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IN THIS ISSUE
14 COVER STORY: A RELUCTANT YES Reflecting on 25 years at Bay Area, Lead Pastor Greg St. Cyr and his wife Mary Kaye share how their reluctant “yes” to leaving the global mission field has led to a fruitful life of ministry in Annapolis.
8 ALLEN’S EDITORIAL: ON MISSION TOGETHER Over six months into his new job, Missional Communities Pastor Allen Smith shares his vision for how communities of people at Bay Area can come together to reach many of the 440,000 in Anne Arundel County who don’t know Jesus.
18 LEADERSHIP PROFILE: THULI LEIGH Elementary Coordinator Thuli Leigh shares her story of coming to faith through a best friend’s relentless pursuit, and how her journey led her from South Africa to Annapolis to Bay Area.
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22 PHOTO ESSAY: LEBANON In April, Bay Area sent its first short term missions team to serve refugee families in Lebanon. Team member Aaron Rosa captured scenes of ministry and everyday life during the trip to share about the way God is at work through His people in Lebanon.
26 SCHOOL OF BIBLICAL LEADERSHIP Two years into the program, Missional Community Director Jocelyn Sacks unpacks how leaders across every ministry are being developed through Bay Area’s School of Biblical Leadership.
We appreciate your comments and questions. Please email us at feedback@bayareacc.org and a staff member or elder will respond within 48 hours.
Gatherings: Saturday, 5:20 p.m. & Sunday, 7:50, 9:20, 11:20 a.m.
MAGAZINE CREDITS EDITOR Meredith Thompson ART DIRECTOR Josh Shirlen ASSISTANT PHOTO EDITOR Arianne Teeple LEAD DESIGNER Jake Williams DESIGNER Josh Burgin CONTRIBUTORS Aaron Rosa Allen Smith Jason Barthelemy Jocelyn Sacks Michele Rollins
On the cover: Greg St. Cyr Photo by Josh Shirlen
ELDERS Barry Willhite Bill Plenge Bill Smith Chris Heacock Don Wiley Greg St. Cyr J. Upton John Taylor Keith Riniker Ken Gilmore Merrill Hoekstra Peter Godfrey Rich Heath Roger Ishii Tim Grossman Tom Hogan Warwick Fairfax
884 Chesterfield Rd. Annapolis, MD 21401
410.544.2222
BAY AREA LEADERSHIP Allen Smith, Missional Communities Pastor – allen.smith@bayareacc.org Brent Squires, Student Ministry Pastor – brent.squires@bayareacc.org Brian Hopper, Annapolis Campus Pastor – brian.hopper@bayareacc.org Craig Fadel, Easton Campus Pastor – craig.fadel@bayareacc.org Gail Wiles, Campus Launch & Children’s Ministry Director – gail.wiles@bayareacc.org Greg St. Cyr, Lead Pastor – greg.stcyr@bayareacc.org Janet Graves, Women’s Ministry Director – janet.graves@bayareacc.org Jason Barthelemy, Odenton Campus Pastor – jason.barthelemy@bayareacc.org Jerry Shirlen, Financial Administrator – jerry.shirlen@bayareacc.org Jocelyn Sacks, Missional Community Director – jocelyn.sacks@bayareacc.org Jonathan Madrid, Worship Leader – jonathan.madrid@bayareacc.org Josh Shirlen, Creative Director – josh.shirlen@bayareacc.org Kristin Collins, Annapolis Children’s Ministry Director – kristin.collins@bayareacc.org Leanne Lane, Care Network Director – leanne.lane@bayareacc.org Meredith Thompson, Communications Director – meredith.thompson@bayareacc.org Michele Rollins, Short Term Missions Director – michele.rollins@bayareacc.org Pat Linnell, Teaching Pastor – pat.linnell@bayareacc.org Ron Dutton, Operations Director – ron.dutton@bayareacc.org
For a comprehensive list of all Bay Area staff, elders and deacons, please visit bayareacc.org/leadership
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LETTER FROM THE LEAD
ast month my oldest daughter, Susan, was rummaging through a box filled with high school memories when she came upon one of our church bulletins from April 1, 2001. What a throwback! Tucked inside were several flyers including an invitation to join us for Easter, as well as one to come out and hear “Vision2010” in which we’d be discussing, among other things, our future building. Much has happened since that spring Sunday morning in 2001. Reflecting back on “Vision2010,” I can’t help but smile as I remember our dreams of moving into our own facility, multiplying Missional Communities (we called them HomeGroups back then), reaching the next generation, planting churches, and impacting both the county and the nations. Now it’s June of 2019 and I have the advantage of hindsight. Looking into the rearview mirror, I’d like to share with you several things have become clear to me. God is so gracious and faithful to our church. He has brought just the right people at the right time. He’s long-suffered with our mistakes and protected us from Satan’s attacks. The Lord has provided direction, finances and leaders at just the right time. He is faithful. Jesus takes responsibility to build His church. In Matthew 16, Jesus says, “I will build my church.” I can’t begin to express how many times I’ve clung to that promise and prayed it back to Jesus. Our responsibility is to be faithful. His part is to build His church.
Nothing is impossible for God. Three adjectives frequently used in the Old Testament to describe God are great, mighty and awesome. That’s our God! He is omnipotent! If you have a big God, you have small problems. God delights when we surrender and trust. Every day is simply another day to show up and die to self. The walk of the believer is one of denying self, taking up His cross, and following. It’s a life of surrender and faith. Faith obeys God regardless of circumstances, feelings or outcomes. Every time we have surrendered and trusted as a church, God has shown up in powerful ways. What is most important is our personal, intimate relationship with the Lord. The main thing is to abide in Jesus. As we spend daily time in prayer, reflecting upon God’s Word, confessing our sin, and obeying His prompting, God takes care of the rest. Now, more than ever, I realize that few things really matter. The main thing truly is our relationship with the Lord. Focus on that and He will reveal to you how big He really is. His greatness will overwhelm you into a posture of surrender and faith. And the end result will be God doing the impossible through you, building His church, and proving Himself gracious and faithful. That’s been our collective experience as a church. “Vision2010” has come and gone. But no worries, Jesus is giving us His vision for the next decade. I look forward to sharing that with you this September. It’s a joy journeying together in our brief lifetime to make passionate, maturing followers of Jesus. I’m thankful for each person who calls Bay Area their church home.
From here to the nations,
Greg St. Cyr Lead Pastor
Greg St. Cyr is the lead pastor at Bay Area Community Church and a monthly contributor to GO&MAKE.
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LEVEL THE FIELD By Pat Linnell
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D
ouldn’t you admit that home field advantage is a real thing? Especially in pro sports, it seems like a given that sleeping in your own bed, eating at your favorite places, having the fan support and other creature comforts of home provide at least some psychological benefit in having an edge over the competition. In the NFL for instance, the statistics do prove this as the home team wins more than half the time. For a long time I just figured that if you were one of the people in the Bible then you’d have a home field advantage in following God – I mean, you are in the Bible. This means you might have seen an angel, heard God’s voice, maybe even been in the physical presence of divinity.
