SUMMIT Magazine | Issue 29 | Jesus in Our Stories

Issue 29 / Fall 2018

Jesus in Our Stories

Issue 28 / Fall 2017

LETTER FROM JOHN

I recently returned from two weeks hiking with my 13-year-old sons on the Appalachian Trail. The trip had been planned as a type of “Right Of Passage” or “Coming of Age” event for the boys and was something I had been eagerly anticipating for months. The time with the boys, the time in nature, the challenge of hiking for over 100 miles; all of those elements were to be woven together into a bit of a “bucket list” event for me.

There was plenty of fun and joy during our hike. We saw stunning views from the tops of mountains we had toiled to climb.

We had hours upon hours of uninterrupted time to talk about whatever these amazing sons of mine had on their minds. We worked as a team and experienced a deep sense of accomplishment as we finished 137 miles through the mountains in 14 days.

But we also suffered. We suffered in the climbing of endless mountains. We suffered in the heat or the rain, in the stink of days without being able to really bathe. We suffered most in saying goodbye to our travel partners and close friends who had to leave the trail early due to injury. On this, our worst day, one of my sons turned to me and asked in a tone of bitter accusation, “Are you enjoying this?” The implication of the question was that somehow I was finding joy in making them suffer—that I was somehow outside of their pain and was living an entirely different story than their own.

The reality was far different than the accusation in his question. While I knew they were suffering, and while I had allowed and even planned it, I was not separate from their suffering. In fact the opposite was true.

I was walking every step they were walking.

I was grief stricken at their grieving and their fear they could not go on. I knew that for them to know they could suffer and still move forward, they had to see me suffer and still move forward. Their story was not separate from mine. The only difference is that I was not afraid to suffer, because I knew that it would not break me. By the end of our journey they had grown toward having that same assurance.

As I reflect on my time with my sons, I am so glad to have lived those two weeks with

them. As the days passed, I found myself in awe of how remarkable they are as young men. I admired their strength and resilience.

I celebrated their growing confidence and I cherished hearing them talk about their dreams for the future. But as I reflect, I also feel a distinct sadness remembering the moment, however brief it was, that my kids questioned whether or not they were suffering alone, with me as an indifferent spectator, or if I too was feeling the impact and pain of their suffering, of their story. I knew my kids needed to suffer so they could learn to persevere, but I also needed them to know that their suffering was my suffering as well, and that this story was about so much more than toiling up another mountain.

In this issue of the Summit Magazine, we will be looking at the power of the story of our lives. We will see stories that are not simply a relaying of chronological events or a progression of steps, but rather are the true tales of our Father inviting us to live our stories as part of the great redemption narrative he is telling in our world. You see, God doesn’t look at our lives with indifference. He doesn’t relish our suffering, nor does he scoff at our joy. Rather, he wants to be deeply involved in the story of our lives. In fact, he started our story so that he could be involved.

The story of your life means something to the one who made you. He cares enough about you to want your life to matter, and for you to have the fullest impact for good in our broken world. He wants your joy to

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RACHEL VASQUEZ THE PARKERS John, Brandy, Mulunesh, Sinkenesh, Archike, Samuel, Abush, and Aschalew

be pure and your suffering to be redemptive.

We may look at our lives, especially in times of pain, and ask God if he even cares that we are suffering, but our Father never pulls away from our lives, even in our painful moments.

Rather he feels our suffering and loves us too much to have pain be the end of our story.

My hope is that in seeing the bigger story in which those told in this magazine are a part of, you will dare to believe that your life may also be part of a bigger story, and that you will have the courage to step into that narrative knowing that you never walk that path alone.

John Parker, Lead Pastor

Contents

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RADAR

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It Takes a Village An update on our 2017 Christmas Eve Offering

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Ours Middle and high schoolers at the Herndon Campus have officially moved into the new Student Ministries Space!

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Cover Photo: Greg Perkins

A Year In The Life Of Jesus A Year (So Far) In Review

CONNECT

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A Place To Grow

A New Chapter Eddy Moratin and his team at LIFT Orlando are working hard to bring change and growth to the West Lakes area of Orlando.

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Baby Steps

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Running to Repentance

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The Ripple of Obedience Arul knew there must be a reason God kept insisting he not give up on Full Sail. Nate had a feeling reflecting Jesus in the film industry could have an impact far past his own reach.

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r eT H I N K

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The Fiction of Jesus

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Acts of Devotion

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The Gospel of Story

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Storied The stories she heard at the grown-up table as a child made such an impact on Mary Lee Carter she sought a way to become a storyteller herself.

ETC.

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Song Source

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He Sees Me

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Artist Feature Ansley Schrimsher found a box of her grandmother’s old brooches and the rest is breathing-new-life-into-oldjewelry history.

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12 Questions

What We Set Down

More Than A Neighborhood Through their commitment to setting down meaningful roots in their neighborhood, the Bollinger family is creating a little slice of heavenly community right here in Orlando.

The Prodigal Son

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Our vision is to form biblically functioning communities that reach lost people, connect in Christ-centered relationships, teach truth, serve others, and worship God. WHO WE ARE Summit Church is one church in multiple locations, living out our vision so that people can know they matter to God. Whether you find yourself unsure about who Jesus is and why that matters, ready to jump right into community life, or somewhere in between, you are welcome here.

Locations Summit Herndon 735 Herndon Avenue, Orlando, FL 32803 Service Times: Thursdays, 7 p.m., Sundays, 9 a.m.*, 11 a.m., & 6 p.m. (*ASL interpreters available)

Summit Lake Mary 100 Technology Park, Suite 110, Lake Mary, FL 32746 Service Times: Sundays, 9 a.m. & 11 a.m.

Summit Waterford 11602 Lake Underhill Road, Suite 110, Orlando, FL 32825 Service Times: Sundays, 9 a.m. & 11 a.m.

Summit at 33rd Street Jail Men's and Women's Service Times: Sunday afternoons

Connect With Us Find us on the web: summitconnect.org

Summit Church

@summitchurch

@summitchurch

summitconnect.org/blog

Contact Us Office Hours (Herndon Campus Location): Monday-Thursday, 9 a.m.-5 p.m.

Phone: (407) 897-8130 Email: summit@summitconnect.org

Church Staff

LEADERSHIP TEAM Our senior staff members are responsible for leading the church and its ministries according to Scripture.

Lead Pastor John Parker // jparker@summitconnect.org Worship Pastor Andy Simonds // asimonds@summitconnect.org Organizational Development Pastor Jeff Kern // jkern@summitconnect.org Herndon Campus Pastor Zach Van Dyke // zvandyke@summitconnect.org Lake Mary Campus Pastor O.J. Aldrich // ojaldrich@summitconnect.org Waterford Campus Pastor Garry Abbott // gabbott@summitconnect.org Teaching Minister Jim Keller // jkeller@summitconnect.org

DIRECTORS These folks oversee the departments and staff at Summit, helping to make sure everyone who comes through our doors feels welcomed, informed, and enabled to step into community here.

Family Ministry Director Tracy Beeson // tbeeson@summitconnect.org Herndon Children’s Ministry Director Deanna McLellan // dmclellan@summitconnect.org Summit Connect Director Dan Sherfield // dsherfield@summitconnect.org reGROUP Director Kailey Newkirk // knewkirk@summitconnect.org Creative Director Greg Perkins // gperkins@summitconnect.org Technical Director Joel LeGros // jlegros@summitconnect.org For a full staff list, please visit summitconnect.org/staff.

Magazine Staff

Editorial Director Katie Schmidt Art Director Greg Perkins Graphic Designer/Photography Manager L J Judy Associate Editor Kari Freeman Editors: Allison Hurtado, Anna May, Jessica Meyer, Ann Miller, MaryEllen Oliver, Virginia Schultz, Ashley Simonds

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Contributing Writers: O.J. Aldrich, Maggie Bruehl, David Burleson, Mary Lee Carter, Laura Cook, Laura Diaz, Kari Freeman, Allison Hurtado, Sarah Land, Michael Murray, John Parker, Greg Perkins, Reagan Perkins, Cory Quintard, Katie Schmidt, Andy Simonds, Melissa Stillman, Lexi Winship Contributing Photographers: Annastasia Charles, Patrick Michael Chin, Kimberly Chin, Brian Hogan, L J Judy, Deborah Kline, Jessica McCarty-Carvajal, Greg Perkins Contributing Artists/Designers: Milton Campbell, L J Judy, Greg Perkins, Levi Perkins, Devon Pierni, Beau Wingfield

CONTRIBUTORS

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MaryEllen Oliver

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Annastasia Charles

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Milton Campbell

EDITOR

In grade school, MaryEllen got sent to the principal's office for repeatedly sneaking up to the chalkboard to correct a teacher's spelling. From this “see, I’m right” attitude, she grew to see this ability instead as an opportunity to serve others, by helping remove distractions so a writer’s message can shine. MaryEllen has been freelancing for publishers ever since college, and now helps edit the Summit Magazine. She and her husband, Glenn, started attending Summit in 2016 when they moved to Orlando, and eventually became Summit partners. A fan of Shakespeare, kayaking, and geeky pursuits with family, MaryEllen also serves on the Hospitality Team.

PHOTOGRAPHER

Annastasia always had an interest in photography and, growing up, could often be found behind a camera.

In October of 2016 she had the opportunity to help photograph a wedding for the first time and from there started doing professional photography. Since then she’s developed an interest and passion in humanitarian photography, which will be taking her to Mexico soon to partner with Youth With A Mission. She started attending Summit in January of 2017 after living in Orlando for six years praying for a church home. Through the Media Team, Annastasia has been able to use her gifts and interests to play a pivotal role in storytelling at Summit.

DESIGNER

In 2001 Milton graduated with a degree in graphic design and has been freelancing ever since. His original interest in design came from an appreciation of various forms of art as a child and his older brother’s love of drawing and illustration. Milton was living in Seattle in 2010 and would come home to visit his parents here in Orlando. On one of those visits, a high school friend of his told him he’d become a Christian and mentioned Summit, so Milton accompanied him one weekend and started coming to Summit every Orlando-visit after.

When Milton moved back to Orlando in January of 2017 to help care for his father, he joined a Connect group that became a pivotal support-system in his life when his father passed away that March. Milton also produces music, loves photography, and is the mentor for a developing photographer and a developing graphic designer.

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Jessica McCarty-Carvajal

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Michael Murray

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PHOTOGRAPHER

In college Jessica started taking a long-standing interest in photography more seriously and began to take steps toward turning what she loved into a career. She was in school to become a teacher, but when a professor from a photography class she was taking encouraged her to make a portfolio and present it to the chairperson at Daytona State College, she was immediately placed into the advanced photography program. She and her husband started attending Summit about four years ago. They serve together on the Hospitality Team and love being able to meet new smiling faces each week. In their spare time they also enjoy board games, spending time with loved ones, and anything involving the outdoors.

WRITER

Michael has been writing most of his life—an interest that came from the Goosebumps series and 90’s Nickelodeon shows. Michael’s sister was invited to Summit by a college friend in 2007 and Michael, who had been taking a break from church, decided to accompany her.

He quickly felt connected and started rediscovering the grace of Jesus here. He started volunteering on our Hospitality Team, became a summer intern in 2009, and officially joined staff as the BCL Content Coordinator in 2011. Michael loves musicals, musical-related things, podcasts, lunch outings, and hanging out with his wife, Diana.

WRITER

By the time Laura could spell, she had an interest in writing. After a decade-long career in Marketing, Laura is getting a Master's Degree in Applied Psychology at Liberty University in preparation for a big career change.

Laura has been around Summit for almost three years and started serving on our writing team shortly after she tagged our Facebook Page in a post she’d written about her baptism on her personal blog and we started pestering her to write for us. She also serves in Student Ministries leading a group of high school girls through the tumult that is the teenage years. She’s currently planning her wedding, working, and in graduate school, but when she had time for hobbies she liked running, yoga at the YMCA, and cooking.

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A YEAR IN

focused on “What if we focused one thing for an entire one year? What would be the most transformational transformational thing we could focus on?”

These were the questions we started with in 2017 when we were prayerfully planning the teaching calendar for 2018. A lot of great ideas were shared, thoughts prayed through, amazing discussions were had all around. The one idea that kept coming back seemed so simple, but also the most radical. What if we spent a year simply studying Jesus? What if we went back to the basics, spent a year with the most amazing person who has ever walked the earth, gave space to the one who has promised us new life? What would that look like? Would a year be too much? Not enough? How would we support it?

THE LIFE OF

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This year has been one of my favorites so far.

Everything has pointed to Jesus—which is why we do church to begin with—but it has helped clarify and focus everything we do. What are we learning about this Sunday? Jesus. What should we talk about in Base Camp? Same as service—Jesus. What about Student Ministries?

Jesus. What should we do during the week between Sunday services? Read about Jesus, live like Jesus, let our lives be transformed by Jesus.

