The Loop / September 27, 2022
Catch Up with the Current Series:
Weekly Announcements:
BECOME // SUPPORTING REVOLUTION CHURCH
At Revolution, we believe that our church needs to be a witness to God’s bottomless love and an example of what it means to wrestle and grow with our faith together. Following Jesus isn’t easy! But even in our doubts, if we take the things we are struggling to believe and put them into practice together, we learn to ask better questions and live in ways that are more beneficial for others.
If you want to join us in this mission, you can be a part in a few different ways:
First, you can commit to presence: it is our sincere hope as a church that you find real purpose and meaning in being a part of our services and groups at Revolution. They exist for you! But have you ever thought about what you have to offer those gatherings in return? Your unique perspective, hopes, experiences, and struggles are part of the bigger story of our church. You have an important part to play here, and that part begins by making faithful presence a priority!
Second, you can commit to generosity: we want to imitate God’s generosity by looking for ways we can share what we have been given with others to bring hope, justice, and safety to our neighbors. One way you can practice that generosity is by supporting our ministry here at Revolution financially: we are a non-profit organization committed to maintaining a Christian ministry in Annapolis, forgiving the debts of our neighbors, and financially supporting both church plants and existing churches in our area. Your gifts help keep this commitment going! But we also want to make sure you know that giving is important no matter where you do it: find a non-profit, charity, or aid organization whose cause you support and make a plan to be faithful and generous towards them! God can do more with our resources than we can… and giving is one of the practical ways we put our trust in what He can do.
Third, you can commit to service: here at Revolution, we are in need of all sorts of volunteers to keep our ministry going. This is particularly true as we continue to “emerge” from the pandemic! If you are available to help out on any of our Sunday morning teams, or with any of our groups or other outreach ministries during the week, we need you! This is a great way to contribute to the church… and to make new friends. But the city of Annapolis needs help, too! If you are able, make time in your week to participate in a routine act of service for our community. There are multiple food pantries we support, all of whom need help, as well as opportunities to work with kids in need of tutoring, care for unhoused residents in our city who need assistance, and serve as an advocate for a variety of justice-seeking non-profits working to make Annapolis a more equitable place to live. For help a place to serve, just talk with Kenny (kenny@revolutionannapolis.com) or our Community Engagement Lay Leader, Liz Wheeler (liziwheeler@gmail.com).
BECOME // HELP US MAKE SIGNS!
If you have been able to join us these last few Sundays, we have been in a new sermon series about who Revolution is for…and we really want to give you a chance to engage with this topic alongside us! Who in this community do you feel you have been given “eyes to see” and “ears to hear”? What are you passionate about? What real needs do your neighbors have?
Over the next few Sundays, we are inviting everyone to help us share the answers to these questions by filling in the blanks on our new signs: “Revolution is a church for people who _____________.” Think and pray about your answer, and then stop by Welcome+Info on Sunday to complete a sign. You can take the sign with you to put up at your house or in your neighborhood…or you can leave it with us, and we will put them all out around town in the coming weeks!
BECOME // GROUPS ARE ALMOST HERE!
A healthy church is more than an encouraging worship service or even a group of new friends: it is a community committed to walking together towards deeper, richer, and more active faith. Small groups are one of the tools we use to become this kind of church…and our Fall/Winter group launch is just around the corner on October 9! There will be several new and returning options, from chances to dig deeper into the tough questions at Theology on Tap, build real relationships in a Local Group, or just make new friends by going to the movies, reading and talking about the latest bestsellers, or playing weekly trivia! We encourage everyone to be thinking about what steps towards community we can all take this coming year: Revolution is a church for people who walk together! (hint: that’s a tease for this coming Sunday’s message, too!)
BECOME // PUB THEOLOGY THIS TUESDAY…WITH ‘REVIVE’!
Have you met Caleb and Melissa Kaye over the last few weeks? Or any of their 5(!) awesome kiddos? The Kayes are new to Revolution, and they have brought some new and awesome opportunities with them! The Kayes lead Revive, which is a local non-profit and ministry organization. Over the last 2+ years, they have gathered a faithful community of seekers and servants…and Revolution has been invited to step in alongside them! On the service front, Revive focuses on distributing food in “food desert” communities in southern Anne Arundel County. There are lots of ways you can help, from picking up and organizing meals, to helping distribute food using their mobile food pantry! If that is something you want to participate in, you can get in touch with Caleb directly at caleb@revivefaith.life.