Abraham needed to trust God would provide a home, a family and a life – after he left his home, family and life. Moses was given special abilities to perform miracles, but still needed to obey God completely to fulfill his mission. And Peter, at a crucial time in Jesus’ last days, wrestled with faithlessness and trusting God in the face of adversity. While these people were not needing to trust the existence of God, they were having to trust the faithfulness and goodness of God. The key: continual trust. This became difficult when their natural fears, unbelief or rebellion would creep in when faced with decisions they were tempted to make that weren’t God’s will for them. We’ve seen Adam and Eve fall, Abraham make mistakes, Moses disobey, and Peter deny even knowing Jesus.
IF YOU HEARD HIS VOICE WITHOUT QUESTION WOULD IT BE EASIER TO OBEY HIM? Take our first parents, Adam and Eve – they undoubtedly had a unique arraignment with God in the garden at first. How about Abraham, who heard God speaking to Him from heaven? How about Moses who met God one day through a burning bush? Or even Peter who witnessed a whole bunch of miracles including walking on water himself – well, at least for a minute there. If you stacked all those folks up against a handful of church people it sounds like an NFL team vs. the JV squad. And just to clarify – we are the JV squad. But if all of a sudden the invisible God was right here in plain sight would it be easier to follow Him? If you heard His voice without question would it be easier to obey Him? Is there really a home field advantage for the professionals of the Bible – or are they more like us than we think? Are we even made of the same stuff as those people? Well, yes, we are. I contend that the same operating principle is at work today with God for us, as it was for our Bible heroes. What God required of them was faith, or trust. Nothing has changed. Adam and Eve needed to trust that God’s words to them were truthful and the very best for them.
So yeah, our Bible heroes are human beings faced with the same daily opportunities to walk with God by continually trusting Him and living for Him – or not. This is why in Hebrews 11 people from Bible history are commended for their faith – those key times when they trusted God no matter what seemingly bad consequences might ensue. So, in reality all people, in the Bible or not, are like the JV team – normal, everyday, average – but at the same time we all have the ability to be more by the extraordinary life that comes from a life lived out of complete trust in God. God wants our faith and continuous trust. Without it we cannot please Him. And now that you see it’s possible that the playing field is level, the question remains – are you in the game?
Pat Linnell is the teaching pastor at Bay Area Community Church and a monthly contributer to GO&MAKE.
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By Allen Smith 8 GO&MAKE J U N E
hard to believe that my family has been here just a little over seven months. Bay Area has been everything and more than we could have hoped for! Let me take you back to last fall to share some of our journey… Last September, I was in a season seeking God’s will for our future direction. I had not yet visited Bay Area, so I thought I’d listen to some of the sermons on podcast. I scrolled down the list and saw “Vision Sunday” and I thought, “this would be a great introduction to Bay Area.” So, I hit play and walked into the gym. By the time I got to the bench press, I heard Greg say that Bay Area’s vision was “every one a missionary.” When I heard him say that, a surge of energy went through my body and I threw up my heavy bar. I jumped up and said to myself, “Yes! This is the church I want to be part of! I want to help them to not only make individual missionaries, but also make missionary families.” One of the words that I would use to describe Bay Area is family. I have visited nearly half of our Missional Communities, and I’ve been impressed by how thick the community is. A recent survey we conducted confirms this observation: 68 percent of our Missional Community leaders said that community life was their strength. I’ve also witnessed the same rich community in our other environments: weekend gatherings, student and children’s ministries, women’s and men’s ministries, and everywhere in between. People are eating together, praying together, playing together, talking about the Bible together, and caring for each other. This is what I have observed: the Bay Area family has so much to offer Anne Arundel County!
hear the gospel proclaimed but also see the gospel in action and feel its implications. The best place to see and feel the gospel is Christian community. And that is good news for Bay Area! We have the gospel and good community. What if we said that the main purpose for our awesome Christian communities wasn’t primarily for us to hang with our best friends, but rather for the benefit of those not yet among us? So many nonChristians would love to experience the love and care we already experience in our communities. Perhaps, when they see the gospel in action and feel its implications, they will be open to hear its message as good news. And that’s what it means to be a missionary family: awesome communities that exist for the sake of others to come and experience the good news of Jesus. When Loren Cunningham, the founder of YWAM, was here at Bay Area, Greg asked him to give us a charge. This is what he said: “Look at where you live as a mission field.” When I heard Loren say that, I knew I needed to share it with you. Anne Arundel County is where we live. Over 440,000 non-believers live in our county. When the entire Church takes a missionary posture, the Holy Spirit will empower us to reach the 440,000 and beyond in our lifetime. Individual missionaries can’t do it alone. Missionary families are also needed. This is good news for Bay Area because mission is the family business.
L O O K AT WHERE YOU LIVE AS A MISSION FIELD.
Missiologist Harvie Conn once said, “The church [is] the only organization in the world that exists for the sake of its non-members.” Think about that. Schools exist to educate students. Police exist to protect citizens. Businesses exists to provide goods and services to their markets. Hospitals exists to care for the sick and wounded. Every good organization reaches beyond itself, but it is never the primary reason why it exists. Not so with the church! Ravi Zacharias recently said that we live in a time when most hear with their eyes and think with their feelings. No longer can we simply declare the gospel and expect masses of people to come to faith. Rather, our increasingly skeptical world needs not only to
After my initial seven months, I am more excited about Bay Area’s vision than I was in that day in the gym. Our communities can become more “missional” as we re-frame for whom they exist. And I am grateful that I get to roll up my sleeves and join you as we become missionary families together. To learn more about missional communities at Bay Area, visit bayareacc.org/missionalcommunities.
Allen Smith is the Missional Community Pastor at Bay Area Community Church.