Hundreds of people have taken the daily challenge to read through the Gospels and have had a front row seat to the incredible truth about who Jesus is. Lives have been changed and energized as we’ve slowed down to focus on the one who promises us real life and light.

The real life and light that our world needs now as much, if not more, than ever. We’re focused on Jesus. His radical love, his challenge to our lives, his promise of hope, his deep heart for our world.

And by focusing on Jesus, something incredible has happened. We have seen the full heart and character of God on display. Wrapped in flesh, incarnate in our world—the light who came and made his dwelling among us.

Because the one thing that could transform us the most? Knowing who God really is, knowing who God really cares about, and answering the question deep in our heart—do we truly believe. Next year won’t be the same because of this year. I’m so grateful we stepped back, and at the same time moved forward, and spent a year in the life of Jesus.

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A YEAR IN THE LIFE OF JESUS Gospel Reading Plan

Godspell

As part of our year in the life of Jesus, we are spending 2018 reading through all of the Gospels as we seek to know and understand Jesus deeper. Every day a reading is available on our website or via email that walks us all through Jesus’ time on earth as told in Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John.

Based on the Gospel of Matthew, Godspell follows Jesus and a small group of friends as they bring his teachings to life. Together, they tell different parables by using a wide variety of games, storytelling techniques, and a hefty dose of comedic timing.

It's the five minutes each day that I get to just stop and read. I also like that even when I miss a day, there is grace and another email waiting for me. I am really enjoying the daily reading that has the version from each book. Being able to see the different perspectives helps me to see the different perspectives in my life too.

—Helinfield Hanecak "My family moved to Orlando last year, we bought a house back in December, and I still travel to Miami several times a month for my business. Needless to say, all my routines have been thrown out of whack. One of my resolutions for the year was to reestablish some consistency in the important things, and I knew a daily dose of divine inspiration was one of those things I needed. I had began the daily readings of Proverbs, but wasn't sure what to do in the New Testament, so when Zach announced the reading plan, it was perfect. I also found it very helpful for it to be emailed to me. My proverbs are set to be the first reminder I get in my calendar, and the Gospels are typically the first

email in my inbox, so it’s a nice visual cue and practical reminder to keep God first.

The main thing I have enjoyed about the daily readings is the parallel readings between Gospels. Knowing a little bit about the author’s audience and intent makes it interesting to see what stories and what details were important to each. The focus on one story at a time also makes it easier to sit and reflect on what Jesus was doing, and how I apply that to my day. I’m very grateful for this resource. It has been of tremendous value helping me stay centered on my faith."

—Will Dukes "My sister-in-law, Tess, is battling adrenal gland cancer and I've been helping with taking her for doctors appointments and treatments at Moffitt. I remember one day, while waiting for her, I stopped to read the Gospel Reading Plan for that day. It was about Jesus Healing the Sick in Matthew 4. I just remember reading it that day and being amazed at how it spoke so much into what was going on for that particular day."

—Tracy Marini

Read along!

Jesus Songs

As we’ve been moving through this year in the life of Jesus, we have periodically released songs from our worship teams across campuses that are inspired by the life of Jesus.

Listen!

s u m m i t co n n e c t . o r g/g o s p e l r e a d i n g p l a n

summitchurchrecordings.org

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A YEAR IN THE LIFE OF JESUS Events

Sermon Series

I Am - "God is pleased with you, right here and right now. He delights in you exactly as you are. He doesn't require you to meet any expectation of perfection because Jesus already has."

Beach Baptism

On April 29th, 41 members of our church family walked into the water at Bethune Beach and publicly proclaimed their faith in Jesus through baptism.

Partnership

We have welcomed 50 new partners into the Summit family so far this year. That means 50 people have committed to being all-in and to doing their part to seeing the vision of Summit come to fruition.

Ministry Updates

The Day Death Lost Its Sting - "On Jesus' way to the garden, you were foremost in his thoughts. He was willing to suffer anything, except an eternity without you."

Summit University

Over the course of nine weeks at each of our Summit campuses, those who took the Financial Peace University Class were able to see God work in their finances in big ways. This class was so impactful for those who dug into it—from the retired woman who began budgeting for the first time in her life to the fresh-out-of-college student who cut up his credit card and started to tackle his student loan debt.

reGROUP

At our reGROUP Graduation in June, 25 participants walked across the stage to receive their golden chip. That’s 25 members of our congregation who, through our recovery ministry, courageously took steps toward putting an end to what was standing between them and their relationship with others, themselves, and God.

The Life After - "Doubt isn't toxic to faith, silence is. Doubt is an invitation to deeper relationship with God."

Join Africa

God continues to expand and hone the ways we approach global ministry as we partner with organizations that empower churches and strengthen vulnerable families around the world. Seven Summit teams are visiting our partners in Malawi, Kenya, Ethiopia, and the Dominican Republic to support their work through mutual learning, community, and encouragement.

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9 Conversations - "God is not out to get you. He's out to get you back."

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Village “How are we being led to make the most of our place in history by joining someone in what God is doing through them?”

It’s a question that Waterford Campus Pastor Garry Abbott asks alongside Summit’s Strategy, Ministry, and Campus Leadership teams months before Christmas time rolls around each year. At Summit, we believe that the local church is the hope of the world and being the local church means working together to leverage the resources put in our paths toward that hope. The Christmas Eve Offering is one of those resources. Each year, the offering taken up at each Christmas Eve service across Summit campuses is leveraged toward ministry outside of the walls of our church. This has included supporting our partners both locally and globally over the last 15 years.

The 2017 Christmas Eve Offering has been used to come alongside two local churches in the work they are doing to support children and families.

“These two churches are doing exceptional work in caring for vulnerable children in the OBT/26th Street area—a part of our city that deals with significant challenges,” Garry Abbott explains.

“Both churches have a vision to bring the hope of the gospel to entire families through caring for and about children and teens.” Love Fellowship Church is now in the process of renovating a new space to fit the needs of their growing children’s ministry while The Kingdom Church is nearing completion of a new 24-hour daycare facility. (Find out more in the sidebar on the next page.)

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This new daycare facility, Kingdom Kids Development Center, will meet a specific need in the area for quality and Christ-centered care for children around the clock. This facility will cater to working parents whose jobs require them to be out of the house during evening or nighttime hours, though that wasn’t always the plan. When The Kingdom Church first began their journey to open a safe and loving daycare facility, they weren’t aware of how big of a need there was in the area for 24-hour care.

"It goes beyond just a daycare, it goes beyond just watching your child, it goes into the formation of the child."

–Pastor David

“One of the first inspectors saw that our space was ideal for this kind of facility,” Pastor David Jacques describes. “She told us, ‘You know this area really needs a 24-hour daycare.’” As they began to move toward meeting that goal, their community has been proving that inspector’s words to be true.

“People have been seeing the sign, people who have never been to church here, and coming in and asking about it, excited,” Pastor David explains.

families, many of whom may come from a difficult background, very seriously. “For some children, this could be the only safe place they know,” Pastor David says. “We anticipate taking on some of the burdens of the families as kids come in.”

As Kingdom Kids Development Center moves through its final inspections and anticipates their opening at the end of the summer of 2018, they ask for prayers that their staff would continue to prepare to nurture, encourage, and support each child that attends and the families they represent.

Despite the challenges they know exist in their community, the Kingdom Kids staff is ready and willing to come alongside any family that comes their way. As Pastor David says, “It really does take a village to raise a child and we believe we are that village. It goes beyond just a daycare, it goes beyond just watching your child, it goes into the formation of the child. The local church is the heartbeat of the community.”

With ample space, thorough security measures, and caring staff members, Kingdom Kids Development Center will be able to provide care for up to 99 children at a time. But their top notch facility is not the only asset they bring to the table. The Kingdom Church takes the responsibility of the emotional and spiritual care of these children and their

The playground and two of the classrooms at the Kingdom Kids Development Center, a 24-hour Christ-centered daycare facility

Love Fellowship Love Fellowship Christian Church is seeking to affirm the value of children and teens by creating a purposebuilt space for them. As they’ve moved forward with the project, Summit partners are excited to be involved by joining in to aid in the construction of a new building that is being crafted specifically for children and student ministry. Construction officially starts fall of 2018.

“This particular collaboration of churches allows us to represent the church universal...it’s about just being who God calls us to be—the Church. So now we move from just having church to being the Church, and in being the Church, we change the world.” —Dr. Sylvester Robinson

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OURS In the history of Summit there has never been a space specifically created for students. And as they’ve made do with borrowed environments over the years, it became more and more clear to church leadership that it was time to provide them with a place to call their own. And now that they have it, they’ve hit the ground running inviting new friends, hanging back late for one more round of “Applesauce” on the pool table (far too complicated of rules to explain here, you’ll just have to join them someday to see it yourself), and diving into deeper community with each other.

"My favorite thing about the new space is the octoball court outside.

The space is very important for us because we all had to go in the little kid classrooms and it wasn't meant for teens like us—they were pink and small. In the new space I am most excited for the new couches and big chair in the 8th grade boys room."

—Matti Hanecak, 8th Grade

"Having this space shows Summit values teaching and mentoring the next generation of the church. I’m looking forward to spending time with my small group in the new space. It will also be easy to invite people to Edge because the new space is very inviting."

—Ethan Wattles, 10th Grade

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"With the new space, Summit is really saying they care about their students and here is a special place for them. I am so excited to see Student Ministries at Summit grow and for it to become exactly what God wants it to be."

—Jada Hunter, 11th Grade

"Summit is my home and the space already feels like a safe haven. I am most excited for other students to have fun and also connect with the Holy Spirit. Yes, there are so many cool games, fantastic food, and places to hang, but there are also the Connect group rooms—which a good amount of your time will be spent connecting with friends, leaders, and God. " —Heather Bazley, Graduating Senior

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"I am most stoked about expanding relationships with others and with God. I feel that this new space, with all its amenities, will give us a chance to communicate and hang out in one central space. It’s created a fun space where we are able to create new relationships— further allowing us to connect, not only through our faith, but through our likes."

—Mya Blanton, 10th Grade

"I want it to be a place that fosters memories so when students graduate or leave they’ll remember all of the intense Spicy Uno games or ping pong matches or foosball tourneys. Or the countless number of Airheads Xtremes they’ve eaten in there or slices of pizza. I’m excited for the future this space holds for the students coming through and all of the happy, sad, crazy memories they will create in there."

—Asha Tolliver, Graduating Senior

"It’s nice because we have more room to hang out and play with our friends. I like that there are more games in there like pool and ping pong. And we can stay inside if it’s hot or raining too."

—Maddox Weinberg, 7th Grade

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"I like how the rooms are more for our age with the chairs and no buckets of toys or anything that could distract us.

Having the new space makes me feel like I have my own part at Summit and more at home."

—Alex Conklin, 8th Grade

"The new space is really important to me because when we didn't have our own specified area, we didn't get as much time to interact with each other. I’m excited to have fun with some of my closest friends, and grow closer to them through God. And I am beyond excited to build a bigger bond with each and every girl in my Connect group."

—Tait Nakagawa, 8th Grade

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Healing When he walked amongst us, it was through parables that Jesus taught us we can always come back home, to use our giftings to the height of our potential, that everyone is our neighbor and worthy of being treated as such.

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n the trials and the victories, the secrets kept and the moments shared. In the times we’re pushed to our limits and the times we’re convinced we’re stagnant.

In our perseverance, our questions, our shortcomings. Jesus is in the midst of all of it, writing a story in and through each of our lives that points back to him.

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He told stories of hope, healing, surrender, repentance, obedience.

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A Place to Grow LAURA DIAZ

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didn’t know this was possible,” Rachel Parrish tells me. She’s sitting on the floor with bright-eyed baby Rose. Rachel is talking about her relationship with God, but the statement applies to every part of her story. Her husband Rob sits at the dining room table watching their five-year-old son, Johnny Parrish, who insists on being called by his full name, run up and down the stairs.

In between baby Rose’s joyful singing and Johnny Parrish’s talk of toy trucks, Rachel and Rob share their story.

Rob and Rachel are high school sweethearts. She grew up Catholic, and when they started dating, she invited Rob to play in the church orchestra with her. He had gone to church here and there in his early childhood, but his family stopped going when he was eight years old. He said yes to Rachel’s invitation to play in the orchestra and eventually converted to Catholicism.

Rob and Rachel got married, had a baby, and were striving for financial stability. She

worked late nights and early mornings in surgery as a medical sales rep and was struggling with undiagnosed health problems. Childcare at the church was inconvenient, rest was in short supply. When Rachel’s grandfather passed away, her mother stopped attending church, and church was no longer an obligation, so the family stopped going.

A year went by, and while they had thought about going back, they hadn’t taken any strides to get there; then Rob’s co-worker, Steve Lopez, invited them to Summit. “I remember getting a piece of advice from a mentor a long time ago,” Rob tells me.

“His advice to me was: be around successful people and be around people who you would like to become.” Steve is a good man, with a good family, and a successful career.

