Cultivating Lifestyles of Service
This past Saturday, our Summit family participated in our 30th niceSERVE. During these 30 events, our church has invested over 100k hours of our time into the local community and served hundreds of local nonprofits, schools, and other churches. Each hour given has been a very public testament to our belief that God has invited us into building his kingdom by tending to all of creation and loving people well.
During niceSERVE 30 we served in a myriad of ways, responding to the expressed needs of the community. From shucking nuts to be roasted for a Thanksgiving Day feast for the homeless, to painting and landscaping schools. From caring for people and animals with special needs, to showing appreciation to firefighters and global missionaries…we were able to give abundantly without notion of pride, only joy. Our ability to serve is only limited by how we listen to the needs of our community and how we define service.
“Acts of service are not the harvest we are seeking to reap. You are.”
“Be creative and don’t limit who or how you serve.”
There will be many opportunities to serve this holiday season including reconnecting with some of the organizations we served, but certainly not limited to them. There may be people in your neighborhood who are new or far from family that you could invite into your family celebrations. There are some organizations (some we served with on Saturday) that provide meals and resources for those struggling this holiday season. Serve with them or donate to help them meet the need. There will also be far too many who will be struggling this season because of illness, loss, or isolation. Visitation is sometimes one of the most powerful ways to love one another. Be creative and don’t limit who or how you serve.
As we approach the Advent season and set eyes on a new year to come, the way we define service at Summit will continue to grow. In 2017, we hope to help unpack the depth of what joining in God’s mission means, how it has looked for God’s people, and also what it can look like for us right now. We’ll do our best to help you grow in the discipline of service and understand how your time and talents can translate into kingdom impact.
niceSERVE has a mission statement: “Cultivating Lifestyles of Service.” Acts of service are not the harvest we are seeking to reap. You are. Each act of service is a drop of rain or ray of sunshine nourishing your spiritual development. God uses each act of service you obediently surrender to cultivate your heart for eternity and for the sake of blessing others right now.
Want more details on how you can serve locally? We've got you covered.
Liz Cronlund is the Community Development Coordinator for Summit Church. If you would like more information about ways you can be a part of serving our city, email her at ecronlund@summitconnect.org.