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Encouraged in Odenton
By Jason Barthelemy
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If I were to summarize Easter in Odenton with one word, it would be “encouraging.” It was encouraging to watch droves of parents and kids flock to GORC park in Odenton for our Easter Egg Hunt. It was encouraging to watch over 125 volunteers serve like Jesus on Easter Sunday. It was encouraging to see the excitement in the community for Bay Area Community Church to come to Odenton. It was encouraging to see 23 people take the step of faith to be baptized. As an encouragement to you, I want to share a couple of stories from our Easter gatherings at Arundel High School. At the end of our second gathering, a young man named Brandon came forward to be baptized. Brandon was one of the first people to arrive that morning at Arundel High School; he helped set up the baptismal, put signs out by the road, and helped welcome guests by serving on the parking team. I will never forget Brandon walking up to the team supporting the baptisms and taking off his walkie talkie off before entering the tank! A member of our launch team and I followed up with Brandon a few days afterward. He shared that he woke up that morning with no intention of being baptized. The invitation by Pat Linnell was met with the Holy Spirit’s irresistible nudge on his heart. He was encouraged by the opportunity to serve the church with his gifts and respond to what Jesus was calling him to do. You could tell that he was still moved several days later. Another story is from a person who filled out a gathering card seeking prayer. In following up with him, I learned that he struggled with anxiety through health and legal issues bearing down on
him. He hadn’t attended church in several years, but through the invitation of a friend (take note!) he came to the Easter gathering at Arundel High School. He shared that his “heart was full” as a result of hearing the Good News at the gathering. He was grateful for the follow-up and prayer, and shared that he desired to be a part of the campus when it launches in September. Neither of these stories could have taken place apart from the supernatural work of Jesus. Jesus is the hero of Easter! Both of these stories capture what we are praying for through the establishment of a campus in the Odenton area. We are praying for transformation through the gospel of Jesus Christ. Utilizing our incredible ministry environments for children, students, Missional Communities and worship, we desire to see the gospel reach the hearts of the community. We were encouraged to see that take place! This summer we are striving to build on the momentum of Easter and make further connections and introductions of Bay Area Community Church to the Odenton community. Throughout the summer we will be joining events that are already taking place in the area like Fireworks at GORC Park on June 29, Thursday evening Food Trucks at the Odenton Volunteer Fire Department, prayer walks and a block party. These events will lead up to our launch on September 15 at Arundel High School, and are designed for you to invite friends and neighbors to get to know us. Be praying, inviting and be encouraged that Jesus is going to work in the lives of those we are seeking to reach! If you’d like to connect, please shoot me an email at jason.barthelemy@bayareacc.org. I’d love to hear from you!
Jason Barthelemy is the Campus Pastor at Bay Area Community Church Odenton.
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SUMMER ACTIVITIES FOR WOMEN AT BAY AREA 20 19
MAKE YOUR OWN PLANTER
JUNE 6, 6:30 - 8 PM Join Master Gardener, Erin LeMere, and create a floral planter to take home. Cost: $15. Location: Patio outside Bay Café.
STAND UP PADDLEBOARDING
JUNE 28, 6 - 8 PM Paddle the Spa Creek waters of Downtown Annapolis. Appetizers at 5 PM at Sam’s Waterfront Café. Reserve at capitalsup.com.
BIBLE ART JOURNALING
JULY 9, 6:30 - 8 PM Learn to create a faux calligraphy Bible verse using watercolor and ink. Cost: $10.
ALL-DAY KAYAKING TRIP
JULY 20, 7:30 AM - 8:30 PM Carpool from church to Luray, VA for an afternoon of kayaking on the Shenandoah River. Bring water, lunch, and we’ll stop for dinner on the way home. Cost: $36/kayak. For beginners and above.
QUILT SEWING WORKSHOP
AUGUST 3, 9:30- NOON Bring your daughter (ages 9+) and learn to sew with a machine, how to measure and cut fabric, sew a straight seam and construct a quilted pillowcase. Cost: $10.
NAVAL ACADEMY BAND
AUGUST 5, 7- 8 PM Come early and bring your lawn chair for this free concert at City Dock in Downtown Annapolis. Buy a local take-out dinner to eat together.
For more info: bayareacc.org/annapolis/women 12 GO&MAKE J U N E
SAVE THE DATE FOR A
W ED N ESDAY NI G H T TEACH I NG SER I ES
SANCTITY JULY 10, 17 & 24
Join us for a summer teaching series as we take an in-depth look at what the Bible says about the sanctity of life, marriage and children.
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reg St. Cyr hung up the phone, mad as a hornet. It was 1993, Communism had recently fallen in Poland where he lived, and he had just been asked to pray. The audacity! The topic had come up in earlier phone conversations: leave Warsaw, where Greg and his wife Mary Kaye had served as missionaries with Cru for seven years, to come join the staff of a place called Bay Area Community Church in Annapolis, Maryland. Greg’s answer had been the same each time: No thanks! Not interested. This time, he was duped. Instead of asking Greg if he would come, founding pastor Mike Metzger called to ask Greg if he would pray about something. Of course, he said yes! The “something” turned out to be leaving Poland behind for Bay Area. For three days, Greg was too angry to pray. He and Mary Kaye were global missionaries, and that’s how they envisioned spending the rest of their one and only life together. Their plan did not involve relocating 4,300 miles to a water-situated state capitol to pastor a small church plant that met in a school.
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But God had other plans. Greg St. Cyr grew up in a Catholic home the second-oldest of a dozen children in Slidell, Louisiana. When he was 18 years old, he gave his life to Jesus through a gospel presentation on the white sands of Panama City Beach, Florida. Two states away, in Oklahoma, Mary Kaye was raised in a comfortable home that was forever changed when her parents placed their faith in Jesus. She was 8 years old at the time, and made the same pivotal decision soon after. By eighth grade, her family had abandoned the American dream to serve as missionaries in Africa. At the end of their college years, Mary Kaye securing her diploma a year ahead of Greg, they both felt an irresistible call into vocational ministry. Along with 1,000 other believers, they each packed a suitcase and headed to Fort Collins, Colorado, to be trained for joining staff with Cru, then known as Campus Crusade for Christ. There, a mutual friend introduced them, and on May 14, 1983, they exchanged rings and vowed to spend the rest of their lives reaching people for Jesus together on the global mission field. “I never wanted to be a pastor, never took a preaching course,” Greg confessed while sitting in his office, “lead pastor” printed on the nameplate outside his door, a day after his 36th wedding anniversary. “Mary Kaye and I wanted to give our lives to advancing the Kingdom beyond the borders of the United States. That was our plan, but God had a different plan.”
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In 1994, the St. Cyrs said a reluctant “yes” to God and boarded a transAtlantic flight to help lead Bay Area. Mary Kaye noted they thought it might be a temporary assignment, that they could go back to Poland after a couple years. But on Mother’s Day 1997, against seemingly insurmountable odds yet in God’s perfect plan, Greg was named from among 200 candidates to serve as senior pastor of Bay Area. They would not be returning to the global mission field in a full-time capacity, though the desire to go back has never left. After years of wrestling with the tension of being called to pastor Bay Area but wanting to serve overseas, Greg was discouraged and bemoaned to his mentor, Jim Hiskey, “I want to be a missionary!” Sitting next to his conflicted mentee, gently swinging on his backyard bench that overlooked the garden he had planted for his wife, Jim replied, “Greg, you are a missionary, and you need to see yourself as a missionary leading 1,000 missionaries!” That helped, Greg said years later, understating the impact of his friend’s wisdom. Jim was right, just as he had been right when he imparted to Greg the concept of being dead to self. “Greg, you just want to be a dead man!” Jim told him, explaining that a dead person doesn’t have a will of their own. Instead, we want to be fully surrendered to whatever the Lord wants – wherever the Lord wants.