Rob admired—and continues to admire—the way he lives his life. So in 2015, when Steve invited Rob and Rachel to church, it was an easy yes.

ANNASTASIA CHARLES

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CONNECT

That Sunday they dropped Johnny Parrish off at Base Camp. At his regular day care, Rachel had to peel him off of her and leave him in tears, so they were nervous about the drop-off. But there were no waterworks from Johnny Parrish at Base Camp that morning.

It wasn’t long before he was excited to play with his leader and didn’t even look back when mom and dad left for the service.

Rachel recalls their first Summit sermon was about community. Rob shares his internal chatter about Herndon Campus Pastor Zach Van Dyke wearing jeans. “This guy is wearing jeans, and he’s got a beard. Is he a

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pastor? Are they even called pastors?” Beard and jeans aside, the sermon was powerful.

Community is what they had missed most about church, and within a week of their first visit to Summit, Rachel was in two Connect groups. She found a women’s group for herself, and she and Rob joined Steve Lopez’s Connect group. The latter group met in a neighborhood they had never heard of, but upon arrival, they instantly knew they would eventually call this neighborhood their home. Neighbors chatted while their children played outside, and the sense of community was apparent—it was what they wanted for their family. Within two years of that first Connect group meeting, they moved into the neighborhood.

The community and sermons at Summit drew them closer to Christ. Their previous experience of faith and religion was more procedural than relational. At Summit they heard the gospel in a way that was applicable to their lives. They started to experience communion with God. They felt him tugging on their hearts, and they started having conversations about having another baby.

“We were really convinced we wanted one child for a very long time...Rachel had a lot of medical stuff after Johnny, so there were a lot of concerns all over the place. And it felt like God was talking to us every time we left church…'Hey, you know it’s going to be OK. Rachel is going to be OK. Her health is going to be fine. You’re going to love this second baby.’ I really feel like if we didn’t go to Summit, we would not have baby Rose,” Rob says.

Throughout our conversation, Rachel tells me how she didn’t know a church experience like this was possible. “I didn’t think it could be this inviting,” she says about her Connect group. “I thought maybe there’s something more...I wasn’t enjoying my job. I was having a bunch of health problems; we couldn't figure out what was wrong. [Rob] was working day in and day out...I thought maybe this is just how it is, but maybe it’s not.” Rob chimes in, “We are a life transformed in a lot of ways. From the number of children we have to the way we raise them, to the

“We are a life transformed in a lot of ways… there are so many facets of our lives that are so different now because of that initial invitation.”

–Rob place we live, to the friends we have, to the priorities in our lives, to the way we handle money… there are so many facets of our lives that are so different now because of that initial invitation.”

Rachel doesn’t work early mornings and late nights anymore. With inspiration and encouragement from her Connect group, she and Rob put their trust in God, and she took the plunge into self-employment. “It’s less about job and money now,” Rob says. Now it’s about “making sure we raise our kids right and making sure we love each other.”

One successful invitation toward community led to another. After meeting Rachel’s Connect group, Rachel says Rob’s mom “was like ‘I like your church. I know you like your group, and I like that whole friend thing you’ve got going on, but do they have them for my age?’” And just like that, Mrs. Parrish joined a Connect group. Rob is visibly delighted when he says, “She’s bringing her Bible ...she’s hearing the Word of God there.”

I ask the Parrishes what they are most excited about for their kids’ futures, now that they know what’s possible. Rob answers immediately, “I know this sounds weird, but prayer. That’s something that I did not grow up with, and I struggle with. We pray every night before we go to bed with Johnny. He’s like 'I have to pray before bedtime.'”

The joy and gratitude on Rob’s face are unmistakable as he talks about being able to share with his son the understanding that he can go to God for anything because with God all things are possible.

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chapte 02. HEALING

A N E W C H A P

PARTNERING WITH A COMMUNIT Y

FOR HOLISTIC R E V I TA L I Z AT I O N

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W T E R CONNECT

MELISSA STILLMAN

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GREG PERKINS

ear our prosperous downtown there are generations of families living in pockets of concentrated poverty. In 2012, Summit partner Eddy Moratin joined other local business leaders who found this to be unjust and wanted to help. Together they partnered with Florida Citrus Sports to form an organization called LIFT Orlando that would use the momentum around a $210 million reconstruction project on Camping World Stadium to encourage investment in the surrounding neighborhoods. As Eddy stepped into the role of Executive Director, he knew that LIFT Orlando was the way God wanted him to put all that he’d been teaching others into practice. Eddy says, “For more than 20 years I’d talked to others about using their role in the marketplace as a way to serve the community. I’d encouraged it, but this was a way for some of us to actually do it. I knew we could help local business leaders partner with residents for holistic neighborhood revitalization.”

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LIFT Orlando’s initiatives help address pressing needs for better housing, education, wellness, and economic opportunity, in order to see the area flourish once again.

The nearby neighborhood of Washington Shores was recognized as one of the first black suburbs in the country in 1949. Many noteworthy residents came out of the area, including Orlando’s first African-American police officer, first African-American Chief Judge, a fourstar Vice Admiral of the Navy, and City and County Commissioners. Eddy, who helped form LIFT Orlando, says, “We realized early on that we were stepping into a larger story that started long before we showed up.

Many of the parents of the folks that live here now rose against all odds and built their community—built Orlando, in many ways. However, over the years a history of discriminatory policies, unjust business practices, and absentee slumlords have caused such disinvestment that many residents are economically isolated from such opportunities.”

In 2013, the families in the Communities of West Lakes—a group of neighborhoods nestled among four lakes west of I-4—came together to partner with LIFT Orlando in addressing the areas of concentrated poverty and crime, in the shadows of the stadium, near downtown Orlando. Inspired by their shared heritage, these resident-leaders created the West Lakes Partnership to realize their common vision for a community where residents can live, learn, work, play, and thrive.

Eddy saw that true partnership would be the key to sustainable change, so LIFT Orlando was positioned as a “community quarterback” that would work alongside the resident-led group to identify the highest priority projects. Eddy says, “When we enter communities with the desire to serve, all too often we see ourselves as the hero and the answer to people’s prayers. That’s not the highest and best role; instead it’s much more valuable to help people rise up and serve their own neighbors. How do we create the pathways for them to be the heroes of their own communities?”

And they are seeing those heroes rise up: women like Tangia Smikle, a second-generation West Lakes resident and single mom raising a child with special needs. Tangia grew up in the Lake Lorna Doone area, and when she moved back to the area it really bothered her that she wasn’t comfortable taking her daughter to the park that surrounded the lake. She wanted to help address the negativity that was associated with the park, as well as outfit it with equipment that children of all physical-ability levels could enjoy. So Tangia championed the idea to renovate the park, and has become a leader and spokesperson for the $8 million project slated to break ground later this year. Tangia says, “This is God, all the way around. The timing was just perfect for the people who are currently living in our area, and the hearts and the minds of the business leaders that are connected to LIFT Orlando. The possibility of this whole movement motivated me. I’m growing and seeing that one little meek voice can make a big difference.

Before LIFT Orlando, I never would have opened my mouth like this. God used me and now our park will be a family-friendly, fun area on the west side that will cater to our children with special needs.”

As leaders emerge from the community, the story of West Lakes’ future is changing. Eddy says, “I think that’s part of what Christ does for each of us. He gives us a new story to tell about ourselves and the communities we live in. Even though it includes the blemishes of our past, it offers a totally different lens by which to see the redemption of our future.”

Eddy, his wife Giselle, and two children (Isabella and Kristopher) in their apartment in Pendana at West Lakes

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“I think that’s part of what Christ does for each of us.

He gives us a new story to tell about ourselves and the communities we live in. Even though it includes the blemishes of our past, it offers a totally different lens by which to see the

Tangia (left) and her daughter, Mimi, at the current Lake Lorna Doone Park

redemption of our future.”

–Eddy

As part of the plan to address housing needs, LIFT Orlando is facilitating the construction of new, mixed-income housing. When the first market-rate apartment homes became available, Eddy, his wife Giselle, their nine-year-old daughter Isabella, and their seven-yearold son Kristopher became West Lakes residents. Eddy says, “My family and I were so drawn to the community, we decided to move into it. It was the next step in wanting to walk alongside others as they rebuild their community. We’re not going in to try to save a neighborhood, we just want to get to know those around us, and be good neighbors.”

other. Eddy says, “In the days we live in, communities of all cultures have become more disconnected than ever before. So even the smallest neighborly gestures are precious. We want to recruit others to feel that sense of engagement and responsibility to be caring and connected neighbors.”

Eddy’s long-term picture of success for LIFT Orlando is that they will be remembered as “supporting actors” when the community’s story is retold, rather than being in a leading role. He says, “Ideally 10 years from now people won’t talk about how the neighborhood changed because this group called LIFT Orlando showed up. But they’ll say, ‘My mom, my aunt, my grandfather, they did these great things and there was this group that helped them do it.’ That’s the kind of narrative that builds dignity, social equity, and pride in the community.”

Residents named the apartments Pendana at West Lakes—Pendana being a Swahili word for “love one another.” Eddy’s hope is that those living in the apartments would experience it as a place that lives up to the name, as neighbors look out for and take care of each

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JESSICA M

Bianca

03. SURRENDER

LEXI WINSHIP

E

Yasmine

Evan

Craig

Libby

Edson

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LEXI WINSHIP

JESSICA MCCARTY-CARVAJAL

BB AabBy Y COLLEGE STUDENT E VAN HOL SONBACK DOES NOT LIKE FAKE STORIES, AND NONE OF HIS FRIENDS SEEM TO, EITHER. SO TO HONOR THEM, I’M GOING TO TELL YOU A RE AL STORY: THEIRS.

Going into the interview for this story, I only knew a few facts: 1) I would be interviewing some “very cool” college students.

2) These college students had been noticed by leadership at Summit for their service in various children’s ministries.

3) These same college students also once complimented Herndon Campus Pastor Zach Van Dyke’s shoes and now—according to several sources—he “won’t stop talking about it.”

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After a couple of emails back and forth between Evan and me, we arranged to meet for an interview. I’d be bringing along my computer and a notepad (so that I looked like a real journalist). He’d be bringing along his posse (Bianca Pizarro, Edson Vargas, Craig Carrier, Libby Rymer, and Yasmine Plantilla).

In writing this story, I have already caught myself referring to this group of college students as “kids,” several times. It’s part of the paradoxical nature of college students: from the outside, college seems like a kind of “in-between” stage of life, a stepping stone to adulthood. And while we expect someone at this stage to make adult decisions (including, but not limited to: What they’re going to do with their entire lives, etc.), we also sell them short in a lot of really big and really important ways. Culturally, we’ve come to view college as a time of irresponsibility and selfishness. I felt it when I was a college student—this idea that only upon graduation will I, a “kid,” become an adult; only then will I have entered the “real world.”

Well, my new friends Evan, Bianca, Edson, Craig, Libby, and Yasmine are not kids. But they do spend a lot of their time with them.

On any given Sunday at Summit, you can find each of these not-kids either cradling babies, reading the Bible with second graders, or emotionally preparing fifth graders for middle school.

But why? Why is a group of six (truly very cool) college students spending so much of their time within the walls of Summit? If college is a time of selfishness for so many, why are they instead deciding to spend a great deal of their time so selflessly?

Bianca’s decision to serve at Summit was influenced largely by her own past.

Growing up in Puerto Rico as a child of a single mother, college students at the local church she attended were critical to her development—not just as a young Christian but as a human. Knowing how she had been so positively affected by the college students who had poured into her at a young age, Bianca felt like she couldn’t keep that to herself. So now she finds herself in a role reversal of sorts—she is the college student investing in younger children. “As the church pours into you,” she says, “you

then pour into the church.”

Edson has never had an emotional moment in which the clouds parted and a voice from the sky told him where he fits. He says he’s always relied much more on logic than emotion, anyway—it’s always seemed clear to him when reading the Bible that we are called to do things. The hazier part has been figuring out what, exactly, his things are. In regard to his service at Summit, he recalls a critical moment in which Evan asked him, “Don’t you think you should serve at the church you go to?” At that moment, it all seemed

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pretty obvious to him, and that night he found himself drafting an email to the Base Camp team at Summit. But even after diving into serving, it took him a while to feel like he was doing it for the “right reasons.”

Yasmine has had a similar experience. After serving at Summit a while back, she took a break to reevaluate when she found herself feeling underappreciated and isolated. In her time away from serving, she began to question herself. Why did she need so much affirmation in what was supposed to be purely a gift to the Lord, to the church,

CONNECT

W H AT I RECEI V E IS SO M U CH G RE AT E R T H A N W H AT I G I V E. G O D RE WA RDS O U R AC TIO N S W H E N W E S E RV E, A N D T H AT IS SO M E T HIN G T H AT I DID N’T E X PEC T W H E N I D ECID E D TO D E VOT E TIM E TO SU M MIT.

—Evan

to the parents and children she was serving?

