SUMMIT Magazine | Issue 24 | Making a Lasting Impact on Our Community and Our World

Spring 2015 // Issue 24

MAKING A LASTING IMPACT ON OUR COMMUNITY AND OUR WORLD RELATIONSHIPS matter. TRUTH matters. WHAT YOU DO WITH YOUR LIFE matters. YOU MATTER.

CONTENTS RADAR 8

Vision of Service. We sat down to chat with pastors John Parker, Andy Simonds, Jeff Kern, and Garry Abbott about Summit’s heart for service.

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Your Volunteer Hours at Work. We talked with the team at Community Food & Outreach Center about how what we do and how we serve really does matter.

CONNECT 18

A Global Staff Swap. Nathan Boyett and Kristine Ndirangu share their experiences as part of a staff exchange program with Summit & Nairobi Chapel.

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Market Colors Team Journals. Carlin Johnson and Mikaela Johnson documented their time in Malawi as part of the Market Colors/Children of the Nations team.

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Birthday Gifts for a Cause. A mom teaches her young son about what it looks like to live a life of service.

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RETHINK 32

The Art of Neighboring. Getting to know the people who live next door can change their lives... and yours, too.

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How God Loves. When we care for those in need, we reflect the character of God.

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From Sponsored Child to Successful Graduate.

Investing in the lives of kids halfway around the globe through child sponsorship offers them a bright future and a chance to change the world.

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Welcoming Children with Open Arms.

The Kallenbachs answered God’s call to become a foster family, and their lives will never be the same.

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An Adoption Story. When the Irvins first felt God nudging them to add to their family through adoption, they had no idea what He had planned.

FAMILY 44

Not Too Young to Give Back. A group of middleschool girls exemplify service by raising money for a friend’s transplant surgery.

ETC. 50

Summit-isms… Wondering what in the world we’re talking about? We’ve got the Summit lingo covered.

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Artist Feature. Ashley Brooke Chambers shares how her passion and creativity intertwined with God’s perfect plan and led to a successful business.

SUMMIT//Spring 2015

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44 52

a LETTER from

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

Spring 2015

THE VISION

When you were a child, what did it mean when your mom or dad told you to share?

Having grown up in a family with five kids and now as a parent of six, I have seen and participated in my fair share of nuancing the command to share.

Brandy and I have seen our kids grow through varied understandings of the term, and as with any kids, also grow in their ability to exploit the idea of sharing for their own ends. For young children, all sharing means is that they can no longer control or possess something meaningful to them. This is a tragedy of epic proportions. That broken matchbox car, which had been of mild amusement until now, can suddenly, with the admonition to share, become the only thing that was giving your life purpose and is suddenly being torn from your pudgy, little hands.

Then, as you grow, you find that a word that had previously been a source of great grief can now be used as a weapon.

You realize that by merely stating, “Dad, she isn’t sharing,” you can tip the scales in a dispute, almost certainly gaining the upper hand and the right to exclusive playing rights, even if only for a few minutes. (And sometimes those minutes are even counted off on a timer, so your sister can know exactly how long she has to wait until she can accuse you of being unwilling to share.)

However, every now and then, kids do slip into what sharing really is. Instead of a sibling custody battle over the Wii controller, sharing looks like the kids forgetting who owns it, who has rights to it, or who has had it the longest.

Then real sharing begins to happen, and it hasn’t happened because we got the rules just right. Rather, it has happened because the thing being shared is no longer the main thing.

The kids are finding joy in each other and in accomplishing something together. The toy is just a reason, an excuse to be together.

When sharing happens, it doesn’t mean simply giving something up, though it can devolve into that. But it does mean giving up control. It means surrendering the exclusive

right to determine outcomes. Sharing, when done right, invites relationship. It gives everyone involved a chance to bring their toys to the game so they can work together to accomplish something great.

For my sons, the best example of real sharing is when they build a fort. These constructs, when examined closely, involve all of the kids’ stuff to make happen. Sam’s Star Wars books hold the sheet down on that corner, while Abu’s reading light serves as clamp for the other side, while Aschalew has brought all of his animals to live in the fort, etc.

In this issue of SUMMIT MAGAZINE, we look at our local and global partnerships and Summit’s value of Sharing our resources for local and global ministry.

Using the word sharing is very intentional. First, sharing is not a total surrender of influence or responsibility. When you share, you maintain influence and relationship. It takes more investment of yourself to share. Secondly, sharing implies not just giving, but receiving. We have needs as well. Every real partnership and the best acts of sharing involve both the courage to give and the humility to receive.

When my kids build something great, at some point they stop thinking about whose stuff is whose because they get so caught up in the picture of what could be. They see the greatness of their fort, and even though that fort may have to go away by morning, they sleep well that night knowing that awesomeness happened.

As you read the pages of this magazine, my hope is that you won’t just read about what is given or where it is given, but you will see a picture of the fort that is being built and find yourself compelled to join in sharing so that even more awesomeness can happen.

To form biblically functioning communities that reach lost people, connect in Christ-centered relationships, teach truth, serve others, and worship God. Learn more at summitconnect.org

OUR VALUES Being transformed into the image of Christ for the sake of others.

Leveraging culture as a means of influence.

Making the most of our place in history.

Forming relationships around a common purpose.

Sharing our resources for local and global ministry.

Bringing holistic salvation to all that is lost.

ONE CHURCH, MULTIPLE LOCATIONS Summit has four campuses: Summit Herndon, Summit at 33rd Street, Summit Lake Mary, and Summit Waterford.

Whichever campus you attend, you will experience the same vision, strategy, worship, and teaching.

JOHN PARKER, Lead Pastor

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Magazine Issue 24 // Spring 2015

Meet the Staff ASHLEY CONRAD //Waterford Large Group Coordinator Ashley, who was born in St. Louis, MO, started attending Summit in 2009. Ashley got involved in Waterford’s Student Ministries leading worship and heading up a high school girls Connect group. She fell in love with the close-knit community at the Waterford campus and joined the staff in early 2015 as the Base Camp Large Group Coordinator. In her spare time, Ashley enjoys spending time with her husband and two children, Hunter and Emma, as well as reading, sketching, writing, and cooking.

STRATEGY TEAM Lead Pastor John Parker // jparker@summitconnect.org Worship Pastor Andy Simonds // asimonds@summitconnect.org Organizational Development Pastor Jeff Kern // jkern@summitconnect.org Mobilization Pastor Garry Abbott // gabbott@summitconnect.org Administrative Assistant to John Parker Lauren Gaines // lgaines@summitconnect.org TEACHING TEAM Teaching Minister Jim Keller // jkeller@summitconnect.org Teaching Minister Zach Van Dyke // zvandyke@summitconnect.org ONE CHURCH: MULTIPLE LOCATIONS @ HERNDON Children’s Ministry Director Deanna McLellan // dmclellan@summitconnect.org Elementary Productions Coordinator Shauna Kidwell // skidwell@summitconnect.org Elementary Small Groups Coordinator Austin Hill // ahill@summitconnect.org Preschool Ministry Coordinator Jill Kern // jillkern@summitconnect.org Children’s Ministry Evening Coordinator Melanie Snavely // msnavely@summitconnect.org Middle School Minister Ryan Warner // rwarner@summitconnect.org High School Coordinator Kim Clark // kclark@summitconnect.org

AUSTIN HILL //Herndon Elementary Small Groups Coordinator Austin, originally from Sarasota, studied at UCF and is currently working on his master’s degree in counselor education. He spent three years volunteering in Base Camp at the Waterford campus with 2nd and 3rd graders. In December of 2014, Austin joined the Summit staff as the Herndon Elementary Small Groups Coordinator. He trains volunteer leaders, pulls together curriculum, and prepares the Foothills classrooms each week. In his free time, Austin enjoys exploring new places, crocheting, and trying new games and sports.

Summit Students Administrator Ashley Blahnik // ablahnik@summitconnect.org Summit Students Worship Intern Ben Langevin // blangevin@summitconnect.org First Impressions Director Jessica Meyer // jmeyer@summitconnect.org First Impressions Coordinator Carlin Johnson // cjohnson@summitconnect.org First Impressions Administrator Samantha Boesch // sboesch@summitconnect.org @ WATERFORD Campus Minister Sam Arocho // sarocho@summitconnect.org Ministry Coordinator Jenny Limontes // jlimontes@summitconnect.org Worship Minister David Burleson // dburleson@summitconnect.org Children’s Ministry Director Keely Hardaway // khardaway@summitconnect.org Large Group Coordinator Ashley Conrad // aconrad@summitconnect.org Evening Service Coordinator Alicia O’Riordan // aoriordan@summitconnect.org Student Ministry Coordinator Cody Stanley // cstanley@summitconnect.org @ LAKE MARY Campus Minister O.J. Aldrich // oaldrich@summitconnect.org Ministry Coordinator Amy Kaufholz // akaufholz@summitconnect.org Children’s Ministry Coordinator Brooke Shoopman // bshoopman@summitconnect.org Worship Coordinator Josh Pearson // jpearson@summitconnect.org @ 33RD STREET Campus Minister Bill Behr // bbehr@summitconnect.org

GREG PERKINS //Creative Director Greg first joined the Summit family in 2011 as a guitar player on the worship team.

Then, in 2013, he came on staff as Creative Director.

Greg now works to maintain and grow Summit’s visual brand and artistic identity through multimedia projects, series branding, and graphic design. When he’s not working, he can usually be found with a guitar in hand, cranking out new tunes, but he also enjoys photography and, most of all, spending time with his wife, Reagan, and son, Levi.

Ministry Coordinator Abbie Abbott // aabbott@summitconnect.org Worship Coordinator Marco Randazzo // mrandazzo@summitconnect.org Worship Service Facilitator Lindsey Coates // lcoates@summitconnect.org LOCAL & GLOBAL PARTNERSHIPS Global Partnership Coordinator Nathan Boyett // nboyett@summitconnect.org Community Development Coordinator Elizabeth Cronlund // ecronlund@summitconnect.org Community Engagement Coordinator Niki Wilkerson // nwilkerson@summitconnect.org FAMILY MINISTRY Family Ministry Director Tracy Beeson // tbeeson@summitconnect.org Children’s Ministry Curriculum Coordinator Jessica Gomez // jgomez@summitconnect.org BCL Coordinator Darling Heldt // dheldt@summitconnect.org BCL Content Coordinator Michael Murray // mmurray@summitconnect.org SUMMIT CONNECT Summit Connect Director Eddy Moratin // emoratin@summitconnect.org Summit Connect Coordinator Jeannie McLearen // jmclearen@summitconnect.org reGROUP Director Kailey Newkirk // knewkirk@summitconnect.org reGROUP Worship & Training Coordinator Chris Burns // cburns@summitconnect.org

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Learning from Each Other KRISTY-LEE LAWLEY

BRIAN HOGAN

WHO DOESN’T WANT THEIR FIRST CULINARY EXPERIENCE of sharing ideas and discovering new and different ways to engage in the States to be a chain restaurant that serves bottomless chips our audience. (Read more about Kristine’s experience on page 18.)

This relationship is a wonderful illustration of what this issue is all and salsa and other delicious appetizers that can also be found in the about. In these pages we are looking at Summit’s value of Sharing freezer section of your grocery store?

I am not exactly sure this particular meal was on Kristine Ndirangu’s our resources for local and global ministry. When we dig into what bucket list, but the chips served us well as we discussed what life is it looks like to share our resources, we begin to see the impact that like for her in Nairobi, Kenya, religion, food, our families, and what our partnerships can have over time and how much more can be she hoped to do and learn during her three-month stay in Orlando accomplished when we share our knowledge and work together.

And speaking of working together, a huge thank you goes out to as part of a staff exchange program. I was intrigued to know more about her and more about my magazine crew. I mentioned her home church, Nairobi above that in March, I was to Chapel, which has been one of head off on maternity leave.

Well, that happened. Since Summit’s partners since 2010. our first issue of SUMMIT And over the course of dinner, I discovered some of what was MAGAZINE, nine years ago, I on her actual bucket list—and have never not seen a magazine it all consisted of crazy, thrillto completion. But there is a seeking adventures that still first time for everything, and I left this issue of the SUMMIT make me queasy when I think about them.

MAGAZINE to be wrapped up by my well trusted and Kristine would spend the next three months shadowing experienced magazine staff. I am very thankful to Rebekah, the Communications Greg, Jeremy, and Kristine for department and participating in the SUMMIT MAGAZINE making it is easy for me to step process for Chapel, where away for a bit and focus on my she works as a graphic family. Thank you for all of the Greg Perkins, Kristy-Lee Lawley, Rebekah Crosby, Kristine Ndirangu, & Jeremy Kennedy designer and art director for work you put into the pages of their magazine. Over these this magazine!

We hope you enjoy reading just a few of the stories—there are so few months, she would learn that this magazine takes an army of dedicated volunteers to write, edit, and photograph. That each issue’s many more!—of Summit attendees who have made serving others layout is discussed in detail with my core magazine team and Summit’s part of their DNA. And through these stories, we hope you discover leadership, with each article thoughtfully considered. And that there is how you can be a part of what God is doing through Summit, both a great deal of importance placed on deadlines—particularly for this right here in our community and around the world. issue, since I was going on maternity leave in March.

And over these few months, we would learn much from her. For one thing, Nairobi Chapel is very much like Summit. They value their volunteers and put a great deal of responsibility on them, they use the term “next step” in regard to further engagement within the church, and they desire to reach people where they are—so they, too, KRISTY-LEE LAWLEY are a multi-site church. Kristine shared with my team new ways to //Communications Director engage audiences through social media and often questioned why we //Editorial/Art Director weren’t doing more. Chapel also has a few practices put in place when klawley@summitconnect.org communicating helpful next steps to their congregation, which had my team brainstorming ideas and asking, “What if?” We enjoyed this time summitconnect.org 3

Magazine Issue 24 // Spring 2015

Contributors MICHAEL MURRAY //Writer Michael started serving as a summer intern at Summit in 2009. Shortly after, he joined staff as the BCL Content Coordinator. He has also served on several of Summit’s venture teams to Malawi.

Michael loves expressing himself through writing and sharing stories with others. His favorite way to spend his time is with his sweet wife, Diana.

He loves eating steak and hanging out with friends. He also enjoys listening to music; his favorite genre is show tunes!

CREATIVE COMMUNICATIONS Communications Director Kristy-Lee Lawley // klawley@summitconnect.org Creative Director Greg Perkins // gperkins@summitconnect.org Communications Manager Virginia Schultz // vschultz@summitconnect.org Editor & Content Coordinator Rebekah Crosby // rcrosby@summitconnect.org Digital Media Coordinator Kimberly Chin // kchin@summitconnect.org Communications Coordinator Kari Freeman // kfreeman@summitconnect.org Communications Coordinator Katie Schmidt // kschmidt@summitconnect.org Media Coordinator Brian Hogan // bhogan@summitconnect.org OPERATIONS Controller Adrienne Evans // aevans@summitconnect.org Operations Coordinator Will Dickinson // wdickinson@summitconnect.org IT Administrator Brad Wiltfang // bwiltfang@summitconnect.org Accounting Intern Jenn Buckman // jbuckman@summitconnect.org WORSHIP Lead Lighting Designer Logan Haag // lhaag@summitconnect.org Lead Audio Engineer Joel LeGros // jlegros@summitconnect.org

MICHAEL HARRISON //Photographer Michael fell in love with photography shortly after receiving his first camera as a high school graduation gift. He has been seeking opportunities to serve God through his passion ever since. He started volunteering at Summit on the tech crew, doing stage setup and running ProPresenter and lights. He has also served as a Connect group leader and eventually joined the photography team. Michael loves anything on the water, including skimboarding, surfing, fishing, boating, and diving. He also enjoys trying new and interesting foods.

