“Unless the Lord Builds the House”
Psalm 127:1 tells us that “Unless the Lord builds the house, the builders labor in vain.” This verse reminds us that no amount of effort, strategy or striving can produce lasting fruit unless God Himself is the One doing the building. And this goes beyond what God has done and is doing in and through Bay Area – it’s a higher call for followers of Jesus everywhere and for all time to trust God’s plans and purposes, seeking to align our lives with His will. As God builds, He invites us into the work so we can experience and be part of advancing His grand plans for redemption. And that’s what we are hoping to be part of as a Bay Area family – partnering with God to advance the gospel in another community, right here on Kent Island.
The Lord Is Preparing a Place
When I think about the Kent Island Campus, my mind goes back to the summer of 2025 when Melissa and I first saw the building on Sallitt Drive. When we walked inside, we saw old lockers, torn‑down walls, a pool that had just been filled with gravel, and debris scattered everywhere. Demolition was still underway. Yet even in the dust and debris, it was clear that the Lord was building something. He was preparing a place where people would gather, worship, dream, celebrate and encounter Jesus – a place that would become a spiritual home for the community “across the bridge,” as those back in Annapolis have called it.
As you read this, you might be standing inside 155 Sallitt Drive (or you at least might have picked up this magazine from the inside of the now complete building). And as you read, you are standing on the work of an incredible team and the foundation for generations of ministry to come.
The Lord Is Preparing a People
Just as He prepares the place, the Lord is also preparing the people. The gifts, the resources, and the opportunities we have been given are not accidental. God is forming a church that reflects His heart, His mission, and the unique needs of this area. These people include our Bay Area Leadership Team made up of our existing elders, pastors, directors and staff. It includes a Core Team of more than fifty men and women who are committed to serving, giving and loving the twenty thousand people who call Kent Island home. And it includes the volunteers God will raise up to hold doors and hold babies in our Children’s ministry, or those who will pour us coffee and lead us in worship, those who will lead community groups and Bible studies.
If this is your first time at Bay Area in any capacity, you are also included in the people the Lord has been preparing. We have been praying for you! And we hope that you would consider making Bay Area Kent Island your church home so we can live life on mission together – becoming more like Jesus and helping others do the same. Psalm 102:18 says, “Let this be written for a future generation, that a people not yet created may praise the Lord.” This verse calls us to prepare with future generations in mind; for those who will come after us. The building at 155 Sallitt Drive is a spiritual home for people who will meet Jesus long after we are gone. The decisions we make now – how we serve, how we pray, and how we love – will shape the spiritual journey of people we may never meet.
The Lord Is Preparing a Mission
The Lord has invited Bay Area Community Church on a mission to make passionate maturing followers from here, in Annapolis and Kent Island, to the nations. He's given us the mission to be an advancing church – one that seeks to make the gospel known in you, your neighbors and the nations. Here on Kent Island, this looks like Community Groups becoming the backbone of spiritual formation. Our Children’s Ministry is planting seeds that will grow for generations. Our Student Ministry and Young Adult Ministry are forming faith during the most critical years of life. Mothers of Preschoolers are strengthening families at their foundation. Our ministry to the growing 55+ community is honoring wisdom and mobilizing maturity. And more to come! God is still actively preparing us for the unique mission of reaching those in our community.
In Queen Anne’s County, only about 40.9% of the population are considered “adherents” to a specific religious body. This means nearly 6 out of every 10 residents may be “unchurched” or religiously unaffiliated. The largest age group on Kent Island is between 25 and 64 years old – families balancing the pressures of high-stress commutes, raising children, and caring for aging parents. Our new home at 155 Sallitt Drive sits .9 miles away from Kent Island High School, but in total there are over 3,200 K-12 students attending Kent Island schools, roughly 31% of whom are navigating hidden economic hardships. With many residents commuting 90+ minutes to D.C. or Baltimore, there is a profound commuter fatigue and a deep need for a local “third space,” a place for community and connection outside of work and home.
And through all of this, God is inviting us to join Him on mission to show and share the good news of Jesus with others where we live, work, play and learn so that they might get a chance a life, and life to the full. The Lord is on the move! He has only just begun. Now is the time to join us and be a part of what He is doing!