And if it felt like a chore, should she even be doing it at all?

After Yasmine voices these feelings, they are echoed in some way by every member of the group. It appears that each of them, at some point, has been plagued by similar questions.

We could go around in circles discussing altruism and whether it does or doesn’t exist (and I feel like this is a group of people who I could totally have that conversation with), but that doesn’t really seem like the real question here.

So what if the only reason you’re serving is because you don’t want to be alone? Or because it makes sense on a logical level?

Or because you know you’re supposed to?

Are any of these motives “pure”? And… does it matter? Is God not greater than even our most impure intentions?

Evan, Edson, and Craig serve in Stepping

Stones with the youngest of Summit’s youth. Prior to this, each of them had very limited contact with members of the haven’tlearned-to-walk-yet crowd. They wanted to kind of jump into that world in case, you know, there are more babies in their future. “I had never even held a baby before,” Evan says. They each agree that spending so much time with these little ones is almost like being part of a science experiment where they get to be observers of human nature in its purest—and sometimes most nonsensical—form.

“The kids will keep licking something that is not food,” Craig says. “After a couple of licks, they have to know it’s plastic. It is obviously not ice cream, but they still keep licking it.”

I think a lot of people can serve without ever questioning their motives or wondering why they really are doing what they are doing. But this group strikes me as the type of people who don’t want to spend 30 minutes licking an ice cream cone only to eventually discover that it is plastic. They are seekers of information, but they don’t stop there. They want to understand. And their understanding informs their service. It gives them an authenticity that is rare not just in college students but in humans in general.

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ity about them), this group is still serving.

They’re still doing.

In true obedience, we do not get the glory.

All glory goes to him. Obedience does not have to look like a completely pure heart—something we can only hope to see glimpses of on this side of heaven—but instead, it looks like doing something, even when there is reason to question your motives, and then leaving room for God to be God. “What I receive is so much greater than what I give,” Evan says. “God rewards our actions when we serve, and that is something that I didn’t expect when I decided to devote time to Summit.”

Libby can attest to this fact. She attended Summit for years without considering herself “rooted” in the church—slipping in and out of service every Sunday without fully diving in. After making the leap to serve in Base Camp, she got connected to a Summit Connect group…and now leads one. Looking back now, she sees that one single step has led to a fuller life in every sense. Her takeaway? “God honors our little steps.”

Evan, Bianca, Edson, Craig, Libby, and Yasmine are living in community in the way that it was intended—leaning on each other for accountability and encouragement. They’re reading their Bibles and seeing a call and, in obedience, taking it to heart. They’re doing something and then being willing to be surprised by what God does with their actions.

Are they perfect? No. But they’re trying. And they have a lot more to offer than just really great taste in shoes.

Repentance

ALLISON HURTADO

L J JUDY

RU N N IN G TO R E PE N TA N CE

T HE COL D W IN T ER DAY S TA RT ED JUS T A S E V ERY DAY DID FO R JO H N SMIT H, W IT H A N E A RLY M O RNIN G RUN. T HIS M O RNIN G IN PA RTICU L A R, IT WA S O U T AT CR A N E S RO OS T PA RK IN A LTA M O N T E SPRIN G S W IT H A N O L D FRIEN D, A FO RM ER HIG H S CH O O L AT H L E T E, W H O S TIL L C A L L S HIM

“COACH.” T HE PA IR USED TO SEE E ACH OT HER E V ERY DAY W H EN JO H N WA S T H E T R ACK A N D CROSS CO U N T RY COACH AT O CO EE HIG H S CH O O L, BU T T H E SE DAYS T H E Y O N LY SEE E ACH OT H ER A BOU T O N CE A Y E A R.

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CONNECT

CONNECT

“If I had just stopped running, I would have turned to something else. reGROUP taught me to stop resisting and to accept who I am because God already has." –John SU M MIT

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“It had always been an identity for me,” John says. “It started with BMX back when I was 12. I was on a mission to get the affirmation I never received from my father.”

John has been in church since he was a baby, where the concept seemed simple: Follow the rules and be a good person.

“Confession was something I didn’t do very often because I was convinced that I didn’t really sin all that much,” John says.

It was the brokenness he felt after making bad choices, and a breakup at 19, that led him to the Savior.

“I finally felt the weight of my sin and my need for repentance, and grace became this beautiful picture in my life,” John says. “There was a freedom I had in that season of my life that I have looked back to regularly over the last 10 years. At the time, I was no longer seeking anyone’s approval of me. I clung to the cross.”

John graduated from reGROUP this past June. He says that this ministry has been the biggest blessing in his life. Herndon Campus Pastor, Zach Van Dyke, mentored John throughout the process, and he continually noticed how John was willing to dig into his sin and struggle.

“John never settled. Each insight was a doorway toward deeper repentance and dependence on God,” Zach says. “I went through the reGROUP process myself, but walking through it with John made me want to go back and do it again and go deeper.”

John says that for him, reGROUP wasn’t as simple as changing a behavior.

“For the first time in a long time, God has first place in my heart again,” John says. “And I have time and energy for family and friends, which is something I didn’t have before. If I had just stopped running, I would have turned to something else. reGROUP taught me to stop resisting and to accept who I am because God already has.”

If you ask Brittany, she says it simply: He’s finally free.

reGROUP

John, 29, husband and father of three, has been a runner ever since his senior year of high school.

“In the running culture, it is socially acceptable to be obsessive,” he says. “For a long time I had declared that I was obsessed with running, but that was normal. So were all my running buddies.”

His wife, Brittany, says the obsession with running was joked about at first. Running is exercise, so how bad could it be?

“There was a moment in particular where I mentioned to John that I thought maybe running was a problem,” she says. “But I felt like I had to support him as a healthy husband who has a great lifestyle, and not feel like a nagging wife. I felt unheard.”

Brittany’s concerns fell on deaf ears as John reached as many as 70 miles a week while training for races.

Although this led him to repeated injuries, he continued the vicious cycle. Brittany says John would go to bed before their young children did, just to be able to run.

She felt alone.

“I would be practically limping and still go out the door for a 10-mile run,” John says. “It was like I had to have it. I would almost have panic attacks on mornings that it rained or I had other obligations.”

It was that morning at Cranes Roost that God revealed something to John: He had a problem. Just minutes after saying goodbye to his friend, it hit him: John realized he had spent all of that valuable reconnection time talking about running.

“It was the following day or two that I really dug into the topic of exercise addiction. I found an article on it,” he says. “There was a questionnaire at the end of the article and I completed it. It was finally black and white. I was an exercise addict.”

On the questionnaire, John said yes to: Missing important social and family obligations.

Only feeling content when exercising.

Liking exercise better than sex, good food, or a movie—there was nothing else he’d rather do.

But he also said yes to Summit’s reGROUP ministry.

“I was so on board and so relieved and excited for him,” Brittany says. “Running wasn’t unhealthy, but the way he was abusing—it was.” reGROUP is a Summit community of healing and hope for anyone whose behaviors may be hurting their relationships with others, themselves, or God. It took some digging for John to get to the root of the problem.

After being in reGROUP for almost a month he was able to name his dependency: Identity.

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Whether it’s a current addiction or a past hurt; alcoholism, an eating disorder, or pornography; a loved one pleading with you or a voice in your head whispering for you—our recovery ministry, reGROUP, is a safe place for anyone who is ready to address whatever it is standing between you and the person God has created you to be.

CONNECT

05. OBEDIENCE

LAURA COOK DEBORAH KLINE

Obedience Obedience The Ripple of

“

D

on’t give up on Full Sail.” They were the words that Arul Karunanidhi kept coming back to—the words that he heard God saying to him. But it had been three years of obedience followed by failure and nothing was happening. Still, they rang in his head: “Don’t give up.”

Arul became a Christian late in high school, but his faith didn’t begin to grow until his sophomore year at UCF when he got involved in a Christian ministry called InterVarsity. It’s an organization on 687 campuses throughout the country that ministers to students and faculty through small group Bible studies, large group gatherings, leadership training, and thoughtful discipleship. “It was my first real experience in Christian community and getting into the Word,” he says of the oncampus Christian ministry. “The staff really mentored me … I started doing ministry on campus and leading things and sharing my faith. This really excited me.”

Arul, who is a partner at Summit’s Waterford Campus, eventually joined the InterVarsity staff at UCF after he graduated. But being just a few miles away from Full Sail University kept that school on his mind. “It’s a place that

is so unique and different from a commuter campus or private school or state university and it just felt like an unreached place,” he says. “Then the more I learned about it, the more I realized the impact it could have regarding art and film and media. I didn’t study film, but I consume it every day. I know what I’m hearing and taking in, so what does it look like to influence the people who are making this stuff? That is what always got to me: ‘We can’t forget about Full Sail.’”

For the next three years, with the support of his co-workers at UCF, he tried to start InterVarsity at Full Sail. While also maintaining his role at UCF, he met with Full Sail administration, searched for faculty who might show interest, and had conversations with students who could eventually be involved. But people were busy, the Full Sail load is very heavy, and there were no other Christian organizations officially on campus.

“Year after year, when nothing was getting started–every year, I was like ‘OK, let me go somewhere else,’” Arul says. “But there’d be some connection or some reminder that God would give me that was like ‘Don’t give up.

Don’t give up.’”

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“But there’d be some connection or some reminder that God would give me that was like ‘Don’t give up.

Don’t give up.’” –Arul

Fast forward to August 2017, with Arul standing at an info table doing something he never thought would happen: Inviting incoming Full Sail students to join a new organization on campus called InterVarsity.

God had finally answered his prayers.

With Arul getting permission from Full Sail to start InterVarsity as an official school organization only a month before, the group was (and still is) in its infancy. “I was excited and came to every meeting four weeks in a row,” Nate says. “There were a couple of us taking these leadership discipleship classes, learning what it means to lead InterVarsity. I think I was the only one that showed up all four weeks, so it was just like Nate became the guy because he was the person who was willing to be there.”

Up walked Nate Martin, who had decided to give the new student club fair a try despite the high probability that it would be lame, according to his new roommate. To his surprise, the 18-year-old Ohio native found an organization devoted to Christianity and faith—something he had grown up with in his home, but had never owned for himself. It was just what he was looking for. “I wanted to find and experience my faith for the first time,” Nate says.

“This was a perfect opportunity for me to do so because I was thousands of miles from home and in my own area, and it was up to me to determine how to do that.”

But Arul explains it differently. “Nate was just so faithful. He showed up and he was very teachable,” he says. “So much of the leadership course was ‘How do you study Scripture?’ and then we’d challenge them to lead a study or ‘How do you share your faith with someone?’ And then we’d say, ‘OK, go try this now.’ And Nate would just do it.”

Nate wasn’t afraid to try it on anyone. One night, with the task of hosting a Bible study on his plate, he accepted the invitation to go to a party with his roommates. He said he’d be the designated driver, but could he practice his Bible study on them on the way home from the party? They agreed. “One guy was falling asleep, but one was super engaged and asking questions,” Nate says. “That’s when I realized I could have a conversation with anyone about this.

In Nate’s mind, the path was simple: He started attending Summit’s Waterford Campus at the invitation from Arul. Then, he planned to show up to the weekly InterVarsity meetings, grow in his faith a little bit, maybe even help lead the campus group next year. But God had different plans. Little did Nate know that he’d soon be the president of the entire campus ministry.

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I could share the gospel with anyone if this person, after being at a party for five hours, would listen to me and engage me. That was exciting.”

Arul couldn’t believe Nate’s story when he shared it the following week. “I thought, ‘OK, this guy needs to step into leadership right now,’“ he says. “These are the types of students we want to empower.

Those that want to be missional and reaching out to people who don’t know if they’re interested in Christ because they’ve never been invited.”

So Nate became president of a brand-new Christian organization on Full Sail’s campus, just four weeks in to his very full academic schedule. Nate was apprehensive at first about his big commitment that he’d kind of fallen into, but his excitement and his obedience prevailed. “Can I make an influence on my campus for my faith and for a faith that should be shared with more people?” he recalls asking himself.

He also leaned in to the advice he’d received on his first Sunday at Summit’s Waterford Campus from Pastor Garry Abbott. “I told Garry I’d love to come to this church, what do I have to do to get involved?

He told me, ‘God has no waiting room. If you want to be part of something, just do it,’” Nate recalls.

He couldn’t help but apply that same philosophy toward InterVarsity. “I thought do I want this role at Full Sail? And I said yes because when am I going to get another opportunity to lead a campus ministry?

This is my college, so why not take full advantage of it? Why not embrace my faith for the first time, but also grow and share it with people?”

Arul says, “It makes me think about how Jesus asked the disciples to become fishers of men even though they had no experience. And then he taught them how to do it.”

