This 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 MoreThis 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.
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 MoreThis 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.
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.
Read MoreI grew up in the Mormon religion, but the pressure for perfection and good works was too much. By the time I turned 26, I left religion altogether. For 10 years, my husband and I decided to teach the Bible to our children at home, but it was very sporadic, as was my personal relationship with the Lord. Unfortunately, at the time, I was choosing the hard way of doing things by myself.
Read MoreSeveral years ago I was in a meeting when an idea came up. What if we could find a coffee supplier that would align with our vision and desire to partner significantly in stopping the AIDS pandemic in Africa? It wasn’t my idea (John Parker always has the best ideas), so I can say it was a great idea— like really great and also really big. An idea that, if we were going to do it right, needed a lot of research and time.
Read MoreQuinn and Jaye led the way out into the ocean, followed closely by their father, Trevor. Quinn walked straight and purposefully while his sister, Jaye, skipped and hopped with joy just behind him. This was the day that Trevor and his wife, Ashley, had been waiting for. The day that life changing decisions were declared with joy in front of their church family.
Read MoreAs my friend and co-worker, Trey Colson, was combing through the liturgies that different church traditions have used to celebrate Holy Week, he noticed something that struck him— and as he shared it with me, it struck me as well. A seemingly small detail at the end of the Maundy Thursday service: The service continues on Good Friday.
Read MoreI never cared to do anything at church beyond attend and occasionally play with the worship team. I grew up as a pastor’s kid with a ton of siblings (9 to be exact), and had about all the “behind the scenes” experience I could handle. When I was younger, my family would be in church any time the doors were open.
Read MoreThere’s something I’ve seen starting to take shape at Summit that I wish everyone who attends or even works at Summit could see. I’m almost certainly just getting a small glimpse of it, but what I’m talking about is the collective effect of someone giving their time and talents in multiple ministries within the church.
Read More“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.
Read MoreJust as God is infinite and has an endless capacity for revealing Himself in and through this world and beyond, there are numerous ways in which we can experience Him and worship Him from within His creation.
Read MoreI remember a time in my life when I was showing up to work every day just to receive a paycheck. It was a horrible feeling. I was not passionate or proud of my work, and every week seemed to bring a “case of the Mondays”. I think about this in contrast to some of the prayers of our friends in the 33rd Street Women’s campus.
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