Serve Locally — Blog Archive — Summit Church

My title

Posts tagged Serve Locally

An Outstretched Hand | The Vision, Part 4

An Outstretched Hand | The Vision, Part 4

During his time on earth, Jesus’ ministry with people was never transactional. We know that he healed, he resurrected, he fed. But when you dig deeper into those same actions, you’ll also see that he touched hearts, he cried, he conversed. Jesus connected. With love deeper than oceans, he has always met us where we are with grace and an outstretched hand. And what a gift it is that we get to take the love and connection God has given us and share it with others through our acts of service!

Insights, StoriesAshlyn MurphyOctober 8, 2020Vision, Serve Locally

Where God Guides

Where God Guides

“How can we be a part of what is breaking God’s heart as well?” asks Michelle Hamilton. She had no idea that God would call her into schools to minister to students. But God is always working, and she has seen that in her life. Every year, Summit designates the offering collected during Christmas Eve services to go to an organization outside our walls. We are so excited to come alongside Michelle and her volunteers’ work as this year’s offering will be given toward their ministry.

Lauren MargheimDecember 5, 2019Christmas Eve offering, Serve Locally

A Lasting Impact

A Lasting Impact

The FCA students choosing to join Summit for niceSERVE gave us a glimpse of some of the amazing things our local schools have to offer—the relationships that only they can build, the influence that only they can have, and the skills that only they can offer.

StoriesKari FreemanOctober 17, 2019Serve Locally, niceSERVE

Rewriting the Story

Rewriting the Story

How often do we feel ourselves drawn to something bigger, something more, something different? We can all relate to that. But how often do we also find ourselves longing for a sneak peek of our story before taking that first step?

StoriesKari FreemanSeptember 30, 2019Serve Locally

An Integral Part

An Integral Part

For the few years my husband Josh and I have been attending Summit, there’s been a backpack drive. Last summer was the same as previous years. Walk into Sunday service, take a postcard in the shape of a backpack with a nifty list on the back of what to fill in it. We love the idea of helping our community, especially children, but it can be expensive to do on your own.

StoriesAllison HurtadoJuly 5, 2018Serve Locally

For A Unique Purpose

For A Unique Purpose

The Riverside community is a small area that lies in the northern region of the Central Florida area. For years, though most of us didn’t even know exactly where it is, Summit’s staff, prayer team, and I have known it’s name. You see, one of the most consistent prayer requests I can expect to see from the Lake Mary Campus each week is, in one way or another, for Riverside.

StoriesKari FreemanNovember 2, 2017Serve Locally

Not Over Yet

Not Over Yet

The sun is shining, although there’s a chill in the air. The sound of hammering is thick and chaotic. There are ladders and boards, and people milling about everywhere. There’s work being done, by many different hands. A laugh echoes across the property and you see in the faces of those gathered that there’s more being built here than just a house: we’re building a home.

StoriesDel SchwallsOctober 31, 2017Serve Locally

Bring Your Own Soup Bowl

Bring Your Own Soup Bowl

Kaylee Vance and her Connect group gathered around a table one night, marveling at Kaylee’s delicious soup recipe as they ate from goofy bowls. They had each walked into her house that night, not only with the funniest bowl they could find to bring, but with armloads of food and household goods ready to pack up to send to Harvest Time International.

Kari FreemanJune 28, 2017Serve Locally

Small But Significant

Small But Significant

I’m learning to see the beauty in my plans not going the way I’d hoped and my expectations not being met. The Saturday of niceSERVE 31 fell on our son Finn’s final YMCA soccer game of the season. His coach (and Summit’s Connect Director), Dan Sherfield, had a great idea to bring niceSERVE to the soccer field in the form of a cleat exchange.

Ashley SimondsMay 25, 2017Serve Locally

Where We Are

Where We Are

“I still can’t believe they don’t have kids that go to this school and this is how they are spending their Friday night! I don’t have friends like that…” That was what a parent told me at one of the events my Connect group hosted at the elementary school in our neighborhood.