Stage Manager Brendan May // bmay@summitconnect.org Production Technician Stephen Stump // sstump@summitconnect.org Worship Administrator Mikaela Johnson // mjohnson@summitconnect.org MAGAZINE STAFF Editorial/Art Director Kristy-Lee Lawley Managing Editor Rebekah Crosby Guest Art Directors Jeremy Kennedy, Kristine Ndirangu, Greg Perkins Contributing Artists Jeremy Kennedy, Greg Perkins Editors Samantha Boesch, Brian Compton, Abby Holmes, Jessica Meyer, Ann Miller, Virginia Schultz , Ashley Simonds Contributing Writers Garry Abbott, Nathan Boyett, James Brendlinger, Laura Cook, Lindsey Cornett, Elizabeth Cronlund, Rebekah Crosby, Courtney DeFeo, Melissa Forbes, Kari Freeman, Lauren Gaines, Kaleb Harrell, Steve Helling, Abby Holmes, Carlin Johnson, Mikaela Johnson, Rachelle Kallenbach, Kristy-Lee Lawley, Michael Murray, Kristine Ndirangu, John Parker, Katie Schmidt, Melanie Snavely, Melissa Stillman Contributing Photographers William Bradley Arthur, Ashley Blahnik, Kate Bosse, Ryan Bowden, Scott Cook, Michael Harrison, Sean Heyboer, Brian Hogan, Deborah Kline, J.P. Pratt, Lizzie Randazzo, Mark Ronhaar, Rachel Vasquez VISIT OR CONTACT US

WILLIAM BRADLEY ARTHUR //Photographer William takes joy, foremost, in being a follower of Jesus, husband, and father. He also loves using the talents God has given him to serve others and further God’s Kingdom.

One of the ways he does this is through serving at Summit. He has volunteered in the past with niceSERVE and SUMMIT MAGAZINE, the blog, and our website. He currently enjoys serving on the photography team. He is also a triathlete and looks forward to the opportunities he gets to tell others about God’s love on race days.

Summit Herndon 735 Herndon Avenue, Orlando, FL 32803 Service Times: Thursdays, 7 p.m., Sundays, 9 a.m.*, 10:45 a.m., 12:30 p.m., 6 p.m. (*ASL interpreters available at the 9 a.m. service) Office Hours: M-F, 9 a.m.-5 p.m. // (407) 897-8130 Email: summit@summitconnect.org

Summit Waterford 11602 Lake Underhill Road, Orlando, FL 32825 Service Times: Sundays, 9 a.m., 11 a.m., 6 p.m.

Office Hours: M-F, 9 a.m.-5 p.m. // (407) 601-4911

Summit Lake Mary (Inside L.M. High School Auditorium) 655 Longwood Lake Mary Road, Lake Mary, FL 32746 Service Times: Sundays, 9 a.m. & 11 a.m.

Office Hours: M-F, 9 a.m.-5 p.m. // (407) 897-8130

Summit at 33rd Street Jail Women’s Service Times: Sundays, 1:30 p.m. | Men’s Service Times: Sundays, 2 p.m.

(This service is for the Horizon Wing & Female Detention Center inmates at the Orange County Jail.)

FIND US ON THE WEB: www.summitconnect.org

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WRAP-UP TO GOD BE THE GLORY, GREAT THINGS HE HAS DONE! On March 3rd, we celebrated the conclusion of Second Stories, our 3-year initiative to increase Summit’s capacity to reach, serve, and love people by creating space in our community. Here’s a snapshot of what was accomplished because of God’s grace and your generosity—thank you!

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Alleviate Debt

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South Meeting Room

We made major strides in paying down debt on the Herndon facility.

Herndon’s South Meeting Room was transformed into an additional seating area, offering 250 extra seats for our most attended services. Better yet, it serves as classroom space for Summit University, with an excellent sound system and large screens.

Each week, class attendees learn, connect, and grow in their knowledge of and faith in God right here in this room.

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Go North!

After meeting for five months at The Plaza Theatre on Bumby Ave., the Summit Lake Mary team moved into a new home at Lake Mary High School in August 2012. This community has continued to thrive and reach people in the neighborhoods north of Orlando and is set to move into a new, permanent facility in the summer of 2015.

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33rd Street

In January 2012, we launched a new campus in the Horizon Wing of the 33rd Street Jail, reaching the men of 33rd through weekly Sunday services, Connect groups, and reGROUP. In December 2014, we held our first worship services in the women’s side of the jail, where the women of 33rd are now able to watch Summit sermons via video, participate in a Q&A time, and grow in their relationships with Christ.

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Herndon Theatre

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Waterford Theatre

In October 2012, we opened a brand-new Theatre for Base Camp Live! and Summit Students at the Herndon campus, making room for more kids, families, and students to invite their friends into a welcoming and fun environment and hear about God’s love for them.

At the Waterford campus, we more than doubled the size of the previous BCL Theatre and Student Ministry area, with a brand-new Theatre and plenty of room for families and students. We also transformed the

Children’s Ministry office space and volunteer lounge into a wonderful new space for toddlers, and the 4th and 5th graders got a new Lodge (doubling as a student lounge for middle and high school students during the week).

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Annex Space

We opened a completely updated and renovated space for our preschool through 3rd grade kids in the Annex, including brand-new classrooms and a revamped Large Group room, making space for more kids to hear the truth that Jesus loves them and wants to be their friend forever.

We also added green space and safer walkways to better connect the Annex building to the main building.

The entire Annex building (formerly the Fashion Village) was purchased and paid off, adding 51,000 square feet of space and associated parking stalls to the Herndon campus. This enabled us to move the Summit Offices from above the Herndon Sanctuary, giving the staff a larger, more organized office space much better equipped to serve the Summit family.

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O.J. Aldrich and Joshua Pearson check out the new Summit Lake Mary construction

The Heart of Multi-site

MULTIPLE LOCATIONS, ONE VISION

Summit is a multi-site church with several locations throughout the Orlando area: the Herndon campus near downtown, the Waterford campus in East Orlando, the 33rd Street campus inside the Orange County Detention Center, the Lake Mary campus, and the Windermere/Dr. Phillips area campus (coming soon!).

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Why multi-site? There are people all over Central Florida who have never heard that they matter to God. Having multiple locations maximizes our ability to make a difference in the local community—as Summit grows, we’re better equipped to reach and serve those who need to know how much God loves them.

How does it work? All campuses share the same vision, strategy, worship, and teaching. Each campus has its own staff team, and worship services include Base Camp (children’s ministry for ages 3 months through 5th grade) and live worship led by one of our Summit bands.

The same sermon being taught in person by one of our Teaching Ministers at the Herndon campus is shared across all campuses via pre-recorded video.

2010

Since August of 2012, Summit’s Lake Mary campus has gathered for Sunday worship in the Lake Mary High School Auditorium. We’ve had an incredible experience during this time, and LMHS has been a gracious and kind host to us. We know, however, that our next step is to build a full-time, fully functioning facility—a project that is currently underway as we build out our current Lake Mary offices located in Technology Park on Lake Emma Road. This new campus home is set to open doors in the summer of 2015.

“It’s the exciting start of something big in our community,” Lake Mary Campus Minister O.J. Aldrich says. “It’s also a continuation of a story that God has been writing since the beginning of time, and more specifically two and a half years ago when He called a group of people together to launch a new expression of Summit in Lake Mary.”

A Multi-site History Lesson…

2005

ONE CAMPUS ON THE MOVE, ANOTHER IN THE WORKS

HERNDON It all began with just one small group of people back in 2002, when we first opened our doors at the Aloma Cinema Grill. Within a couple of years, we moved into Winter Park High School, and in early 2005, we began raising funds to purchase and renovate the old AMC Theatre off of Colonial Drive near the Fashion Square Mall—which you now know as the Herndon campus.

WATERFORD In January 2010, the future Summit Waterford team began meeting in the South Meeting Room at the Herndon campus, establishing a community that was willing to “Go Local” and be part of a new extension of the Summit family. In March, the campus moved to Lawton Chiles Elementary School, and in February of the following year, Summit Waterford opened its doors at a brand-new facility on Lake Underhill Road.

2012 The Windermere/Dr. Phillips area campus team has big things on the horizon as well. “It is an exciting season in the life of the new Windermere/Dr. Phillips area campus,” says Mobilization Pastor Garry Abbott. “I am so thankful for the willingness of people to be part of this team, as I truly believe Summit will be a better place to reach people with the hope and the help of the gospel through this campus coming to life.”

The team, which began with a small group of dedicated attendees last year, has already grown to include 125 adults and seven Summit Connect groups who are meeting, attending Summit University classes, and serving together in preparation for becoming a full expression of this campus. We can’t wait to see what God has in store for this community.

In the beginning of 2012, we launched a campus in the men’s Horizon Wing of the Orange County Jail. Volunteer teams go into the jail weekly to lead worship services as well as Connect groups and our reGROUP recovery ministry. In the spring of 2013, doors were opened for Summit to begin a mentoring ministry in the women’s side of 33rd as well, and we held our first worship services with the women in December 2014.

LAKE MARY In April 2012, 135 adults and 50 children launched what was originally known as the “North Orlando” campus, which met at The Plaza Theatre during its early days. In August of that year, they began meeting for Sunday worship at Lake Mary High School. The school auditorium, accompanied by an office/meeting space nearby, offered an ideal setup for establishing a presence in Lake Mary, and now the campus is set to move into a permanent facility off Lake Emma Road in the summer of 2015.

Want to join the team? Interested in knowing more?

Email Garry at gabbott@summitconnect.org.

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FOLLOW THE SUMMIT BLOG AT blog.summitconnect.org for stories and the latest news about all of our campuses!

33RD STREET

WINDERMERE/DR. PHILLIPS AREA The team started forming in 2014 and continues to grow as they live out the vision in Summit Connect groups in the area…

Where will we plant roots? Stay tuned!

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GREG PERKINS

The

VISIONof SERVICE A CONVERSATION WITH GARRY, JOHN, JEFF, AND ANDY LINDSEY CORNETT

When my husband and I first started dating, he had recently begun attending Summit. I remember the first time he told me about niceSERVE. “The church I’m going to is doing this big service day tomorrow. Everyone from the church is going to serve together.” The following day, he told me about how he and his roommate wore matching green T-shirts, went to the Sanford Zoo, and worked all morning digging up invasive plant species from the zoo’s landscaping.

He told me about the other projects he had seen and how hundreds of people from the church gathered together to blanket the city.

I had never heard of anything like this before. “That is so cool,” I told him.

When the two of us were married 18 months later, I moved to Orlando and began attending Summit. What I remember thinking about Summit most often during that time was that I loved how the congregation was made of people doing something about their faith.

It seemed that when you mentioned Summit, people knew we were a church committed to serving our city. Even as someone who had grown up attending church, this was totally new experience for me.

Almost five years have passed, and Evan and I have donned our green T-shirts many times since then. We’ve also served in Base Camp and with our Connect group, and last year I traveled to Malawi

to see Summit’s global partnerships in action. The truth is, serving alongside this church community has made our lives remarkably different than they might otherwise have been.

I was excited to sit down with the Strategy Team—made up of Lead Pastor John Parker, Worship Pastor Andy Simonds, Organizational Development Pastor Jeff Kern, and Mobilization Pastor Garry Abbott—to talk about Summit’s approach to service. I was eager to hear about how we can engage more fully in the vision of our church through service, whether individually or collectively as the Body of Christ.

Continued next page summitconnect.org 9

Let’s start by talking about Summit’s general approach to service. How would you describe it, and how did you arrive at the idea?

John: When we started the church, we wanted to ensure that as we grew and became established, the impact of Summit would be felt outside our four walls. This manifested itself in two ways early on. First, we wanted to engage with what God was doing globally. We launched in September 2002 and within our first full year as a church, we committed to going somewhere on mission.

It took several years to figure out what our long-term strategy was for global partnerships, but we were active in the meantime.

The second way service manifested itself was that as soon as we had the capacity to serve outside the walls of Summit, we did. At first, it took so much energy to start the church, but as soon as we began to feel like we had some breathing room, we wanted to engage fully outside the walls of Summit. This idea bore the first niceSERVE, which was an instant hit.

Andy: Parenthetically, niceSERVE was a sermon series before it was an event. I named the series niceSERVE because back in our younger years, John and I used to like to play volleyball. It was a five-week sermon series, the culmination of which was niceSERVE the event. That was the application.

Garry: And pretty much everybody did it, right?

Andy: Yeah, the whole church participated. It was one of those days that made you think, Now, that was something really special.

Then, niceSERVE the event became an institution.

So, let’s talk about niceSERVE. How does it fit into the overall vision for how we approach service as a church?

John: In its best form, it’s a wonderful introduction for people to begin living out the vision of Summit through service, but it’s not an ideal endpoint. Our ultimate goal is that people engage in ongoing service with their Connect groups.

Andy: That’s been an evolution, too. In those early days, we didn’t have Connect groups yet. We did niceSERVE several times a year because it was the best way for us to serve as a church, but now it’s evolved.

Garry: Yeah, I think that’s exactly right. At first, niceSERVE was a way for us to connect in Christ-centered relationships. Now, what we’re doing with niceSERVE is saying, “What’s happening outside the four walls of the church actually does matter, because the people outside the four walls matter.” If everything clicks just right, we hope a person signs up with their Connect group, serves for three hours and thinks, I can’t imagine waiting another six months for the next niceSERVE. I have to continue being a part of the good work this organization is doing. That way, we get to support the good work being done in Orlando, and we get to cultivate lifestyles of service.

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TWICE A YEAR—typically once in the spring and once in the fall—we get together for three hours on a Saturday to participate in service projects throughout the community and then return to Summit for a barbecue lunch. The event is a a great way to tangibly express Jesus’ love to others and form relationships in the process—relationships with each other and with the organizations we serve alongside. It’s also great way to find out more about the non-profits in and around our neighborhoods. We hope that niceSERVE is just the beginning of long-lasting friendships with these organizations.

“[OUR FIRST NICESERVE] WAS ONE OF THOSE DAYS THAT MADE YOU THINK, NOW, THAT WAS SOMETHING REALLY SPECIAL.” —Andy Simonds

Have any of you had that kind of experience, where you served with an organization and loved their work so much that you continued the connection?

Garry: For our family, at our first niceSERVE, we served with an organization that was partnering with local farmers. We were so enamored with it that it became our invitation to our non-Christian friends. It was an easy ask. Instead of asking “Will you come to church?” we could say, “Do you want to be a part of this with us?” That was huge.

Andy: [My wife] Ashley and I actually had our first romantic sparks at a niceSERVE event, but that organization was all the way in Kissimmee and it was too far for us to continue.

Garry: That’s part of why multi-site is so effective!

John: [Laughing] Because of the romantic sparks?

Garry: Right. No, but because organizations aren’t so far away.

The Waterford, Lake Mary, and Windermere/Dr. Phillips area campuses can own the relationships and dig in a little deeper, and people don’t have to drive 45 minutes to serve with a great organization. When we form new campuses, serving locally is a huge part of the idea.

As Summit grows, so does our ability to serve.

Summit is one church with multiple locations, with all campuses sharing the same vision, values, teaching, and structure. One of the great things about Summit’s vision for multi-site is that in addition to creating opportunities for people all around Central Florida to invite neighbors and coworkers to join them at church nearby, we’re also given the chance to serve in new places. By having Summit communities not only near Downtown but also in the UCF area, Lake Mary, and the Windermere/Dr. Phillips area (coming soon!), we’re able to branch out that much farther, partnering with non-profit organizations we previously were unable to work with because of distance.

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Partnering Locally and Globally

ON THE LOCAL LEVEL, one of the organizations Summit partners with is Samaritan Village, a Christcentered ministry for women desiring freedom from sexual exploitation. Through solid biblical teaching, women learn who they truly are, what they are wired for, and how they can live wholly, successfully, and productively in society. By helping women transform their lives and the lives of their families and communities, this program helps to break the cycle of addiction, sex trafficking, violence, and despair. // samaritanvillage.net

When you think about service, are there particular stories or passages from Scripture that stand out to you or embody what we’re trying to do here?

