A commitment is an investment. It's a promise. It's a lot of really big and really beautiful words. It's saying "Hey, I know you're not perfect, but I see something really good in you, and I'm choosing to get behind that—to love it, to pursue it and to fight for it.”
Read MoreThe country of Malawi is not one that crosses headlines often in the United States. Nor is it one that typically arises in conversation. In fact, when it does, it’s often alongside statistics citing low levels of development, high levels of corruption, or the prevalence of HIV/AIDS. And while I certainly won’t deny the existence of these things, with great enthusiasm I can say that is not the entire story of Malawi.
Read MoreWhen I first heard the news this summer that Summit was going to be offering a speaker series specifically for women, I got excited. And then I became very curious. “For Her” is the third speaker series that Summit has offered in the last year or so, but this one felt unique to me in that the targeted audience was pretty broad and I suspected pretty diverse. The title said it all...it was simply for her. Any her. Me her. You her. Anyone who could be the answer to the question, “Her?”
Read MoreStarting (or joining) a Connect group can be awkward at first. You are thrown into a room with people you may not know, people who may be very different from you. But if you commit to sticking with it, I believe God will bless you in ways you can’t even imagine.
Read MoreMy wife and I had read many, many books and articles on the subject of child-rearing. We had talked to our own parents, and other seasoned parents, because after all, this is a life in our hands that we had total responsibility for! We took it seriously. Her health and well-being depended on it, and though I would definitely say we had no clue what we were in for, I can say we were better prepared for parenting our kids than we were for the sacred covenant we entered into just five years prior.
Read MoreIt’s not at all a secret that growing up is rough. If you’ve already managed to survive your teenage years, you know that it’s a chunk of your life that was challenging, awkward, and at times just flat out brutal. And unfortunately you probably have the pictures of you and your frosted tips to prove it.
Read More“Welcome to Summit—so glad you’re here” I said time and time again to each and every person who walked through the doors of Summit week after week for the eight-week duration of my summer internship.
Read MoreAbout a year ago, one week before the carpets were laid in the Lake Mary Campus’ building, the congregation joined together to praise God for where he had brought them, to look toward to what they hoped he would do in the future, and to leave a meaningful mark on their campus.
Read MoreWhen you take a mission trip to Africa, one of the first lessons you learn is flexibility. You learn to expect people to operate on “African time,” you learn that things may not go as planned, and you learn to adapt.
Read MoreSitting on the floor in a circle, holding coffee cups and wearing their volunteer shirts, the elementary small group leaders at our Waterford 11 a.m. service had gathered for their weekly team meeting. I casually made a suggestion that was met with great enthusiasm— a goodbye book for the Rapp family. As we discussed the details that morning, Ezekiel Rapp came bounding into the room, early as usual and too excited to wait. He tapped the shoulders of Ms. Sierra, his special-needs-buddy, and his small group leaders. He was eager to play.
Read MoreEver since my first trip to Ethiopia in 2010, a piece of my heart resides there. I can't fully explain it, but once you go, it changes you. I am so thankful that God has expanded my view of the world through this beautiful country and its people.
Read MoreThis past year, my family struggled to be committed to our Connect group. We were trying to sell our house, with a new baby, a 3-year-old, and a kindergartener who often took our entire family out with sickness. We had unexpected work meetings, out of town guests, and an 8U softball schedule that plagued our presence on any given week..
Read MoreWhen I sat down with with two of the creative team members of The Road to Zamboria musical, there was something in their demeanors that stood out to me. Co-director, Darling Heldt, and co-writer, Michael Murray, were understandably excited about the new musical and it’s return to the Fringe Festival. But what made an impression on me was how truly thoughtful and intentional they both were.
Read More“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.
Read MoreSummit has been my church home since 2012. After about a year of regularly attending service, I began to feel the pull to dig in, connect, and serve. Just before the summer season, at the beginning of a service, Deanna McLellan came on stage and spoke about how they would love to welcome new volunteers for Team Summer. I turned to my husband Dan and said “I want to do that!”.
Read MoreniceSERVE 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!
Read MoreWhen 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!
Read MoreI’ve never written a blog before, but when I was approached to write something about my experience as a volunteer in Base Camp, I was excited to try something new! So, here it goes…
Read MoreAs the Herndon Summit Connect Director, I spend a lot of time dreaming about how Summit Connect can make a huge impact in someone’s life. I have a vision of equipped and supported Connect leaders pouring their time into mentoring the future ministry leaders of our church...
Read MoreBEING BAPTIZED FELT SO FREEING. It’s definitely not as intimidating or trapping as I once thought. I mean trapping as in having to be perfect and hold your Bible everywhere you go and wear a nightgown that covers your ankles to your chin. No. You are the same person you were two minutes earlier, but now you have this SUPER cool unfathomable sense of safety.
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