Stepping Into Opportunity
niceSERVE is one of my favorite things we do at Summit because it so beautifully blends two things I am passionate about—service and connection. Watching people make friends and form new relationships because they happened to sign up for the same project is one of the great joys of my job.
Providing Care, Love, and Hope
2020 has not gone as planned for most. That is an understatement, I know, but for many of us, this year has left us uncomfortable, uncertain, and anxious. There are feelings and realities that we all share. Yet, for many in Central Florida, 2020 has led to catastrophe. Prior to the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, Orlando ranked last in median income in major cities in the United States. Into these difficult circumstances steps United Against Poverty (UP Orlando), this year’s Christmas Eve offering recipient. Every year, we choose a local or global organization to whom we give the entirety of giving collected at Christmas Eve services.
God Uses All of It
In the past month, though, a global pandemic has changed the way we do church, which begs the question, “If part of being the Church means serving those around us, how do we do that when we’ve been asked to stay home? How can we be the hands and feet of Jesus to others when we’re supposed to stay six feet away from them?” Many of our regular routines and activities have been suspended during this season, but a foster family can’t press pause on caring for the kids in their home. In fact, as kids are home full-time from school and other activities, foster kids need the love and support of adults in their lives more than ever. No one knows that better than foster moms like Jackie and Shannon.
Not for Ourselves
When people are in need, the back of my car usually fills up. It has been filled to the brim with things that people need—people who matter, who are loved by Jesus, and who should be loved by the people that follow him. When people are in need, the back of my car fills up thanks to so many in this church family coming together to step up and help out. And it is a privilege to see it.
Where God Guides
“How can we be a part of what is breaking God’s heart as well?” asks Michelle Hamilton. She had no idea that God would call her into schools to minister to students. But God is always working, and she has seen that in her life. Every year, Summit designates the offering collected during Christmas Eve services to go to an organization outside our walls. We are so excited to come alongside Michelle and her volunteers’ work as this year’s offering will be given toward their ministry.
It Must Be a Gift
Truth can feel terribly old-fashioned these days. Jesus made use of story to speak difficult truth in a way that could capture the hearts of everyone—the uneducated and those who were too educated for their own good. To both the first-century farmer and the modern businessman, the seed strangled by the weeds of worry is all too relatable. To the Pharisee and to the prejudiced, the good Samaritan exposes the ugliness that might be otherwise be hidden behind 10 dollar words. Children can understand stories. Grown-ups (like me) can endure their truth, which—in another form—I might easily reject. Because even where a story exposes my sin, there is something sweetly healing about the sting.
A Lasting Impact
The FCA students choosing to join Summit for niceSERVE gave us a glimpse of some of the amazing things our local schools have to offer—the relationships that only they can build, the influence that only they can have, and the skills that only they can offer.
Rewriting the Story
How often do we feel ourselves drawn to something bigger, something more, something different? We can all relate to that. But how often do we also find ourselves longing for a sneak peek of our story before taking that first step?
Why Should We Care
Why do we care when someone is hurting? Why do we care when a child goes hungry or a single mom can’t make ends meet or when people are mistreated? Why do we care? The Bible has an answer for those questions and it comes in the first chapter of the first book. Genesis 1 says that people are unique in creation as being made in the image of God.
An Integral Part
For the few years my husband Josh and I have been attending Summit, there’s been a backpack drive. Last summer was the same as previous years. Walk into Sunday service, take a postcard in the shape of a backpack with a nifty list on the back of what to fill in it. We love the idea of helping our community, especially children, but it can be expensive to do on your own.
For A Unique Purpose
The Riverside community is a small area that lies in the northern region of the Central Florida area. For years, though most of us didn’t even know exactly where it is, Summit’s staff, prayer team, and I have known it’s name. You see, one of the most consistent prayer requests I can expect to see from the Lake Mary Campus each week is, in one way or another, for Riverside.
Not Over Yet
The sun is shining, although there’s a chill in the air. The sound of hammering is thick and chaotic. There are ladders and boards, and people milling about everywhere. There’s work being done, by many different hands. A laugh echoes across the property and you see in the faces of those gathered that there’s more being built here than just a house: we’re building a home.