StoriesDan SherfieldMay 11, 2017Serve Locally

Shines Brightest When Shared

Shines Brightest When Shared

It started as a note on my desk a week before last Christmas, “Becky. Ramp. Ask Dan.” I walked through the office to our Connect Director, Dan, to follow up. Becky had approached him in the Summit Lobby to ask if the church knew of a trustworthy company that could help build an accessible ramp for her elderly parents. A few minutes later, I sent two emails.

StoriesElizabeth CronlundMay 2, 2017Serve Locally, niceSERVE

One Big Family

One Big Family

A few weeks before a niceSERVE event, a collection of words goes into the bulletin that says “Mark your calendars! niceSERVE is [insert date here].” As the person who writes bulletins at Summit, I sure want to believe that there are real people out there who actually do excitedly mark their calendars, but I just didn’t know for sure and now I do.

StoriesGuest UserNovember 3, 2016niceSERVE, Serve Locally

Encourage And Nurture

Encourage And Nurture

August is on the horizon and as we try to keep cool during these dog days of summer, young students and their parents are gearing up to return to school in the next few weeks. The start of the school year is an exciting time filled with possibilities, but for too many families there’s an extra layer of anxiety that comes with the first day of school.

InsightsElizabeth CronlundJuly 27, 2016Serve Locally

Spread Hope to a City in Need

Spread Hope to a City in Need

Our church family joins with our city in mourning the heartbreaking events of this past weekend. With the violent shooting of singer Christina Grimmie and the mass shootings at Pulse nightclub this past weekend, our prayers are with the victims and their families of these senseless tragedies.

UpdatesSummit ChurchJune 13, 2016Serve Locally

More Like God Intended

More Like God Intended

This past Saturday, Summit gathered from far and wide for our 29th niceSERVE. We got up early to make our communities safer, healthier, and more beautiful. More like God intended. We served our neighbors and we glorified our awesome God in plain sight for all to see.

InsightsElizabeth CronlundMay 17, 2016Serve Locally

The Road To Zamboria: An Ongoing Story

The Road To Zamboria: An Ongoing Story

“Why are there signs up promoting The Fringe?” I overhead the question asked somewhat urgently the first Sunday that Summit’s production of The Road to Zamboria had audition posters hanging up around the church. From the same team that produced the largely successful The Prodigal Musical last year, comes this tale based on the Biblical parable of “The Good Samaritan”, the signs announced.

StoriesKari FreemanMay 12, 2016Base Camp, Serve Locally

Turning The Tables

Turning The Tables

This is a big week for all of us at Summit. In a few short days, we will be donning our green shirts and showing up for niceSERVE 29. It is easy, with as many niceSERVEs as we have done, to look mainly at the mechanics and routine of the event and miss the profound spiritual reality that niceSERVE represents.

InsightsJohn ParkerMay 12, 2016Serve Locally, niceSERVE

Anticipating What's To Come

Anticipating What's To Come

niceSERVE is one of my favorite things to do as a part of Summit— I love having a chance to serve the local community with our whole church. Since Summit is such a large church, meeting at multiple locations at multiple times across Orlando, this is such a great opportunity for all who call Summit our church home to come together at our campuses and serve our communities!

StoriesBobby BraunMay 3, 2016Serve Locally, niceSERVE

Willing

Willing

When my husband, Jimmy, and I moved from Asheville to Orlando, we couldn’t wait to be a part of this incredible community that we had heard so much about and had experienced glimpses of during our visits to Summit. We began attending the Lake Mary campus around the time that niceSERVE was coming around. We didn’t really know how to get connected in a church as big as Summit, but we had heard a lot about niceSERVE and knew we wanted to be a part of it!

StoriesAmy KaufholzApril 24, 2016Serve Locally, niceSERVE

Confirmation

Confirmation

“We’ve been praying for you for a long time— so glad to finally know who you are!”

I had the privilege of speaking those words to a beautiful young lady as I met her one morning. And it was true— we’ve been praying for her for a long time without knowing who she would be.

UpdatesGuest BloggerMarch 10, 2016Serve Locally