Jeff: For me, Genesis 18:18-19. In his book The Mission of God’s People, CT Wright shares that one of the things we see in this passage is that God chose Abraham to do righteousness and justice. It’s woven into the Old Testament and New Testament. God is concerned about the needs of the world, and we are called to care about the orphan, the widow, and all the things God cares about. It’s so important to me that we don’t just proclaim the Word of God, but that we also demonstrate it.

Garry: For me, more than anything, it’s what Paul says in Galatians 5:6. He says this beautiful phrase: “The only thing that counts is faith expressing itself through love.” Now that Jesus has destroyed the walls that divided us from God and from each other, we are free to express His love.

“GOD IS CONCERNED ABOUT THE NEEDS OF THE WORLD, AND WE ARE CALLED TO CARE ABOUT THE ORPHAN, THE WIDOW, AND ALL THE THINGS GOD CARES ABOUT.” —Jeff Kern

WHEN IT COMES TO GLOBAL PARTNERSHIPS, Summit is honored to be part of the work Africa Windmill Project has been doing since its inception in 2007. The organization aims to equip the farmers of African villages with the knowledge to build and maintain the simple irrigation technology of wind-powered water pumps that will assist in stabilizing the food supply. Hundreds of Malawian farmers have learned best practices to create systemic change in their villages through food security. // africawindmillproject.org Read about more of our ministry partners in Africa on summitconnect.org. Click on Serve Globally under the SERVE tab.

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Andy: From a worship standpoint, the text I always go to for the call to worship during a series about service is Philippians 2. When it says, “In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus: Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage; rather, he made himself nothing by taking the very nature of a servant...” I heard a sermon at some point about how we usually interpret this text like, “Even though He was God, He became a servant.” But there’s something about the original translation that makes it clear that it’s actually because He was God, He became a servant. Service is not God in disguise, but it’s God on display.

John: I remember when [former pastor Isaac Hunter] first preached about that idea. I had always read that text the first way: that even though God was this way, He chose to serve us. I didn’t see it as because God is this way, He serves us.

Jeff: It’s an unfortunate dichotomy in Christian circles when proclaiming the gospel and serving get divided. In the Dynamics class, we say, “As God’s people, what are we here to do?” The truth is, our mandate is to embrace both responsibilities: to preach the gospel and to embody it.

Can you think of a time in your own life when someone served you and it impacted or changed your life in some way?

John: There have been a few times where we’ve been in some kind of family crisis. One example I can think of is when one of our kids got surprisingly sick, and we weren’t sure why. It was a few days in the hospital, and everything was disrupted. People showed up and took care of the things we didn’t have the capacity to take care of. It was a lot of people who we do life with already, and a lot of church family.

Those are the first things that come to mind.

Andy: About a year ago, right after Isaac passed away, [my friend and former Summit staff member] Tim Harmon came over to my house and said, “Hey, let’s do some yard work together.” It was such a tangible action. He got me out of my head, and he did most of the work. That simple service was such a healing thing.

Garry: I think you’re hitting on something we try to layer into how we serve at Summit. We can think, Oh, we should serve people who have fewer material resources, because they are in need. Personally, I’ve been the most impacted when people spoke life into me and believed in me when I didn’t believe in myself. It’s all relationship-based service, not people giving me stuff because I didn’t have something. That’s really how we try to serve here. We don’t say, “We have and others don’t, so let’s just give away what we have.” It’s more like, “Let’s try to learn from one another and restore the relationships that have been destroyed by the Fall.”

If you were to think about our congregation as a whole, what do you imagine our next step is when it comes to engaging this part of the vision more fully?

John: We won’t just serve globally. We’ll serve intergallactically.

Jeff: John, you’re on a roll today.

John: I’ve had a lot of coffee.

Garry: I’m excited about our congregation’s growing understanding of the difference between relief and development, and being part of movements that are ending systemic injustice or systemic poverty.

Relief work (like sending a shipment of shoes after a natural disaster) is great, but sometimes that stymies the potential for growth in those communities. We want to find ways for us to increasingly support intellectual, entrepreneurial, and social opportunities in the communities we partner with. That’s something I’m excited about. I’m also excited that we’re starting to see that serving locally and globally are related, and one isn’t a higher priority than another.

John: I think as an organization grows, the potential for impact increases, but we face the challenge of learning how to maximize that impact. How do we continue to notice individuals, even while we are combating big systems of injustice? We want to continue to be individualized in how we work with people.

WE BELIEVE GOD IS AT WORK IN AFRICA, and we believe He is calling Summit to be part of that work. Over the past eight years, we’ve had the opportunity to partner with our brothers and sisters who are already there and see firsthand how the Body of Christ, serving together, can shine light and bring hope in a place where poverty, corruption, and disease leave people hopeless. By Joining Africa through partnerships, sending teams to serve, and supporting organizations doing God-honoring work there, we get a glimpse of how astonishing the outcome can be when we notice, stop, and care for the needy.

Community Engagement helps people get back on track.

When people find themselves in times of transition and need assistance, they turn to our Community Engagement team, led

by Niki Wilkerson.

Niki is particularly gifted in helping people to engage in God’s story for their lives. The goal of Community Engagement is to come alongside individuals who are in difficult seasons of life and help them to figure out their next steps. Niki and the team strive to affirm each person who comes through our doors, letting them know how much they matter to God—and to us—and that everyone has something of value to offer. By connecting them to local resource partners and service providers, Niki helps people to move through transition, out of a place of despair and into a place of community.

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I think that distinction between relief and development is really important. I’ve had people ask me why we don’t run a food pantry or homeless shelter or other similar means of serving.

Garry: The answer to that has everything to do with partnering.

We know people who are doing good work in those areas, and so we try to support them, send them volunteers, and partner with them in Christ-honoring work. We don’t want to spread the resources too thin by doing the same thing as other people. It’s why we call our department “Community Engagement” instead of “Benevolence.” We ask, “What services do you offer, how can we support you, and how do we connect our people to the resources you offer?”

Jeff: Partnering is always our strategy. At the same time, I hope that some people who are reading this feel permission to venture out, by faith, and meet a need that’s not being met but is on their heart. We hope the passion for niceSERVE continues, that it leads to deeper engagement with organizations, and in some cases, we hope that people get the excitement, preparation, and skills to go out and take risks. We want people in our congregation to say, “Hey, here’s a need. Let me do something about it.”

“WE WANT ORLANDO TO BE DIFFERENT BECAUSE OF HOW WE SERVE.” —John Parker

“SERVING LOCALLY AND GLOBALLY ARE RELATED, AND ONE ISN’T A HIGHER PRIORITY THAN ANOTHER.” —Garry Abbott Even in my Connect group, we think, OK, let’s serve! But then there are obstacles: What do we do with our kids, and where do we even begin? If there is a person in our congregation who is not serving in any capacity or feels like he or she isn’t engaging fully in this part of our vision, what would you tell them to do?

John: With service, we run into the same problems that we run into with other acts of generosity: We overthink it, overanalyze it, and psych ourselves out. I think the answer’s pretty simple: Just start serving.

Garry: Just ask your neighbor how they are doing, because there may be a way you can serve them. It’s a terrible folly to think service starts outside your door: What are ways you can love your family the way they need to be loved? That’s a great place to start. If serving others is about restoring relationships, then that opens the gate pretty wide.

All the different ways we serve are sacred and important; none is better than another. Maybe you show up somewhere and realize, This is where God has called me! There’s no predefined, special trajectory for how to serve.

John: We want Orlando to be different because of how we serve.

Giving away 15% Did you know that 15 percent of the tithes and offerings Summit receives is distributed outside our walls? This giving takes many forms, including (but not limited to) regular support of missionaries, organizations, church plants, and individual gifts of benevolence. It can be broken up into four categories:

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1) Relief giving 2) Development (for example, child sponsorship on the global level, or supporting an organization in our community on the local level)

3) Institutional systemic change (through investment in non-profits)

4) Extravagant grace

WHY DO WE GIVE? We give as an expression of mercy for both our local and global community.

We give to invest in other agents of change as our visions align. We give to promote justice for those afflicted by disease, hunger, and poverty, against which they have no means to defend themselves. And sometimes we give as nothing more than an act of extravagant love—the same love we have never deserved, but receive all the same at the hands of our Savior.

REVAMPED & READY FOR RELATIONSHIP ELIZABETH CRONLUND

When we first began jobSERVE, we had no idea how to tackle issues of employment or what a church could do about it. We knew only that those around us asked for help, and we had to try. Knowing we were out of our depth, we sought out experts in this type of ministry and found synergy with The Jobs Partnership of Central Florida. The expression of this partnership has been what we call jobSERVE. jobSERVE is a ministry of Summit that exists to affirm the dignity of unemployed and underemployed individuals by connecting them to opportunities for skills development and service, and ultimately inviting them into a Christ-centered community.

As jobSERVE has evolved, our understanding of how to help people seeking employment has matured. Often symptoms of poverty and broken systems contribute, but there is always more to a story.

When we launched the first class in 2009, the economy was reeling from financial crisis, and people who never thought their jobs would be in jeopardy were unemployed. Fast-forward a few years, and only a fraction of those full-time jobs with benefits that sustain families had come back, leaving a staggering 37 percent of people in the Orlando area living one missed paycheck away from crisis.

More and more people with a wider range of education and experience were seeking our help.

As we engaged in more relationships with families and individuals through jobSERVE, our Community Engagement department, the 33rd Street campus, and from the general

congregation, we realized we could and should do more to care for people struggling with employment issues.

What we came up with is a revamped jobSERVE ministry with a more comprehensive response. The change means a twice-a-year program has grown into a more holistic ministry arm that partners with multiple

employment and skills training organizations in the area.

Now, when someone comes to us looking for help tackling barriers to employment, we sit down with them to make a plan. We engage in a conversation about not only work, but also what’s happening at home and in their daily life. From there, our team puts together some suggested training programs or classes, as well as ministries at Summit and throughout the area, to make sure they have a community surrounding them as they navigate a difficult season. jobSERVE does have its limitations.

It is not a job placement agency or a scholarship program. jobSERVE is a ministry of advocates, connectors, and community ready to embrace those who feel overwhelmed with issues of employment.

At the end of the day, this is about relationship… Because people matter, and they deserve to be noticed, encouraged, cared for, cheered on, and walked beside as they seek to move toward sustainability and employment.

...WE REALIZED WE COULD AND SHOULD DO MORE TO CARE FOR PEOPLE STRUGGLING WITH EMPLOYMENT ISSUES. organizations and ministries in our city (such as Jobs Partnership, Goodwill Job Connection, and Central Florida Jobs Initiative) to care for those in our local community who are unemployed or underemployed due to intense barriers and hardships. The best part: This ministry has year-round opportunities and works within already established relationships with

For updates and more info about jobSERVE, visit the Serve Locally page on summitconnect.org.

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TAKING NOTE OF THE UNNOTICED SUMMIT PARTNERS WITH CFOC

KALEB HARRELL MICHAEL HARRISON

In terms of median wage, Orlando ranks 50th out of the 50 largest metropolitan areas in the country. In case you need any clarity on that statistic—we’re in last place. That’s right, the City Beautiful that you and I call home is one of the poorest in the country. The underlying irony is that the same hospitality and service industry that contributes so much to Florida’s economy is creating a crisis in our own backyard. Orlando has the largest share of low-paying jobs in the country, with 37 percent earning less than $25,000 per year, due to the fact that the majority of Orlando’s workforce is in the hospitality industry.

So why haven’t we heard this statistic before, and why aren’t our politicians/media/community organizations/someone/anyone doing something about it? The answers to that question are complicated and convoluted, and would require more space to explain than the magazine you’re holding (if we could even come up with them). The reality is that more often than not, those living in these circumstances are overlooked. They are classified as the “unnoticed working poor”— 16 SUMMIT//Spring 2015

hard-working individuals, many of whom work two or three low-paying jobs, who make just enough to pay some of their bills but are constantly faced with choices such as whether to pay rent or buy dinner for their family. Even if they make enough to get through today and tomorrow, they are just one crisis away from a life-changing financial hardship.

An unplanned trip to the doctor can easily spiral into homelessness.

“Many of these individuals cannot afford a stable rent payment and

may have to alternate between a weekly motel and sleeping in their car,” explains Elizabeth Cronlund, Summit’s Community Development Coordinator, who sums up her role with Summit as supporting any program with the word serve in it. “Sadly, almost 40 percent of Orlando falls into the working poor category, and one in five children live in poverty. That’s nearly 1 million children in the Orlando area.”

Enter Community Food & Outreach Center.

Since 2001, CFOC has been operating in Orlando with the mission to break the cycle of poverty and a special emphasis on supporting the “working poor.” CFOC offers discounted groceries, a thrift store, crisis care, primary medical care, domestic violence counseling, substance abuse counseling, and educational programs that include job readiness, financial literacy, and a variety of topics created specifically with the intention of building sustainable life skills for their patrons.

Nick Elkins is the Church Outreach Coordinator with CFOC and has helped forge a strong relationship with the Summit family over the last five years. “These folks are in difficult situations and need encouragement and dignity as much as they need our actual services,” Nick says. “That’s something we love about Summit; they always have a positive attitude and treat everyone with the respect and dignity they deserve.

Some people may just need a smile in the parking lot—you just never know who the Lord will put in your path at CFOC.” As with any organization, keeping CFOC running requires resources— workers, volunteers, grants, and partnerships, just to name a few. Last year, Summit donated our Christmas Eve offering, a total of more than $65,000, to CFOC. “We will always be grateful for that,” Nick says. “Not only were we able to meet our annual budget for programs, but I can’t think of a better way to start off 2015.”

Of course, financial support is only one part of what keeps CFOC’s doors open.

“We like to view our needs in terms of daily operations,” explains Mark Perez, Volunteer Coordinator with CFOC. “On most days, we have 62 individual shifts that are approximately three hours long. Our goal is to fill 66 percent of those shifts, but the reality is, we regularly fall short of that.” According to Mark, CFOC functioned on 60,000 service hours last year, but is hoping to increase that to 70,000 this year. When

this news made it to Summit, Elizabeth’s service-oriented mindset kicked in. “I thought, This is an area that we can really make a dent in,” she said, referring to the 10,000 hour gap that the organization is trying to close this year, “and if our contribution helps encourage other organizations to pitch in, that’s even better.”

Together, Summit and CFOC developed a challenge for the Summit congregation to donate 3,000 hours of community service to CFOC in 2015. “CFOC is a place where folks can volunteer on the frontline and directly see the impact they make on bettering the lives of people in their community,” Mark says.

Elizabeth is optimistic that the congregation will surpass the 3,000-hour challenge: “I hope we absolutely blow this goal out of the water.” Summit attendees who volunteer can help in a number of areas, including stocking shelves at the grocery store, sorting and pricing clothing for the thrift store, greeting clients at the Life-Enrichment and Academic Proficiency (LEAP) Center, or even teaching a life-skills class using CFOC’s curriculum. For families looking to get involved, CFOC hosts “Family Volunteer Night” on the second Friday of every month where volunteering families can enjoy pizza, sodas, and of course a few hours of work toward a great cause.

Summit and CFOC leaders agree that the partnership is symbiotic. “They provide services that complement Summit’s mission,” Elizabeth says, “and we hope this is a stepping stone to an even bigger commitment in the future.”

“Volunteers are a part of what makes our organization effective,” Nick adds. He emphasizes that the thrift store, grocery store, and life-enrichment programs all depend on volunteers on a daily basis.

“And, really, isn’t this something we should all be doing together?” he asks, alluding to the example Jesus set for us during His time on earth, providing a beacon of hope to the hopeless. “As Christian members of the faith community, we follow the greatest servant to the poor who ever lived.”

