COVID-19 Church-wide Announcement
Hey, everyone.
Last year, we spent 52 weeks exploring the question “Why Church?” In the end, our answer was clear: because we are made for relationships, both with God and with one another. So what do we do when we can’t gather? How do we continue to invest in our relationships with God and with one another in a season of closed schools, social distancing, and self-isolation? Which is to say: what happens when the question for church becomes “How”...instead of “Why”?
In the weeks to come, we are going to remain resolute in our commitment to help limit the spread of the novel coronavirus in our community. We will be canceling our Sunday services at Germantown Elementary, as mandated by the Anne Arundel County Board of Education. And we will be following the advice of Governor Hogan by suspending group meetings for at least the next 3 Sundays.
But we will also be steadfast in our commitments to God and to one another. We will find new ways to worship, new ways to stay connected, and new ways to love our neighbors and invest in our community. To name a few:
Beginning this Sunday at 10 am, we will be posting weekly videos on our church website (www.revolutionannapolis.com/online) that will be designed to help you hold your own church service at home. These are not going to be flashy shows for you to watch but, hopefully, tools for you to use to spend time in contemplation, prayer, and worship each Sunday morning.
We are also going to be continuing to hold online group meetings during the week, including the Online Bible Study and Kate Lattea’s Sunday book study group, which will be moving online in the week to come. Other groups are encouraged to establish similar rhythms, if group members are interested, and if this season of separation is extended, we will keep looking for more ways to meet, ask questions, and grow together in the virtual space.
Additionally, if you, your family, or your neighbors at some point end up in need because of sickness related to this virus, we will be coordinating needs online through info@revolutionannapolis.com. Scripture calls us to go out of our way to care for one another in the Church, so please don't hesitate to reach out.
But we also need to go further than this. We need to be the church in Annapolis. We need to be on mission. And over the next few weeks, I don’t think it’s an exaggeration to say that we are in a “put up or shut up” moment! As the world around us steps back from the needs of our neighbors, we must step in. We can:
Talk with our neighbors about their fears and worries in this season
Offer to run out for groceries or medicine for elderly or immuno-compromised people in our community in order to help them stay safe inside
Volunteer to help watch children who are out of school but whose parents might still be working
Volunteer to help Anne Arundel county schools feed children in underprivileged neighborhoods who depend on school for breakfast and lunch each day
Pray for those who are afraid or afflicted by this outbreak
There is so much work to be done! So let's love: love our neighbors by volunteering to meet their needs; love our brothers and sisters in the church by keeping in touch with one another; and love our city by being people of peace and even joy in the weeks to come.
Thank you for reading. I am excited to see God move!
Take care,
Dr. Kenny Camacho
Lead Pastor, Revolution Annapolis