The Loop / March 4, 2025
Catch Up with the Current series:
This Week’s Announcements:
BELIEVE // ASH WEDNESDAY SERVICE MARCH 5
Once again, Revolution will be participating in an ecumenical (multi-church, cross-denominational) Ash Wednesday service! You are invited to join congregations from across Annapolis for a special service at 7pm on March 5 at Calvary United Methodist Church. We hope to see you there!
BECOME // YOUTH RETREAT FUNDRAISING
For the first time ever, the Revolution Youth Group will be going away for a weekend retreat March 21-23 in Lewes, DE. This is such an exciting moment for our church: in 15 years, we have never had a large enough youth group for an event like this, and it is incredible to see what God is building here for our young people. Here’s how you can help: in order to keep the cost for this event as low as possible (several families have more than one child attending), the Youth Group will be holding fundraisers in the coming weeks to help offset their fees. Please consider supporting these fundraisers… and even throwing in a little extra to ease the financial burden! Healthy children and youth ministries are a great indicator of a healthy church, and we are blessed to have such a wonderful group of young people and leaders. Let’s work together to make sure this is the first retreat of many!
BECOME // MIGRATING RECURRING GIFTS TO OUR NEW PLATFORM…
On Sunday, we 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 an 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, our Financial Lay Leader Matt Shacka (mshacka@gmail.com), or you can even do this at church this coming Sunday (Matt will have a table set up!). We want to apologize for this headache (it’s been a hectic few months “behind the scenes” too!)… and, so much more importantly, we also 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 // MEN’S RETREAT MARCH 28-30
Our next Men’s Retreat is just a month and a half away! We’ll be returning again to West River Retreat Center in Edgewater, MD March 28-30 for a guys’ weekend away. The planning team is already hard at work, and they are putting together a genuinely fun and meaningful program for us: several men from our church community will be sharing their stories, we’ll be digging deeper into our faith, and there will be lots of downtime for games, conversations, and hopefully a firepit or two. You won’t want to miss it!
Date: March 28-30
Location: West River Camp (5100 Chalk Point Rd)
Theme: Our Brothers’ Keepers
Cost: $155 for 2 nights and 5 meals on-site; reduced prices available for day visitors. Do not let the cost stop you from coming! If you need assistance/support, please talk to Kenny (kenny@revolutionannapolis.com), and he will make sure you can be there!
You can sign up today HERE!
BELONG // WOMEN’S BRUNCH MARCH 30
During the Men’s Retreat, and in lieu of church service, we will host a ladies brunch at the Pfeifers’ home (1704 Tree House Ct, Annapolis, MD 21401). Sweet and Savory Breakfast casseroles will be provided (so, no need to bring anything!)… but if you are someone who would like to add a dish, please contact Monique for a few items that may be helpful (monique.l.pfeifer@gmail.com). Childcare will be provided by our youth group (youth retreat donations accepted!). We’re excited to share this time!
BELONG // FAMILY RETREAT MAY 16-18
SO MANY RETREATS!! This May, 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 SOON… but mark your calendars NOW!
BELONG // UPCOMING WOMEN’S EVENTS
Thanks to everyone who participated in our women’s planning meeting a few weeks ago! 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 // 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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