“THESE FOLKS ARE IN DIFFICULT SITUATIONS AND NEED ENCOURAGEMENT AND DIGNITY AS MUCH AS THEY NEED OUR ACTUAL SERVICES.” —Nick Elkins, CFOC

PLEDGE HOURS TO SERVE AT CFOC As a congregation, we want to pledge 3,000 hours of service to CFOC in 2015. If you’d like to help us meet this goal, visit summitconnect.org to make a pledge, or contact Elizabeth at ecronlund@ summitconnect.org.

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g n i d a Tr laces P

THE SUMMIT CHURCH & NAIROBI CHAPEL STAFF EXCHANGE PROGRAM NATHAN BOYETT & KRISTINE NDIRANGU ASHLEY BLAHNIK

Nairobi Chapel is a vibrant church body located in Nairobi, Kenya. Over the last few years, they have become a global leader in church planting as they pursue a goal of planting 300 churches worldwide by the year 2020. Summit Church and Nairobi Chapel were first connected about five years ago. In the time since, we have begun exploring multiple avenues of partnership as both churches seek to learn from each other and grow together in ministry. One of these avenues is a staff exchange program where the two churches swap members of staff for extended periods of time to learn more about each other. Summit first sent a staff member to Kenya for two months in 2012. This year, Chapel sent a member of their staff to visit with Summit for three months. HERE ARE THEIR STORIES: 18 SUMMIT//Spring 2015

Nathan Boyett SUMMIT CHURCH In August 2012, I embarked on what I knew would be the journey of a lifetime. I was fresh out of college and had been given an opportunity to represent Summit in a new staff exchange program they were piloting with Nairobi Chapel.

Clinging to a few meager goals, some big fears, and even bigger dreams, I hopped on a plane knowing I wouldn’t be back for a couple months. What I did know was that Summit and Chapel were two churches desiring a closer relationship and that somehow, I was to play a part in making that happen. What I didn’t know was the 10-step plan to actually making it happen. I quickly learned such a plan did not exist…

We began by asking lots of questions. How could we best work together? What could we learn from each other? What could we do better together that neither of us could do alone? These questions helped us to see that our ultimate goal was teamwork.

I’ve come to find this idea of teamwork best expressed by Oscar Muriu, Senior Pastor of Nairobi Chapel. Oscar points to 1 Corinthians 12:12-31, where the apostle Paul paints a picture of Christ’s followers operating much like a physical body. Each part has its own role to play. Each part gives something to the body and receives something from the body. My time in Kenya was just the beginning of this conversation—one that still continues to this day. What do the Kenyan church and the North American church individually have to offer the global Body of Christ? What is each intended to receive? Each must humbly give and humbly receive from the other members; if one member ceases to do either of these things, just like in a physical body (e.g., the lungs stop receiving or transmitting oxygen), we call that sickness. Bearing this in mind, we knew we must strive for health in our relationship with each other.

But before we were to find ourselves thriving in the beauty of a God-honoring, reciprocal relationship with another church—especially one of a completely different culture—we knew we must first engage in the process of building relationships. This is where my time in Kenya has proven to be so effective. From living in the home of one of Chapel’s pastors, to navigating the local transportation system, to making friends with fellow staff members and interns, my time was largely spent learning about Chapel culture, making friends, and carrying this message home with me. Since that time, I have been able to continue many friendships in Kenya while also building new ones as we continue to partner together.

At present, Summit has the privilege of hosting a staff member from Chapel as part of the exchange program. Even today as I was riding in a car with her and another Chapel staff member, we were engaged in conversation comparing similarities in ministry and laughing at cultural differences and comical miscommunications that can occur because of culture or language. I credit the foundation of these conversations directly to the time I spent immersed in Kenyan culture, and I look forward to the many interactions we will share in the months and years ahead.

I think Summit and Chapel are well along the way toward becoming healthy, contributing members of a global Body that is building biblically functioning communities that worship the grace-filled God we serve. It is because of Him that any of this is possible in the first place, and He gives us the strength we need to do it together.

Kristine Ndirangu

NAIROBI CHAPEL

Nairobi Chapel is fast growing into a global church, a church that plants churches. But what can you expect from a church whose vision is to plant 300 churches worldwide, disciple more than 100,000 people, and reach 1 million people for Christ? It is no wonder the best way to go about this is to establish and maintain relationships and partnerships with other churches with similar visions and missions.

As a full-time staff member at Chapel, working in the Communications department, it has been a blessing and honor to be sent to Summit to further this relationship. During my stay here, God continuously reminded me of a very specific scripture that rang true throughout my stay in Orlando and my service at Summit: “For by the grace given me I say to every one of you: Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment, in accordance with the faith God has distributed to each of you. For just as each of us has one body with many members, and these members do not all have the same function, so in Christ we, though many, form one body, and each member belongs to all the others. We have different gifts, according to the grace given to each of us. If your gift is prophesying, then prophesy in accordance with your faith; if it is serving, then serve; if it is teaching, then teach.”—Romans 12:3-7 This is what the partnership between Chapel and Summit is: to bring together all the unique aspects of ministry at the two churches and in the process learn from each other. In doing so, we realize that we benefit greatly from this relationship. During my time here, I have been part of the Communications team, sat in strategic meetings with the Leadership team and Worship team, and have been part of how Summit does ministry. I can tell you, they have very unique processes.

During my visit, I was involved in a few classes and trainings that happened at Summit. I was privileged and honored to share in the Join Africa class back in February. This class gave me a lot of insight into the passion that Summit has for mission and social justice work. Just as the Bible says, we as the Body of Christ have different giftings and functions, but we are never working independently of one another. This reminded me of the missions and social justice programs we have back at Chapel.

Coming to Orlando has been a great experience for both my career as well as my faith. I have met wonderful people and experienced fun things that Orlando has to offer, most notably the theme parks at Universal and Walt Disney World. I have lived and shared in the American culture with one of the best couples I have ever met.

They opened up their home as well as their lives to me, and I like to believe they were God-sent. I have started friendships that I would like to see grow and succeed for life. During my time at Summit, I like to believe I have made significant strides in this relationship and partnership between Chapel and Summit. It has truly been an amazing experience!

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A Heart For God’s Children MELISSA FORBES J.P. PRATT PHOTOGRAPHY

HOW LORI BECAME SECOND MOM TO KIDS ON THE OTHER SIDE OF THE WORLD

A few years ago, I was sitting in a pew of a Methodist church waiting for the sermon to begin. The pastor came to the pulpit right after worship, but he couldn’t speak. After a few deep breaths, he said, “I can’t help the tears when I sense God’s presence.”

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So it was with Lori Campbell and me when we met to talk about her passion for the people of Malawi. We cried together, and we laughed, too. God met us at a little bakery in Audubon Park, where we shared our hearts for His children in Malawi.

I first met Lori in the early spring of 2014 as she was preparing for her fifth trip to Malawi since 2008. You read that right— fifth. She and I were hard at work with the rest of the Summit Teachers’ Team, preparing to fulfill our mission to offer best practices seminars to Malawian nursery, elementary, and secondary-grade teachers.

Lori’s current six Malawian kids are Chemwewe, Edina, Valina, Mercy, Six weeks before our flight was scheduled to leave, Lori was playing Princess Emily, and Scott Alan, and she had the honor of naming the last catcher at a softball game in Oviedo. She recalls, “The runner on third two. A particularly fond memory with one of her kids is from 2012. Lori base came hurtling toward me, and he slid into my ankle. I heard this had been praying about sponsoring another child before her trip that sickening snap.” summer. She says, “While I was standing in a field watching kids play, a Lori broke her ankle in two places and underwent surgery four days little someone grabbed my hand. I knew God brought her to me. Those later. But that didn’t stop her from going to Malawi. In fact, when her great big brown eyes, that smile… she wanted to be loved. So I did.” surgeon walked into the exam room On her most recent trip with to meet her, he said, “So, you’re the teachers, Lori worried she had nothing gal who thinks she’s going to Africa?” to offer, no particular skills that could be used. She agreed to lead the daily Lori laughs remembering that moment. “I had to go,” she says. “My devotionals for the nursery school teachers, all young women, none of Enettie was getting married. No way was I missing that.” whom spoke English. Preparing for the Enettie Malangalo is one of dozens devotionals left her feeling frustrated of lifetime friends Lori’s made on her and worried, so she decided to wing it. trips to Malawi. Lori is so close with “I read to them from my Chichewe Enettie that Enettie calls Lori her Bible,” she says. “And then I told my second mom. story.”

That’s Lori’s relationship with her The women were shocked. Lori friends in Malawi—sponsor mama shared that she, too, had experienced —LORI CAMPBELL to six children and dear friend to poverty, had faced times when she Children of the Nations’ staff, house didn’t know how she would feed her parents, teachers, and villagers. own children. For days after Lori’s Nathan Boyett, Summit’s Global Partnerships Coordinator, loves Lori’s devotionals, the women shyly approached Lori and said, “Agogo, I didn’t year-round communication with her friends. He says, “She celebrates know… I didn’t know.” their highs and mourns their lows as if they were her own—and I think Lori plans to travel to Malawi many more times, and hopes to someday they are her own.” stay for two months. She wants to teach parenting skills to moms who Lori met her first sponsor child, Evelyn, a little girl of about 10 years live in villages and lead Bible studies for anyone who wants to come. old, on her first trip to Malawi. Eventually, Lori became dear friends with This is Lori in Malawi: sitting on an old dusty mat in a poverty-stricken Evelyn’s agogo (the Chichewe word for grandmother), Theresa. “We spent village, surrounded by 40 or more children, reading to them from her hours walking and talking together, me in English, her in Chichewe,” she Chichewe Bible. She glows with peace. says. “Somehow, miraculously, we understood each other.”

“God has used all the kids and the families I’ve met and become a part Years later, when an in-country COTN staff member wrote Lori to of to show me how much He loves me,” Lori says. “I never thought, in tell her that Theresa had died, Lori was devastated. When I asked her, a million years, I would be who I am today. Chosen, forgiven, and loved “Why was Theresa so dear to you?” she couldn’t speak for her tears. right where I am regardless of what I’ve done.”

“These kids?” she says.

Traveling so frequently to Malawi and sponsoring six kids takes “They changed my life.” tremendous time and financial resources. Joanna Merideth, a friend who has traveled with Lori, admires the sacrifices she makes. “Lori doesn’t give out of excess income to support her kids,” Joanna explains. “She works incredibly hard at her job, often giving to the point where it hurts.”

“ God has used all the kids and the families I’ve met and become a part of to show me how much He loves me.”

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Carlin Johnson

Mikaela Johnson

m o r f s l a n Jour Malawi LIZZIE RANDAZZO

CARLIN JOHNSON & MIKAELA JOHNSON

In March of 2015, Summit staff members and good friends Carlin Johnson and Mikaela Johnson went to Malawi as part of a Summit team, working alongside Market Colors and Children of the Nations.

The team traveled with the goal of teaching a group of widows the skills to make new handmade products— products that will be sold by Market Colors and provide these craftsmen with sustainable income.

We asked Carlin and Mikaela to journal their experiences on the other side of the globe…

22 SUMMIT//Spring 2015

March 8th Carlin: The past 24 hours have been such a whirlwind. When we landed, our friends from COTN met us at the airport, and we immediately went to see the widows. We pulled up to the village, turned the corner, and heard the women singing. I immediately started crying; I was overcome with emotion. These women, their stories, their craft. I can’t believe I get to be a part of this. What an incredible God we serve! I am just blown away by how welcoming everyone is. They didn’t get the nickname “the warm heart of Africa” for nothing!

Mikaela: These women. They are incredible. They took us into the program building and sang and danced with us. I find myself quickly forgetting that these women have gone through tragedy. The smiles on their faces and the joy radiating from them wouldn’t suggest that they’ve suffered great loss and live in one of the world’s poorest countries. They are so full of life, joy, and love. More alive than I’ve ever seen anyone.

Oh, how much we have to learn from them. Coming back to Malawi feels like coming home. < L-R: Jessica Porter, Carlin Johnson, Lizzie Randazzo, Robyn Batts, and Mikaela Johnson

March 9th Carlin: I had heard a little bit about “cultural immersion day” before I came, but today exceeded all of my expectations. Basically, the concept is to let you see what a typical day in a village is like here in Malawi. We went with Ethel, our translator, to the home of Ines, one of the widows. We cleaned her floors, swept the yard, cleaned the dishes, mudded her kitchen floor, and then danced! She has five kids and has been in the widows’ program since it started. We went to the market to get everything we needed for dinner, including a live chicken. We cooked and prepared dinner.

It was such a sweet day.

Mikaela: Malawi continues to charm me with every passing minute. Today we boarded the big yellow bus and did cultural immersion in Mtzlitsa, the village where the COTN widows’ program is held and where most of the women live. The woman whose home I visited is Felesta; she is beautiful and welcoming. We washed dishes in tubs, hand-washed laundry, mudded the interior and porch floor, shopped for dinner supplies at the market, and prepared a traditional Malawian food called nsima. It is a porridge meal made from corn flour and water, and they use it to eat their other foods with. We also prepared a chicken dish with the live nhkuku (chicken) we had purchased at the market. We did everything from killing it, to cleaning it out, carving it, and boiling it.

It’s definitely not an experience for the faint of heart, but it really gives a good depiction of everyday life in Malawi.

March 10th Carlin: Today was out of this world. We went to the fabric market, and it was crazy. It was so crowded, loud, and hot, but it was awesome.

After lunch I reviewed the basic steps with my team for creating the Macramé Wall Hanging—a Market Colors product and the first project we’re starting. I really don’t like to teach, but the Lord called me to Malawi to teach. It’s amazing and terrifying. Through the help of our translator Flora, we taught the women how to tie the knots for Macramé.

After each woman would tie the knot, they would clap and cheer for each other. The way they encouraged each other and helped each

other was amazing. I am overwhelmed with the honor it is to be here learning from them and getting to teach them something new. I am so excited for what the Lord is teaching me, and I can’t wait to see what is next!

explained how to make the first knot were almost done with the first chain of stitches!

It was a humbling reminder that Jesus will do His work, and I’m invited to be a part of it, but I’m not in control—and what a relief that is!

Mikaela: The fabric market is hot and busy and overwhelming, but so fun! There are dozens of vendors, and they all call out to get your attention as you walk by. In between the narrow rows of fabric stands, women with huge buckets of peanuts, bananas, or bags of water would weave their way through, holding the buckets on their heads. They are so strong!

The widows today were so excited and eager to learn, engaging right away and so graciously helping each other. We danced, held hands, and celebrated each knot that was tied. They naturally harmonize beautifully, and they sing so confidently—there’s no fear in being wrong when it comes to singing.

The translator explained that they were singing encouragement to each other— encouragement to keep working hard, and that their work is for the Lord. I can’t believe I get to be a part of this. Day one with the widows, and they’ve already made a profound impact on my heart.

March 14th

March 11th Carlin: It is so exciting to see the women start to really grasp the concepts we’re teaching them. When we finished the Macramé Wall Hanging, it was one of the most unreal celebrations I have ever been a part of. The women cheered and sang and danced. Just thinking about it now brings tears to my eyes.

These women know how to celebrate; I want to really embrace excitement like that when I get home. The Lord is doing some incredible things in my heart here. These women have suffered incredible loss. They have experienced great hardship, yet they refuse to be defined by their circumstances.

March 12th Mikaela: Today we started crocheting. I was feeling so insecure at the beginning of the day about my ability to teach, but I’ve found that in those moments, Jesus shows up if we only surrender control. He showed up the second I began. Almost all eight of the women already knew how to crochet, and by the time I had

Carlin: Yesterday was wonderful; we spent all day crocheting. Some of the women are so advanced, it’s incredible how developed their skills are after one week. The way they sing while they work and celebrate and encourage each other is amazing. I want to find joy in working hard like they do. The pain these women have gone through, yet the joy they find when they look to Jesus is so inspiring.

