The Loop / October 3, 2023
Catch Up with the Current series:
This Week’s Announcements:
BELONG // FALL GROUPS ARE HERE!
Are you looking for a way to take the ‘next step’ here at Revolution! Small Groups are for you! Groups are intended to be spaces where the folks who consider Revolution their church home can share common interests, ask more questions, and build deeper relationships. You can learn more about the options for this fall by clicking HERE!
BELONG // WOMEN’S RETREAT SIGN UP IS AVAILABLE!
Our first women’s retreat since before the pandemic will be happening this fall on November 10-12… and you can sign up TODAY! The cost for the event–which runs from Friday evening through lunch on Sunday, with lodging and meals included–is $135. The location will be West River Camp, which is just south of Edgewater… so not too far away! If you’re a woman at Revolution, we really hope you will make this a priority: there is simply no better way to make real friends and find deep community here at Revolution than this! Please let Kenny know if cost is a barrier, and we will find a way to make sure you can attend–just send him an email at kenny@revolutionannapolis.com. We can’t wait!
BECOME // HELP NEEDED: TEACHING TEEN LIFE SKILLS CLASSES WITH COLLEGE CREEK CHURCH!
Our friends at College Creek Church run an awesome program for teens in Annapolis we want you to know about: for six weeks every spring and fall, volunteers teach middle and high school students courses in “life skills”. These classes present a unique opportunity to build genuine connections and relationships with these teens as they explore topics and skills that are new and exciting to them. A meal is provided at the end of each day. Class topics have included cooking, woodworking, auto repair, art, furniture upcycling, and sewing. They are always looking for teachers, so if you have a life skill you're passionate about, reach out to discern if leading or supporting a class is an avenue for you to serve alongside our partners in loving this city well: email Pastor Isaac Vineyard at isaac@collegecreekchurch.org or reach out to their program director directly at outreach@collegecreekchurch.org. All classes are held at the Stanton Center, 92 W Washington St, Annapolis, MD 21401.
BECOME // SPIRITUAL DISCIPLINES: RESOURCES FOR YOUR JOURNEY
On a more serious note: our theme for 2023 is Discipleship, and we’re working together on some of the disciplines we can all practice in order to better participate in the spiritual growth God desires for us. The following are some encouragements and resources for you to use as we try to make this series “stick” in the Revolution community!
For Prayer: Make real and regular time for prayer where you can in your day: wake up a little earlier, take a 15-minute break in your day, or use a resource like Echo Prayer to send you reminders and organize what you’re praying for! Learn the Lord’s Prayer… so you always have something to “say”! And consider joining Revolution’s Prayer Team when it launches later this year… in the meantime, you can talk to Kenny or Jon Connelly about it!
For Study: Use a resource like The Bible Project to help inform your study, and find a reading plan you can stick to on the YouVersion Bible app or using another study tool. You can also sign up to be a part of the Revolution Online Bible Study on Monday nights!
For Giving: Pray for wisdom, clarity, and conviction as you explore ways to share what God has given you generously and faithfully. If you feel led to support Revolution, you can always do so using our website or making a donation on Sunday mornings. And if you’d like to support some great non-profits in our community, you can do that, too! No matter what, continue to taking steps forward towards the goal of radical generosity.
For Service: Learn more about our partners at Revive, our friends at Lighthouse Shelter, and the Heritage Food Pantry! Reach out and set up a time to visit or volunteer… and pray for God to show you a place where you can serve your neighbors on a regular basis.
BELONG // CHECK IN WITH EACH OTHER!
Here at Revolution, we do our best to make sure there are “scheduled activities” for folks to participate in, or to help newer folks find a comfortable way to “plug in”… but you don’t need us to tell you how to spend time with friends! Let this be your nudge to give someone a call or send someone a text today: check in, connect with someone new, and make a plan to meet up this week for coffee, for lunch, to go for a walk… whatever you want! Let’s work together to invest in deeper relationships… because deeper relationships are a vital part of what a church exists for!
BELIEVE // COFFEE, ANYONE?
Do you have questions? Doubts? Would you just like to talk through things with someone? Kenny is also always up for that, too! Just send him an email (kenny@revolutionannapolis.com) or text (803.727.8500).
BELIEVE // HOW WE CAN GROW TOGETHER
This past Sunday, Kenny talked about the importance of reimagining spiritual growth as something we do together. But what does that really look like? Here are a few ideas for us this week:
Join a Small Group: Small groups are where we find the space and the encouragement to share our stories with one another, ask deep questions, and learn how to practice that mix of gracious patience and faithful challenge Kenny described. If you haven’t taken the step of visiting a group, this would be a great week to give one a try! There are online and in-person options available… whichever format makes you most comfortable, what matters is that we invest our time and attention in one another!
Serve Together: Our weekly services create great opportunities for us to step in and serve alongside one another. If you are passionate about kids ministries, Shawn would love to talk with you about serving in RevKids… and if you’re not sure what your best fit might be, you can always just drop by a little early (we get to the theater at 8) or stay a little late to help pack up. This is your church… we want everyone to feel connected!
Pray for Each Other: Prayer binds us together: it connects us with God, and as we ask God to bring healing and hope to others, it connects us with our friends. We can all make more time to talk to God–indeed, talking to God can become part of the rhythm of our days. This might seem like a solitary practice in our spiritual lives… but it isn’t at all! Prayer is the glue in a church community. Give it a try this week!
BELIEVE // INTERESTED IN BAPTISM?
If you’ve ever wondered about what it means to become a Christian–to “accept Jesus,” “repent of sin,” or “be baptized”–we want you to know that we would love to answer your questions! You can set up a time to talk with Kenny whenever it’s most convenient to you by shooting him an email at kenny@revolutionannapolis.com, or by talking to him on Sunday. He would love to hear your questions and offer what answers he can in a safe, friendly, and encouraging way. We want to support you on your journey, and we believe trust–between you and God, and between you and a church community!–is an essential part of that!
BECOME // YOUTH GROUP
Revolution’s Youth Group meets on Sunday mornings! If you have a middle- or high school-aged teen (or if you are one yourself!), you’re invited to meet up with our youth leaders, Maggie Young and Robbert Olson in the lobby before service. Youth typically head across the street to Starbucks for a breakfast treat on us, to go along with a lesson and conversation. The goal is for teens at Revolution to make new friends, build honest relationships, and learn more about how to build a deep faith of their own. You can learn more with Maggie and Robbert on Sunday, or by emailing our Children’s Pastor, Shawn Livingston, anytime at shawn@revolutionannapolis.com.
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. 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.
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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