Let Me Hold These Promises
I stress. I worry. I live in the hypothetical of “what if” or “if only.” But I was recently reminded that while God may not give us grace for the hypothetical, he abundantly gives us grace for the here and now—our present circumstances.
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.
Let Us Be Bacon
The Church, in its truest form, is carried in the people who bear the name of Christ. If this week church for me looks like worship with my wife and kids, I welcome the opportunity. If for you, it looks like connecting with your people digitally and together engaging in the service online, then make the most of it. Doing so is not a lesser version of church—it is what the Church does in these exact circumstances.
COVID-19 Update: On-Site Meeting Guidelines
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.
What Do We Do With Our Fear?
The question we should be asking is not “Should we be feeling fear?” but rather “What do we do with our fear?” We all face fear, so what do we do with our fear? Fear is like a car—it moves us. It takes us somewhere. If our level of fear is mostly fueled by uncertainty, then where this fear moves us is toward what is certain.
Information Regarding COVID-19
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.
Burning Brighter Together
With his unique perspective on Black History Month, Thomas’ hope was that families would be entertained, of course, but that they would also leave the theatre with expanded viewpoints. “Just opening them up to new experiences so people can have those conversations,” he says.
Burning Brighter Together
With his unique perspective on Black History Month, Thomas’ hope was that families would be entertained, of course, but that they would also leave the theatre with expanded viewpoints. “Just opening them up to new experiences so people can have those conversations,” he says.
Leading with Integrity: Introducing Summit’s Newest Board Members
Summit’s Governing Board is an intentionally built team of Summit partners whose responsibility it is to ensure that our church is being led with integrity. Integrity refers of course to moral integrity, but it also speaks to financial integrity, directional integrity, leadership integrity, etc. Their job ultimately is to make sure we have the right leadership, with the right priorities, taking us in the right direction as we live out the vision of Summit. The formal way of stating their role is to say that they govern by Executive Limitations, which are essentially 10 arenas of organizational integrity that they ensure we meet.
Sincerely, Surrender
I realized I was singing with ease words that cannot be taken lightly. The song was more sincere than I was, and I knew I needed to do something with that realization. The song had to become for me not a celebration of the way things are but a confession of the way things are not. It had to become a prayer—a way of asking for things to be as they ought.
More Than Hoped For
While in Kenya, Paige spent time with one of our global partners, Tazama Nia. This organization works with women, children, and vulnerable individuals in the slums of Nairobi. Paige was able to be a part of facilitating Tazama Nia’s summer Bible clubs, and through this, discovered a passion within herself for working with children.
Rhinos and Rabbits: Multisite at Summit
In new expressions of Summit, we won’t be pouring all our resources into hurrying a campus toward the rhino status of the Herndon, Lake Mary, or Waterford Campuses. We will be starting small, agile, and highly contextualized. The first year of one of these new campuses will look more like the original Summit did in our own humble beginnings in an apartment complex clubhouse. It will look more like a church plant, like a community of people gathering to worship and serve God.
A Personal Focus for the Year
Your personal holiness matters and is the very best thing you can offer the people and communities God has placed you in.
Undone: An Introduction to the Sermon Series
Character matters. In fact, particular kinds of character stand at the heart of God’s purpose for his people.
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.
First Drafts
Sometimes trusting God with our stories is the most difficult work we can do. I shy away from conflict, so dealing with my problems and processing through how I’m feeling gets put on the back burner. It’s easy to float through life—right until it isn't. Eventually, the metaphorical deadlines creep up and I have to turn something in. I want to give God the best version of myself, but that’s not what grace asks for.
A Reminder of God’s Grace
November of 2019 marks five years since we’ve been holding church in the women’s side of the 33rd Street Jail. We are so thankful for the volunteers on Team 33rd who make church happen each week and for their heart for serving everyone in God’s kingdom. Here are some words from a few of these awesome women.
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.
He Sees Me
“The seed that fell on good soil represents those who truly hear and understand God’s word and produce a harvest of thirty, sixty, or even a hundred times as much as had been planted!” Jesus’ voice rose as he ended his story with a burst of confidence and hope. Even I could feel it.