COVID-19 Updates

We want to be sure you’re made aware of how changes to local requirements and mandates related to COVID-19 will affect Summit worship services. As precautions change for in-person services, we recognize that there will continue to be a range in comfort levels in regards to attending services. Every week we have means for people to join together in worship that range from indoor, in-person services to gatherings that meet outdoors to our online service available for you to use in facilitating your own worship gathering and each of these environments represents good and right ways to gather in worship.

These three factors helped to inform our early gathering requirements and guidelines, and we will use these same factors to guide the loosening of requirements and guidelines in the months ahead. I don’t know when restrictions will start to lift, and I imagine there remains a wide swath of perspective on what should happen when. In the reality of circumstances continuing to change, I ask that we continue to show each other love, that we assume the best in each other, and that we honor the pace and posture we take as a whole church—even where it may not suit our individual preferences or perspectives.

We look forward to reopening the Herndon, Lake Mary, and Waterford Campuses for worship services! Join us in person for service as we begin our Advent sermon series on Sunday, November 29th. There are a few changes to be aware of as we move back to worshiping in buildings, but before we get into those details, we want to remind you that the online service is still available. If you’re thinking you’re ready to join us again in-person, here’s what you should know!

Last week, our staff leadership team spent two days meeting to pray about, discuss, and make decisions surrounding three things that are important in how we live out the vision both now and in the years ahead. The online service is here to stay, we are targeting the beginning of Advent (November 29th) for our reopening of on-campus worship services (including Children’s Ministry), and we can all continue to be the church now—where we are.

This morning, based upon our communities’ current metrics surrounding COVID-19, we made the decision to suspend in-person limited gathering worship services through the end of July.

After spending time in prayer and considering all available guidelines and recommendations for social distancing, as well as taking into account your feedback from the recent survey and wanting to respect the varying comfort levels of those who worship with us, we are ready to move into the next step of reopening Summit campuses.

As Florida enters phase one of reopening, I want to give you a quick update as this pertains to our thoughts and plans moving forward. Our posture throughout this season has been to follow our local leaders, act wisely, lead by example, and do our very best to fully engage in living out Summit’s vision in whatever environment we find ourselves in. We will continue to forge ahead with these as our priorities.

Following the most recent update on the community impact of COVID-19, or the novel coronavirus, we are honoring the recommendations of our community leaders and doing our part to prevent the possibility of community spread. As per the guidelines of the local emergency declaration for Orange County by Orange County Mayor Jerry Demmings, we are practicing good citizenship and suspending services until otherwise notified. We will continue to make sermon audio and video available online.

Many of you are following updates on the novel coronavirus, or COVID-19. We are also paying attention to how this may affect Florida. If you are wondering how the current situation will affect Summit, we want to make you aware of our current plans based on the available information.