Another reason for Nate taking on the role as president was the same reason Arul kept coming back

Nate and Arul with other InterVarsity members at one of their weekly meetings

to Full Sail, trying to start InterVarsity: the potential ripple effect of the gospel there. “Our goal is to make a giant impact in the media world in general because every student coming out of Full Sail is hoping to get a job in media, entertainment, film, game design, music,” Nate says. “I think that one person can really make a difference. I used to get so caught up in how many people came to a meeting, but I really have accepted the fact that whoever is here could have the ability to reach thousands and even millions.”

One of those people is Refilwe “FiFi” Modise, a Full Sail student from South Africa who just began her program in Software Development a few months ago. Nate says he invited her to come to InterVarsity and she’s been to every meeting since. “I think my faith has grown stronger because I’ve become more open and opinionated about different parables and Scriptures that are given at InterVarsity and I even joined a little church near my apartment,” she says.

FiFi’s ultimate goal is to go back to South Africa and teach people—specifically children—how to develop software for themselves since the opportunity there for that education is very limited. How does she foresee her growing faith being part of it all?

“Putting the message–the gospel–in your life and then making everyone else’s lives much better because of it,” she says.

Arul heard, “Don’t give up,” even after failing to start something at Full Sail so many times. Nate was illprepared and had very little time to give. And yet, their obedience prevailed. “It involved a lot of failure,” Arul says. “But our job is not necessarily to succeed.

The ‘succeeding’ is the obedience, and what God does in us.”

RETHINK

The Fiction

STORIES INVITE QUESTIONS, AND QUESTIONS INVITE CONVERSATIONS.

of Jesus

MICHAEL MURRAY BEAU WINGFIELD

J

esus came to this earth to teach truth. Truth about who God is, what his kingdom is like, and how we can play a part in building it. His teachings were counter-cultural, flipping expectations and societal norms completely upside down. And, while there were times when Jesus delivered these teachings in a straightforward way (“Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you” is a pretty clear directive), oftentimes he used parables—short stories that illustrate a larger concept—to engage his audience.

Ever wonder why Jesus told so many stories? Pick any synoptic Gospel— Matthew, Mark, or Luke—and read it straight through in one sitting.

Sprinkled throughout are stories, metaphors, and parables. But why was it that Jesus oftentimes used fiction as a way of conveying truth?

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When a movie ends, we instinctively begin discussing it with our friends before we even exit the theater. Why did he betray his best friend? How come no one stepped in to help? Was it really all just a dream (within a dream, within a dream, within a dream)?

These questions lead us into deeper conversations we may have otherwise avoided.

In Luke 7:36-50, Jesus is at a dinner hosted by a religious leader named Simon. Midway through the meal, a woman crashes the party and begins worshiping Jesus at his feet. Simon, to put it bluntly, is disgusted by this woman’s very presence. Jesus, knowing Simon’s heart, tells a very simple story: “Two people owed money to a certain moneylender. One owed him five hundred denarii, and the other 50.

Neither of them had the money to pay him back, so he forgave the debts of both.” Jesus then poses a question to Simon: Now which of them will love him more?

Simon knew the “correct” answer: the person who was forgiven more will love more. And that’s all we hear about Simon’s response to the story. But the story apparently sparked a conversation around the dinner table. Simon's guests began to wonder about the identity of Jesus. "Who is this who even forgives sins?” they asked (v. 49). The same story has invited me to ask questions as well: Do I have a proper view of the debt I owe to God? And, if I do, am I loving others as if the debt has been forgiven?

IDENTIF YING WITH CHAR ACTERS IN A STORY C AN GIVE US A NEW PERSPECTIVE.

One of the most beautiful stories Jesus ever told is known as the Parable of the Prodigal Son (Luke 15:11-32). It is a tale of redemption, and you may find yourself relating to a different character each time you read it.

If you feel far from God, believing that you messed up too much to be forgiven, you may find yourself in the shoes of the younger son. You can almost smell that pig slop! Your hope can be found in the embrace of the father, welcoming you home. He will never turn his back on you, no matter how unlovable you may feel.

Or maybe, like the father in the story, you love someone who is making poor choices, and you can’t seem to reach them. Your hope can be found in knowing that God understands your pain. He will never stop pursuing them because he is a good Father.

Then, last but not least, we have the elder son. If you find yourself working hard for God, never getting ahead and always seeing others do better than you, then this is the character that you may understand the most. Your hope can be found in the loving words of the father inviting you to join the party.

He longs to celebrate you, too.

Jesus centered his stories around a wide variety of characters, including wealthy people, poor people, old widows, young men, unjust judges, and sorrowful sinners. We can learn new things about God from such a diverse cast of characters.

STORIES GET PA ST OUR DEFENSES IN A WAY STR AIGHT ARGUMENTS C AN’T.

In Luke 10:25-37, an expert of the law asks Jesus, “Who is my neighbor?” In response, Jesus masterfully tells a story of a man who is attacked by robbers and left for dead. Two people pass by and completely overlook him. A third person—someone of a different ethnicity—stops and helps the man. After telling the story, Jesus simply tosses the same question back to the expert. Despite all his racial and religious prejudices, he had to admit that it was the third passerby—the outsider—who acted the most neighborly. When you step back and look at the story objectively, it is hard to argue otherwise.

Kids at Summit get to see this perspective on Sundays when they attend BCL (Summit's family production). Oftentimes a character will be put in a situation where they have to make a tough decision. I can usually hear the kids shouting advice from the audience. They know what the wise choice is for that character. Then, later in the show, they discuss with their families how to apply that truth to their own lives.

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Sometimes I’m amazed that Jesus was so drawn to storytelling. But then again, maybe I shouldn’t be so surprised. If God wrapped himself in flesh and became human, then what better way to relate to us than through storytelling, a tradition that can be found in every culture and tribe?

RETHINK

Acts of Devotion

JOHN PARKER MILTON CAMPBELL

E

ver since veteran missionary, world traveler, and Summit partner Macon Hare regaled me with stories of eating ‘possum poo' in Papau New Guinea, I have been asking him to take me with him on one of his trips. In addition to joining in his culinary adventures, I have wanted to experience what it is like to see the world through the eyes of a born and bred missionary. In the fall of last year I had the opportunity to do both.

I traveled to India with four missionaries to one of the most populous places on earth in order to visit an area that is increasingly closed off to Christianity. I was giddy (in the totally nonchalant and indiscernible way that I get giddy about anything) about the opportunity and hopeful that I would not end up embarrassing my friend in front of all his veteran missionary friends. Northern India is the spiritual birthplace of Hinduism and Buddhism and has the second largest Muslim population in the world. In a two week period we would see some of the most historic and actively religious locations of three major religions.

I loved the trip in every way. I relished seeing the world through the eyes of my fellow travelers. I took tons of risks in what I ate and didn’t once regret it. I enjoyed all the color

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In him, all the cost of our wrong actions is paid in full. In him all the uncertainty of our afterlives is secured. In him, our emptiness can be filled. Because of him, our effort is not to earn. We are loved by a real, personal, involved Creator and Savior. Seeing a world full of the most devoted religious people I have ever imagined, but without grace, made me so grateful for the grace that I have experienced and reminded me that that grace is for everyone in every culture and every worldview.

"Without Jesus, my fumbling at devotion, which pales in comparison to the efforts I observed in India, would be but filthy rags."

Growing up, I was very devout in how I lived out my faith, but I had an incomplete understanding of grace. I was grateful for Jesus, but felt very strongly that I had to live a life that somehow proved it was worth his dying on the cross to offer me salvation. In many ways I was devoted to proving myself to God more than I was devoted to receiving from him. Without Jesus, my fumbling at devotion, which pales in comparison to the efforts I observed in India, would be but filthy rags. Because of Jesus, my effort becomes something more like a result—the effect of the real transforming work of Christ in my life.

and chaos. I was amazed at the thickness of the air. I experienced a thousand different human interactions, from watching our motorrickshaw driver try to choke another driver to the deeply devoted practices of the elderly pilgrims at the Ganges River.

Upon return, there were a myriad of impressions and lessons to sift through and sort out. There are all the fun little things that made the experience even if they aren’t the big lessons. For example, it seems that sacred cows (the literal ones) are a huge inconvenience to everyone and yet seemed to bother no one.

This was quite fascinating to me and, though maybe not a life lesson, could be an interesting filter to look at my own life through. I am sure there are things in our lives that to others look like messy, intrusive, bothersome nuisances, but that we consider inevitable or maybe even valuable; sacred, if you will.

As my missionary friends would gather in the evenings and talk over tea and streetfood about what it would take to bring the gospel to a place like northern India, I found myself engaging in the same musings for our city. How can we make the gospel known to those around us who are devoted to comfort, or devoted to career, or power, or good deeds, or to him, or to her? How can we help those in our world know Jesus? In the end, every human, no matter how different our cultures, our worldviews, and our tastes in food, is made to be a worshiper. We were made to be devoted to something. When you strip away the means and expressions of our devotion, you find that we are not all that different. The gods of money, power, comfort ask the same devotion of us as the pantheon of deities we observed in our travels. None, however, promise unconditional and uncompromising love in return. None give us salvation despite our weak efforts and devotion. Only Jesus does that.

There was one overarching impression that built over the two weeks of travel. As the experiences piled up, from viewing ancient Muslim and Buddhist sites, to modern shiny temples; from watching thousands bring offering to Hindu temples, to the dozens of Buddhists prostrate themselves in front of a sacred tree; from seeing parents bring their young children to be blessed, to observing the aged make their way to the Ganges, while others burned their dead at the river. All of those experiences, all those acts of devotion, all the work and effort—all of it left me with one overwhelming impression: I am so grateful for Jesus.

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The REAGAN PERKINS

Gospel

GREG PERKINS

It turns out, there are some competing theories out there as to who and when and how those first four books in the New Testament came into being. When my first Internet search turned up some interesting theories, I thought surely I had simply wandered into some spiritual Dark Web and the conflicting facts presented to me were just a weird practical joke by bored seminary students with too little sleep and too much knowledge of how to build a website. So I texted a trusted friend, who has gone to seminary and is a spiritual advisor of mine, and asked him if he had heard these alternative theories. To my surprise, he had and had to admit even he couldn’t be 100% certain of who had authored those first four accounts of Jesus’ time spent here on earth. He felt fairly sure they were indeed written by their namesakes but, no, he didn’t know that for certain.

I then proceeded to question all the counsel he had ever bestowed upon me as he had obviously been hiding this fact from me out of malicious intent. And then he texted me one tiny question in response to my tirade against him. “But does it matter?

We know who really wrote those books, right?”

And when I slowed my brain down and let my heart enter the conversation, I realized he was right. Regardless of whose

of Story T

his is not the piece I intended to write.

When I first set out to write these words, I envisioned a warm-hearted and well-intentioned article about how incredible I thought the original storytellers of the Gospel were. I wanted to share how you could find the individual character traits of those first famous four writers in the ways in which they penned their unique spins on the same events. I could see the paragraphs forming in my mind and I thought, not without a large amount of pride, of how often I would get to use words like, “bard” and “poet” and “ancient”.

And then I sat down to write this eloquent tale of how God used four very ordinary men with four very different lives to share his Good News with the world and the train veered from the track a little. Actually, not just a little. The wheels and the smokestack and the cowcatcher all came tumbling down. You see, I had made a rookie mistake when I created my hypothesis about the stories behind the stories of those first famous storytellers: I hadn’t actually researched any of it.

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names ended up on the page we know this: The Gospels were written by real humans with real flaws, real personalities, and really different paths to Christ.

Some found him through Paul. Some through Peter.

John really did think he was the “One Whom Jesus Loved”. There really was a follower of Jesus who was a doctor named Luke. Matthew had been a tax collector before Jesus found him. Each soul walked a different path to Christ.

They were written by storytellers. The unique perspectives and lenses into the worlds of the individual writers no doubt affected their voices as they wrote to ensure generations to come would know their Jesus. For me, it somehow provides an extra layer of credibility to hear how very different men wrote with very different voices and yet all told the same story. They all portrayed Jesus as the Lord and Savior, the Messiah who came to rescue the world from darkness.

The writer of Matthew gets to the point and is quick to remind us how Jesus fulfilled all that was foretold of him in the Old Testament. He likes the facts and doesn’t feel the need to embellish upon them. The Gospel of Mark skips the entire Jesus being born part of the story and dives right into the amazing miracles and exciting adventures of Jesus’ ministry. It reads like an epic tale of unbelievable feats. Luke loves the details. This book provides a lot of names, places, and color commentary as to what was happening at the time. And John packs the most powerful punches. The writing is meaty and sometimes a little dense. You can feel his undying love and affection for Jesus in every word.

But they weren’t the only storytellers involved.

“We know who really wrote those books, right?”

It wasn’t only four very different men. Regardless of who actually put pen to paper, one storyteller

remained the same throughout. The Gospels tell the same story because the ultimate storyteller was standing right over their shoulders, ensuring the truth would be found in each of their pens.