Their lives point to Jesus so clearly. His love is evident in them.

March 15th Carlin: Yesterday was our last full day with the widows. Walking in and singing with them first thing in the morning made me cry. They have shown me Jesus and incredible love in a new and very real way. Rose, one of the widows, gave me a pair of her earrings. They are beautiful; I am humbled by her willingness to give out of so little. The end of the day was wonderful as we celebrated with them about all they have accomplished! I am going to sponsor Patricia, Ines’ youngest daughter—I am so excited!

March 24th Mikaela: It’s been exactly one week since we’ve been back from Malawi. A lot of the women began the week not knowing how to measure or use scissors, and ended the week with beautiful tote bags, pillowcases, and scarves! Both our team and the women put in hours and hours of hard work and dedication.

I’ve never seen anyone work with the same kind of determination, and these products are such a tangible result. I am so excited about the beautiful relationships that were either begun or continued as a result of this trip. As a Market Colors fan and consumer, it was so special to be able to physically see the impact the company is making. Not only are these women able to provide for themselves, but their whole families. summitconnect.org 23

CHAMPIONS

for the Homeless

MELISSA STILLMAN

WILLIAM ARTHUR PHOTOGRAPHY & DEBORAH KLINE

EVERY SECOND SATURDAY AROUND 12 P.M., you can hear gospel music floating up from the basement cafeteria at Mount Zion Missionary Baptist Church. Established in 1880, the church is located on West Washington Street in Downtown Orlando, just a few blocks from the Coalition for the Homeless. About 15 years ago, a retired chef who was a deacon at Mount Zion began the “Hungry Souls Outreach” for the homeless. After the worship time concludes, a message is shared and a time of prayer is offered, everyone moves to the other side of the room to be served a sit-down lunch.

Summit attendee Peter Boutin began serving at Mount Zion with his Summit Connect group nine years ago, alongside volunteers from another local church. Peter soon took over planning each month’s menu for the 80 diners on average, lining up food contributions and organizing volunteers. When both the other church and his Connect group disbanded, Peter continued serving with other individuals who 24 SUMMIT//Spring 2015

had committed to the project over time. Then, in 2013, Peter helped his long-time friend Michael “Murph” Murphy start a new Connect group—with Hungry Souls as a built-in outlet for service.

“When I said to Peter, ‘Let’s start a Connect group,’ I knew this opportunity was there,” Murph says. “My experience was that my friends at Summit were searching for a way to serve, and it was hard for them to make it regular. Because this was so established, we didn’t even have to think about where to serve together.”

Murph now leads their group, who call themselves “Champions” and are made up of a dozen or so men and women ranging in age from 30 to 60. In addition to serving together, they study God’s Word and discuss their lives and what they’re learning.

While the Champions play a big part in each month’s service event, those volunteering to cook, bake, serve food, or support the meal financially are as diverse as the community they serve.

“The coolest thing is that it’s expanded so far beyond our Connect group, and beyond Summit,” Peter explains. “I send out an email once a month sharing the menu and asking for sign-ups, and no one gets taken off the list unless they request it. One lady from the original small group is still serving; people bring their kids to serve as a family.”

“ALL PEOPLE WANT TO KNOW THAT THEY ARE LOVED AND TO BE AFFIRMED BY SOMEONE LISTENING TO THEM.” —Michael “ Murph” Murphy Dr. Robert M. Spooney, Pastor of Mount Zion, calls the collaboration between the two churches God-driven. “The volunteers from both churches have a humble spirit, and that goes a long way to easing any apprehension that an attendee may have,” he says. “The food brought by Summit Church is always exactly what is needed for that day, and the word brought by our ministers is what needs to be heard.”

The ability for volunteers to easily find a place to plug in has helped ensure there are always enough meals and volunteers to serve them. “In order to have something that’s sustainable, it needs to be something that is within people’s comfort zones,” Peter says.

“Everybody knows how to make chili, so asking for volunteers to make that is realistic.”

Murph agrees. “Regularity and predictability are important, that makes it easy to do,” he says. “And you know that even if you can’t show up or contribute, God provides. There’s never a sense of obligation; it’s motivated by your heart.”

In addition to partnering with Mount Zion on the worship service/ lunch event, the Champions collect donations for the church’s clothing ministry and often pass out “goody bags” packed with basic hygiene items and socks. And each November they help put on a full Thanksgiving meal that, like all the meals they host, is served

restaurant-style. “When we have enough volunteers, it’s like being a waiter,” Murph says. “The message is, ‘Have a seat; we’ll serve you.’

We want to treat people in a special way and respect their dignity.”

For Peter and Murph, the true purpose of their efforts is to connect with those they are serving lunch. Murph says, “The people are so forgotten. They crave conversation, just sitting and sharing a cup of coffee and talking. It gives them the sense that people really do care.

All people want to know that they are loved and to be affirmed by someone listening to them.”

The funny thing about serving others is that often, it makes a bigger impact on the server than the one being served. Although they get lots of thankful hugs, fist-bumps, and offers of help from those they serve, Peter shares, “I think we get as much out of it as anyone we serve. It’s a great group of volunteers; they’re my friends. And I do think what we do matters.”

SERVE LOCALLY There are endless opportunities to serve right here in our community, whether individually or with your Connect group.

For ideas, visit summitconnect.org and click on Serve Locally under the SERVE tab.

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Building Friendships and Making a Difference MICHAEL MURRAY

MICHAEL HARRISON

Taylor Ferderer is one of my favorite people. He is kind and inquisitive, and he has a huge heart for helping others. But what I admire most about this 21-year-old college student is how he serves in a ministry called Capernaum.

26 SUMMIT//Spring 2015

“I WANT TO BE A POSITIVE INFLUENCE... BY DISPLAYING GRACE AND LOVE.” —Taylor Ferderer

Capernaum is a branch of Young Life that focuses on high school students with disabilities. Capernaum gives students with developmental and physical disabilities the chance to experience fun and community through monthly gatherings (called “club”), week-long camps, and other exciting activities. As a leader at Capernaum, Taylor pours into the lives of teenagers and shows them God’s love in a tangible way.

Taylor’s involvement with Capernaum began about four years ago while attending The Edge, Summit’s high school ministry. His friend Raleigh was already serving and invited him to check out a Capernaum club night. These clubs usually involve sharing a meal, playing games, watching silly skits, and hearing a message about God’s love. Throughout the night, volunteers (referred to as “buddies”) are encouraged to build authentic relationships with the students who attend.

When Taylor first entered the doors of Capernaum, he felt a bit apprehensive about jumping in. He recalls being greeted by a teenager named Mac who was unable to talk because he had a tracheostomy tube. Mac communicated to Taylor by typing what he wanted to say into his iPhone.

“At first I was afraid to interact with some of the kids because I felt sorry for them,” Taylor says. “But I soon realized there was no reason to feel that way. I saw that even though they had challenges and struggles, they were full of joy and love. I went there to show them love and positively influence them, but the pure love they showed changed me and the way I knew love.”

What began as a casual volunteer opportunity soon became a passion for Taylor. Not only did he attend clubs every month, he also started serving at Capernaum camps at Southwind. It was at camp that Taylor realized just how meaningful building relationships could be. Simple moments became catalysts for poignant conversations.

One of these moments came when Taylor went out on a canoe with Steven, a student who has Cerebral Palsy. Steven opened up to Taylor and confessed that he didn’t think he was smart. Taylor was able to speak truth into his life: “I told him, ‘Steven, you are smart. I can tell just by the conversations we have.’”

Another of Taylor’s favorite camp memories is having late night chats with Mac, the first person he met at Capernaum. “We would hang out outside our cabin and just talk for hours,” Taylor says. “We were able to get real with each other and talk about the tough stuff going on in our lives. Our conversations usually ended with both of us in tears!”

Taylor understands that true service involves inviting those you serve into a reciprocal relationship. As someone who has Cerebral Palsy myself, I know firsthand how much this matters to people with disabilities. It was easy to find friends in high school who cared about me. It was far more difficult to find someone who would let me give that gift back to them. I longed to be someone’s trusted confidant. Taylor builds true friendships with the guys at Capernaum. By inviting them to be there for him during tough times, he is affirming their God-given dignity.

Taylor’s experience at Capernaum has led him to pursue a career in special education. He is currently majoring in speech pathology and would like to work with middle or high school students. “I want to be a positive influence in their lives by displaying grace and love,” he says. “I would also like to teach them a skill or trade they can build a career on.”

Through serving at Capernaum, Taylor believes he has grown closer to God. He has learned about patience, grace, and humility while becoming more appreciative of the blessings in his life. The kids at Capernaum have taught him about Jesus and how to cling to Him throughout all of life’s trials. As my interview with Taylor drew to a close, he asked if he could share one more Capernaum story. He smiled as he remembered this experience from the most recent camp he served at: “I was with my friend Joey for most of the weekend. Joey loved going down the waterslide, even though it was in winter and the water was freezing cold. All he wanted to do was keep going down that slide, so I went right down with him. Joey doesn’t talk much, but at the end of camp he looked at me and said, ‘Taylor, you’re my friend and I love you.’ His words humbled me. I get a better understanding of God’s love through encounters like that.”

YOUNG LIFE CAPERNAUM YLC gives students with intellectual and developmental disabilities the chance to experience fun and adventure, develop fulfilling friendships, and challenge their limits while building self-esteem through club, camp, and other activities. For more info, visit younglife.org.

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GIFTING YOUR BIRTHDAY How one little boy celebrates his special day by blessing others ABBY HOLMES 28 SUMMIT//Spring 2015

LIZZIE RANDAZZO

IN A WORLD OF EXCESS AND MATERIALISM, it is refreshing to be reminded of stories about people who make giving back a lifestyle. One such story revolves around Nikki Graham and her young son, Cameron. For the last four years, Cameron has donated his birthday to a cause that is greater than himself.

Cameron’s birthday falls on December 16th, just before Christmas, which means presents and then more presents only nine days later.

After Cameron’s first birthday party, Nikki realized that Cameron had more things than he would ever need, so when his second birthday rolled around, they decided to celebrate in a new way. Nikki and her family thought: What if this could be an opportunity to give back to those who are less fortunate? Could this instill in Cameron a sense of gratitude for the blessings he’s been given? Could he be a blessing to those around him at the same time? Instead of people giving Cameron presents, could Cameron use his birthday as a means for blessing others? “[Cameron’s father, Joey, and I] want to instill good character in Cameron,” Nikki says. “Christmas season can be all about buying and getting, and I don’t think that’s the reality of life. It’s my job to teach Cameron about good character, and this is a good way to promote that we are put on this earth to do good things for other people.”

They decided to pick a new charity to give to each year. “God leads me to which organization to give to organically,” Nikki explains. “It’s something that is relevant to what is going on.”

For Cameron’s second birthday, party guests each brought an unwrapped toy to be donated to XL106.7’s Baby DJ Campaign, which collaborates with local churches and non-profits to provide families in need with Christmas gifts for their children.

For his third birthday, Cameron engaged in three random acts of kindness: walking around Lake Eola and giving out $10 gift cards at random to 10 people, feeding the Winter Park firefighters some muchdeserved pizza, and having friends and family bring toys for donation.

On his fourth birthday, which was just after a catastrophic tsunami in the Pacific, the family wanted to raise $400 to donate to World Vision (a Christian humanitarian organization that works to tackle the root causes of injustice and poverty). God blessed their efforts, and Cameron raised more than $1,300.

For Cameron’s fifth, and most recent, birthday, they continued the pattern of giving. This time, however, inspiration came from a more personal source.

On a trip to New York City, Nikki visited her friend Maria, who works for a non-profit called charity: water. This organization works to bring clean and safe drinking water to people in developing nations. They also work on a 100 percent model of funding, meaning that all money donated goes directly to fund water projects. It seemed to Nikki that God was helping lead her to the next charity they would give to.

“It was a God thing, and then the fact that Cameron loves water so much,” she says. “Also, half of the children that charity: water serves don’t even make it to the age of 5.” Again, it seemed that God was speaking to her heart and directing Nikki and her family toward a means for blessing others.

More than anything, Cameron, at age 5, has already learned that life is about giving to others, not getting from them. “Cam learns that the world is not just full of Chick-fil-As and iPads,” Nikki says. She also reminds Cameron that action is essential in sharing the gospel: “We come from a family of doers. Like you hear often at Summit: I don’t want to just be a hearer of the Word, but a doer also.”

These experiences have had a lasting impact on Cameron’s character.

Nikki recalls a recent parent-teacher conference at Cameron’s school: “[Cameron’s teacher] said that he is one of the most caring and compassionate kids in class. People are noticing that there’s something different about him. If people are noticing that, then that means that I am doing my job well.”

Nikki encourages other parents to start these kinds of traditions with their kids: “Pray about it. Go on adventures with your kids, and find out what their passions are and what they care about. If they enjoy animals, volunteer at a pet shelter. If they like being outside, plant a garden.”

There are so many opportunities to live out Summit’s vision and values, one of which is to take common experiences—like a child’s birthday party—and use them to celebrate others.

“I don’t know how many people are touched by what we’re doing,” Nikki explains. “But Cameron is doing it himself. He’s the one serving all of these people.”

It is a great reminder that regardless of age, we can all use our everyday experiences Find out how you can help provide clean water to share the gospel to developing nations at charitywater.org. and serve the people around us.

“Instead of people giving Cameron presents, could Cameron use his birthday as a means for blessing others?”

—NIKKI GRAHAM

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Changing a Community ONE BACKPACK AT A TIME

COURTNEY DEFEO RACHEL VASQUEZ

30 SUMMIT//Spring 2015

DO YOU GET OVERWHELMED AT THE NEEDS OF OUR CITY? OUR COUNTRY? OUR WORLD? I do. I am the girl crying at every video, blog, and article that sheds light on the painful needs all around us. My heart yearns to say yes and get on board with every place God is working. I get overwhelmed at the needs, and it sometimes leads me to freeze.

And, if those problems aren’t enough, I also have a deep desire to serve alongside my family. I want my kids to experience firsthand the power of showing God’s love. I want them to know and feel that they can be used, no matter how young they are. I want us to serve together in powerful ways for God’s glory.

One of these perfect storms of doubt and desire hit me in church last fall. Before the service began, a slide flashed up on the screen that read “Backpack Drive.” The congregation was challenged to purchase backpacks and school supplies to help provide students in our community with the things they need to start the school year.

Just the day before, I had taken my girls to get their school supplies. I let them both toss whatever they wanted off their school supply list into our cart.

Four of this… three of that…

Normally I just buy it and don’t think twice, but this year I felt a little unsettled.

As I heard this simple request from the stage, my heart leapt. Yes! That’s it! There is something our family can do to serve. Something small, but not so small. So, we headed back out to have our girls experience generosity in a tangible way. To remind them that things like backpacks and school supplies are a privilege. To remind them that others are in need, and we can help. We can get a backpack, even two, and fill them with supplies.

We went back to Target and the girls each picked a backpack; one with a kindergarten girl in mind and one with a second-grade girl in mind. We had so much fun picking out supplies for them, and then we headed to checkout. We happened to walk up to the world’s nicest Target cashier. She was quite enamored with the girls’ backpack

choices and was so excited for them. She kept commenting, thinking the backpacks were for them for school. I finally said, “Oh no, they aren’t for them. We are giving them away.” She wanted to know more, so I told her about Summit’s Backpack Drive.

I looked up, and she had tears in her eyes. “That was me,” she said.

“I had five kids, and I couldn’t get them backpacks.” As she looked away, the tears kept coming, and I started crying as well. We hugged.

She continued, “Thank you. Really, thank you. This matters.”

