The Loop / October 1, 2024
Catch Up with the CURRENT series:
This Week’s Announcements:
BECOME // HURRICANE HELENE RELIEF
As you all know, this past weekend saw a weather event of devastating proportions hit communities in eastern Tennessee, western North Carolina, and northwesternn South Carolina. Some of our own folks experienced this first hand: the Connelly family was on a vacation in North Carolina when the storm struck, and it took them two extra days to make their way home safely. Kenny was also in the middle of things at a seminary retreat just west of Asheville (I’m sure that story–about 50 ministers stranded through Sunday on top of a mountain–will show up in a sermon sooner or later). But even as we celebrate our Revolution family reuniting safely this week, we want to pause and recognize that, for many families across the region, reunions are still on hold… and may not be able to happen at all. The devastation in the mountains is catastrophic, and it will be an incredibly long road to recovery. As Christians, we are eager to help, and Kenny is reaching out to family, friends, and colleagues in ministry there to learn more about what we might be able to do in the season ahead. In the meantime, we would encourage you to prayerfully consider supporting trusted disaster relief organizations, including Convoy of Hope and World Central Kitchen, both of which carry 100% ratings from Charity Navigator. As more information about targeted aid and relief opportunities emerge, including sending a potential relief team in the coming months, we will share that info here in The Loop.
As we wait, join us in praying diligently:
God, even when we are hurting and afraid, we are grateful for who You are. You have chosen to know the suffering of this world, to endure it, and to keep us company when we experience it, too. Be near to those grieving in the South this week. Share Your company and comfort generously and unmistakably with them. Be near to those who are afraid and unsure of what to do next. Reassure them that, even when they feel lost, You walk beside them. Give courage and strength to the many, many workers who are doing all they can right now. Bless their efforts and make their work wildly fruitful. And in the midst of all of this, fill those who follow after You with Your Holy Spirit, so they might be thousands of lights in the midst of this darkness. May peace spring up from chaos. May love spring up from pain. May joy spring up from despair. You are God, and what we understand of goodness, we learned from You. Thank you for loving us first. Amen.
BELONG // DISCIPLESHIP CLASS
This Fall, our Discipleship Lay Leader, Dante Griffin, and our Lead Pastor, Kenny Camacho, are going to experiment with a brand-new, 5-week evening class on Discipleship. We’re calling it “Discipleship 101,” and the purpose is to share a vision and plan for cultivating spiritual growth in the people of Revolution. The group will meet on Tuesday evenings from 7-8:30 beginning October 22 and running through November 19 (we will ‘take off’ for Election Day!). Gatherings will be held at The Haven, College Creek Church’s community center off Clay Street in Annapolis, and everyone is welcome to join us for this first attempt at a “class” here at Revolution. We would love for you to help us develop the best possible way for us to extend what we are learning about living as Christians beyond our Sunday gatherings… and this will be a new effort in that direction. If you would like to sign up, you can get in touch with Dante or Kenny directly, or you can sign up using the form available at revolutionannapolis.com/groups.
BECOME // MORE CHANCES TO SERVE THIS FALL…
The Diaper Drive two weeks ago was a HUGE success! When our delivery crew unloaded the diapers you donated at the Annapolis Library, they paused to count up exactly how many diapers we gave away, and the total was… [drumroll, please]… 3,429! That’s more than three thousand diapers our neighbors in need won’t have to purchase because of your compassion and generosity. Thanks to everyone who contributed to this effort: we will do it again!
It’s a joy to be a part of a church family that is committed to meeting our community’s needs. Now, let’s take a look at more opportunities coming this Fall…
Muffin Monday!
On October 28, we will be taking homemade muffins to the teachers at Mills-Parole Elementary School. This is a simple way to show them that we appreciate the chance to use their space on Sunday mornings, and we are with them in the important jobs they are doing. Please bring muffins to church that Sunday, and we will donate them Monday! Home made and store bought are all fine, and the more muffins we have, the more teachers we can feed!
Gift Cards for Lighthouse
Our friends at the Annapolis Light House (homelessness prevention and support center) have reached out to us directly to ask us to help them restock their supply of gift cards for the clients they serve. Gift cards are a useful way for the staff at Light House to help clients meet their needs in a way that preserves their dignity and choices. They also provide neighbors like us with a practical way to offer our support! We will be collecting gift cards for Light House in November, and more details about stores and amounts will be coming to you then! [Fraud prevention announcement: two weeks ago, many of you were sent texts that purported to be from Kenny asking you to buy gift cards and send pictures of your purchases to a strange phone number. I will never, ever ask you to send gift cards directly to me… and I will never, ever single any of you out for a request like this. When we do things like this, we will always do them publicly, transparently, and as a group! If you ever get a suspicious text from “me,” please call me right away to check… and to give me a chance to protect other congregants from trouble!]
Holiday Shop at Mills-Parole
From December 16-19, Mills-Parole Elementary will be running a shop where students can purchase gifts for their families from a national vendor. This event is run by the school, and it serves as a school fundraiser… but it relies on volunteer support. As this gets closer, we will be sharing sign-ups with you so we can support our friends at the school together!
BELONG // FALL GROUPS: A NEW “OUTDOOR GROUP”!
Did you know there’s a new Outdoors group for the Fall? It's a group for fellowship out in God's creation or related in some way to nature. The next event is coming up soon: pumpkin and apple-picking at Larriland Farm on October 26!
Some upcoming events:
November 9: another hike/lunch date (location TBD)
December 1: ice skating at Quiet Waters Park!
BELIEVE // WOMEN’S RETREAT 2024
The Women’s Retreat is coming soon! This November 15-17, you are invited to join other women from our church community for a weekend away at West River Camp. The retreat center is about a half hour away, and there are options for staying at the camp all weekend as well as just visiting for the events during the day. Retreats are an incredible way to make new friends and deepen existing relationships… we really hope you will be there!
The cost this year for the full event is $145. There are scholarships and discounts available if cost is any obstacle: just let us know by sending a message to info@revolutionannapolis, or by talking to Maggie Young or Kenny. If you’re ready to book your spot, CLICK HERE TODAY!
BELONG // MORE WOMEN’S EVENTS THIS FALL!
We had a great turnout for our ladies’ game night a few weeks ago! Our next event will be on Saturday, October 19th, when Jen Luik is hosting a firepit evening for the women of Revolution at her home in Centreville (and if there’s poor weather she still has an indoor space we can hang out in). She’d like to add a fun smores’ bar to the evenings’ festivities, so please sign up HERE to let her know you’re coming and if you can bring anything. But even if you don’t have time to stop by the store, don’t worry: you can still bring yourself! :) If you want to help with carpooling across the bridge with other attendees, please let Maggie or Emily know–they would be happy to help. We can’t wait to see you there!
BELIEVE // WORSHIP NIGHT OCT. 27
On October 27, the Revolution Worship Team will be leading a night of singing and prayer at the Pfeifers’ home from 6:30-8:30. This will be an interactive night of learning about and experiencing worship together. Everyone is invited, and we’ll be sharing more details as the 27th gets closer!
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).
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, Cathy Miller (cathygrowinghealthy@gmail.com).
BELONG // STAY IN THE LOOP ALL WEEK LONG!
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