The Loop / August 30, 2022
Catch Up with the Last Series:
Weekly Announcements:
BECOME // HELP US DISCOVER NEW WAYS TO SERVE
As you all know, we have moved to a new location at 1804 West St for our weekly Sunday worship services. That means we have new neighbors to serve, too! In addition to being a blessing to our hosts at the Classic Theatre of Maryland by keeping their space tidy and patronizing their shows in the season ahead, we also want to learn as much as we can about other businesses, schools, and non-profits in the area: where are there needs, and how can we step in to meet them? Figuring that out can be a real challenge, and we need your help! So, if you have time this week, would you be willing to help us explore the neighborhood and uncover opportunities? Maybe you can call a school to ask about after-school tutoring opportunities? Or apply to volunteer at Lighthouse Shelter, just off Hudson Avenue? Or check-in with the Goodwill on West St. to see if there are ways we can help? What churches are in the area, and how can we be a blessing to them? Kenny and our Lay Leadership will be working on this in the weeks ahead… but one of the most important lessons we’ve learned over the past few years is that we are all in this together! So, let’s work together to find new ways to put our faith into practice.
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 // NEW SMALL GROUPS ARE JUST AROUND THE CORNER
Can you believe summer is almost over? Next week, kids will be heading back to school, and that means our Fall Group Launch is just around the corner. As we prepare, we would love to hear from you: what groups would you like to see? Are you interested in leading, co-leading, or hosting a group? What kinds of activities can draw our community together for fun and fellowship? What kinds of opportunities exist for us to learn more about our faith together? Where can we serve? If you have thoughts, send an email this week to Kenny (kenny@revolutionannapolis.com) or our Discipleship Lay Leader, Andy Guzik (asguzik@yahoo.com).
BELONG // OPEN HOUSE AT THE CLASSIC THEATRE OF MARYLAND
Our new hosts at CTM have invited us to their 2022-23 Open house! The Open House is on September 8th, 2022 from 6:30pm - 9:30pm and is a completely FREE event. During the open house they will be giving the public an opportunity to tour the theatre, meet the staff, learn more about our upcoming season and enjoy live entertainment as well as enjoy catering provided by Smashing Grapes. They are asking that everyone who plans on attending this event RSVP no later than September 5th.
BELONG // HELPING WITH THE NEW SPACE!
The move to Sunday mornings at the Classic Theatre of Maryland is going really well so far! If you’ve visited, we really hope you’re enjoying the new space… and if you haven’t made it out yet, we are really looking forward to seeing you soon! Setting up in a new place, and with time constraints around our rental, takes a lot of work each week. But the good news is that you can help! If you’d like to participate in our set-up and tear-down teams, we could really use you, and it’s easy to get on board: just show up with us in the mornings when we arrive (8am), or plan to stay for about half an hour after service ends, and we’ll put you to work. This is a great way to meet new people, learn more about the church, and even get in a little cardio on a Sunday morning! If you have any questions, you can reach out to Kenny or Garrett (garrett@revolutionannapolis.com) any time.
BELONG // ‘NAPTOWN SCOOP’ SCAVENGER HUNT ON SEPTEMBER 23!
The ‘Naptown Scoop,’ a lovely local online newsletter, is hosting their second annual Scavenger Hunt over the weekend of September 23. Here’s how it works: teams register, and then, on the 23rd, they send out a list of over 100 challenges all over town—from the mall to Thomas Point. You get the whole weekend to complete them, so pick your challenges, do them, send in a picture of each one. You get points for each picture, and the team with the most points wins. And yes, there are prizes! Registration is only $15 per team… do you think Revolution can put a team together? It promises to be a good time, and it would make for an awesome way to invest in friendships here at church. If you’re interested, get in touch with Kenny or Maggie Young, and they’ll get us all on an email thread or group text together.
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 are about to start a new study on Mondays from 8-9pm over Zoom on the letters of 1, 2, & 3 John. 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).
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!
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!
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 nights, at 7pm, 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.
RUN FOR THE LIGHT HOUSE: Busy on September 18? The Light House Shelter is having their biggest fundraiser of the year, Run for The Light House. It's a 5k, half-marathon, and 1.25 mile walk. Volunteers are needed from 6 to 11 AM. If you can help, you can sign up HERE.
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!
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 Saturday evening 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).
BELONG // STAY IN THE LOOP ALL WEEK LONG!
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