I don’t think this happened just so I’d feel awesome or people would think that I was awesome. I think it happened to remind you and me that God is always at work. He is real, and He is moving, even in the checkout lane at Target. It happened so we would be assured that our small acts of obedience really do matter. We went home and put all the supplies in the backpacks along with notes from our family. And we all went to sleep with really full hearts.

Do all the needs out there freeze you so you can’t act? Are you afraid that your one small yes or act of service will not even matter? If your heart earnestly desires to serve your community, consider taking one small step. Our backpack moment wasn’t huge or world-changing, but it changed me. It left me wanting more. It left me desiring to join forces with my church more often. We don’t always need to start a movement—we can just join one.

Our church is filled with thousands of families making an impact in tiny ways every day. Together, we can change our community.

GOD IS ALWAYS AT WORK. HE IS REAL, AND HE IS MOVING, EVEN IN THE CHECKOUT LANE AT TARGET.

BACKPACK DRIVE Our next Backpack Drive is set for this August, and we’ll be partnering with local non-profits and schools to provide school supplies to families in need. Be on the lookout for details and ways you can be involved!

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LAUREN GAINES JEREMY KENNEDY

A Devotional About Good Neighboring YOU AND I MAY NOT KNOW ONE ANOTHER YET. So I feel like one of the best ways for us to get acquainted is by sitting together in a brightly lit living room, holding mugs of hot coffee and savoring a slice of Salty Honey Pie. (I’ll share the recipe if you want. It’s delicious!) This is how I got to know one of my neighbors. But it wasn’t by accident.

And here’s why...

32 SUMMIT//Spring 2015

Almost a year ago, I attended the Reconstructing Evangelism class with Jeff Kern through Summit University. During one of the sessions, we were challenged to describe our neighbors—to give their names, list their family members, and provide any other specifics we could recall, like whether they went to college or what they did for a living.

I couldn’t fill out one detail.

“LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR AS YOURSELF.” —MARK 12:31

I had been in my apartment a full year at that point and was suddenly aware I had been living on the other side of a wall from a woman whose name I didn’t even know. I had passed a family in the parking lot for a year and wasn’t quite sure if they had two kids or three. I felt a stirring in me that something had to change. I now longed to become a neighbor, in the truest sense of the word—someone who looked out for the people around me, who cared about who they were and what they wanted out of life. I wanted to be someone who had an open-door policy when it came to borrowing eggs or inviting others to enjoy the act of sharing common space.

Incidentally, Jesus recommends we be good neighbors, too. In addition to loving the Lord our God with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength, we are commanded to “Love your neighbor as yourself” (Mark 12:28-31).

Neighbors must be pretty important if Jesus mentioned loving them in the same breath as loving the Creator of the universe!

I think it’s important for people to know they matter. I believe we thrive when others assure us we are more than just co-workers, or consumers, or fellow commuters. When we know there is something more to us than the roles we play and the predictable ways each day plays out, our lives have purpose. We matter.

It takes work to be a good neighbor, though, especially when all we want is to isolate in our living rooms after a long day at the office.

And often times, the people living around us are not the kind of people we would typically befriend. But our lives are enriched when we are available to help someone who needs a ride when their car is in the shop, to swap stories about the kids, or to offer our presence and support when a beloved pet has gone missing. We each have a story, and I don’t believe we should go through this life without allowing our story to be witnessed and shared.

During the Fall, Adam and Eve experienced the curse of isolation and broken relationships that all of us feel to this day. Neighboring, to me, is about helping to close the gap between me and the people around me.

So, what happened? Almost immediately after the evangelism class concluded, God provided me with opportunities to meet the people who lived next door. One gave me advice on where to buy the best succulents. One offered to walk my dog while I was at work. And still to this day, the sweet woman on the other side of my living room wall will pop her head through my open door to offer ice cream bars or the latest book she’s finished reading.

Through our interactions, I discovered that one young neighbor and I share a passion for Italy. So I decided to make a pie, invite her and her mother over for coffee, and show them pictures from the time I lived in Florence. (Yes, pie can actually improve your evangelism strategy!)

I’m happy to say the women living around me are now friends of mine. They have all actually stepped foot in my home, and I hope the relationship doesn’t end there. So, pick a neighbor you haven’t gotten the chance to befriend yet. Open your front door and ask them if they like dessert. And have a piece of pie ready for them, along with a spot on the couch. I don’t think you’ll be disappointed.

TAKE A NEIGHBORING QUIZ

1. Write the names of four of your current neighbors in the blanks provided, a neighbor per each house icon (extra credit for knowing kids’ names too!)

2. Place a number beside each family representing how many years they’ve lived there.

3. Note what occupations are represented in each family.

4. Which of your neighbors are Christians? Draw a cross next to the names.

5. Circle the names of the people who have ever been inside of your home.

6. Place a star beside the ones with whom you’ve had meaningful conversation within the past month.

MPLE

AN EXA

Joe Smith

Teacher

NAME

*

7

Sally

# OF YEARS

Billy

*

Laura

OCCUPATION

Office Assistant Emma

NAME

OCCUPATION

NAME

OCCUPATION

NAME

OCCUPATION

NAME

OCCUPATION

# OF YEARS

# OF YEARS

# OF YEARS

# OF YEARS

THE ART OF NEIGHBORING If you want to learn more about being a good neighbor, check out the book The Art of Neighboring. It’s a great summary of how going out of your way to interact with those around you might change your life and theirs.

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A Devotional About Caring for the Vulnerable GARRY ABBOTT

34 SUMMIT//Spring 2015

GREG PERKINS

ON THE DAYS leading up to traveling to Africa for the first time five years ago, I was sitting with my son just before bed, and I began to share about why I was going.

I shared with him that one of the things that God cares about deeply is children (Deuteronomy 10:17-18).

I shared with him that Jesus says He wants the world to be a place where everyone is cared for—the young and the old—and where that doesn’t happen like it should, it isn’t OK (Luke 10:27, Romans 12:9-13).

I shared with him that children matter to Jesus, and they should matter to people who follow Jesus (Matthew 19:14, James 1:27).

I shared that because that is true, I was going to get on a plane and fly halfway around the world to try to love kids just like him who don’t have some of the safety, security, food, shelter, or clothing he has.

I shared with him that Jesus invites us to care about the things He cares about and that sometimes that means going to people where they are to help them know they matter to God. That is why I was heading to Africa.

After a long pause—a really long pause that signaled something deeply important was brewing in Caleb—he asked, “If you go to Africa, who will be my daddy?”

I fought a tear and told Caleb I would always be his daddy. I assured him that there was room for me to love and serve others and still love him completely.

As Walter Brueggemann says, “Nurture of our own children and defense of other vulnerable children are elements of the same agenda.

It will not do to invest in the former to the neglect of the latter.”

We are called to reflect the character of God in how we care for those in need.

God will always have enough love for more. More people. More places.

for the most vulnerable, and Sub-Saharan Africa presents conditions where children are at great risk.

In Sub-Saharan Africa, 14.8 million children have lost a parent to HIV/AIDS. And individual families and communities bear 90 percent of the financial burden of caring for children impacted by HIV/AIDS. This, while living on an average of less than $2 per day.

While these statistics are true, it is also true that God is at work.

We want to be a community that joins God in turning back the tide of the AIDS pandemic in Africa in part by seeking an end to the poverty and injustice that create the space for it to occur.

Poverty and injustice are multifaceted issues. And because we seek to do what we can to end them in a cultural context, not our own, we partner on multiple levels to see vulnerable children cared for.

For example, in Malawi (one of the East Central African nations we partner in), we are working with multiple organizations focused on food sustainability, creating economic viability, caring for those directly affected by aids, church planting, and working with organizations dedicated to providing children with the food, clothing, education, health care, and love of Jesus they deserve—so that they can transform Africa.

Caring for vulnerable children is not an opportunity for some of us. It is a responsibility for all of us as we seek to be people whose faith is expressed in love.

So, as you hear us talk about a team going to Africa in support of one of our partner organizations as they care for the most vulnerable, know that there is a place for you.

And when you hear us talk about connecting with a child in East Central Africa full of potential and value but in need of help to get their basic necessities met, know that this is something you are invited to do.

Galatians 5:6 says, “All that matters is faith expressed in love.”

Our faith in Jesus being who He said He was—the one who expressed a love as great as can be found, a love that our shortcomings couldn’t hold back and death itself could not hold—finding expression in how we love others.

Paul is saying we are free to love others as a reflection of Christ’s character and His Kingdom come.

We serve a God who has enough love to go around.

We should as well.

WE ARE CALLED TO REFLECT THE CHARACTER OF GOD IN HOW WE CARE FOR THOSE IN NEED.

We care for those on the margins, not because they are more valuable than those near us, but because they are just as valuable—those who could go unnoticed but shouldn’t.

The scriptures make it clear that God loves all people equally (John 3:16), so our love should be given to others indiscriminately. Yet, there are 210 verses in the Bible that discuss the poor and oppressed with the call to care for vulnerable children repeated again and again (Exodus 22:22-23; Psalm 10:14, 68:5-6, 72:4, 146:9; Matthew 19:13-14; James 1:27).

We want to be a family of faith that joins God in His care and concern

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INVESTING IN THE FUTURE OF AFRICA Sponsored children are changing their countries for the better KARI FREEMAN

KIM WITTE & COTN

IT STRUCK ME AS ODD the first time Kim Witte referred to him as her “sponsor son.” Children of the Nations (COTN) uses the phrase “sponsored child” for the children enrolled in their sponsorship program, which provides holistic, Christ-centered care for orphaned and destitute children, and that’s the phrase I’ve always used. However, the more I heard Kim talk about Jonathan, the young man she sponsors in Malawi, Africa, the more I realized that she’s not talking about who raised Jonathan, but about a beautiful, ongoing partnership that has changed more than one life.

36 SUMMIT//Spring 2015

Kim and I met in Malawi during my first trip there. She was a teacher from Washington who had been to Malawi many times. She beamed talking about her sponsor children, and when she heard I would be returning to Malawi the following summer, she asked if I would be able to bring along a gift for her sponsor child, Jonathan. To my surprise, Jonathan’s gift bag was filled with plain black pens. I didn’t know much about Jonathan when I opened the box, and I had no idea what an amazing story I was about to enter.

Jonathan’s father abandoned his family when he was young, and his mother died shortly afterward. His grandmother did her best to care for him and his siblings but was unable to provide for the children. Unfortunately, this is not an uncommon story to hear in Malawi. The kids were then taken in by COTN to live in one of their children’s homes, where Jonathan found new parents and an even

Kim and her sponsored children at Lake Malawi.

“ Graduating from secondary school has brought joy in my life...

It is an honor I had never dreamt of.”

—JONATHAN COTN SPONSORED SON

Kim and the COTN crew on Jonathan’s Disneyland adventure.

bigger family. Shortly after, Kim met Jonathan while on a venture trip. That was almost 12 years ago.

After 10 years of getting to know Jonathan through letters and subsequent venture trips to Malawi, Kim got news of something incredible happening in Jonathan’s life: He would be graduating from high school. (This is where the pens come in.) Over the years, as Jonathan grew and matured in COTN’s program, it had become clear how smart he was. Jonathan thrived in school. Kim sent Jonathan pens because he went through them so quickly: studying, working in school, and even helping younger children in the program with their school work.

Many kids in Malawi never dream this day will come, but Kim was given the honor of being in Malawi with Jonathan for his high school graduation. This was a day that Jonathan recognized would not have happened without his sponsors, including Kim. “On my graduation day, all I can say to my sponsors is to thank them,” Jonathan says. “Graduating from secondary school has brought joy in my life, because it is an honor I had never dreamt of.”

Kim couldn’t say enough about being able to participate in this monumental day in her sponsor son’s life: “I was there to help him straighten his graduation hat. There was a time for students to thank their parents for their support, and Jonathan came right up to me at that moment and thanked me for sponsoring him. Tears of joy, happiness, and excitement for him ran down my face. Not many sponsors get to meet their child and see them graduate!”

After graduation, students in Malawi have a year off, during which they have the opportunity to serve and give back to their community. Jonathan followed in his sponsor, Kim’s, footsteps and served as a teacher at a school in one of COTN’s children’s homes—and continued to burn through his black pens. He is now a student at the National College of Information Technology. Learning to work in IT with computers, Jonathan is the first in his family to ever go to college.

Jonathan’s story is unique, but it doesn’t have to be the only one. Sponsors like Kim are exceptional, but she is not alone. I’ve seen the faces of Malawian children light up as they open a gift from a sponsor they’ve never met. They pore over pictures of their sponsor families, putting faces with the names they’ve

heard so often.

I know that men and women, some of whom had never planned to become sponsors, connect with children on dusty village roads and sign up to forever change a child’s life. I know that because I was one of them. I know that because, after meeting Kim and seeing her life and Jonathan’s life changed by sponsorship, I met one of those kids in a dusty classroom.

I became a sponsor to a beautiful girl who is now on the road to becoming a nurse because she is sponsored.

To us, sponsorship might simply look like money leaving our bank account each month, but when we truly invest in these kids, it can be so much more. To these kids, sponsorship looks like a life they never could have imagined.

Children are growing up in Africa, and with the help of COTN’s programs, they are changing the trajectory of their lives.

As these kids grow into adults and move on to join a growing population of COTN sponsored children in universities, trade schools, and the workforce, the reality is that they are working toward changing their entire countries for the better.

Kim and Jonathan’s (pictured in white) trip to Chiwengo, a children’s village, in 2006.

BECOME A COTN SPONSOR Would you like to sponsor a child through COTN? Visit cotni.org to learn how.

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“We couldn’t turn away” HOW FOSTERING BECAME OUR FAMILY MINISTRY I will never forget the May afternoon when a small white car pulled into our family’s driveway carrying our first two foster children in the backseat. We had agreed to this placement over the phone, knowing little about the children arriving that day, and having never laid eyes on them. Among those anxious thoughts, Will they like us?, What will they call us?, and Are we crazy for thinking that we can handle two more kids? I was excited and terrified all at once.

RACHELLE KALLENBACH 38 SUMMIT//Spring 2015

SEAN HEYBOER

CHOOSING TO FOSTER IS CHOOSING TO WALK INTO SOME VERY DARK STORIES AND SHINE THE LIGHT. The car door opened, and out stepped a curly haired boy with huge brown eyes and a fearful look upon his face. His baby sister remained in her car seat, looking at her new surroundings with great curiosity.

About 30 minutes later the white car was gone, leaving behind the two bewildered children. Garbage bags stuffed with their belongings were strewn across our kitchen floor, and the little boy I had just met was calling me “Mommy” already. It was all a bit overwhelming that night, and the days that followed were challenging as we learned the weight of their story and strived to meet their needs and love them well.

For seven months those children lived in our home and were part of our family. There were blissful days and difficult days, but it blossomed into one of the most meaningful seasons of our lives. The day we returned them to their relatives was another day I will never forget.

With kisses, hugs, and some crocodile tears, we said goodbye and trusted that we had done our part. Their faces still smile at us from the picture frame in our living room, and we often reminisce about them while talking around the dinner table. For our family, these are the faces behind the words foster care. These are the children who walked into and out of our lives and left us changed. They are the reason we have continued to say yes to fostering.

Our most recent yes was to a tiny baby girl last summer. It’s a

surreal experience when someone knocks on your door and hands you a 5-pound newborn baby just released from the hospital. The eight months she has spent with us have been incredibly special. Our love for her is big, and while we know we are doing this for her, we also recognize that we are gaining much.

Watching our children love on her is inspiring and humbling.

We are often asked why we chose to become foster parents. Knowing the heartache of loss that is involved, why would we sign up for that? Our only explanation is that once our eyes were opened, we couldn’t turn away. Protecting ourselves from the pain of loss could not outweigh the chance to offer love and acceptance to kids in hopeless, desperate situations. We knew God was calling us to this ministry. We were certainly scared and aware of our inadequacies, but we believed that getting certified to foster was our next right step.