“There’s always an ongoing tension in me to want to serve overseas, but I absolutely love what God’s doing here! So as long as we’re a church that’s making disciples ‘from here to the nations,’ it’s not hard for me to be here,” Greg said of Bay Area, a church whose vision is “Every One A Missionary.” From the stage, Greg has taught that we are no more missionaries in El Salvador than Eastport, in Poland than Pasadena. And in his heart, this has become true. He is a missionary in Annapolis, Maryland, who has the joy of leading thousands of missionaries who are making disciples in their home communities and around the world. Reflecting on the past 25 years of ministry at Bay Area, Greg and Mary Kaye rattled off highlights of how they have seen God on the move among their church family. A vision to plant gospelcentered churches around the area that was birthed in the late 90s was realized in 2009 when Bay Area commissioned a team of about 40 to start Downtown Hope. The Sunday their team was sent out remains one of Greg’s all-time favorite moments at Bay Area. Since then, nearly 20 more churches have been planted through the SENT Network, which Bay Area launched in 2012. For Mary Kaye, one of her fondest Bay Area memories is of again reluctantly saying yes to God – this time to return to the global mission field. Mary Kaye will tell you she is a discipler, an encourager, maybe even a teacher – but not a leader. So when then-Global Missions Pastor Casely Essamuah tapped her to lead a short term mission team to El Salvador, she hesitated. But again, a tentative “yes” bore fruit. “I saw God work like never before in the lives of everybody on that team,” she recalled. Greg loves to watch things grow: people in their faith journeys, his grandchildren, the vegetable garden at their last house, the Louisiana live
oak tree he transported from his home state to Annapolis as a sapling. In South Sudan, Greg has watched what was simply a vision for Pastor Stephen Mathiang in 2007 blossom into a thriving, multifaceted ministry that impacts thousands in the world’s newest country today. In India, he’s watched with joy as Pastor Samuel has trained and equipped hundreds of pastors and church planters.
“ . . . O N E T H I N G HAS BECOME THEIR HIGHEST P R I O R I T Y:
Over the last two and a half decades, Greg and Mary Kaye have grown too – primarily in the areas of surrender and dependence on the Lord. Much of what mattered to them in the past doesn’t anymore. Instead, one thing has become their highest priority: cultivating a personal, intimate relationship with Jesus. Looking ahead to the next stint of serving at B ay Area, Greg conveyed excitement about what’s next for the church. “The elders have been working through what the next 10 years look like for Bay Area, and all I can say is that we are believing for a wave of God’s grace that is going to lead us to become a 10-mina church,” he said, enthused about Bay Area’s future. “So, catch the wave!”
C U LT I V AT I N G A PERSONAL, I N T I M AT E R E L AT I O N S H I P W I T H J E S U S .”
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LEADERSHIP
PROFILE:
THULI LEIGH okuthula Leigh, better known as Thuli, was born and raised in a single-parent home during apartheid in South Africa. She considers her mother the hero of her story; when racial segregation ended in the mid ‘90s, Thuli’s mom made enormous personal sacrifices to send her daughter to an English boarding school. Such an education was way out of reach for her mom, but she gave up owning a home, car – really everything to make it happen for Thuli. And it was at that school that 10-year-old Thuli met her best friend, a Christian girl who was her exact opposite. “We grew up together, but nobody understood our friendship because she was everything godly and wonderful and I was everything terrible,” Thuli recalled, admitting she was loud, obnoxious and self-centered as a teen. “Anyone who knew us was just baffled that she would be friends with me.” She invited Thuli to church over the years, tirelessly, relentlessly. For more than a decade, Thuli gave her friend the same answer: pass. But one Sunday, two years into their time at university, her faithful friend asked again: “I’m going to church. I know you probably don’t want to come, but if you want to…” To her amazement, Thuli accepted the invitation. Mutual friends of theirs had been making fun of the church, and Thuli wanted to see what it was all about. Her motivation was misplaced, but God would use her “yes.” The pastor delivered a message entitled “The Incredible Results of Bible Faith” and concluded with an invitation for people to attend a
prayer meeting that evening. Thuli’s friend got up to leave, assuming she was dying to get out of there, but God was working in Thuli’s heart and she asked to stay. An invitation was given during the prayer meeting for people to come forward and place their faith in Jesus, and Thuli walked up front and gave her life to the Lord at the age of 23. Her friend’s unwillingness to throw in the towel now inspires Thuli to spur others on in pursuit of their loved ones’ salvation. “When people tell me about a friend who is difficult, I say, ‘Please stay with them. Please don’t give up,’” she said, eternally grateful for her best friend’s 13-year commitment to pointing her toward Jesus. During her third year of law school, Thuli went through an especially difficult breakup and was ready to just hit reset on life. She looked for options to move to a new place, to start afresh, and landed 8,000 miles away on the flipside of the equator in Annapolis, Maryland. Thuli began attending a little black church where she was the youngest congregant by roughly three decades. They took her under their wings and loved her while she worked through heartbreak and questions of identity. The Atlantic Ocean was no barrier for her best friend’s continued influence in her life: after a year of being nurtured in that church, she told Thuli to find a church where she could get involved and serve. Thuli found Bay Area, and began attending a young-adult ministry that met on Sunday evenings. “I would leave before anyone would talk to me,” Thuli confessed, adding with a laugh, “but one time this guy Steve came up to me and said, ‘We need a black person in our small group. Do you want to come and add some diversity?’” Thuli didn’t fulfill Steve’s agenda of bringing diversity – when they realized her favorite author is Charles Dickens
By Meredith Thompson and her favorite TV show was “Frasier,” they determined they had selected the wrong black girl – but she did meet her husband Zach in the group. Years later, as they sat in a Sunday morning gathering listening to one of Bay Area’s pastoral residents share about his call into vocational ministry, Thuli felt something stir in her heart. She loved her job in market research, but she believed God was leading her into full-time ministry. She joined staff at Bay Area in February 2018, and serves in Children’s Ministry as elementary coordinator. In that role, she’s responsible for helping make Sunday mornings happen for kids in kindergarten through fifth-grade. Each week, Thuli ensures every room has leaders who are well trained and resourced to disciple the kids, selects activities, orders supplies and prepares lessons. She most enjoys the opportunities she gets to personally disciple children, whether walking them through the baptism process or teaching a lesson like she did this past Good Friday. Over the last nine months, Thuli stepped out in faith and allowed herself to be stretched to new levels of perseverance and trusting God by participating in Bay Area’s School of Biblical Leadership. She noted the experience has helped her do things she’s not comfortable with, like going on her first short term mission trip this summer to Ghana. Outside of reading Charles Dickens novels, Thuli’s hobbies include hanging out with her friends and spending time with her family. She and Zach are homebodies, she explained, and enjoy staying in to watch movies or going for walks. Together, they are passionate about seriously discipling their two kids, and devote much of their time to molding the youngsters’ faith walks. Inside and outside of her home, Thuli is passionate about helping little ones come to know and follow Jesus.
