The Gift of Time

The temptation as adults is to look at the generations after us and wonder what they’ll be when they grow up. What will they do? What great things will they achieve? Who will they become? I don’t know that this is somehow wrong, but I do know that this tends to make me miss who they are now. I miss out on the things they are currently achieving and the ideas and attitudes they have now that are propelling them—and the Kingdom of God—forward. There is a unique season of life that all of us navigate called adolescence. And regardless of whether our own memories of adolescence are positive or negative or maybe just a little hazy, it is a special time in life. It’s a time that’s filled with possibilities, discovery, and passion—a time where we are feeling all of the feelings. When you take this season and insert a passion for Christ and His Kingdom, the potential is unbridled! Can you imagine that passion of adolescence applied to building the Kingdom of God? It’s there, and it’s what we’re about in Student Ministries. The generation of students that show up at Summit is the Church now, and they have a lot to offer us and the world around us.

This is precisely why we take two weeks in the summer to serve during Surge in the City (middle school) and edgeSERVES (high school). These weeks are filled with learning and community but mostly they are filled with experience. We’re experiencing together what it means to have God work in and through us to be builders and bringers of His Kingdom. We partner with local organizations who are doing great things in the Orlando area, many of which we partner with during niceSERVE, and we’re able to roll up our sleeves with those in our community and help bring holistic salvation to all that are lost.

One of the most important gifts we can offer the younger generation is our time. Research and experience indicates that teenagers who have adults pouring into their lives are more likely to stick with their faith beyond high school. Don’t miss that. The gift of your time invested in a teenager now will help his or her faith to last. One of the beautiful things about this church is that we already have dozens of people investing in this way at Surge and the The Edge but there is always room for more. If you’d like to learn more about to get involved, please email me!

This next generation is the church now and they are doing great things, let’s help them continue by investing our time, energy, and prayers into them.

Tracy Beeson is Summit's Family Ministries Director.