That same storyteller sits next to you as you chronicle your own story. Maybe you don’t actually put pen to paper but with each step you take, each decision you make, each time you verbally claim him as your own rescuer, you tell his story. You become a storyteller. And as such, your own personality, your own quirks and flaws, color your commentary on who Jesus is and how he works in your life. They don’t hinder the story, they enhance it. Your life brings a new level of credibility to Jesus to each of the people who read your unique story.

You may not always feel as direct as Matthew, as adventurous as Mark, as meticulous as Luke, or as passionate as John.

You aren’t meant to. Jesus doesn’t need another Matthew, Mark, Luke, or John to write this part of the story. He needs you. In fact, he created you to do just that! He made you to tell his story through your lens. Add your own splash of color, own up to your own flaws, and celebrate your own victories! Each time you do, you become a storyteller. And no one else can tell it like you do. You will find the right words and get the facts straight. Your flaws and hangups won’t ruin it. You aren’t writing a fifth Gospel, but your life is still telling an important story. And have no fear: you aren’t the only one writing the story.

"The Gospels tell the same story because the ultimate storyteller was standing

right over their shoulders,

ensuring the truth would be found in each of their pens."

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MARY LEE CARTER BRIAN HOGAN

have had a long love affair with storytelling. As a child, I enjoyed hanging out at the grown-up table, listening to the stories of my parents and their friends. The man who worked at a bank became a hero in my eyes when he talked about being a soldier in his youth. A mom once told us how she and her grandmother turned on the gas stove only to have a snake come slithering out! When she described the kitchen, I could see the stove, the snake, and her grandmother’s cast-iron skillets in my mind’s eye. Through their stories, they became more than just moms and dads and bank tellers.

Mary Lee Carter as Roxy, a spunky, music-loving BCL character who is never seen without her pink headphones

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around the Big Idea is a story that the kids can relate to, but that is ultimately a truth of the gospel.

As a volunteer in Lake Mary’s Base Camp Live (BCL), I get the opportunity to tell kids and their families some of those stories about Jesus. Sometimes they are disguised as tales of a good-hearted detective trying to solve a mystery or of a group of friends who are just doing life together, but in the end the stories are always about Jesus and how much he loves us.

During each BCL performance, we hear from a group of kids who hang out in “the clubhouse.” As Marshall, Vinny, Penelope, Tori, and Roxy get together, they talk about all kinds of topics. Sometimes, it is as serious as figuring out how to interact with a new step-parent; other times as silly as what snacks they could plant while painting a neighbor’s fence. And there’s Silly String. We must have Silly String.

Most days, neighborhood mom Mrs. C is there to remind the kids that God is always with them or to make them warm cookies when a friend doesn’t invite them to Disney or even to share her own sadness over the anniversary of her mom’s death. In BCL we talk about things that are important to the kids in the clubhouse so that the kids in the audience will know it’s OK to be scared or angry or sad. Just as those around Jesus could relate to his stories, these kids can relate to what happens to Marshall and Roxy because it happens to them.

My character, Roxy, is a 14-year-old girl who loves music so much that she is always sporting a pair of pink headphones. Roxy has glasses and wears ponytails. She loves to hang with Marshall and is happiest while in the clubhouse with her friends. One Sunday, a little girl came up after the show and told me how much she liked Roxy’s T-shirt, which led to a real conversation about what it means to be a good friend. I was so excited that, through Roxy, she trusted me enough to share her feelings.

Recently, I was walking in the Lobby when one of the musicians came in for the worship band’s rehearsal. He took one look at me and said, “I know you! You do BCL! My kids love BCL and so do I!” He went on to name the characters and share some of his favorite parts of the show. Here I was, feeling in awe of his wonderful guitar playing, while he was excited to see someone who tells his kids stories. I felt so grateful to have the chance to make a difference in the life of his family. And the next Sunday Roxy got to meet his wife and two little girls. It was a powerful reminder that the little things really are the big things.

On Easter Sunday, I wore a fedora with giant ears as I stumbled through a clever Abbott-and-Costello-inspired routine about Nobody, the sole eyewitness to the empty tomb. In the end, my character, Detective Dumbo, got to tell the story of the resurrection and the hope that we have in Jesus. I feel so lucky to be able to tell kids about Jesus and make them laugh while doing it. Through my character’s stories, I get the privilege of telling the kids and their families that Jesus died for them and for me. And that is the best story of them all!

"Just as those around Jesus could relate to his stories, these kids can relate to what happens to Marshall and Roxy because it happens to them."

–Mary Lee

One of the cool things about Jesus was that he was a storyteller. Most people know about the parables in the Bible.

The parables are Jesus telling stories about his father, but they are disguised as trials of runaway sons and metaphors about mustard seeds. The people around Jesus could relate to these stories because they were about people and circumstances that would have been familiar to them.

Here at Summit, we have an amazing team of writers who, each week, provide a set of stories centered around a Biblical truth or, as we call it in Base Camp, “the Big Idea.” Wrapped

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SARAH LAND KIMBERLY CHIN

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hen it comes to learning about yourself during sophomore year of high school, there’s a lot of factors to consider. For example, you’re old enough to almost drive but young enough to maybe still have a parent-mandated bedtime. Add to that blend of almost-not-quite freedom things like the ever changing landscape of high school friend groups, a chemistry final, and nowadays curating a social media presence and it’s easy to see that most high schoolers have a lot going on. It can be hard to know where to look for a foundation that offers stability. Yet sophomore Audrey Jackson has found that foundation over the past few years.

Around that same time, Audrey found herself in conversations with others and listening to sermons where the topic of baptism would come up. This, paired with Audrey’s experiences in the DR, led her to the decision to be baptized. The experiences on the trip showed her, in a new way, God’s love for her through Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross. She now understood that God surrendered so much for her that it became a natural response for her to want to sacrifice and surrender in return. Audrey’s time in the DR taught her that God really does offer us joy when we surrender the things that we tend to hold on to tighter than we hold on to him.

Audrey’s days are filled with multiple challenging classes, babysitting, and volunteering. She’s the type of person whose smile lights up a room. One conversation with her and it’s easy to see she has a lot of insight into living a joyful life. However, things haven’t always been this way for Audrey—it all started with a trip to the Dominican Republic in July of 2017 with Summit Student Ministries.

Audrey describes that shift in perspective as helping her to realize “there’s just so much more to a relationship with God, but to have that you have to give up certain things.” She explained that when she started looking at the things in her life that weren’t the best for her, she knew she had to give them up to receive so much more from God in return. When Audrey made the step of faith to take part in both the COTN sponsorship program and baptism, she was able to see her life from a new perspective. “There’s so many things that just aren’t good for you that when you give them up, you’re so much happier,” Audrey explains.

Before the trip, Audrey had been in a space in between knowing who God is, and knowing him well enough to trust him fully. She had attended and volunteered at church for years but struggled to know how believing in God could change her life. When she heard about the Summit Student Ministries’ trip to the Dominican Republic, she knew she needed to go. It was there that her perspective on life and faith started to change. When she saw the joy in the children she met in the DR, it struck her that they were so happy and joyful despite growing up with so few material belongings. “They don’t even know you and they are just so loving. It’s amazing. We can be so sad and they literally have nothing and they are like the happiest people ever. It’s so shocking to me—they have these amazing smiles,” Audrey describes. After the trip, recognizing where their joy really came from, she realized she could have that type of joy, too.

It’s one thing to make that change, but it’s another to have someone you know see that change in you. “Audrey was really struck by the joy that the people we met in the DR had,” explains Katie Schmidt, Audrey’s Connect group leader through Summit Student Ministries. “And she knew it had nothing to do with their possessions or their station in life; it was joy that simply came from loving and being loved by Jesus and it was so crazy to see her connect the dots that she could have that joy too.” Katie saw that change happening not only during their trip to the DR, but as Audrey made the decision to be baptized shortly after they came home as well. “She wasn't just kinda telling me or her parents or her friends that she was all-in, but she wanted it to be public.”

“There’s so many things that just

aren’t good for you

that when you give them up, you’re so much happier.”

-Audrey

As Audrey traveled home, she knew she wanted something more out of her relationship with God. Audrey describes a moment when she decided, “I don’t want to keep doing what I’m doing. I want to change.” Audrey realized that even just admitting that was a huge step.

Audrey didn’t have all the answers to life and faith before saying yes to the DR trip. But because she said yes anyway, Audrey witnessed a culture of faith different from her own, which ultimately led to a greater understanding of who God is and the type of life we can have with him. That change in perspective led Audrey to surrender her time and money, which soon turned out to seem more like an invitation than a burden. Recognizing all that God has done for her has made Audrey willing to freely give to anyone she sees with a need.

She has learned God can use a change in perspective to bring us closer and draw us in to trusting him more fully. When that happens, we feel the freedom to surrender things we thought we couldn’t live without before we trusted Christ.

She began to take inventory of all the things she had in her life and discovered she had room to sacrifice a little to open up her life to something bigger. Audrey met a young girl through the organization they partnered with while on the trip, Children Of The Nations (COTN), and decided to start sponsoring her through their Village Partnership Program. This decision required a financial sacrifice, as sponsorship involved helping to meet a child’s physical and educational needs through a monthly gift.

But Audrey knew it was worth it to be able to support this little girl through that gift and an ongoing relationship with her.

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KARI FREEMAN L J JUDY

ows of neat townhomes, painted in rich earth tones, line the streets. Magnolia trees, with their excessively large white blossoms, are scattered among the small lawns. The grass is green, the playground is shiny and red, and the pool is blue and clear and welcoming. A quaint community sits quietly in southern Orlando.

This could be any neighborhood, any area in central Florida, but it’s not. This is the Bollinger family’s community. Joe and Keijo have lived in their neighborhood since their now family of six had just barely become a family of four. They didn’t really plan for this to be their community. Some friends helped them find a unit for rent, allowing them to stretch their legs after living in a one-bedroom apartment together with their toddler and infant.

It didn’t take long, however, for them to know that this was going to be their home.

Once the small-but-growing family decided they were ready to really plant some roots and find a more permanent house to live in, Joe actually went door-to-door in the neighborhood to make that happen.

“If you’re going to sell your home, would you please consider us?”

Joe asked multiple neighbors.

And it worked! A neighbor sold them this house nearby: A home that Keijo now predicts they will always own. It’s hard for the Bollingers to pin down a specific reason that the neighborhood felt so right at that time, but now, several years and two more kids later, it’s becoming more clear.

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We need our community as much as they need us.

–Keijo

As Joe, Keijo, and I walked around the neighborhood, with the excited kids in tow, I heard the story of that first rental house as we walked past it. And it wasn’t just a story of them moving into it (though it easily could have been—moving with two small kids is no easy task), it was a story of the friends and neighbors that helped them set up their new home. It was the story of the folks that started recognizing them at the supermarket from their many walks around the block with their adventurous kids.

As we continued around the neighborhood, heading toward the playground, it became the story of a neighbor who encouraged Keijo when life felt overwhelming. It was the children their kids had become friends with at the pool. It was the time several families piled into the Bollingers’ dining room and realized that it was the first time any of them had been invited into a neighbor’s home for a meal. It was prayer requests shared, tears shed, and opportunities to be known embraced.

As we walked past home after home, different areas triggering different stories from Joe and Keijo and even the kids, you couldn’t help but realize their neighborhood was not simply a collection of houses to this family—it was a collection of stories. Each and every home had stories being written behind its walls: stories of challenges and victories, of growing families and struggling relationships, of goals pursued and dreams dashed. All taking shape behind walls that the neighbors literally shared with each other.

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stories, they are not only able to forge meaningful relationships with them, but end up opening themselves up for much needed friendships and support in return. They aren’t doing it perfectly, each would admit; it’s an ongoing process and only works if it’s integrated into their everyday, but as their oldest son Samuel reminded us, “Practice makes progress.”

“Our neighborhood can be very transient at times,” Keijo explains. “And every time someone moves away, sometimes unexpectedly, we’re reminded that we never know how much time we’ll have with someone.”

The combination of those stories, the Bollingers realized, was slowly building their community, slowly building a culture. And, as Joe put it, why shouldn’t they embrace their opportunity to be a part of that? If the individuals and their stories are what’s really behind making a community, why shouldn’t they get to know those stories and let theirs be known in return?

It’s not always easy, the couple confesses.

“There are periods where I’ve been so overwhelmed with just living life,” Joe admits. Yet even in seasons when the busyness of life seemed determined to keep them from spending time with their community, God was faithful to honor their hearts’ desire to continue building relationships. Joe prayed for God to show him time in their week that would give him and Keijo a chance to intentionally connect. There ended up being one very specific hour available in each week, and God easily filled that hour with impactful discipleship that occurred right in their own home.

The intentionality then comes into play as they realize that each time they put off an opportunity for community and relationship, it could very well have been their last one. And so they strive to take each day one step at a time, marveling at how intertwined so many stories can become, and recognizing what an impact there can be if they do.

