Jon Becknell: That's How I Connect
The post below was excerpted from an article written by Melissa Stillman in the Winter 2014 issue of SUMMIT MAGAZINE. To read the article in its entirety, click here and go to page 32!
Jon and Megan Becknell found Summit Church in 2010. Even though they connected with the teaching and worship, they weren’t sure they could swing the long drive from their home just north of Windermere to the Herndon campus. Eager to plug in closer to home, Jon and Megan visited Group Day, where they were disappointed to find there weren’t any Connect groups near them. They decided to try to find a church closer to their home.
However, their church shopping didn’t last long. Jon says, “We really wanted to be more involved during the course of the week... We just couldn’t find anything we loved as much. So after trying a couple of churches, we ended up back at Summit.”
Group Day rolled around a second time for the Becknells, and they decided to take a step of faith and start their own group. “We felt like, if we can’t find what we’re looking for, let’s create it,” Jon explains. “We really bought into the vision of Summit, and it was important to us to see that on the west side of town. Our hope was that people who lived in our area always have somewhere to fit in; for more and more people to get connected to the church through our group.”
After a thriving two years, the Becknells’ Connect group decided they could reach more people if they split and formed a second group. So fellow west-sider and longtime Connect group member David Stubsten struck out to start a new one. Both Jon’s and David’s Connect groups have committed to help launch Summit's new Windermere/Dr. Phillips area campus.
David is looking forward to the outreach the new site will bring. “I have a lot of friends and people on this side of town who ask, ‘Where do you go to church?’” he says. “When I say I drive about 45 minutes to a place, it’s somewhat of a turnoff. They want to find some place closer... The new campus is a way we can have people join the Summit family on this side of town who never would have taken the risk to go across town.”
Jon looks forward to what the new site will mean for his family over time. “My biggest motivation is for my kids to have somewhere they can grow up surrounded by people who want to help them develop their relationship with God on a personal level, to have the opportunity for them to invite their friends to go to church with us.”
If the nearest Summit site is quite a drive for you, Jon hopes you’ll consider joining or forming a Connect group in your area. “The relationships that you build are so fulfilling—having people that can hold you accountable, share things you’re learning, rally around you in tragedies, and share the amazing moments in your life,” he says. “Any hesitation that’s there in the beginning goes away quickly. Step out and trust that what God has in store is so much better than you can imagine.”
If you'd like to get connected in community here at Summit, join us for Group Day this weekend:
Herndon // Thursday, January 22nd and Sunday, January 25th following all services
Lake Mary // Sunday, January 25th following all services
Waterford // Sunday, January 25th at 12:30 p.m.
Windermere/Dr. Phillips // Sunday, January 25th following the 10:45 a.m. service at Herndon*
*If you’d like to be part of a Windermere/Dr. Phillips area group but can’t make the 10:45 a.m. service, group leaders representing this campus will also be available following Herndon's 9 a.m., 12:30 p.m., and 6 p.m. services to help you get connected.
Questions about our new campus? Read more about it here, or email Garry Abbott at gabbott@summitconnect.org.