I have been in jail for over eight months now. I had one visit the first week I was here, but they didn't show up - and I didn't even know who it was. Since I've been in jail I've dedicated my life to Jesus Christ. I've learned a lot about love and forgiveness the last several months...
Read MoreThis summer, I found myself in an impromptu meeting with a woman named Ayneabeba. (Don’t worry, we call her Ayni for short. Think “I-knee.”) She is the director of the ministry site Summit partners with through Children’s HopeChest. This ministry site, or CarePoint, is located in the urban capital of Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, home to 3.4 million people.
Read MoreI’m continually in awe when individuals at the Waterford campus move in obedience toward something God is calling them to! This happens a lot and one of the ones that sticks out happened a few months ago during the How Love Works series.
Read MoreIn September of this year, while we were celebrating our 13th birthday as a church, one of our longest standing ministry partners was celebrating 20 years of ministry in Africa and the Caribbean. We have been partnering with Children of the Nations (COTN) for nine years, working in Malawi and Sierra Leone. During this time, there have been...
Read MoreStanding in the Lobby at the Herndon campus the past couple of weeks has been such an awesome experience. I am super excited about how God continues to use this place in big ways. There are first time visitors at Summit every week and in my...
Read MoreI was introduced to Summit for the first time in 2008. To this day, I can vividly recall walking into that Sanctuary with such an unbearable weight upon my soul. No one knew, of course. I had been putting on my “church face” my whole life; it was second nature at that point...
Read MoreFor the last five years, I have had the amazing privilege of making the videos shown at Summit. My favorite part of this process is having the chance to talk with people from all of the different Summit sites who I may have never had the chance to meet, and getting to know a bit about them and their story...
Read MoreLake Mary Children's Ministry Coordinator, Brooke Shoopman, had just finished explaining to the group of elementary school children the process of Summit Church's Beach Baptism. When she had finished, the kids were given the opportunity to write down any questions or fears they might have about their upcoming baptism...
Read MoreSummit is a special place for me because God has continually used this place and the people in it to challenge me to take my next right step. From Beach Baptism to reGroup, I thank God for the strength and boldness He has given...
Read MoreThis weekend Summit Church will be celebrating 13 years since we first opened our doors as a church, and we should celebrate! If Brandy, my wonderful wife, were in charge of commemorating such an event, it would involve lots of decorations and thematically connected games...
Read MoreOne of my favorite stories about being one church in multiple locations happened in Lake Mary just a few weeks ago. It was one of our final Sundays at Lake Mary High School and I was hanging out in the lobby talking and enjoying the morning. I was getting ready to walk in to the auditorium for the first worship song and I saw a young woman with her baby girl...
Read MoreAfter graduating from college and getting married in 2002, I accepted a job as a Child Protection Investigator with the Department of Children and Families. I absolutely loved my job, including the long nights that sometimes included sleeping at the office with children because there were no foster homes able to take them.
Read MoreI didn’t know what to expect when I got on a plane to go to Ethiopia. I had just been given the last minute opportunity to join a Summit team headed there to work with an organization called Children’s HopeChest, and for some reason, I felt like I...
Read MoreIt is stories of changed lives that remind me God is doing what only He can do at Summit. It is those stories that keep me humbled, keep me excited, and keep me going. This morning, I met with a friend to talk about him becoming more involved at Summit. Keep in mind, he is already one of our most involved leaders!
Read MoreOn any given Tuesday night you can find me running barefoot through the Herndon Lobby being chased by a posse of middle school girls chanting "8th grade girls...WE RUN THIS PLACE" I'll be a little out of breath, sure, but make no mistake about it— there's no...
Read MoreLast summer, Summit Church launched their first ever Sixty Minute Seminars. The concept, carefully planned by the reGROUP team, was described as a way to start dialogue and bring insight into topics that many people deal with in our church, community, and nation but are...
Read MoreIn late Spring of 2012, my husband, Marcus, and I decided that we were ready to start a family. We'd always liked the idea of adopting someday, but assumed we'd have biological kids first. Around the same time, Summit started a...
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