy, too!
I am also a part of the Dream Team at our Nottoway Campus, which is a little different than the other PCC locations. We meet on Thursday nights and have church with up to a hundred residents at Nottoway Correctional Facility. Yes, this is a men’s prison, and I am honored to volunteer there to praise and worship God together with those men! When PCC launched God Behind Bars about three years ago, I decided to volunteer and thought I was going for them, to help them find God. Now I know I am going to help me grow closer to God!
There is barbed wire, there are metal detectors and iron bars, but I can tell you: GOD IS IN THAT PLACE! It is sacred ground, and I have never been so moved and have never felt the Holy Spirit like I feel when I am at Nottoway. I stand side by side with the men, praising God through singing, giving God all the glory. At the end of each service, we stand together in a circle, hold hands, and pray together. Sometimes the circle wraps around the entire room!
The men at Nottoway are my friends now. They are my brothers in Christ. I give them my prayer requests, and I know they pray for me and all the volunteers. It is a great reminder that we are all God’s children, and He loves us, no matter where we reside. God wants us near, no matter our imperfections. We are imperfect because we are unfinished.”
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Check out Pastor Elijah’s message about Jesus’ invitation to experience the fullest life possible.
We’d love for you to be a part of the Dream Team here at PCC! Click here to sign up.
