Our Favorite Sunday of the Month
At Summit, fall is in full swing, which means Base Camp Live! (BCL) is having it’s first show this Sunday, September 8th! For those who might be new, BCL is something pretty unique to Summit, and it’s also pretty awesome! It’s a monthly 25-minute live family production that elementary-aged kids and their parents can attend together after service. In BCL, families learn about God’s Word all while munching on popcorn and laughing at hilarious, lovable characters.
Our Summit families tell us that BCL Sundays are by far their favorite Sunday of the month, so we sat down with Lauren Lanker, Summit’s BCL Coordinator to find out, “What makes BCL so special!”
Lauren didn’t talk about the talent on stage or the lights and sound, she tied it all back to Jesus. She said, “We are wired for stories. Jesus so often taught through telling parables–stories about runaway sons and farmers sowing seeds–stories that often spoke about the love of His Father or the kingdom of God in ways that were accessible to the people of his day. In BCL we get to see modern-day parables that point us to God and his truth, helping us to apply it to our lives here in 2024.”
Being able to have fun in church is important. Having cross-generational conversations during church is important too, and doesn’t always happen. What might make BCL so unique, though, is its intentionality regarding the gospel and the kingdom-minded approach to storytelling.
Lauren said, “My hope is that BCL is a place of belonging for our volunteers–of knowing their value as beloved children of God and their essential part to play not just on our stage, but in the kingdom of God. And for our families and audience members, my hope is that all of it–the confetti cannons, the silly songs, the slapstick gags, the wacky props–all of it would grow our families closer together and closer to our great God. He is the source of all joy in the BCL Theatre. And as we head out into the world, He is our closest companion, with us through every plot twist, working out all things for our good.”
According to Lauren, “Base Camp’s top priority is that every person who enters the BCL Theatre feels safe and welcome–in fact, we have a whole ‘Welcome Team’ dedicated to that mission! So, it really is an ideal opportunity to invite someone who may not feel comfortable in a church service, but a sketch comedy show full of laughs…why not?!”
“Time and time again,” she continued, “I hear stories of families for whom BCL was their gateway into doing life together at Summit. In fact, when my husband Mark and I first attended Newcomer’s Review back in 2012 and a staff member shared about a little theatre ministry called BCL, my ears perked up. I turned to Mark and said, ‘I think we’ve found our church home.’ I started volunteering in BCL that Christmas, joined the Creative Team of our full production musicals that spring, and soon after that I’d be the BCL Coordinator…and here we are 12 years later!”
Lauren has been helping with BCL for over a decade and has had her hands in every aspect of this ministry. BCL has had quite a legacy at Summit as it was first launched 18 years ago, back in 2006 in what is currently Summit Orlando’s Arctic space.
As we went back and forth about Lauren’s history with BCL, she said, “Fun fact, three of our team members from back then still serve in BCL today: Kristy-Lee Lawley, Cheez Denard, and Joanna Pizicas! They’re the BCL OGs, and we’re so grateful for their many years of dedication to this ministry.”
If you spend any amount of time around BCL, the performers, the tech crew, and the volunteers who fill popcorn bags and help families find their seats, you quickly see how special it is. BCL is well loved. This has to be because it’s fun, but also because of the passion the volunteers and staff bring to it. From beginning to end, everything is done with excellence.
Lauren walked us through the components of a show, saying, “We have two dynamic hosts who start things off by introducing our show’s ‘big idea’, which will be no surprise to the kiddos who have been learning the same big idea in Base Camp. We have a ‘Backstage Kids’ segment where we visit the kids at Parker Middle School (fictional) and see what antics they’ve gotten themselves into this time. The Word segment is my personal favorite and involves a creative (and very silly) retelling of a Bible story. Then, there’s a family discussion where we turn up the lights in the house and families connect through a conversation about the big idea. We want the conversation to start here, not stop here. We hope that families are having discussions during BCL and throughout the month as they reflect on what they saw in our show!”
Hearing all this one has to ask how many people it takes to put on such a big production. After all, someone has to write the script and coordinate rehearsals and plan for all of the multimedia components and provide meals when you rehearse through dinner and breakfast on Sunday morning, and well, you get it. It’s a lot!
Lauren said, “We need about 25 volunteers to make BCL happen each month, and we have about 50 volunteers on our BCL team roster this ‘24 – ‘25 season. Our cohort includes actors, backstage crew, tech team, stage managers, house managers, and welcome team members. I see our BCL team as a beautiful picture of the body of Christ: so many different parts–all unique, all necessary.”
Come see Lauren’s team in action this Sunday, September 8th! It’s the perfect time to bring a friend or neighbor. Other upcoming shows will be on Sunday, October 6th, and Sunday, November 3rd. There will also be a BCL Christmas Pajama Party on Saturday, December 14th at Summit Orlando and Sunday, December 15th at Summit Lake Mary. You won’t want to miss the chance to meet BCL’s zany cast of characters and the heartfelt gospel message presented in a way that the whole family can connect over. We can’t wait to see you there!