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By Michele Rollins
magine, lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur for a moment, molestie eu augue ut, vulputate gravida lorem that you live in a country where it is illegal to share your faith unless you belong to the majority religion. Donec non gravida mi. Fusce quis bibendum dolor, sed imperdiet dolor. In fact, it’s likely that you do belong to the majority religion – maybe Islam, Hinduism or Buddhism. You have never met a follower of Jesus, never seen a Bible in your own language. Fusce quis bibendum dolor, sed imperdiet dolor. Even if you wanted to learn about Jesus or begin to follow Him, inaccessibility of the gospel would likely keep you away.
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Aliquam quis convallis orci, non malesuada nisi. Morbi semper velit nunc, at tempus magna varius eu. Ut sed aliquam ex. Donec non gravida mi.
Fusce quis bibendum dolor, sed imperdiet dolor. Phasellus tristique blandit urna ac varius. Nam tempor mi nec tortor blandit, eu mollis velit.
For more than 3 billion people in the world, this is reality. And yet, Jesus has promised to build His church (Matt. 16:18). He has called us to make disciples of all nations (Matt. 28:19). He has promised to gather people from every tribe, people and language (Rev. 7:9). How can this happen? The answer is prayer – persistent, faith-filled prayer.
about them and commit to praying for spiritual hunger, for missionaries to go to them, for a thriving community of Jesus-followers in their midst.
I’ve always found Jesus’ instructions to His disciples in Luke 10 curious. He’s sending them out to share the gospel, and He says this: “The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few. Therefore pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest” (v. 2). If I were speaking, I might have said something like, “the laborers are few, therefore go out into the harvest.” But that’s not what Jesus says – He, in his perfect wisdom, begins the work with prayer. Instead of first calling them to act, Jesus calls them to pray first, and then act. Prayer works in places where we can’t and moves our hearts to align with God’s heart for people we don’t know, who are intimately loved and known by God. How can you and I partner with God by praying for the nations? Pray for a people group. Joshua Project is a great resource to learn about different people groups, while Operation World provides prayer points to guide your prayer. Choose a specific group, learn
“ Let’s change the world together, Bay Area.” Pray for a person. Is there a person you know who doesn’t yet know Jesus, maybe even one who lives in another country without access to the gospel that you have? Commit to praying for them and to loving them well with the love that Jesus has so freely given to you.
Pray for a global partner. Bay Area partners with gifted leaders all over the world with a vision to bring the gospel and build the church in their area of ministry. Learn more about one of our partners by visiting bayareacc.org/ globalpartners and commit to praying
for them, their family and their ministry needs. You can also join our Missions Prayer Team to learn and pray for more specific requests.
Pray for laborers in the harvest. Each of us is a sent one, called by Jesus to be lovers of people and to cross boundaries of culture and distance to bring the good news to them. Pray that God would raise up men and women to serve cross-culturally among the nations, so that they can tell the people they serve, “the Kingdom of God has come near” (Luke 10:11). In the words of Andrew Murray, “The man who mobilizes the Christian church to pray will make the greatest contribution to world evangelization in history.” Through prayer, we have an incredibly important role in a purpose so much greater than ourselves – to help lost people encounter Jesus. Let’s change the world together, Bay Area. Join the Missions Prayer Team on the second and fourth Sundays of the month at 9:20 a.m. in the Prayer Room at our Annapolis Campus to pray for our global partners and missionaries. Interested in receiving prayer updates? Email missions@bayareacc.org to be added to the distribution list.
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Lebanon Photos By Aaron Rosa
April, Bay Area sent our first-ever short term missions team to Lebanon to serve alongside Chris and Kim Todd as they serve refugee families in the city of Tyre. Digital Communication Coordinator Aaron Rosa captured scenes of ministry and everyday life during their team’s trip to share about the way God is at work through His people in Lebanon.
Chris Todd teaches in the Spinney’s refugee camp in Tyre, Lebanon. Chris leads a ministry to refugees through camp outreach programs that teach basic Arabic literacy to adults and children.
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A young girl plays in the Spinney’s refugee camp in Tyre, Lebanon. In April, Bay Area’s short term missions team engaged children with fun activities to build relationships and show the love of Jesus.
A refugee woman prepares a meal for the Bay Area team at her home in Tyre, Lebanon. Her husband was a high ranking education official in Syria before the civil war; he now helps Chris Todd by administering the school programs in the refugee camps.
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A pastor in the camp holds a copy of an Arabic Bible in a home near Sidon, Lebanon. Going from home to home, he teaches the Bible to many families who have no other option to learn about the Gospel. Chris Todd’s discipleship program has provided training and mentorship from several local missionaries to grow his depth of knowledge and experience as a pastor.
A young girl clings to her mother in a human trafficking class led by the Bay Area team at the Spinney’s refugee camp in Tyre, Lebanon. Syria’s civil war has left the country in a state of conflict for over eight years and severely limited the availability of formal schooling for thousands of children. The ministry led by the Todd family works to offer practical skills and gospel hope to men, women and children in three refugee camps throughout the city of Tyre.
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Bay Area short term mission team members Maria Geronimo and Colleen Back pray with several women in a home in Tyre, Lebanon. During the trip, Colleen shared her gifts and passions by teaching the women about signs and prevention of human trafficking, a very real threat to refugees. One of the women shared that in the six years she had been in the camps, not a single person had taught them about human trafficking.
A young woman whispers to her seatmate during an Arabic literacy class at the Spinney’s refugee camp. Since many of the women spend the day working in the fields and their evenings caring for their households, Chris Todd’s women’s ministry provides them with much needed community, opening many minds to the gospel.
Children play at the Spinney’s refugee camp in Tyre, Lebanon. While in Lebanon, Bay Area’s team got the chance to serve, share - and yes, even play - alongside Syrian families to help catalyze the ministry led by Chris Todd.
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DEVELOPING LEADERS
BAY AREA’S SCHOOL OF BIBLICAL LEADERSHIP By Jocelyn Sacks
verything rises and falls with leadership.” For a long time, that statement was written in the top corner of Annapolis campus pastor Brian Hopper’s white board. Underneath was written, “Who you are is how you lead.” Daily exposure to these two bold statements would eventually lead to the question, “How can we better invest in the lives of our leaders here at Bay Area?”
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Strong leadership is the backbone of any organization, and it is no different within the church. Leaders shape the culture and the mission. They influence and motivate. They challenge and encourage. They take the first step out of the comfort zone and beckon the rest of us along. Great leaders are memorable – we can each likely point to someone we admire who not only led us, but also made us better people. Yet leaders can often experience fatigue or burnout, loneliness and doubt. They can get so caught up with all the “doing” that they lose sight of the “being.” They are pouring out to others but not getting fully replenished themselves. These threats can take a leader out of the game. We wanted to find a way to invest in our leaders and strengthen them as they battled it out on the frontlines. If our leaders thrive, we all thrive. That’s why we launched the Bay Area School of Biblical Leadership, or BASBL for short. More specifically, BASBL exists to equip godly individuals committed to the mission of God to serve as leaders, shepherds and disciple makers both within and beyond Bay Area Community Church. We hope to lengthen and deepen the life of the leader and create maximum impact in their area of influence. Our nine-month (September to May) highchallenge program focuses on investing in leaders in three key areas: character, knowledge and skill. Character, because who you are really is how you lead. Leaders should always be growing in likeness to Christ. Knowledge, because a deeper understanding of God and His plan brings wisdom to our role as leaders. And lastly, skill, where knowledge meets application. Leaders must do!
