The Loop / April 1, 2025
Catch Up with the Current series:
This Week’s Announcements:
BECOME // MEN’S RETREAT WEEKEND WRAP-UP… AND SERVICE THIS SUNDAY, APRIL 6
This past weekend was the 2025 Men’s Retreat! We were able to gather 21 men from Revolution at West River Center in West River, MD for three days of games, bonfires, and fellowship. The event was a real success, and the men of our church are excited about continuing to invest in these relationships throughout the year ahead.
If you attended the retreat, we want to say thank you for being a part of this church family. It’s not easy to give up a weekend! But your willingness to be present, to listen, to learn, and to share make a difference. Speaking as one of those guys (this is Kenny, btw!), it meant a lot to me to see such sincerity and vulnerability in so many people. I am so grateful for how this little community continues to grow in friendship and in faith. Let’s keep going!
Also, if you attended the Women’s Brunch on Sunday morning, I want to say thank you to you, too! That event went really well, and it’s a joy to see everyone continuing to build trust with each other.
Lastly, I want everyone to know that after two weeks of potlucks and retreats, we will be back to our regular Sunday gathering scheduling this weekend. Church service will be at the usual time (10am) and the regular place (Mills-Parole Elementary School) on Sunday, April 6. We will be continuing in our “interlude series” for 2025, titled How Jesus Cares… and we are excited to see you there!
BECOME // MIGRATING RECURRING GIFTS TO OUR NEW PLATFORM…
Over the last month, we have shared that our church management software, CCB, is requiring all recurring givers at Revolution to move from their old payment processing system (BluePay) to a new payment processing system (Pushpay). If you are a recurring giver, please be on the lookout this week for another email with instructions about how to 1) cancel your current recurring gift in CCB and 2) set up a new recurring gift in the new program. The process only takes a few minutes, and if you would like help, you can get in touch with Kenny or our Financial Lay Leader Matt Shacka (mshacka@gmail.com). Also, if you are someone who has been considering setting up a recurring donation to Revolution Church, this is a great time to start! All you need to do is go to www.revolutionannapolis.com/giving and follow the prompts there. In every case, we want to thank you for continuing to support this ministry! Revolution is an entirely self-funded community, and every single gift plays an essential part in keeping this church going. We believe in our mission (to create a genuinely safe place for people to explore and connect with Christian faith), and we also believe that the small part we play in the bigger story of the Church in Annapolis is an absolutely essential one. There are neighbors who need this little church… who are looking and hoping for it… and we want to continue to be here for them long into the future. Thank you for making this possible!
BECOME // CLEANING UP CAPE ST. CLAIRE THIS SATURDAY!
Hi everyone! Emily and Allison here. Earth Month is HERE, and the Outdoors Group is planning to join Alliance for the Bay (a local environmental nonprofit) for a community event we can join to help clean up a stream in Cape St Claire. You can find details HERE, including instructions about how to sign up ahead of time. If you’re going, please also let Emily and/or Allison know so they can look out for you there! You can reach them at ehhel3986@gmail.com or amcnerney187@gmail.com. The event will be Saturday April 5th, 9am-12pm, at 1343 Cape St. Claire Rd in Annapolis. Gloves and garbage bags will be provided. Wear clothes you don’t mind getting dirty, as well as closed toed shoes. Recommended to bring a water bottle and any sun protection you deem worthy. We can go out to lunch together after to celebrate for those who want to join in more food fellowship after. We hope to see you there and steward God’s creation together!
BELONG // FAMILY RETREAT MAY 16-18
On May 16-18, we will be returning to Camp Harmison in Berkeley Springs, WV for our annual Church Family Retreat! This retreat is open to everyone who considers Revolution their church home, and it involves a “camping lite” experience: a covered shelter, fireplace, full indoor kitchen, and bathrooms/showers are available… but if you would like to stay on-site, you will need a tent or RV for sleeping. If the tent life isn’t for you, some folks also elect to get hotel rooms in Berkeley Springs for the night and visit with the rest of the crew at Camp Harmison during the daytime hours… so that’s also an option! If you will be staying in a hotel, please email/text Kenny to let him know so you can get in on the group emails… there is no need for you to pay/register!
This weekend is one of our very favorites each year: it’s a great chance to make new friends, play games, share stories around the fire, and find some much-needed space for relaxing. You can sign up by going to www.revolutionannapolis.com/familyretreat!
BELONG // UPCOMING MEN’S EVENTS
With this year’s retreat now behind us, we want to use this moment to jumpstart a new plan for men’s fellowship at Revolution. Andy Guzik and Jon Connolly will be organizing a series of bi-monthly get togethers for all the guys in this church community, and the first one is coming up soon:
April 11: Baysox Game! We will be heading to the ballpark together to watch a game between the (newly rebranded) Chesapeake BaySox and the Erie SeaWolves. The game starts, and general admission tickets are on sale now for $13 (in advance). Just head over to www.mlb.com/chesapeake to get yours, and we’ll meet up in front of the stadium before we find our seats!If you are planning on going, also please send a quick email to Andy Guzik (asguzik@yahoo.com) so we know to look out for you at the game!
Also, if you would like to help Andy and Jon plan out events for the rest of the year, please let them know: these two guys are masters of logistics, but Andy has already confessed that (if we leave him to his own devices) there’s going to be a lot of baseball on the schedule! They would love to brainstorm ideas with you!
BELONG // UPCOMING WOMEN’S EVENTS
The women of Revolution will be meeting every other month this coming year (alternating months with the Outdoor Group), so there will always be something for everyone. Below are the main months (think “odd” numbered months…) and the activities we’ve drafted so far. For activities not chosen this year, anyone who wants to organize a get together (e.g., a meal, or an outing/event), please feel free to champion individual events. This can be right in the women’s GroupMe, or you can feel free to coordinate with Maggie and Emily as appropriate (e.g., if it makes sense to have a signup link and/or an announcement in the Loop). Otherwise, please save the dates below and we hope to see you at these future events!
March 30: Women’s Brunch and Worship during the men’s retreat (child care provided)
May 3: Art and Fondue Fun
July (exact date closer to the time): Game Night and Make Your Own Sundaes
September: Firepit
November: Women’s Retreat (including clothing swap)
BECOME // A SPECIAL M.P.E.S. THANK YOU!
Many thanks to Sarah Kramer, Carol Brooks, Nance Kline, Robin Schmidt, and Donna Schmidt who, along with our Community Engagement Lay Leader Cathy Miller, served at the week long book fair at Mills-Parole Elementary School two weeks ago! It is a privilege to serve the needs of this school community!
BECOME // SERVICE OPPORTUNITIES FOR THIS YEAR
Cathy Miller, our Community Engagement Lay Leader, is once again putting a schedule together full of opportunities for you to serve our broader community here in Annapolis this Spring… but we would love to do more! So, what are you passionate about? What needs have you seen, or do you know about? Reach out to us to let us know, and we can work together to help our neighbors. Just message Cathy, Kenny, or anyone on the Leadership Team… we can make a difference together!
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).
BELONG // ONLINE BIBLE STUDY GROUP
The Online Bible Study is a great place to get involved in community and expand your understanding of Scripture… all from the comfort of home! You are always invited to jump in with these studies any time! The group meets on Monday nights over Zoom, and for more information about how to get involved, just get in touch with our Discipleship Lay Leader, Dante Griffin, at dangriff67@gmail.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, Cathy Miller (cathygrowinghealthy@gmail.com).
BELONG // STAY IN THE LOOP ALL WEEK LONG!
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