So what should you and I do? Don’t look away. Allow your heart to get involved with desiring justice and loving people well even when it costs and when it hurts. Allow yourself to be filled with holy discontent at injustices that harm people and creation. This goes for us as individuals and us collectively as the global Church.
Read MoreWe are beginning a monthly element in our worship services that we are calling “prayers for the world.” This communal time of guided prayer during our worship services will be intentionally built to have us pray for the things that hit close to home for us as well as the things that hit close to the home of another—to pray for the daily bread of another even as I pray for my own.
Read MoreWe want to be sure you’re made aware of how changes to local requirements and mandates related to COVID-19 will affect Summit worship services. As precautions change for in-person services, we recognize that there will continue to be a range in comfort levels in regards to attending services. Every week we have means for people to join together in worship that range from indoor, in-person services to gatherings that meet outdoors to our online service available for you to use in facilitating your own worship gathering and each of these environments represents good and right ways to gather in worship.
Read MoreEach day that I show up and invite God in—with all my junk, with all my pain, with all my hopes, fears, dreams, memories, desires—matters. He will meet me. He knows me. And has known me. And knows you. And has known you. And he doesn’t write bad endings. And what we are seeing and remembering is just a taste of what’s to come.
Read MoreYour prayers, and mine, mix together with all the prayers ever uttered from the lips of God’s people and waft up to him like a sweet aroma with incense. God hears us! What a miracle, we have the ear of the King of the universe. In this season, we are coming together as a church to pray from a place of pain, disappointment, and deep concern. We are taking the time to pray. We will pour out our hearts and pound our fists on the very throne of God, and he will hear us.
Read MoreWhether it is longing to hear from God, mourning loss, needing protection, seeking guidance, or beginning a new journey, the common thread is when God’s people need him to show up, they fast and pray. There are times when forgoing something of comfort can help us look more clearly at our need for God. This is at the heart of fasting, which biblically refers to abstaining from food for spiritual purposes. On Wednesday, March 24th, from sunup to sundown, we invite the Summit family to fast and pray. For some, fasting from food for extended periods of time is unhealthy. If that is the case for you, please don’t put your health at risk through fasting, but please join us in prayer throughout the day.
Read MoreWe recognize that many will be processing together in different contexts—as families, with friends, or as Connect groups. Here you’ll find resources that may be helpful in guiding some specific times of community. We also recognize that the impact of this news will vary greatly from person to person. If you or someone you know would benefit from more individualized pastoral support or counseling, please don’t walk through this alone.
Read MoreThese three factors helped to inform our early gathering requirements and guidelines, and we will use these same factors to guide the loosening of requirements and guidelines in the months ahead. I don’t know when restrictions will start to lift, and I imagine there remains a wide swath of perspective on what should happen when. In the reality of circumstances continuing to change, I ask that we continue to show each other love, that we assume the best in each other, and that we honor the pace and posture we take as a whole church—even where it may not suit our individual preferences or perspectives.
Read MoreFebruary is Black History Month! We’ve been celebrating by learning about some of the many Black leaders who have impacted the history and development of the Church in America. We hope learning about these influential leaders in church history can help inspire further research into history that may not have been widely taught or known. And we’d encourage you to continue listening to Black voices and looking into the influence these and other cultures have had in our world and faith throughout history.
Read MoreWe can’t control the masses, we can’t control a pandemic, we can’t control others, and we are spinning to grasp onto something. It doesn’t have to be that hurt, habit, or hang-up. We can control what we reach for—even though no one is looking. Maybe you reach for your Bible, maybe you reach for your phone (not to scroll the news or social media but to FaceTime a friend or send a nice text to someone else), maybe you reach for help, maybe you reach for community.
Read More“Over the next two weeks, as we hope for the peaceful transition of power which has in the past characterized our country and inspired the world, I invite you to join me in prayer for our country, for our leaders, for ourselves, and for our church. Pray that God will bring healing we cannot manage on our own, humility to serve a cause bigger than ourselves, and wisdom to root our faith in Jesus first.”
Read More2020 has not gone as planned for most. That is an understatement, I know, but for many of us, this year has left us uncomfortable, uncertain, and anxious. There are feelings and realities that we all share. Yet, for many in Central Florida, 2020 has led to catastrophe. Prior to the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, Orlando ranked last in median income in major cities in the United States. Into these difficult circumstances steps United Against Poverty (UP Orlando), this year’s Christmas Eve offering recipient. Every year, we choose a local or global organization to whom we give the entirety of giving collected at Christmas Eve services.
Read MoreThis marks the eighth and final installment of our global partner check-ins. We will hear from Ciru Mutura, Founder and Executive Director of OneLamb in Nairobi, Kenya. In 2011, Ciru sensed God’s initial prompting through a CNN Freedom Project documentary about human trafficking. She did some research and learned it was occurring in her home-city, which led her to begin taking action to rescue girls facing exploitation in a local informal settlement (also referred to as a slum) in Nairobi.
Read MoreDuring the Esther sermon series, we spent time looking at what this story can mean for our lives. Four artists share with us their unique expression of these themes.
Read MoreAs we near the end of our global partner check-ins, we return to Kenya to hear from Josiah and Sarah Kirisuah. Part of the Maasai tribe in southern Kenya, they became the first Christians in their community many years ago and sensed a call to share their faith with their village and surrounding community.
Read MoreWe look forward to reopening the Herndon, Lake Mary, and Waterford Campuses for worship services! Join us in person for service as we begin our Advent sermon series on Sunday, November 29th. There are a few changes to be aware of as we move back to worshiping in buildings, but before we get into those details, we want to remind you that the online service is still available. If you’re thinking you’re ready to join us again in-person, here’s what you should know!
Read MoreIn Base Camp, we are committed to doing all we can to keep your family safe! For now, we are implementing new procedures related to mask-wearing, class sizes, sanitization, and check-in registration. We love caring for your kids, and believe these procedures will create an environment that protects the health and safety of families and volunteers.
Read MoreWe’re continuing in our series of updates from our global partners and what’s been in store for them throughout 2020. This week has us with Tazama Nia in Kenya. Founded by a Summit family, “Tazama Nia” is Swahili for “looking ahead with anticipation.” Living in a distressed community of Nairobi, this concept is this mindset they strive to lead with and inspire in others as they walk with vulnerable people in following Jesus.
Read MoreWe’re continuing in our series of updates from our global partners and what’s been in store for them throughout 2020. This check-in takes us to Malawi with Children of the Nations, which has a stated vision of “raising children who transform nations.” In the interview, we hear from COTN staff members who work in the village partnership program and sustainability and engagement.
Read MoreWe’re continuing in our series of updates from our global partners and what’s been in store for them throughout 2020. In this week’s check-in, we get to hear from Africa Windmill Project. Founded by a Summit family, Africa Windmill Project seeks to establish food security in Malawi by educating farmers on irrigation techniques and sustainable agricultural practices.
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