Psalm 127:1 tells us that “Unless the Lord builds the house, the builders labor in vain.” This verse reminds us that no amount of effort, strategy or striving can produce lasting fruit unless God Himself is the One doing the building. And this goes beyond what God has done and is doing in and through Bay Area – it’s a higher call for followers of Jesus everywhere and for all time to trust God’s plans and purposes, seeking to align our lives with His will. As God builds, He invites us into the work so we can experience and be part of advancing His grand plans for redemption. And that’s what we are hoping to be part of as a Bay Area family – partnering with God to advance the gospel in another community, right here on Kent Island.
The Lord Is Preparing a Place
When I think about the Kent Island Campus, my mind goes back to the summer of 2025 when Melissa and I first saw the building on Sallitt Drive. When we walked inside, we saw old lockers, torn‑down walls, a pool that had just been filled with gravel, and debris scattered everywhere. Demolition was still underway. Yet even in the dust and debris, it was clear that the Lord was building something. He was preparing a place where people would gather, worship, dream, celebrate and encounter Jesus – a place that would become a spiritual home for the community “across the bridge,” as those back in Annapolis have called it.
As you read this, you might be standing inside 155 Sallitt Drive (or you at least might have picked up this magazine from the inside of the now complete building). And as you read, you are standing on the work of an incredible team and the foundation for generations of ministry to come.
The Lord Is Preparing a People
Just as He prepares the place, the Lord is also preparing the people. The gifts, the resources, and the opportunities we have been given are not accidental. God is forming a church that reflects His heart, His mission, and the unique needs of this area. These people include our Bay Area Leadership Team made up of our existing elders, pastors, directors and staff. It includes a Core Team of more than fifty men and women who are committed to serving, giving and loving the twenty thousand people who call Kent Island home. And it includes the volunteers God will raise up to hold doors and hold babies in our Children’s ministry, or those who will pour us coffee and lead us in worship, those who will lead community groups and Bible studies.
If this is your first time at Bay Area in any capacity, you are also included in the people the Lord has been preparing. We have been praying for you! And we hope that you would consider making Bay Area Kent Island your church home so we can live life on mission together – becoming more like Jesus and helping others do the same. Psalm 102:18 says, “Let this be written for a future generation, that a people not yet created may praise the Lord.” This verse calls us to prepare with future generations in mind; for those who will come after us. The building at 155 Sallitt Drive is a spiritual home for people who will meet Jesus long after we are gone. The decisions we make now – how we serve, how we pray, and how we love – will shape the spiritual journey of people we may never meet.
The Lord Is Preparing a Mission
The Lord has invited Bay Area Community Church on a mission to make passionate maturing followers from here, in Annapolis and Kent Island, to the nations. He's given us the mission to be an advancing church – one that seeks to make the gospel known in you, your neighbors and the nations. Here on Kent Island, this looks like Community Groups becoming the backbone of spiritual formation. Our Children’s Ministry is planting seeds that will grow for generations. Our Student Ministry and Young Adult Ministry are forming faith during the most critical years of life. Mothers of Preschoolers are strengthening families at their foundation. Our ministry to the growing 55+ community is honoring wisdom and mobilizing maturity. And more to come! God is still actively preparing us for the unique mission of reaching those in our community.
In Queen Anne’s County, only about 40.9% of the population are considered “adherents” to a specific religious body. This means nearly 6 out of every 10 residents may be “unchurched” or religiously unaffiliated. The largest age group on Kent Island is between 25 and 64 years old – families balancing the pressures of high-stress commutes, raising children, and caring for aging parents. Our new home at 155 Sallitt Drive sits .9 miles away from Kent Island High School, but in total there are over 3,200 K-12 students attending Kent Island schools, roughly 31% of whom are navigating hidden economic hardships. With many residents commuting 90+ minutes to D.C. or Baltimore, there is a profound commuter fatigue and a deep need for a local “third space,” a place for community and connection outside of work and home.
And through all of this, God is inviting us to join Him on mission to show and share the good news of Jesus with others where we live, work, play and learn so that they might get a chance a life, and life to the full. The Lord is on the move! He has only just begun. Now is the time to join us and be a part of what He is doing!