First launched in 2017, we asked a group of carefully selected leaders to help us pilot our program and curriculum. These leaders represented our staff, Missional Communities, worship and global missions. Every other week, they would gather to talk about topics like spiritual formation, self leadership, doctrinal basics, theology and more. There were challenging homework assignments and rich inclass discussions (sometimes debates!) to help the material stick. We all learned a lot that first year, but mostly that BASBL was much needed and impactful. So, we did it all again this year, with 16 students at the Annapolis campus, and multiplying to Easton. With minor tweaks, we covered the same topics and raised the same challenges. Our students represent the Marriage Ministry, the worship team, Missional Communities, Women’s Ministry, Student Ministry and Children’s Ministry. We recently celebrated the class of 2019 at our annual graduation – much deserved after 37 weeks of leadership development. One student, Kayleigh Vaughn, shared about her time in the school: “My experience in BASBL was great! I essentially decided to do it to challenge myself and figure out who I am as a leader, and I feel like I accomplished that. It was intense, challenging, and pushed me out of my comfort zone, but I feel like I am much more confident in my abilities as a leader and even in my own spiritual life.” Our goal is to continue developing leaders through BASBL for years to come. In his book “Spiritual Leadership,” J Oswald Sanders writes, “The Bible shows
us that when God does find a person who is ready to lead, to commit to full discipleship, and take on responsibility for others, that person is used to the limit.” That’s our hope – that each leader at Bay Area would be poured out for God’s glory and that they’d use their influence to invite others to join them on God’s grand mission. If you’re a leader at Bay Area and want to grow in your spiritual influence, we want to invite you to consider
BASBL exists to equip godly individuals committed to the mission of God to serve as leaders, shepherds and disciple makers both within and beyond Bay Area Community Church.
participating in BASBL. Take advice from Kayleigh, who said, “I would definitely encourage anyone who is feeling called to absolutely do it! You won’t regret it!” You can find out more information about the Bay Area School of Biblical Leadership at basbl.org or reach out at jocelyn.sacks@bayareacc.org. We will be accepting applications for the next year starting in June.
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BAPTISM
HAPPENINGS OUR MISSION Making passionate, maturing followers of Jesus from here to the nations
YOUR FIRST STEP New to Bay Area or want to get involved? Join us at First Step, a fun, one-hour gathering where you’ll learn about who we are, what we believe, and what your next steps might be in order to grow in your spiritual journey. Snacks are provided. Take your first step at Bay Area by signing up today to attend the gathering on July 7.
YOUR NEXT STEP If you are a part of Bay Area and are wanting to take your next step in your spiritual journey, Next Step is for you! Next Step is a onehour gathering designed to help you grow as a disciple through community and/or serving. Join us the second Sunday of the month to connect in community and to check out our serving opportunities. Hope to see you there!
BECOME A MEMBER Are you interested in joining our church family? Here at Bay Area, we call our members Ministry Partners because we are committed to partnering together to make passionate, maturing followers of Jesus from here to the nations. For those who would like to learn more about becoming a Ministry Partner, the next Ministry Partner Orientation is June 30 from 12:30-4 p.m. To find upcoming dates or register for First Step, Next Step or Ministry Partner Orientation, go to bayareacc. org/nextsteps.
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WOULD YOU LIKE TO BE BAPTIZED? For more information, contact: K-5th: thuli.leigh@bayareacc.org 6-12th: brent.squires@bayareacc.org Adults: shari.brandt@bayareacc.org
CARE NETWORK There are times when every one of us experiences challenging circumstances, losses, relational pain and difficult transitions in our lives. God never intended that we go through these experiences alone. The Care Network provides a variety of resources, trained volunteers and referrals to professional counselors that can help you to move forward. We desire to provide hope and healing through a variety of resources both inside and outside the walls of Bay Area. Info: leanne.lane@bayareacc.org Phone: 443-837-3718
DIVORCECARE SUPPORT GROUP Mondays through 8/12, 6:45-9 p.m. Room 237
Are you separated, in the process of divorce, or already divorced? Don’t walk through this difficult time alone. DivorceCare is a support group led by trained facilitators who have experienced divorce and rebuilt their lives through the help of this group. Each week the group features practical information, biblical teaching and encouragement to help you move forward. Register: bayareacc.org/register
DATE NIGHT OUT Friday 6/7, 5:30-9 p.m.
Be intentional about enriching your marriage and go out on a date. All couples are invited to come to the Bay Café Classroom for a short, fun group time to focus on your relationship. You’ll then be released to your date time together. There will be door prizes that you won’t want to miss! KidCare is available with registration for $10 per child, infants – 10 years old. Register: bayareacc.org/register
DEMENTIA CAREGIVERS SUPPORT GROUP Sunday, 6/9, 2-3:30 p.m., Room 237 Alzheimer’s disease is life-changing for our loved ones and those who are caregivers. The Dementia Caregivers Support Group provides a place to
connect with others who understand what you are going through. This will be a place to talk through challenges and learn about resources. This gathering will be an Alzheimer’s Association Meeting. Info: msbellamy77@gmail.com
ENGAGED?
We want to partner with you as you establish a strong, Jesus-centered life together. Through premarital mentoring you’ll be paired with trained marriage mentors who will equip you with the tools and resources you’ll need to succeed in marriage. Info: premarital.ministry@ bayareacc.org
CARE NETWORK SERVING OPPORTUNITIES CARE COACHES
Are you a man with the gifts of compassion and mercy who desires to help others in a coaching role? Care Coaches are maturing followers of Jesus who are compelled by God’s work in them to walk alongside hurting people as they discover the joy of a deepening relationship with the Lord.
DIVORCECARE
Have you experienced divorce and have a heart to help walk with others through this life change?
MARRIAGE REFOCCUS TEAM
We are looking for couples married 10+ years to serve as facilitators to come alongside couples who desire to grow closer in their marriages in a small-group format.
MARRIAGE ENRICHMENT TEAM This team is looking for couples to assist with a variety of events throughout the year.
Info: leanne.lane@bayareacc.org
CHILDREN’S MINISTRY WAVE RIDERS Are you a parent of nursery- or preschool-age children looking to be in community? We invite your family to be a part of our Wave Riders play group that meets twice a month from 10 a.m. to noon. 6/4: Fun in the Sun at Bay Area. Kick off the summer with sprinklers, water tables and baby pools on the lawn
outside the new children’s wing. Bring a picnic lunch. 6/18: Meet us at the Annapolis downtown playground on Green St. We will walk downtown for ice cream. 7/9: Watkins Park 7/23: Annapolis Mall, Playseum 8/6: Sandy Point Park Beach 8/20: Quiet Waters Park
KIDS SUMMER BLITZ Friday, 7/26, 6:30-8:30 p.m.
