The Loop / November 7, 2023
Catch Up with the Current series:
This Week’s Announcements:
BECOME // CHURCH FAMILY MEETING ROUND-UP!
On Sunday, we had an incredible turnout for our annual Family Meeting! I want to thank everyone for coming out to the gathering, and also for caring so deeply about this church. It is a privilege to be a part of such a genuine, caring, and involved community!
If you missed the gathering, the big news was that we are changing locations at the beginning of December: on December 3, we will begin having our weekly 10am gathering at Mills-Parole Elementary School. Mills-Parole is just around the corner from our current meeting place at 1 George and Marion Phelps Ln. We will be sharing more info soon about the easiest ways to get there, our needs for the move, and opportunities for volunteers once we get there in the weeks ahead. But for this week, we just want to say that we are EXCITED! about the chance to be in a space with more room for our kids ministry, and one which will give us an entirely new set of opportunities to be a blessing to our hosts.
Other news at the meeting included: an improved plan for communicating up-to-date budget information in the year ahead, along with news about TWO openings on our Lay Leadership Team this year in the areas of Generosity and Community Engagement. We hope all of you will diligently pray about these openings and whether or not you might be the perfect fit for one of them: Revolution’s Leadership Team isn’t a place for folks who think they are “good enough” to be leaders… it’s a place for folks who love this city and want to see our church be a blessing to it. If you’re interested in learning more, please talk to either me (Kenny) or one of our other Lay Leaders (Clare Bubniak, Dante Griffin, Matt Shacka, Liz Wheeler, and Maggie Young). We’d love to hear from you.
But by far the most memorable thing about the afternoon was this: the room was full. You all showed up. You sat with each other, shared food together, and listened with interest and passion to the updates the Leadership Team and I had to share about the season ahead for Revolution. Sometimes that listening wasn’t easy! The room was loud, there weren’t enough seats, and the mac and cheese ran out way too quickly. But this church is growing… and it’s growing for the right reasons. Folks are finding a community that loves them, friends who are gracious towards them and patient with them, and leaders who are fully committed to sharing the hope God freely offers to everyone who opens themselves up to the possibility of His overwhelming love for them. I can’t wait to be a part of what’s next. And I can’t wait to see what God is going to do with the overflowing generosity of this church.
Thank you for sharing this journey with me, and with each other. -Kenny
BECOME // WOMEN’S RETREAT WEEKEND IS HERE!
Our first women’s retreat since before the pandemic is this weekend! We are so excited for this event, and we need to remind you that we will NOT be having a weekly service at Revolution this Sunday. If you’re planning on staying home, we hope this Sunday is a time of rest, relaxation, and meditation. We’ll be gathering again the next Sunday, November 19.*
BELONG // *UNLESS YOU WANT TO JOIN REVOLUTION DADS…
… for “Dads, Dependents, and Donuts” on Sunday morning! Andy Guzik and Jon Connelly have organized a gathering at (would you believe it?!) our future location, Mills-Parole Elementary School for this Sunday morning, and everyone is invited to join them by the playground from 10-11am for a casual hangout, donuts, and a (perhaps very welcome) distraction for younger kiddos. If you would like to join, please let Andy know at asguzik@yahoo.com so he can make sure there are enough donuts to go around!
BECOME // THANKSGIVING MEALS FOR THE HUNGRY
On November 15, the Heritage Food Pantry is preparing more than 100 meal boxes to distribute to our neighbors in need… and they need volunteer help! The event will run from 4:30-8:30 that day, and no prior experience or registration is needed: just show up, offer to help, and Kenny/others will find work for you to do! Don’t miss these opportunity to care for the people of Annapolis in a such a tangible, important way. We hope to see you there!
BECOME // HELP WITH “THE HAVEN”
Our Family Meeting on Sunday was held at a location called “The Haven” that is operated by our friends at College Creek Church. The space (at 36 Clay Street) is intended to serve as a community outreach center for folks who live on or near the Clay Street corridor. The building has a free laundry, a donated clothes closet, and (whenever available) food for those in need. They also host an afterschool program in the afternoons to help neighborhood kids with homework and provide a safe space with friends, video games, and snacks during the hours between the end of school and when many parents get home from work. The Haven would love our help! The key to their services is scheduling volunteers to be present any time the doors are open. In fact, when they can’t schedule volunteers, the space remains closed! College Creek is a small church very similar to Revolution, and they can’t do everything they want to do with The Haven on their own. But we can help! If you might be willing to serve with this ministry, please email outreach@collegecreekchurch.org to learn more and schedule a time to visit and even serve!
BELIEVE // HOW WE CAN GROW TOGETHER
In our last series, 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 fall:
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!
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 // SPIRITUAL DISCIPLINES: RESOURCES FOR YOUR JOURNEY
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.
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 // 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 // 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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