Dreams of sharing meals, songs, prayers, and encouragement circulate throughout the Bollinger household. Hopes for real conversations and real understanding take their place right next to the desires for friends to share the playground with and neighbors whose dogs anticipate hugs from their kids. The way Joe and Keijo express it, I could almost see the beautiful community taking form before my eyes as we walked the streets where it’s all happening.

God calls us to some pretty big things in our community—things like unity, encouragement, and carrying each other’s burdens. These are calls that the Bollingers have decided to take seriously and act on in obedience. In the process, though, they have learned that these calls don’t just go one way.

“This is very reciprocal,” Keijo explains. “We need our community as much as they need us.”

“I have this vision of close and good and meaningful community,” Joe says, “and I don’t know if I’m being naive in hoping to see it here on earth but...I’m not willing to give up on it yet.”

The family has found that, by making themselves available to be present in their neighbors’ lives and

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T H R O U G H

T H E

Luke 15:11-32 Jesus continued: “There was a man who had two sons. The younger one said to his father, ‘Father, give me my share of the estate.’ So he divided his property between them.

“But the father said to his servants, ‘Quick! Bring the best robe and put it on him. Put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet. 23 Bring the fattened calf and kill it. Let’s have a feast and celebrate. 24 For this son of mine was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.’ So they began to celebrate.

“Not long after that, the younger son got together all he had, set off for a distant country and there squandered his wealth in wild living. After he had spent everything, there was a severe famine in that whole country, and he began to be in need. So he went and hired himself out to a citizen of that country, who sent him to his fields to feed pigs. He longed to fill his stomach with the pods that the pigs were eating, but no one gave him anything.

“Meanwhile, the older son was in the field. When he came near the house, he heard music and dancing. So he called one of the servants and asked him what was going on. ‘Your brother has come,’ he replied, ‘and your father has killed the fattened calf because he has him back safe and sound.’

“When he came to his senses, he said, ‘How many of my father’s hired servants have food to spare, and here I am starving to death! I will set out and go back to my father and say to him: Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son; make me like one of your hired servants.’ So he got up and went to his father.

“The older brother became angry and refused to go in.

So his father went out and pleaded with him. But he answered his father, ‘Look! All these years I’ve been slaving for you and never disobeyed your orders. Yet you never gave me even a young goat so I could celebrate with my friends. But when this son of yours who has squandered your property with prostitutes comes home, you kill the fattened calf for him!’

“But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion for him; he ran to his son, threw his arms around him and kissed him.

“‘My son,’ the father said, ‘you are always with me, and everything I have is yours. But we had to celebrate and be glad, because this brother of yours was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.’”

“The son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son.’

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FAMILY

N D S

O F

C H I L D R E N

What's this story all about?

What's your favorite part?

What do you think Jesus is teaching us?

The little boy said I want all the money and the stuff. And then he ran away. And then he ate piggy food.

Then he said yuck. Then he went back home. His dad came running to him.

When they had the party. Because parties are fun.

Um... like... to not spend money on toys and ice cream and stuff. And then you can do it for a lot of good stuff like saving it for your mom and dad.

Chloe, 4 He ran away. He thought his dad didn’t love him. He came back. His dad was happy.

Isabel, 5

Colton, 5

Lorelei, 6 I like when the dad came running to the brother. I like all of it.

Zoe, 6

Andi, 6 My favorite part is when the younger son ate the pig’s food. It was silly.

Brady, 5 First, the boy thought he could live his own life on his own without his dad. And he thought his dad didn’t want him to be happy anymore. Then the boy ran away. He bought so many things that he ran out of money and didn’t know what to do. So finally he decided to go back to his dad.

Never run away. If we do run away you can always come back.

The lesson was none of us are perfect.

And that Jesus will always forgive us.

Hobson, 10 God was nice to people.

Johnny, 5

That whatever you do to try to escape God’s love, he will never run out of love for us.

Kate, 6

AJ, 8

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SONG SOURCE

GREG PERKINS

There’s a story behind every song. Did the song come naturally or was it a struggle?

Was it written in an afternoon or did it takes months of humming a tune and wrestling with a thought to figure out what was hiding in the background of one’s mind? Was it merely an intellectual and disciplined exercise or did a writer strike inspiration gold and have no choice but to write? I’m fascinated by what may have taken place in an artist’s life that spawned a piece of music.

Rhythm and melody have a way of communicating with remarkable power. I’ve heard guitar parts that speak emotional volumes with their dissonance and earnest piano motifs where the sentiment can be heard as clear as if you were reading words from someone’s journal. Combine that power with inspired lyrical content and there is something undeniably moving about a song.

Music moves people in ways that are downright indescribable. We dance to music. We cry at certain songs because they remind us of someone we lost or transport us to a place in time we wish we could go back to. How many people can easily list their top five songs or have interrupted a conversation because the faint music they hear in the background is speaking to them so loudly they can’t help but say something about it?

Music provides us a way of connecting with ourselves and with God at the same time. We have the opportunity to experience music with all its power and intricacies on a weekly basis during worship services and to sing along with songs that come from our worship leader’s hearts.

These are how some of those songs came to be.

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Joy Before Us ETC

TITLE

Joy Before Us

WRITER

ANDY SIMONDS

WO R S H I P PA S TO R

STORY

LY R I C S

Before You sat down at God’s great right hand You were lifted up just outside the promised land And the One who saw the day that time began Became the venom’s cure, You became the Son of Man So we fix our eyes on You We fix our eyes on You

hen I was working at Northland, the passage in Hebrews 12 was often read which says, “ For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.” I don’t think I’m alone in being captivated by the idea that it was for the sake of future joy that Jesus suffered and that, in some way, we were a part of that.

I wanted to unpack the idea that because Jesus walked through his own suffering toward the joy set before him, he, in doing so, set joy before us as we walk through our own suffering. This idea naturally led me toward Jesus’ own teaching that “whoever finds their life will lose it, and whoever loses their life for my sake will find it.” (Matthew 10). I also wanted to connect the part of the Hebrews passage that describes “fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith” to the Old Testament story of the people of Israel getting healed from snake bites by looking at the bronze snake that was lifted up on the pole in Numbers 21. John references this in chapter 3 of his Gospel saying “Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the wilderness, so the Son of Man must be lifted up.”

For the joy set before You, You came to our rescue And for silver You were sold, Now the thieves get heaven’s gold He who finds life will lose it, But in losing we’re finding out There’s joy waiting for us – You set joy before us Before You rolled our final fear away Your sweat was running red in a garden as You prayed And the One who saw there was no other way Became the mocker’s king, endured the cross, and scorned the shame For the joy set before You, You came to our rescue And for silver You were sold, Now the thieves get heaven’s gold He who finds life will lose it, But in losing we’re finding out There’s joy waiting for us – You set joy before us

I had the concept for this song for a very long time with nothing more than one of the lines saying something like “For the joy set before him, he set joy before us.” One day, I was at work and telling Cory Quintard about the idea and how I’d had it for so long, and he says, “Why don’t you just go home and write it? And don’t stop until you’re finished.” He said it with such conviction that I felt like I just had to do it. So I went home, and within a few hours had finished writing a song that I’d been stewing on (or procrastinating finishing) for years. I’m super glad he called me out on that. Pretty sure the song would still be unfinished if he hadn’t.

So we fix our eyes on You We fix our eyes on You Author of your fate Perfecter of our faith For the joy set before You, You came to our rescue And for silver You were sold, Now the thieves get heaven’s gold He who finds life will lose it, But in losing we’re finding out There’s joy waiting for us – Cause You endured the cross For the joy set before You, You came to our rescue And for silver You were sold, Now the thieves get heaven’s gold He who finds life will lose it, But in losing we’re finding out There’s joy waiting for us – You set joy before us

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Isaiah 9 ETC

WRITER

C O R Y Q U I N TA R D

F O R M E R W O R S H I P C O O R D I N AT O R

STORY

LY R I C S

In the arms of God, we find our strength In the arms of God, we find our strength In the arms of God, we find our peace In the arms of God, we find our peace For to us a child is born, and to us a Son is given And his shoulders bear the weight of this world And He’ll be called Prince of Peace On David’s throne, we find our King On David’s throne, we find our King For to us a child is born, and to us a Son is given And his shoulders bear the weight of this world And our hearts will not be troubled, and our hearts won’t be afraid Because his shoulders bear the weight of this world And He’ll be called Prince of Peace

I

wrote this song during my one semester at an unnamed bible college. I remember being in a class about the life of Jesus, and going through some of the Old Testament prophecies, when we came across Isaiah 9. It is laughable how little I had to do with the lyrics of this song. The translation was already so poetic and rhythmic in the text on its own. “For to US a CHILD is BORN, and to US a SON is GIVEN.” The subject, object, and verb of both statements fall perfectly into a nice little rhythm. That got my gears turning. I am not good at memorizing Scripture. But I love the idea that through a pop song, I can remember the prophecy that was told about the forthcoming King we still worship and get our identity from today, thousands of years later.

After my class, I sat down at a table in some kind of common area. I was hearing the general chord structure as I was writing, but I didn’t have an instrument to try it out on at the moment. So I rushed over to the Herndon Campus, sat down at the piano, and began to play in the key of Eb, and came up with a piano part to accompany the melody I had written. The song took shape pretty quickly then.

Andy Simonds found a week to use the song around Christmas time for one of his bands and rearranged it in a style that worked well for his tastes and his players. When he did this, I felt like I was hearing the song the way it was intended to be performed. He displayed restraint, experience, and nuance—which were all things I was lacking at the time. The piano part I had written was gone, and a new Christmas-sounding piano part took its place. There was more space and less volume. It was beautiful. It wasn’t until then I realized I had written a Christmas song.

PHOTO: PATRICK MICHAEL CHIN

TITLE

Isaiah 9

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TITLE

Harvest Song

WRITER

DAVE BURLESON

WORSHIP MINISTER

LY R I C S

Our God is good.Just like the sun and rain He brings life to the fields of grain And there’s no need to worry for He is in control.

Our God is a God who upholds.

Our God upholds.

And we long to see a harvest from this ground.

We long to see a harvest now.

But all we can do is plant the seed.

Our God will be the One to make it grow.

And our smallest steps in obedience Our God, our God,He will uphold.

Our God upholds.

T

hrough my 20's I had a question in my mind that would keep popping up over and over that bothered me in my faith. “How do I know I'm doing this whole being a Christian thing the right way?” It wasn't until years after that I realized the answer was in Scripture... the fruit of the spirit. That was such a strong epiphany for me that I felt like I had to put it in a song somehow. I came up with the idea of writing a song that included the fruit of the spirit...all nine of them.

I was in a season of writing and was inspired by Stuart Townend and the Gettys and their ability to tell a story and infuse Scripture into their lyrics with classic sounding melodies. That showed me a way of writing songs that help teach Scripture and keep it in our minds.

We stay connected like branches to a vine with God who reigns over all of time.

There’s no need to worry we can trust in the cross.

Our God works in us and through us.

I generally come up with a chorus first because to me it's the most important part of a song. It's the part of any song that we are most likely to remember—it's the iconic part. In this case, the bridge is equally as important so I handled it kind of like another chorus in the song. I would sing in the car while driving or in the shower and try to put the idea into lyrics and melody without an instrument in my hands. Then I sat down and figured out what chords work underneath the melody. I want the verses to take us on a logical journey and the chorus should sum up what the verses say, adding meaning each time we come back to it.

And we long to see a harvest from this ground.

We long to see a harvest now.

But all we can do is plant the seed.

Our God will be the One to make it grow.

And our smallest steps in obedience Our God, our God, He will uphold.

And how will we know we’ve met with our Savior How will we know the fruit’s begun to show How will we know His Kingdom is here and now How will we know we’re filled with the Holy Ghost

While writing this song, I thought of both kids and adults needing to remember the fruit of the spirit and about people who worry too much, including myself. I thought about how God guides each of us as believers and how we all have our separate worries. He's pretty big to be able to do that and handle all of our grief. We can plant the seed of the fruit of the spirit and join him in his work, but he is ultimately the one who makes it grow. This is the proof of our faith and our God and that’s what this song is about.

Love, Joy, Peace, Patience, Kindness, Goodness, Faithfulness, Gentleness and Self-Control But all we can do is plant the seed.

God will be the One to make it grow

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STORY

He is full of grace. We bear fruit in His name.

He’s guiding the steps of the saints.

And there’s no need to worry as we go out in faith.

He will give us the words to say.

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He Sees Me MAGGIE BRUEHL L J JUDY

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“Listen,” he almost whispers as his inner circle leans in. I lean in myself, as I can’t quite see his face, but I dare not get any closer lest someone tell my husband…

“A farmer went out to plant some seeds.” It was planting season. My husband had been hired out a day north. I miss the safety of being with him, but it has been a relief because of how demanding he has been. With the drought, the Roman threat, and high taxes, we’re just trying to survive.

“As he scattered the seeds across his field, some fell on a footpath and birds came and ate them.” I glanced down at my feet, covered with dust from the walk.