Children who are completing kindergarten through fifth-grade are invited to Kids Summer Blitz, a fun-filled event for kids to celebrate summer. Invite all your elementaryage friends for gameshow-style competitions, lights, dancing and all the summertime excitement a Friday evening can hold. The cost is $15 and includes a shirt and treat! Register: bayareacc.org/register
EMPLOYMENT COMMUNICATIONS COORDINATOR The Communications Coordinator will serve on the Communications Team with the Communications Director. Their primary responsibilities will include facilitating and executing weekly communication requests; coordinating the development, writing and editing of GO&MAKE content; and assisting with communication elements of weekend gatherings, event marketing and special projects.
PRESCHOOL COORDINATOR ANNAPOLIS Full-time, 40 hours/week. Preschool Coordinator oversees the Children’s ministry strategy for small groups of children ages birth – 5 not yet in Kindergarten. The Coordinator is responsible for training, equipping and supporting our small group leaders and parents.
FACILITIES ASSISTANT Part-time, 18 hours/week. The Facilities Assistant is to help oversee and manage the day-to-day operations of the church building and grounds. These duties involve assisting with building repairs, janitorial, grounds maintenance, assembling furniture and other duties assigned by the facility manager and/or management. The goal of this position is to maintain
the property in such a way as to protect its value and support Bay Area’s mission.
CAMPUS WORSHIP COORDINATOR – ODENTON Part-time, 20 hours/week - The role of the campus orship coordinator is to contribute to building a worship culture by leading worship at the Odenton campus, managing multiple teams, assisting the campus leadership, ensuring all worship experiences are executed with excellence, developing leaders and recruiting volunteers.
CAMPUS PRODUCTION COORDINATOR – ODENTON Part-time, 20 hours/week - The role of the campus production coordinator is to contribute to building Bay Area’s weekend experience by overseeing campus-specific production elements for weekend services. The position will require volunteer recruitment and development, managing and assisting multiple teams, assisting campus leadership, and ensuring all worship experiences are executed within the values of Bay Area production.
CHILDREN’S MINISTRY COORDINATOR – ODENTON
Part-time, 25 hours/week - Leads with and upholds the Children’s Ministry strategy to families and volunteers.
CHILDREN’S MINISTRY (ANNAPOLIS) INTERNSHIP
The Children’s Ministry Intern will gain experience in preparing and resourcing all aspects necessary to provide an excellent Children’s ministry experience for Bay Area Community Church Annapolis preschool and elementary programs. The intern will also have the opportunity to work directly with children on Sunday mornings and during special events such as Blitz and Dive 45. This internship runs from June 23 - August 25.
KIDCARE TEAM MEMBERS
Our KidCare team has a need for adults who have a heart for kids. We provide KidCare for all ministries and various events year-round. Want to join our team of paid workers? Email KidCare Coordinator Ellyn at ellyn. watson@bayareacc.org. For more info and to apply: bayareacc.org/jobs
FINANCIALS On June 1, 2018, Bay Area began a two-year generosity initiative called Unrivaled that will fund our ongoing ministry at all campuses, construction of our new student center and children’s addition, and expansion of Christ’s reach from here to the nations. Our two-year giving goal is $16,500,000.
FINANCIALS Giving in March 2018: $398,786 Giving in March 2019: $564,752 Giving participation in March 2018: 957 families/individuals Giving participation in March 2019: 976 families/individuals
MAKE A COMMITMENT
Our primary goal in Unrivaled is 100 percent engagement - that every person at Bay Area would ask what it means to put God first in their finances. To make a commitment, pick up a commitment card at an information counter or go to baccunrivaled.org/commitment.
GIVING METHODS
You can give toward your Unrivaled commitment through the offering during the gatherings, online at bayareacc.org/give, or by texting BACC + amount to 30131 (ex: “BACC 50” to give $50). Info: baccunrivaled.org Questions: finance@bayareacc.org
GLOBAL MISSIONS GO
Take the next step in your walk with Jesus and share God’s love in one of 10 locations worldwide. Learn about our locations and partners: bayareacc. org/missions. Join a short term missions team: bayareacc.org/stm.
SEND
Whether you can travel on mission this year or not, there’s still a way for you to be a part of what God is doing among the nations through Bay Area by financially supporting others. Give: bayareacc.org/stmgive
PRAY
Join with others to be encouraged and pray for our missionaries and global partners. This team meets second and fourth Sundays at 9:20 a.m. in the Prayer Room. Info: ccback84@gmail.com
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SERVE LIKE JESUS Below is a list of some of our current serving opportunities. For more information, and to sign up, go to bayareacc.org/serve. AMBASSADOR TEAM GREETER TEAM AUDIO/VIDEO TEAM CHAIR TEAM ESPRESSO BAR TEAM CHILDREN’S WELCOME TEAM CHILDREN’S SET DESIGN TEAM PARKING TEAM PRESCHOOL TEAM SAFETY TEAM WOMEN’S MINISTRY USHER TEAM
MISSIONAL COMMUNITY Being connected with others helps us grow in our love for God, for each other, and for our neighbor. You can find out more about Missional Communities online at bayareacc.org/ missionalcommunities.
MEN’S FELLOWSHIP MEN’S MORNING BIBLE STUDY Tuesdays, 6-7:30 a.m. in room 236 Info: jlradcliffe@hotmail.com
MEN’S EVENING BIBLE STUDIES Sundays, 6-8 p.m. in room 235 This study is geared toward helping men draw closer to Jesus, discussing and discovering God’s answers for the challenges men face at home, work and in society. Info: bob.gregory@bayareacc.org
Thursdays, 7-9 p.m. in room 235 Study 1 Timothy 3 and Titus 1 using the book “The Measure of a Man: 20 Attributes of a Godly Man” by Gene Getz. Come ready to be challenged to grow as a follower of Jesus. Info: sam.logan@gmail.com
MEN’S BREAKFAST Saturday, 6/15, 8-9:30 a.m. Join us for The Line: God ‘N Grits, a men’s monthly breakfast in the auditorium. The Line is an opportunity for men of Bay Area to gather around good food and maybe walk out with more than just a full stomach and a few laughs. Register: bayareacc.org/register 30 GO&MAKE J U N E
PRAYER MINISTRY Our Prayer Ministry comprises individuals dedicated to praying for all aspects of Bay Area: gatherings, pastors, missions and more. Individuals are also available to pray after each gathering (front-right of Chapel stage). Info: bayareacc.org/prayer
STUDENT MINISTRY FIRST FRIDAY Friday, 6/7, 7-9 p.m. First Friday is our free monthly event for middle school students in the Warehouse. Food and drinks will be available for purchase from the Warehouse Cafe. Students are encouraged to invite friends. Info: tim.agnolutto@bayareacc.org
OCEAN CITY BEACH DAY Monday, 6/17 High school students are invited to join us on Monday, June 17 for a day trip to Ocean City, Maryland! We’ll meet at the church at 8 a.m. and will return in the evening after dinner. The cost is $20 and will cover transportation and lunch. Register: bayareacc.org/register
HIGH SCHOOL POOL PARTY Wednesday, 6/19, 6:30-8:30 p.m. High school students can come join us for our monthly pool party! This is a casual event, designed for students to come together to hang out with friends. Students should bring a friend and a snack to share. This event is free and does not require registration. Info: tim.agnolutto@bayareacc.org
HIGH SCHOOL SUMMER NIGHTS Sunday, 7/7, 6-9 p.m. We’re kicking off this high school event with a crab feast! Students are invited to join us for great food and classic summer picnic games and tournaments including cornhole, gaga ball, basketball and more. We’ll have Rita’s ice and milkshakes available. Students should register online to help us get a count, and we’re asking for a $5 cover fee upon arrival to help offset expenses. Students are encouraged to bring a friend. Register: bayareacc.org/register
GUPPY GULCH Thursday, 7/11 Middle and high school students are invited to join us for a day trip to Guppy Gulch, a quarry filled with water with huge inflatables for climbing, jumping, racing and more. We’ll meet at Bay Area at 8 a.m. and return by 7 p.m. The cost is $50, which includes entry to the park, transportation and lunch. This trip requires strong, independent swimming abilities. Registration for this trip will open on June 16. Register: bayareacc.org/register
COLLEGE MINISTRY YOUNG ADULT MISSIONAL COMMUNITY (AGES 18-25) Tuesdays, 7-9 p.m.