Since then, we have continued to take one step at a time, and we have seen God accomplish truly amazing things in the lives of these kids and in our own lives. This is our family ministry. Choosing to share our family with these children has turned out to be incredibly rewarding.

We have never regretted one child we have loved and lost. We look back fondly over their time with us and know that it was not time wasted, but time well-spent, and we trust that we have helped make a difference in their lives.

Choosing to foster is choosing to walk into some very dark stories and shine the light. It is an opportunity to offer a child something beautiful in the midst of his or her brokenness. This is what Jesus came to offer each of us, and it is a very practical way we can show His love to our community.

This beautiful city of Orlando holds so many hurting families. Each month, approximately 3,500 children in our tri-county area live in foster or group homes. Unfortunately, there are simply not enough foster homes to meet the need. This is a huge opportunity for the Body of Christ to serve locally. Foster parents can be married or single, young or old. There is no financial commitment. Daycare and medical care are provided. Training and support are readily available. The need is great.

The commitment is largely of the heart.

Follow God’s example, therefore, as dearly loved children and walk in the way of love, just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God. —Ephesians 5:1-2

SPONSOR, FOSTER, ADOPT As God’s adopted sons and daughters, we believe we’re invited to be a part of His redeeming work for the most vulnerable in our world.

We partner with organizations that can help if you’re considering sponsoring, fostering, or adopting a child. For more information, visit summitconnect.org and click on Sponsor, Foster, Adopt under the SERVE tab.

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TAKING LEAPS of FAITH The Irvin Family LAURA COOK 40 SUMMIT//Spring 2015

RYAN BOWDEN

Jessica Irvin had her perfectly planned life all figured out. She and her husband Nick already had three children of their own—two boys and a girl—but they’d always wanted to adopt one more. “We were going to have an even number of kids. Two boys and two girls,” Jessica says, laughing.

It was 2008, and that’s the point in the Irvin family story when God invited them to listen to Him. Not only that, He invited them to respond.

The Irvins had qualified to adopt from both Korea and Ethiopia, and without having a real pull toward one or the other, they settled on Korea one night. But Jessica couldn’t sleep. “I threw this prayer up: God, just make it clear where we are supposed to adopt from,” Jessica says. “Then, the next morning, we went to Summit for the second time, and it was Africa Sunday. The Children of the Nations kids were there from Malawi, and everyone had these Africa shirts on.” The couple looked at each other after the service and Nick said, “I guess we’re going to Africa.”

As the Irvins researched more about Ethiopia, they learned that there is a great need for siblings to be adopted.

When they saw photos of sisters Hermela and Meron, their decision was made. A few months later, Nick and Jessica flew to Ethiopia to meet their daughters and bring them home. What they encountered was shocking. “We got home and our worlds were rocked,” Jessica says of the poverty and orphans they saw on the street.

“This was just a plane ride away.”

The plan was to get settled as a family and recover financially from adoption expenses, then get involved in a child sponsorship program in Ethiopia. But the couple couldn’t forget the sermon at Summit a few Sundays later. The message was: Sometimes we don’t just disobey God by saying no, we disobey Him by saying not now. “I went on the computer that day, found Children’s HopeChest, and emailed them that we wanted [to sponsor] a child in Ethiopia.”

Children’s HopeChest develops highly relational partnerships between Christian

communities in the U.S. and Canada and communities of orphaned and vulnerable children in Ethiopia and eight other countries.

This provides children access to education, food, clean water, medical care, discipleship, and job skills training. The more the Irvins learned about Children’s HopeChest, the more they felt God calling them to be more involved.

Nick went on mission trips to Ethiopia, and Jessica and the family became advocates. “[Nick and I] feel like we missed it,” Jessica

plan for Summit to serve people in Africa.

Jessica couldn’t believe it. God’s clear voice only four years ago to act immediately and sponsor a child was now affecting her entire congregation.

Nick was asked to join the small team of Summit partners who were going to visit Children’s HopeChest over the summer. Lead Pastor John Parker suggested he bring then 10-year-old Hermela along, too. Jessica and Nick thought about the possibility. If their daughter went, she’d be able to see her birth mother.

Again, with no money to fund such a trip, the Irvins prayed and stepped out in obedience, and God provided. When the Irvins found out a few months after they returned home that Hermela’s birth mother had become sick and passed away quickly, they knew the trip had been from God. Jessica explains, “If we had said, ‘We don’t have the money for both of you to go,’ Hermela would have missed her mom. If we had let finances limit us, we would have missed out on, really, God’s best interest for our life so far.”

Six years ago, God invited Nick and Jessica to really listen to Him, and they did. “Don’t wait until you have it all figured out, because our experience has been that He requires little, blind leaps first, but He always provides the way afterward,” Jessica says. “He doesn’t show us the way until we have said yes.”

“When you are in tune to what God wants you to do, it’s not so scary to step out…”

—JESSICA IRVIN says. “We were raised in Christian homes, we were in church all our lives, and we were 29 years old before we realized, ‘Oh, wait a minute, we’re living our lives for ourselves.’”

Despite the fact that the Irvins were now a family of seven living in a small house without a lot of savings stocked away, they couldn’t ignore God’s voice calling them to adopt again from Ethiopia. Over the next two years, they welcomed home 9-year-old Rahel and 9-month-old Eli. God provided every time. “I feel like I never used my faith until about six years ago,” Jessica says. “When you are in tune to what God wants you to do, it’s not so scary to step out, because you know you’re doing what He wants you to do.”

Jessica received a call last year from Nathan Boyett, Summit’s Global Partnership Coordinator, who wanted to know more about how this ministry might fit into how God’s

CHILDREN’S HOPECHEST Children’s HopeChest sponsors are asked to be involved in a sponsor child’s life through prayer, correspondence, and support. Find out more at hopechest.org.

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STEVE HELLING

A Family

niceSERVE Story

Painting houses. Gleaning produce. Cleaning the church. Assembling food packets. Yes, when it comes to niceSERVE, I have dutifully done my part. After all, it makes me feel good—and I get a free T-shirt just for attending. And somewhere in there, I hope that I’m teaching my kids a valuable lesson about sacrifice and selflessness.

But if I’m being honest, niceSERVE can sometimes be a little bit abstract. Intellectually, I know that we’re helping people, but they’re folks I will never meet. I won’t really see the fruits of our labor, at least, not on this side of eternity. On some level, I can often feel disconnected from what niceSERVE is all about, and its impact can be lost.

My wife, Emma, and I adopted four children from a Haitian orphanage in December 2013. In addition to our two biological kids, we became the parents of six children aged 8 and under: Steven, Mia, Valine, Ezra, 42 SUMMIT//Spring 2015

James, and Nerlande. So when Summit announced their niceSERVE last spring, we wondered if we’d have the energy to participate. We only had the kids home for a few months, and were still shell-shocked from the upheaval. Just going to the store felt like an overwhelming ordeal.

We looked at the available options for our family and found a project that we could all do together: working with the organization Change This World to assemble food packages for poor nations.

If you’ve never assembled food packages, here’s how it goes down: One person holds a plastic bag while four people dump ingredients in it—rice, protein, vegetables, and a flavoring/vitamin mix. Sometimes, the protein is soy; other times, it’s dried lentils or beans. The bag is weighed, sealed and packed in boxes. Those boxes will be shipped to developing nations—Guatemala, Haiti, Kenya, Mozambique—and given to starving people who truly have no other options. Assembling food packages is a kid-friendly project, meaning that everyone in the family can participate. Even the smallest kids are handed markers to draw on the boxes.

We decided that it was the perfect service project for our family. We arrived at the church on a Saturday morning and were ushered into

IF SOMEONE HADN’T SACRIFICED THEIR TIME TO ASSEMBLE FOOD PACKETS SEVERAL YEARS AGO, MY CHILDREN WOULD HAVE GONE HUNGRY. AND IF WE DON’T SACRIFICE OUR TIME TO DO IT AGAIN, SOMEONE ELSE’S CHILDREN WILL GO HUNGRY. one of the Base Camp rooms. We put on hairnets—totally pointless in my case, but whatever—and began to work the assembly line. For the next three hours, we put the bags together, stopping only for the occasional bathroom break. The kids did remarkably well; all six of them happily participated in the project with varying degrees of enthusiasm.

But my oldest son, Steven, had a laser-like focus on the task. He looked for the places where he could be most helpful: counting packets, stacking boxes, and replenishing supplies. I don’t think he took a break for the entire project. I was pleased that he was taking the job seriously, but I honestly didn’t think his diligence was out of the ordinary. Steven has always been very responsible around the house, completing chores with little complaint. I wasn’t surprised to see him throw himself into niceSERVE. When we finished the project, the organizers gave an extra bag of food to each family so we could take it home. Everybody in the family was curious how it would taste—well, everybody but Steven. “I already know what it tastes like,” he announced matter-of-factly. “When I was in Haiti, a man came to my village on a donkey and gave us this food.

It tasted good.” As we asked more questions, he explained that he recognized the logo on the boxes. (Side note: He was totally right. It really did taste delicious.)

And there it was: the reminder that niceSERVE is not about helping humanity; it’s about helping humans. My son had been kept alive from the very food we had packed, and he was now able to pay it forward.

He was no longer receiving humanitarian aid; he had the resources and the opportunity to be on the giving end. And that, in a nutshell, is what niceSERVE is all about.

A nice Hollywood ending would be that I have learned the error of my ways, and that I’ve attended every subsequent niceSERVE thoughtfully and prayerfully, with a sense of deliberate purpose. But the reality is much less romantic. It’s hard for our family to sacrifice our Saturday mornings, even for a worthy cause. And if we do, my flesh tries to convince me that we’re making a far greater sacrifice than we really are.

But here are the inescapable facts: If someone hadn’t sacrificed their time to assemble food packets several years ago, my children would have gone hungry. And if we don’t sacrifice our time to do it again, someone else’s children will go hungry.

So we plan to participate in the next niceSERVE. We may assemble food packets again, or we may choose a different project. Whatever we choose, I hope that I’ll remember why we’re doing it: not for the T-shirts, free lunch, or even the fellowship, but because it’s literally the least we can do to help those around us.

And if I forget, I hope my family will remind me.

Twice a year, we get together for three hours on a Saturday morning to serve alongside non-profits throughout the community. Join us for the next niceSERVE event! Click on Serve Locally under the SERVE tab at summitconnect.org to learn more.

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o o T t No p l e H o t g n You

Arin Polacheck, Bethany Marinelli, Jenn Lechliter, Alyssa Deal, Audrey Jackson, & Anna Palmisano

KATIE SCHMIDT MARK RONHAAR

OUR MIDDLE-SCHOOL GIRLS RALLY AROUND A FRIEND IN NEED

“No one can tell me that middle schoolers can’t do stuff,” 13-yearold Arin Polacheck proclaims with confidence. “We can do a lot more than people think we can.”

44 SUMMIT//Spring 2015

It’s that same confidence that led Arin, who is a 7th grade student at our middle school ministry, Surge, to rally her Connect group for a bake sale supporting her friend Casey.

Arin and Casey grew up together—their parents are also friends—and when Arin found out that Casey needed a liver transplant in August of 2014, she was struck. Someone her own age, whom she’d known her whole life, was very, very sick. At that point the greatest need was funding, so once Arin realized she could tangibly do something to help her friend, she did.

Bethany Marinelli, who is Arin’s Connect group leader at Surge, remembers the day Arin came into the room, so excited for the possibility of doing a fundraiser. Bethany, knowing these girls were fully capable of making any idea happen and doing big things, encouraged Arin to come up with two or three ideas and present them to the rest of the girls in the group to pick one. The students decided on a bake sale—in which for the whole month of October, this group of driven 7th-grade girls sold baked goods to the middle school students who attended Surge on Tuesday nights at the Herndon campus.

Bethany was so proud of what her students accomplished— that they were empowered enough to see a need and work hard to meet it.

“People can sometimes look at 12- or 13-year-olds and say, ‘Oh, they can’t make a difference,’ but I know they are so capable, and this gave them a platform to prove that,” Bethany says. “There’s that verse in Timothy—‘Don’t let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set an example for believers’—and I really feel like that’s what these girls did.”

Arin’s mom, Rett Polacheck, was so encouraged to see Arin and her fellow Surge students put the bake sale together.

“It was so cool; I was so excited to see the other girls get into it, too,” Rett explains. “Not just Arin because she knows Casey, or girls who have known Arin a long time, but everyone got into it and felt they could do something important for someone their age and just really took ownership over the whole thing.”

The bake sale ended up raising more than $500 toward Casey’s liver transplant. In March of 2015, Casey had her surgery and is doing well (though prayers are needed as she continues her recovery process!). Arin explains that knowing she was able to help a friend who was going through a hard time was very fulfilling. What ultimately drove her was knowing that God has a desire for us to take care of each other.

Rett wholeheartedly agrees. “God’s the one who did this—He did this through them. He empowered them and put it on their hearts, and I’m just so glad they were willing to listen and take action.”

“DON’T LET ANYONE LOOK DOWN ON YOU BECAUSE YOU ARE YOUNG, BUT SET AN EXAMPLE FOR THE BELIEVERS IN SPEECH, IN CONDUCT, IN LOVE, IN FAITH AND IN PURITY.” —1 Timothy 4:12

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“SOMETHING BIGGER THAN ME” Summit Students share why volunteering matters… and why they love it!

KATIE SCHMIDT

BRIAN HOGAN

Service is an incredibly vital part of the DNA of Summit and who we are! Just as adults are encouraged and supported to come alongside organizations at niceSERVE, to help make services happen, and to volunteer their time throughout the week, the kids and students at Summit are empowered to do the same. We have a whole team of Junior Volunteers who help out in Base Camp, service weeks during the summer for Surge and The Edge students, and opportunities for highschool students to lead middle-school students to Jesus. Summit truly runs on the horsepower of volunteers, and these servant-hearted students play a key role in that reality.

46 SUMMIT//Spring 2015

Lucy Jahn

Rachel Auino

Lucy is 11 years old and serves in Base Camp with the 3-year-olds as a Junior Volunteer.

She says she wanted to start serving because she wanted to be a part of the kids at Summit knowing that they matter and that God loves them. Lucy loves that Summit offers a chance for Junior Volunteers to serve “because the kids need to know that you are never too young to be learning about God or be loved by Him!”

Our middle school students at Surge participate in a weeklong event during the summer called Surge in the City. This event takes the students outside of the walls of Summit and into the community to serve together. Rachel is a 12-year-old at Surge who considered serving with her friends at Surge in the City one of the best parts of her summer: “When I think of someone in need, I don’t always think I can be a part of helping. It’s like, Where can I start? What can I do? But Surge in the City connected us with organizations that we could help. I got to be a part of something bigger than me.”

Isaac Valencia Isaac, who is a 12-year-old Junior Volunteer, likes that even though the lessons he teaches are for younger kids, he can still learn from them, too! Isaac helps out with the 4- and 5-year-olds, playing music and videos for story time and helping with snacks and crafts: “I think having student volunteers along with adult volunteers is important, because it gives a student the opportunity to serve God and be a part of the growing relationship between [the kids] and God.”

A.J. Tate Every summer, our high school students at The Edge do an event called Edge Serves.

It’s essentially a weeklong niceSERVE for The Edge students to have the opportunity to serve together around the community. A.J., a 17-year-old student who has been attending Summit for a few years with his brother, thinks people underestimate high-school students’ willingness to serve: “It’s a nice way to say thank you to our communities for helping us, and it gives us a chance to give back… Serving is important. It’s a vital part of our faith.”

JUNIOR VOLUNTEERS On any given Sunday morning, many middle and high school students can be found serving in our Base Camp (children’s ministry) classrooms. We call these dynamite students Junior Volunteers.