“Other seeds fell on shallow soil. They sprouted quickly because the soil was shallow, but then they wilted under the hot sun.” I knew all too well the excitement of hope and the disappointment of failed dreams.

“Some seeds fell among thorns that choked the tender plants.” My hand reached for my

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throat; feeling as if I, in my simple faith in this man some called Messiah, was choking from unbelief.

“Other seeds fell on fertile soil and produced a crop that was thirty, sixty, and even a hundred times as much as had been planted!” My head jerked up. Could this happen? Despite birds, sun, and thorns?

Some wandered away; they couldn’t understand. This man talks in stories when we want him to be clear. I’m listening. I’m feeling.

I’m trying to understand, but it feels just outside of my reach.

As they left, I saw a chance to get a little bit closer, standing just outside of his circle of disciples as they asked him, “Why do you speak in parables?”

Looking intently into their faces, he replied, “You are permitted to understand the secrets of the Kingdom of Heaven, but others are not.

To those who listen to my teaching, more understanding will be given, and they will have an abundance of knowledge.” As he looked around his small circle of believers, it felt as if he caught a glimpse of me. I shrank back, knowing I wasn’t worthy, but he didn’t call me out.

“But for those who are not listening, even what they understand will be taken away. They look, but they don’t see. They hear, but don’t understand.”

My mind took me elsewhere as he continued to talk. I was preoccupied with the choice I had to make. Would I stay close to this man and try to understand? Did I have ears to hear?

Or should I leave? Leaders in the temple had left. Some smarter, more respected, and much wealthier drifted away. Why do I feel this magnetism to stay, to hear what comes next?

“Blessed are your eyes, because they see; and your ears, because they hear. I tell you the truth, many prophets and righteous people longed to see what you see, but didn’t see it. They longed to hear what you hear, but didn’t hear it.”

Jesus’ voice got louder as he spoke, as if he wanted to make sure I heard him. He was blessing me for staying! As he spoke about his truth, every word had confidence, authority

beyond those in the temple. He spoke of prophets of old as if he knew them, their hearts, their longings.

“Now listen to the explanation of the parable about the farmer planting seeds.” He had my full attention.

“The seed on the footpath represents those who hear my message but don’t understand it.

The evil one comes and snatches away the seed that was planted in their hearts.” I knew that had been true about me. I had heard of Jesus before, but felt hard in my heart, and as quick as the thought of learning more about him was planted, it was gone.

“The seed on the rocky soil represents those who hear the message and receive it with joy.

Since they don’t have deep roots, it doesn’t last long. They fall away as soon as they have problems or are persecuted.” I looked at my feet again, thinking about how I had begun to feel hopeful, seen, accepted. Would this feeling last? Is my soil an inch deep? My heart has gotten so hard, that even when I begin to thaw, I get to a place that feels too vulnerable, too raw. I shrink back.

“The seed among thorns represents those who hear God’s word, but the message is crowded out by the worries of life and the lure of wealth.” My husband is coming back tomorrow. Will I be afraid to tell him about Jesus and his stories?

“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.

Then I saw him look at me. Our eyes locked.

He believed I could be good soil. I can’t explain it, but in that moment I was not just a haggard, poor woman, but I was a plant with roots going deep, deep into crevices of my heart where only fear was before. He believed I could produce a harvest, not of grain, but of spiritual farmers who would spread the seed themselves, and would bear fruit far beyond my imagination…

He sees me.

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Artist Feature

KATIE SCHMIDT

Ansley Schrimsher A

nsley Schrimsher strolled in wearing a rainbowcolored vintage skirt, introduced herself to me with a hug, and told the woman taking our coffee order she was looking to try anything new and to “just have fun making it.”

Ansley Schrimsher is restoration, joy, and creativity personified.

In 2008, when Ansley was helping to pack up her grandmother’s belongings as the family was helping her transition to an assisted living home, those three qualities of hers found a perfect haven of expression—taking family heirlooms and restoring them into modern, wearable, currently-very-ontrend jewelry.

Ansley’s grandmother, Dora Mae, was handing boxes down from her attic and as Ansley and her mother and sisters were unboxing them they quickly realized there was “treasure after treasure” in these outdated, dusty brooches that had been sitting in boxes since 1940. Ansley started taking them one at a time to a bead bar in College Park to see if maybe adding some beads to this turquoise one would help give it new life. By the thirtieth brooch Ansley had brought in, the woman at the bead bar asked, “Can I teach you how to do this?”

“And that is literally the origin of Dora Mae Jewelry,” Ansley says. “People started connecting with the heirlooms we were wearing because they actually looked cool and they were meaningful and so I started getting brooches in my mailbox from people saying ‘Hey, I found my grandmother’s brooch, will you do something with it?’ And then it was just—I guess I’m accidentally a jewelry designer now.”

Prior to the evolution of Dora Mae—and for quite a few years in the beginning of the company—Ansley was a full-time garden designer. She has always had

GREG PERKINS

an interest in and passion for design, fashion, and the possibilities found in taking what you already have and giving it new life, or “making it cool again.”

In the early stages of Dora Mae, Ansley was mostly doing custom designs for women who had found a piece they wanted restored. She also would collect from antique markets and started hosting jewelry shows at people’s houses. Her very first show was technically a garden design talk but oh-by-the-way in the backroom there’s a table of jewelry for sale.

If you’re interested.

After seven years of building a business she didn’t realize she was building, while simultaneously being a full-time garden designer, Ansley realized she couldn’t creatively invest in both. She admits the decision to stop garden design was difficult because she doesn’t like limitations, but a trip to Madagascar made it clear to her that Dora Mae was where her energy should be focused.

A friend of Ansley’s had been working with a group that was teaching women in Madagascar sewing as a means of income, but was hoping to transition to jewelry design and wanted Ansley’s help. After some back-and-forth about the financial logistics, Ansley decided to go and help teach the women during the duration of her trip and then come back home and that’s likely where the relationship would have ended.

“I had no intention of hiring the women,” Ansley starts. “That was never a part of the deal, I was just going to teach them. I taught them, they picked it up, and by the end of it I fell in love with them.

I realized their need and how much a consistent job would drastically change these nine women in front of me. And I didn’t know what it would look like—how we would transport, how we’d get things

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back and forth, how we’d make this work, but it has been one small miracle story after another.”

When Ansley got back on the plane to head home from Madagascar, she knew that by allowing these women to be a part of Dora Mae, by partnering with women 9,000 miles away, a new meaning and purpose was infused in jewelry design for her. It’s what made her decide to dig in and to give her all to Dora Mae. Every piece of Dora Mae jewelry has been touched by the group of women in Madagascar. They put together the beads that become the chains that become the necklaces, bracelets, earrings that Orlando women’s family heirlooms rest on.

“It’s a question I think a lot about with God,” Ansley says. “Why would nine women 9,000 miles away be making jewelry for this tiny little company in Orlando, Florida? That actually makes no sense. We have to ship this stuff—it goes from here to New York to Switzerland to Paris to Madagascar. Sometimes it’s traveled 30,000 miles and it’s just a box of beads. Like what are we doing?

That’s crazy. But that’s God’s way of doing things—it doesn’t really make any sense. It’s not necessarily the most efficient, the most productive—no. He is about, and this is about, relationship and meeting needs.”

In the fashion and jewelry business, Ansley admits that sometimes her focus can be out of whack, but getting to know the stories of the women in Madagascar grounds her. She can receive an email from one of them and is reminded that each of our stories are real and gritty and that things don’t always work out perfectly, but beauty is worthy of our pursuit.

This is one of the many things that Dora Mae (her grandmother) instilled in Ansley. As a daughter of the depression, Dora Mae was “queen of making something out of nothing and doing it creatively.” With her baking skills, sewing talent, poetry writing, piano playing—Dora Mae, with no training to do any of those things, picked them up, figured them out, and lived a life of creativity and beauty. She pursued the idea of making old things new. And her granddaughter Ansley, who would come over as a child so they could cook and garden together, grew up to honor her legacy.

Ansley explains that one of the reasons people connect with restoring their old family heirlooms is because it’s instilling purpose into something that already had meaning. We inherit things from our family members that have meaning because of who they once belonged to, but how often do they sit in boxes or the corner of the sock drawer? We can’t throw it away, but we’re certainly not going to wear that bumblebee brooch.

Through the custom design process, women don’t just

“I really honestly think that’s why people love Dora Mae—because of the story. I think hopefully it’s good design, but I really do think people connect to story.” —Ansley

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bring in the piece they’re looking to restore and come back a few weeks later to pick something up. Ansley and her team know there is no one-size-fits-all and that it’s not just about making something pretty. She gets to know the client. She invests in the relationship, asking about their style, the heirloom, and the story behind it.

Ansley says that if a woman doesn’t wear the piece at least four times in the first two weeks they should bring it back. Because the whole point is to bring something dead back to life—not to create another purposeless thing that will sit in the bottom of a box.

“Not only do people love it because it’s beautiful, but it’s meaningful,” Ansley says. “People come back in and say ‘Every time I wear this, someone comments on it’ and I’m just like ‘It’s because you’re connected to it! There’s a story behind it.’ I really honestly think that’s why people love Dora Mae—because of the story. I think hopefully it’s good design, but I really do think people connect to story.”

And there’s plenty of stories to be found in Dora Mae. Stories of celebration and hope and of loss and grief, but ultimately stories that point to redemption.

“This happened the other day,” Ansley starts.

“Somebody came in with a brooch, she came in—almost looking—she was obviously still in the grieving process.

Her mom had died two weeks prior. She said ‘This is my first act of grieving, I haven’t left my house, I have my mom’s brooch. I thought once you redid this I could maybe see in color again, because all I see now is grey.’

And tears just poured down my face. Then a week later, she comes in to pick up the piece and—and she said ‘This has been a healing experience for me.’ You don’t have to do these big lofty things, redemption can be found in a brooch. Healing from grief can be found in a brooch.”

Ansley loves that she gets to play a role in stories like this. Of a forgotten, out-of-style brooch that is transformed into a woman’s go-to necklace. She loves the healing that’s found in a story like that and the parallel of what it means for us as individuals. The beauty in the process of something rising again, something dead being brought back to life and how that hope is true of the human experience—these things come pouring out of Ansley when she talks about her grandmother, the women in Madagascar, each piece of jewelry she’s worked on.

“I feel like Jesus teaches me each time, not in a this -is-a-lesson-learned way, but in a this-is-who-I-am way.

He is a healer, he is a purpose-giver, he is a beautymaker. He restores things and brings joy. The process of restoration—revive, restore, reimagine. All of these re-words, I think that’s who Jesus is at his core. He revives us, he restores us, he redeems us.”

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QUESTIONS

Zach Van Dyke Herndon Campus Pastor GREG PERKINS

What story has had a big influence on your life?

To Kill a Mockingbird. I remember thinking that I want to be like Atticus Finch and that I want to make sure that as I interact with people I’m imagining what it’s like to be them.

As a kid, I was always fascinated by the stories of Jacob in the Bible. Because Jacob was such a pretender and I knew that I have a propensity to want to do what people will like, it was so cool to see someone struggle with that and still be accepted by God and called to be truthful and not dress up in a costume and pretend to be someone else.

If you could change one thing in the world, what would it be?

Give everyone the ability to communicate in a way that isn’t misunderstood.

What is your favorite word?

Happy.

What is your least favorite word?

Disappointed. And moist… but that’s a given.

What is one thing you hope for the congregation this year?

I would love for everyone to feel like they matter and they matter specifically to our church family. That if they weren’t there and didn’t participate or see value in what they have to offer–that they would know it would make a difference.

What is your favorite meal that you make?

Guacamole. It’s not really a meal but I can make it a meal. This isn’t an exaggeration–I make it at least five out of the seven days a week. It’s not even for dinner or lunch, it’s when I get home from work before dinner, it’s like an extra meal for the day.

What scares you?

Snakes.

Who is your hero?

I had a Bible teacher in high school whose name is Dave Cullen and he didn’t just teach the Bible but he invested in me as a person.

And he did it without getting much thanks.

I think he’s had the biggest impact on me.

What fictional character do you relate to most?

Well, I want to be Atticus Finch, but I probably relate more to Eustace from The Chronicles of Narnia in The Voyage of The Dawn Treader. His selfishness turned him into a literal dragon, a monster, that needed to be cut and prodded by Aslan in order to be who he really was meant to be.

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If you could have any profession other than ministry, what would it be?

I would love to be a shark expert and study and swim with sharks. Do I actually think I would be capable of getting in the water with them? Probably not.

Why do you do what you do?

I am so thankful for Jesus and I am so thankful for grace. And I love people and speaking to people so I can’t imagine a better job for someone who loves Jesus, grace, and speaking to people.

The fact that I get to tell people good news as a job is pretty awesome.

What do you want people at Summit to see about Jesus?

That he’s done everything for them and so then anything he asks of you is out of love for you and what’s best for you and not because he needs you to do anything. If we all got that I think it would change our motives for doing good and curb our appetite for doing bad.

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