Missional Communities are a great opportunity for people to connect in community where they are loving God, serving others and growing spiritually together. Info: lauren.gibeault@bayareacc.org
COMMUNITY OUTREACH SUMMER INTERN OPPORTUNITY Late June - August
Come be a part of the outreach team as we prepare for this fall. We are looking for a passionate, creative and administrative person to help plan and execute our largest outreach event we do, Trunk or Treat! This opportunity would be best suited for someone interested in large-scale event planning. Hours would be flexible, approx. 15-20 hours a week. Info: alex.williams@bayareacc.org
WOMEN’S MINISTRY Register for studies and events at bayareacc.org/annapolis/women.
THE WELL Wednesdays, 6/4-7/17, 9:30-11:30 a.m. “We Saved You a Seat” by Lisa-Jo Baker. In this Bible study we’ll join Lisa-Jo and her friends as they discuss what Jesus meant to love others and what it takes to be a friend. We are designed for authentic relationships, which means more than “faking fine.” Order your book at lifeway.com. Info: janet.graves@bayareacc.org
Tuesdays, 6/4-6/25, 7-9 p.m. “Boundaries” by Dr. Henry Cloud & Dr. John Townsend. Everyone needs to learn to set healthy boundaries. Discover the guilt-free benefits and ways to do so for your life. Purchase your book (updated and expanded version; not workbook) at cbd.com. Info: bettechristian@comcast.net
SUMMER CONNECTING ACTIVITIES MAKE YOUR OWN PLANTER Thursday, 6/6, 6:30-8:00 p.m. Join Master Gardener, Erin LeMere, who will teach us to create our own planter to take home. Cost $15. Location: Bay Cafe patio. Info: eblemere@gmail.com
STAND UP PADDLE BOARDING Friday, 6/28, 6-8 p.m. Paddle the Spa Creek in Downtown Annapolis. If you can join us first for appetizers, meet at Sam’s Waterfront Cafe at 5 p.m. Reserve your paddle board at fareharbor.com at Capital SUP - 7314 Edgewood Rd. Annapolis. Info: nicoledolan122@gmail.com.
BIBLE ART JOURNALING Tuesday, 7/9, 6:30-8:00 p.m. Learn to create a faux calligraphy Bible verse using watercolor and ink with instruction by Julie DeCesaris. Cost $10. Location: Bay Cafe Classroom. Info: ahdecesaris@aol.com
ALL-DAY KAYAKING TRIP Saturday, 7/20, 7:30 a.m. - 8:30 p.m. Carpool from church to Luray, Virginia, for an afternoon of kayaking
on the Shenandoah River. Bring water and lunch, and after kayaking we’ll stop for dinner on the way home. Cost $36/kayak. Beginners welcome. Info: victoria.tross@yahoo.com
ODENTON CAMPUS
QUILT SEWING WORKSHOP Saturday, 8/3, 9:30-noon.
HAPPENINGS
Bring your daughter (age 9+) and learn to sew with a machine, how to measure and cut fabric, sew a straight seam and construct a quilted pillowcase. Cost $10. Info: hogan82@gmail.com
NAVAL ACADEMY BAND Monday, 8/5, 7-8 p.m. Come early and bring your lawn chair for this free concert at City Dock in Downtown Annapolis. Buy a local take-out dinner to eat together. Info: janet.graves@bayareacc.org
QUILTS FOR KIDS Saturday, 6/15, 10 a.m. - 1:30 p.m. in The Docks Join us as we make quilts for kids. Bring your sewing machine and we will provide the quilting fabrics. Bring your lunch to eat together. Info: annapolisqfk@gmail.com
WOMEN OF LEGACY (55+)
Join this group of senior women who support one another, love Jesus, and grow in their discipleship. They meet starting at 10:30 a.m. Join us on June 10 for our last brunch until we meet again in the fall. Newcomers welcome! Info: luisandcedulie@gmail.com Subscribe to our monthly e-newsletter at bayareacc.org/ annapolis/women.
CONNECT
WITH
FOOD TRUCK THURSDAYS Thursdays, 6/13 & 6/27, 4-8 p.m. Enjoy your favorite cuisine and join us for a time of outreach and fellowship as we introduce Bay Area Odenton to the neighborhood and give out invitations to church. Info: jason.barthelemy@ bayareacc.org
PRAYER NIGHT Friday, 6/14, 6 p.m. at the Arundel High School flag pole Prayer is an excellent way to connect with Jesus. Join us as we pray for our Odenton campus and the vision God has given us to impact our community!
FREEDOM AND FIREWORKS Saturday, 6/29, 6-9:30 p.m. at GORC Park Join us for a free celebration of Independence Day with our neighbors. Look for the Bay Area Odenton tent and hang out with us for fun and fireworks.
BLOCK PARTY Saturday, 9/7, 3-7 p.m. Join us for an evening of free fun for the whole family as we enjoy food and get to know our neighbors in Odenton.
ODENTON
CAMPUS
PASTOR
JASON BARTHELEMY jason.barthelemy@bayareacc.org J U N E GO&MAKE 31
KIDS
SUMMER
FRIDAY, JULY 26 6:30-8:30 PM
Children who are completing kindergarten through fifth-grade are invited to Kids Summer Blitz, a fun-filled event for kids to kick off summer. Invite all your elementary-age friends for gameshow-style competitions, lights, dancing and all the summertime excitement a Friday evening can hold. Cost: $15
BAYAREACC.ORG/REGISTER 32 GO&MAKE J U N E