SURGE IN THE CITY Each summer, our rising 6th-8th graders participate in a weeklong day-camp style service experience called Surge in the City! Each day they head out to project sites around Orlando to work hard, have tons of fun, and make a difference in our community.

EDGE SERVES Our high schoolers also head out into the community each summer for a week of service projects! Not only does Edge Serves allow students to give back by serving alongside local non-profits, but it’s a great opportunity for them to learn about what leadership looks like.

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THE PRODIGAL MUSICAL goes to Fringe JAMES BRENDLINGER

BRIAN HOGAN

Last summer, Summit Church debuted The Prodigal Musical— book and lyrics by Michael Murray, and music by Marco Randazzo. The show was a big hit at Summit—and now its creative team is taking the inspirational, Bible-based show to a secular performance venue this May: the Orlando International Fringe Festival in Orlando’s Loch Haven Park.

48 SUMMIT//Spring 2015

Based on one of Jesus’ most well-known parables (Luke 15:11-32), The Prodigal Musical is a tale of God’s never-ending, amazing forgiveness for all His children. It tells the story of Dewey, a young man who decides life would be better without his father. While Dewey sets off for adventure, his older brother Jake stays home and grows angry and cold. Will either brother learn to accept their father’s love?

The Orlando Fringe is a 13-day arts festival that is founded on the concept of being 100 percent unjuried and uncensored, and where 100 percent of sales are returned back to the artists. Featuring more than 100 different production companies—local, national, and international groups—the Fringe is known for its wide variety of staged entertainment, from light, family-oriented fare to more adult performances. At first glance, it might seem like an odd place for a church to put on a musical.

When asked about the motive for entering the show in the Orlando Fringe Festival, writer Michael Murray says, “Every week at Summit we hear a worship leader say, `Thank you for bringing the church into this room.’ The

church isn’t a place. It’s us. We want to bring the church to Fringe and share this amazing story with anyone who is willing to listen.

We’re not going to Fringe to ‘save’ anyone.

That’s not our job (nor do we have the power to!). We’re going there to love and encourage people, serve however and wherever we can, and share a story that has profoundly affected our own lives.”

Michael and Marco met in 2010. “Marco is an extremely talented musician, and we worked on a few songs together for [Summit’s family production] Base Camp Live!,” Michael recalls. (Read more about BCL below!) “It had been a dream of mine for a long time to write a musical. I truly believe that God put Marco and me together to write songs. After we wrote a few, something clicked and I said, ‘Marco, we can totally write a musical!’”

In 2012, Murray and Randazzo wrote Gettin’ It Done, a musical based on the biblical story of Nehemiah. For their next musical endeavor, they chose to adapt the parable of the Prodigal Son because they loved the message. “I was

e! v i L p m a C e s Ba

fascinated that Jesus told this story to help people understand who God is,” Michael says. “I love that we serve a God who is a storyteller!” Michael and Marco worked closely with directors Darling Heldt (Summit’s BCL Coordinator) and Lauren Lanker throughout the process. The show was a huge hit when it premiered at Summit in the summer of 2014.

Afterward, they decided to take the show to a larger audience—by applying for the Orlando Fringe.

“We feel like Fringe is a place where Jesus would be spending time,” Michael says. “People love stories. Jesus could have said, ‘God is forgiving,’ but instead, He told a story to beautifully illustrate that point. I believe that this story in particular shows God’s heart for people. If you ever wonder what God thinks of you, read this story. He’s crazy about you.

He wants to throw a party for you! We want everyone to hear that message.”

Darling agrees. “One of my biggest hopes is for Summit to engage with the community at Fringe,” she says. “We have the chance not only to share our own stories, but to listen carefully to the stories happening around us.

Taking the church outside these walls is an incredible opportunity, and I’m excited to see what God does.”

BCL is Summit’s family production for kids and their parents, featuring lively music and crazy characters kids love. Parents get an inside look at what their kids are learning in Base Camp (not to mention—it’s funny!), and kids love the goofy characters, music, and Bible lessons being brought to life. It’s a win-win for families! BCL happens at our Herndon, Lake Mary, and Waterford campuses on select Sundays throughout the school year.

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ALL THINGS SUMMIT

A Guide to our Vision, Values, Ministries, and Those Quirky (see also: Unusual) Words and Phrases You’ve Heard Around Here

Whether you’ve attended Summit since the beginning or for a couple of years, or if you just grabbed this magazine on your way out of your first service (Hi! Welcome!), you’ve probably noticed some words or phrases that might require further definition and explanation. If this is you, we hope you find this section helpful!

THE VISION

Summit’s God-given vision is to form biblically functioning communities that reach people, connect in Christ-centered relationships, teach truth, serve others, and worship God. It’s a straightforward way to clearly state what God has called His Church and His followers to do since the beginning!

It’s through this vision, clear eyes, and full hearts that Summit operates.

So if the vision is our common goal, then our values are who we are.

THE VALUES

Our hope is that you’re able to get a sense of our values from attending any of our campuses, but here they are described in more detail (in case you thought our rotating-bands-with-incredibly-different-styles was a happy accident).

Being transformed into the image of Christ for the sake of others. Transformation is possible through the work of God in our lives. That transformation—to looking more and loving more like Jesus—is not just about us. Sure, we need to be transformed for our own sake, but the world needs us to be transformed as well. The more we become like Christ, the more we reflect Christ’s heart for the world.

Leveraging culture as a means of influence. Jesus did, Paul the apostle did, and so do we. If a fishing analogy can paint a picture of God’s mission, then a Disney analogy might help us understand the same. In the same way, if music and art can move the heart to understand the gospel, then we’ll use them. So bring on the banjo or the harp, our best art, and most compelling story, and we’ll use them all to tell the story of Jesus’ love.

Making the most of our place in history. We are part of the work Christ began more than 2,000 years ago, and that may go on even past our lifetimes. We are uniquely positioned in history to reflect God’s love to the world now, but we are not alone. Just as we are building on what came before, we are also laying a foundation for what will come.

We are a small but important part of a much bigger story.

50 SUMMIT//Spring 2015

Forming relationships around a common purpose.

With Christ at the center, relationships are about more than just being. They are about being transformed, being the hands and feet of Christ, being conduits of His love to the world around us, being on mission. The best relationships are on mission. Whether in marriage, in Connect groups, or in the lobby of church, we join together on purpose—and that purpose is Jesus.

Sharing our resources for local and global ministry.

Where our treasure is, our hearts will follow. This is not only true of individuals but of communities as well. By leveraging 15 percent of our budget to partnerships outside the walls of Summit, we invite our hearts to follow and participate in what God is doing “out there.” This sharing has brought our hearts into the overlooked areas of our own city as well as overseas to partnerships that are ending endemic injustice and poverty in east Africa.

Bringing holistic salvation to all that is lost. Sin did not only break our relationship with God, but it brought brokenness into creation itself. Jesus didn’t just preach repentance, He preached (through His words and actions) that we should care about poverty, sickness, corruption, injustice... the symptoms of a broken creation. The message of the gospel is not just about hope and healing in the hereafter but in the here and now, and while we have the promise of eternity, we also have the opportunity of the present.

Now that you know what we value...

THE THINGS WE SAY

...it’s helpful to give a little background about some of the words and phrases you might hear us say around here—a few “Summit-isms” if you will.

Partners: We call people who have planted their flag at Summit “partners” instead of “members” because we really want there to be a mutual effort from everyone in the congregation to roll up their sleeves with us and do the things God has called us to.

Strategic Concerns: Because saying “Announcements” is boring and implies you’re about to hear about a bake sale at a local elementary school. Lean in and listen as we—with all the wit we can muster—share the events, ministry updates, and news we don’t want you to miss!

Your next right step: We say this a lot, huh? But we really and truly believe that we don’t follow Jesus by standing still or being complacent. Quite the opposite! We think Jesus is inviting us into His story, and that involves taking bold steps of faith daily. We want to help you figure out what your next right step in faithfulness to Jesus is!

FAMILY MINISTRY

From Babies to Grads OK, stick with us a minute, because now we get to talk about why we don’t just call Base Camp “Sunday School” and Surge “Middle School Youth Group.”

You should know up front—there will be some loose mountain imagery. We can’t promise it’ll all make sense, but we can promise that we are doing everything we can to make sure your children and students know that they matter to God, and He has a plan for their lives.

BASE CAMP

of your next And speaking right step...

WAYS TO TAKE THAT STEP

Here are a few ministry environments that are also great potential next steps if you want to get plugged in here at Summit. Which one is God calling you to take?

Connect groups are the way we build community and learn together. We call them Connect groups instead of small groups because we want to encourage you to truly connect in Christ-centered relationships. These groups of 8-12 people meet regularly for about 12-18 months to study God’s Word, participate in service projects, and grow closer to Christ together.

niceSERVE is that special biannual event at which we wear matching T-shirts and serve the community together! We paint, we rake, we organize, and we do just about anything that will convey to local non-profit organizations that are already doing amazing work that they matter and that the people they serve matter.

(Read more about the origins of the name “niceSERVE” on page 10!)

reGROUP is a recovery ministry that focuses on healing relationships: your relationship with God and your relationships with others. This is such an important part of our “bringing holistic salvation to all that is lost” value, as reGROUP focuses on Christ healing our hurts, habits, and hang-ups.

Summit University, or Summit U, offers opportunities for you to connect with God and others—not just for the sake of being in community but for the purpose of equipping you for whatever work God has put in front of you to do. We do this in the form of classes, seminars, and group studies offered throughout the year.

Where the mountain climbers begin, and where our kids’ journey at Summit begins.

Stepping Stones is for our 3-month-olds to 5-year-olds and is where these sweet kids learn that God Made Them, God Loves Them, and Jesus Wants To Be Their Friend Forever. These truths are the foundation of what we want kids at Summit to know (and also the foundation of that mountain metaphor we’ve got going).

Foothills is where our K-5th graders spend their Sunday mornings. They learn what we call a Big Idea displayed by Christ—concepts like perseverance, generosity, and kindness—through relevant teaching like music, games, and group time. These kids are finding their footing up the mountain!

SUMMIT STUDENTS Surge is where kids go after their 5th grade year. They’ve left the Base Camp of the mountain and are taking that Surge of energy all the way to middle school! At Surge, middle school students get to spend time with each other playing games, watching crazy videos, worshiping together, and hearing a message geared toward them.

The Edge is for our high school students who have trekked along the rest of the mountain and made it all the way up to the Summit! As they stand on The Edge of adulthood, we give these students the opportunity to look back at the journey they’ve taken and experience God through worship, a message, and our high school Connect groups. summitconnect.org 51

ARTIST FEATURE:

Ashley Brooke Designs MELANIE SNAVELY

ASHLEY BLAHNIK

“Be strong and courageous!” These words can be found in Joshua 1:9 and also beautifully written in brightly colored hand-lettering on one of the prettiest mugs you will ever see.

52 SUMMIT//Spring 2015

“I LOVE CREATING PRODUCTS FOR PEOPLE THAT MAKE THEIR DAYS BETTER.” —Ashley Brooke Chambers

Longtime Summit partner Ashley Brooke Chambers is the brains behind Ashley Brooke Designs, a creative studio and lifestyle brand, and a shining example of what a bit of courage can do. With a degree in interior design, Ashley Brooke went to work for a design company fresh out of school. When the market crashed, she knew that she needed to do something quickly. Having grown up in a family of entrepreneurs, she always knew her passions would lead her to someday run her own business.

Her parents are photographers, and it was while working in their studio that she really fell in love with illustrating. After the studio closed for the day, she would stay, spending her time creating her own custom illustrations and printing them on cards. From that love, an idea grew. When her parents said, “Just try it,” she took a courageous leap of faith and began Ashley Brooke Designs.

She gave herself a crash course in business, bought a domain name, and went to work. She put in long, hard hours, on top of working at her parents’ studio, growing her business and selling cards.

“Being an entrepreneur is hard… It’s a lot of falling flat on your face and getting back up,” Ashley Brooke says. But with a passion for what she was doing, she kept going. What started as a solution to a problem grew into what she felt God had built her to do.

It was when she made some Christmas gifts for friends (mugs with individual messages of encouragement) that the idea to add lifestyle products—items that are useful, functional, and add a bit of spunk to a normal, everyday routine—sprang into being.

“I love creating products for people that make their days better,” she says.

One of her first product concepts, what she would call “God’s lightbulb moment,” is the mug that reads, “Everyday I’m hustlin’.”

The idea came during a time in her life when she was facing adversity. She recognized that she wasn’t the only one who could use a little push and inspiration to keep them going.

Ashley Brooke loves adding sparkle and joy to day-today life—an encouraging mug to get someone moving in the morning, or a notebook with a little added flair to bring a smile in the middle of a meeting. You can always count on Ashley Brooke Designs to be fun and inspirational, creating not just products but little bits of happiness. Ashley Brooke is a true testament to living out your passions and shining light to others. In her words, “God will use you where you are.”

SEE MORE ONLINE // ABD SHOP: ashleybrookedesigns.com Instagram: @ashleybrookedesigns Facebook: Ashley Brooke Designs Twitter: @ABDesigns Pinterest: @ABDesigns

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NONPROFIT ORG U.S. POSTAGE

PAID

ORLANDO, FL PERMIT NO. 676

735 Herndon Avenue// Orlando, FL 32803

CALENDAR OF EVENTS SPRING 2015 //Summit Herndon 735 Herndon Avenue Orlando, FL 32803

//Summit Waterford 11602 Lake Underhill Road Orlando, FL 32825

THURSDAYS Worship Service// 7 p.m.

SUNDAYS Worship Service// 9 a.m., 11 a.m., & 6 p.m.

Base Camp (3 months-5th grade)// 7 p.m.

Base Camp (3 months-5th grade)// 9 a.m., 11 a.m., & 6 p.m.

SUNDAYS Worship Service// 9 a.m., 10:45 a.m., 12:30 p.m., & 6 p.m.

Base Camp Live!// 10:25 a.m. & 12:25 p.m.

Base Camp (3 months-5th grade)// 9 a.m., 10:45 a.m., 12:30 p.m., & 6 p.m.

Base Camp Live!// 10:18 a.m. & 11:58 a.m. during the school year MONDAYS reGROUP// 7 p.m.

TUESDAYS Summit Students: Middle School Surge// 6 p.m.

WEDNESDAYS Summit Students: High School The Edge// 7 p.m.

(Select Sundays)

//Summit Lake Mary

Lake Mary High School 655 Longwood Lake Mary Road Lake Mary, FL 32746 SUNDAYS Worship Service// 9 a.m. & 11 a.m.

Base Camp (3 months-5th grade)// 9 a.m. & 11 a.m.

Base Camp Live!

10:15 a.m. (Select Sundays)

Summit Students: Middle School Surge// 4 p.m.

TUESDAYS Summit Students: Middle School Surge// 6 p.m.

Summit Students: High School The Edge// 7:15 p.m.

(At the Lake Mary Offices: 100 Technology Park, Suite 110, Lake Mary, FL 32746)

//All Campus Events SIXTY MINUTE SEMINARS Monday Nights June 1st-July 27th

THE JUSTICE CONFERENCE Saturday, June 6th

SURGE IN THE CITY Monday, July 20thFriday, July 24th

EDGE SERVES (Herndon) Monday, August 10thFriday, August 14th Check summitconnect.org for event times and locations.

//Summit @ 33rd Street

For the Horizon Wing & Female Detention Center inmates at the Orange County Jail WEDNESDAYS TUESDAYS SUNDAYS Men’s reGROUP Women’s reGROUP Men’s Worship Service // 7 p.m. // 7 p.m. // 2 p.m.

Women’s Worship Service // 1:30 p.m.

SUMMIT CHURCH is a multi-site campus community. All campuses share the same vision, strategy, worship, and teaching. Join us for one of our services! Summit campuses at Waterford, Lake Mary, and 33rd Street participate in live worship with a video sermon by our Teaching Team.