And that’s not all! Revive also hosts a bi-monthly Pub Theology gathering, and you are invited to attend! The next gathering is this Wednesday night at 49 West at 8pm. The conversations are topical, rich, and challenging…and they are also a fantastic opportunity to meet folks in our community who are asking important questions about our common faith. Come on out this Wednesday and join in!
BELONG // ‘NAPTOWN SCOOP’ SCAVENGER HUNT UPDATE
So, this past weekend, Naptown Scoop hosted a scavenger hunt all through Annapolis…and we participated! Our own Randi Beavers flew solo this weekend, visiting local sights, patronizing local businesses, and meeting some really cool Annapolitans! She didn’t win it all…but she did really well, scoring more than a 1000 points in the contest! When you see Randi next, tell her congratulations for representing our church well…and talk to her about teaming up the next time around!
BELIEVE // ONLINE BIBLE STUDY GROUP
Did you know we have a weekly, online-based Bible study group here at Revolution? If you’ve never check it out, you should! They meet on Mondays from 8-9pm over Zoom. Dante Griffin will be leading, and you would be more than welcome! You can get the login info from Dante (dangriff67@gmail.com) or Jon Connelly (jonivy82804@hotmail.com) anytime.
BECOME // SERVING OUR COMMUNITY
Looking for ways to love our neighbors? There are several things going on right now that you can be a part of!
NEW OPPORTUNITIES WITH REVIVE: The Revive community is passionate about 1) inviting folks into real and authentic conversations about faith and 2) meeting the needs of our neighbors. So, what are they doing about it? Well, once every other week, they host a Theology on Tap gathering here in Annapolis to guide folks through a faith-related conversation in an open, accepting, and curious environment. Then, 2-3 times each month, they pack and distribute food in ‘food desert’ communities in southern Anne Arundel County. We would love for you to find a place serving with them: you can learn more, and sign up to volunteer, here.
FOOD PANTRY @HERITAGE: Our partners at Heritage Baptist Church operate a weekly food pantry which brings much-needed fresh meals to dozens of families in the Forest Drive corridor. This is a great way to be a regular part of a critical service in our community! They gather at Heritage on Monday evenings, at 4pm, to prepare for the next day’s pantry, and then they work Tuesdays from 9-11:30. If you would like to join them…just drop by! The door is open, and they will find a role for you.
There are few instructions repeated more often in the Bible than to love your neighbors...and these are just a few ways you can do just that! If you know of any more needs, just let Kenny know at kenny@revolutionannapolis.com, and we will keep updating this post in the weeks ahead!
BELIEVE // COFFEE, ANYONE?
Do you have questions? Doubts? Would you just like to talk through things with someone? Kenny is always up for a coffee or lunch! Send him an email (kenny@revolutionannapolis.com) or text (803.727.8500) any time.
BECOME // PRAYING FOR ONE ANOTHER
As we continue to reconnect as a church family in a “post-pandemic” world, it is incredibly important that we pray for one another. Prayer is a key part of our ministry: it trains us to listen to one another with compassion, disciplines us to release our stress and anxiety to God, and helps keep us centered on the work of the Holy Spirit in the world. It also works miracles! If you need prayer, please reach out to Kenny at kenny@revolutionannapolis.com or to our prayer team through info@revolutionannapolis.com. And if you would like guidance on how to pray, you can reach out to Kenny, too, and he can help connect you to that team! No matter what, we can all make praying for the people of this church a part of our daily or weekly rhythm: ask God to reveal His character to us, to meet our emotional, physical, and spiritual needs, and to help us to see and treat one another as He sees and treats us. Your prayers make a difference!
BELONG // STAY IN THE LOOP ALL WEEK LONG!
Want to make sure you never miss an announcement? Make sure to follow Revolution on Facebook and Instagram (@revolutionannapolis)!
