The Loop / November 8, 2022
Catch Up with the Current Series:
Weekly Announcements:
BELONG // ROAD SIGNS!
“I saw the one here on the corner that said ‘a church for people who want to make friends,’ and I thought, ‘That’s me!’” - A new visitor on Sunday
Have you seen some of our new road signs out when you’ve been driving around Annapolis? We hope so! We’ve already heard a few stories (like this one!) about people using them to connect with our community, and we would love to hear and share more! If you have a story about the signs–how they’ve been an encouragement to you, how cool it was to see the one you wrote, or how they have helped someone learn more about Revolution–let us know!
BECOME // NEW TEAMS FOR THE YEAR AHEAD
At the end of last month, a group of leaders and volunteers from Revolution gathered to create a list of projects we need to pursue between now and next fall as a church. In the weeks to come, we will be highlighting some of those projects here, in our announcements, so we can invite you, if you’re interested, to connect and help out! This week’s spotlight? Fixing up the Revolution van & trailer. Every week, we use our church van to pull our gear to and from our meeting space at 1804 West St…but you might have noticed that neither is in very presentable shape these days. After sitting for more than 2 years during the pandemic, we have run into some moderate maintenance issues, particularly with the harness connecting power between the two. If you have any experience working on these sorts of things, talk with Kenny or Robbert Olson this week and we’ll plan a meet-up to do some tinkering.
BELONG // FALL GROUPS ARE HERE!
If you haven’t signed up, there’s still time! To explore a group, click HERE!
BELONG // SUNDAY PICNIC THIS WEEK!
Join us after church on Sunday as we head over to Jon and Ivy Connelly’s home for a picnic lunch! Pick up something on the way over (or bring something from home) and join us for a simple time of fellowship and community. Jon and Ivy live at 21 Alder Rd, which is about an 8 minute drive from our gathering space on West St. We hope to see you there!
BECOME // NEXT STEPS WITH PRISON MINISTRY
Nancy Kline has helped us get started with the Angel Tree program, which will give us an opportunity to help bring Christmas to the homes of our neighbors who will miss the holidays with their children while they are incarcerated. The upcoming volunteer needs will include folks to contact the families we are supporting, folks to purchase gifts, and folks to make deliveries in December. If you are willing to serve in any of these roles, please reach out to Nancy on Sunday so she can get a roster started!
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!
LIGHTHOUSE SHELTER: The Annapolis Lighthouse is one of the largest relief organizations in our area, and we encourage everyone to check it out if they are looking for somewhere to serve. But signing up, training, and getting on the schedule can take awhile…so don’t delay! There are always opportunities to make meals, support clients, and be a part of preventing homelessness in our community. This is deeply important–and deeply Christian–work…so, if this is the nudge you need to sign up today, take it!
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!
BECOME // PARTNERING WITH REVIVE
Our new friends Caleb and Melissa Kaye head up the Revive Faith non-profit, an organization committed to meeting the practical needs of our neighbors while also fostering deep conversations about life and faith. They’ve got a lot of events on the horizon, and we want everybody to find a way to connect! Here’s their calendar for the fall:
FOOD PANTRY @ WAYSON WOODS (319 7 Oaks Ln, Lothian, MD): Dec 3rd @ 12pm-2pm
FOOD PANTRY @ MARYLAND MANOR (1500 Berkley Ct, Harwood, MD): Nov 19th @ 12pm-2pm / Dec 17th @ 12pm-2pm
PUB THEOLOGY ONLINE (over Zoom): Dec 1st
PUB THEOLOGY IN-PERSON (@49 West): Nov 16th @ 8pm
CHRISTMAS BEER & HYMNS (@49 West): Dec 14th
We are so excited about this new partnership, and we hope to see you at a few (or even all) of these events!
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).
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.
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)!
