Returning from Haiti

This past week I had the joy of serving the people of Haiti with other team members from our church.  To say the experience was eye-opening and life-changing would be an understatement.  God allowed us to plant 50 fruit trees, assemble and present 10 water filtration systems, and give 3 pairs of goats to families in need.  He gave us the opportunity to pray with people, encourage them, and share the Gospel.    

Our team stayed at the main campus of our Xpansion Partner, Mission of Hope, which is essentially a compound of buildings located in a small village known Titanyen.  The accommodations were Spartan, the days and nights were hot, and the landscape was dusty.  Having been there once before, I made the veteran move of bringing along my hammock so that I could hang up on a roof top pavilion and catch any breeze that would blow off the ocean.  I spent the evenings after dinner laying in that hammock, reading, reflecting and praying to God about what I would/should say when people asked about this trip.  Forgive me for these meanderings, but here are some of those thoughts:

1.     God’s Plan is always better than my plan (Proverbs 19:21) – When we arrived in country, the original plan (according to man) was for our team to serve the villages of Leveque and Bercy, which were located about 20 minutes north of the MOH main campus.  Through a series of circumstances, in God’s sovereignty, that no longer was an option when we began our service projects.  Those projects moved to Source Matelas.  God arranged a divine appointment at the first house in Source Matelas where we met Diego.  Diego was educated by a local mission and was able to speak English.  He was also struggling with the Lordship of Jesus.  After a half hour of working together (we were planting a tree in his cousin’s yard) and talking with him, the Lord called Diego to re-dedicate his life to Christ.  Diego served alongside of us for the remainder of the day planting trees and talking to people.  That very afternoon, God used Diego to translate His message to bring another sister into the Kingdom.   

2.     Serving the Lord by serving others is a blessing (Isaiah 58:10-12) – The people of Haiti are joy-filled, welcoming, and sweet people.  They’ve never met a stranger.  After being welcomed in and planting a tree or painting a home, I could linger in front of their home for hours sharing my experiences, my life, and my God.  I was consistently encouraged by the interactions with locals who place value on relationships above all else.  Those Haitians who were Christian had a deeper faith and love than I typically experience here at home.  While the majority of the Haitians might be seen as impoverished from a worldly perspective, God used many Haitian believers to show me the riches of faith and love and revealed to me my own spiritual poverty.  I would leave those interactions even more grateful for the grace given to me and blessed by their example.  I remember visiting with a Christian woman who was grieving the recent loss of her adult daughter.  That loss required her to sell her home and take in her daughter’s children.  This woman continued to proclaim Christ and showed us her nearly perfect church attendance card.  She asked us to join her to kneel and pray in front of her modest home (leaky roof and all).  God revealed to me in that moment that this woman truly knew what it was like to rely daily on the Lord.  It was such an encouragement to see her faith.

3.     God calls those He has chosen into His Kingdom (Romans 9) – Sometimes people hear the truth and do not choose to submit to it because they are not called.  I still vividly remember an interaction with a gentleman on our last day of service in Source Matelas.  We planted our last tree at his home and began a long discussion about the Father, Son and Holy Spirit.  He asked insightful questions.  He in many aspects was a mirror of my former self.  While this man wasn’t called to a profession of faith, I asked if we could pray that God would reveal Himself to this man and draw this man to a relationship.  He responded with a greater request.  He asked me to pray that prayer for his country.  I felt an overwhelming burden for him and Haiti in that moment.  We circled around him for at least five minutes, the Lord giving me the words to say in prayer calling out for God to reveal Himself and be glorified.  I felt God’s presence so deeply and so did the other team members in that circle.  Surely this man did as well.  When I opened my eyes, I realized that he had only heard the words and didn’t seem to have felt this encounter.  As I left, I wept, knowing that he had to be hard-hearted at that moment not to have recognized the Spirit that was moving and working all around us.  While he certainly may be called later, that circumstance was a reminder that God does the work, we just carry the message.

4.     We go on mission trips, but He is at work on mission everywhere (Acts 1:8) – Some of the most impactful people at MOH were the local men which MOH describes as village champions.  The village champions of Source Matelas were two humble men of God named Herlo and Kino.  These men have taken on the responsibility to represent the Gospel and be the hands and feet to every man, woman and child in their village.  God used their example as a reminder for me to seek out and serve those in my community for God’s glory.  In the few days since I have returned from Haiti, God has: used me to encourage a friend who is struggling in his marriage, used my testimony to encourage someone in a life-changing circumstance, provided encouragement through a friend who raised nearly $400.00 for Haiti disaster relief, and prompted me to use the mission trip as a platform to talk about Him with a non-believer.  He continues to remind me that He doesn’t want me to only share His message when I am out of the country, but whenever he prompts.

In short, our trip to Haiti was far from average.  God’s power, sovereignty, and love were constantly on display and He was glorified.  I was humbled upon my return to hear how God moved within our church to give so generously (over $85,000) to the ongoing relief efforts.  Thank you for the encouragement of your generosity.  I cannot adequately express what the Lord can do with those resources for a time such as this.

Your Brother in Christ,

Jay Caudill   

Ignite Fall Retreat Recap

Fancy hotels, white sandy beaches, free breakfast, and Florida’s east coast. Sounds a bit like Spring Break, except there’s one big difference…Jesus! Once a year, 120 college students pack their bathing suits and bibles and head to Deerfield Beach. Yes, there are beautiful beaches, free breakfast, and endless Shirley Temple’s, but there’s also worship, fellowship, and the Word. Everyone begins to arrive around 5 pm on Friday and it is mass chaos. We get our room assignments, a colored balloon for our team, and swag. Oh the swag! What college kid doesn’t love free stuff? After dropping our belongings in our rooms and eating dinner, we head down to the hotel ballroom for what is promised to be a life-changing weekend. And that it was!

The theme of this year’s Fall Retreat was “Transformed”. We were walking through Romans 12, and our prayer for the weekend was that we would understand the Gospel, believe the Gospel, be transformed by the Gospel, and then live out the Gospel. We had four sessions over the weekend: Friday night, Saturday morning, Saturday night, and Sunday morning. Each session would open with teams pitted against each other. Which team could make a better human statue? Who could guess the most Ignite Staff baby pictures? Who was going to chug an energy drink and eat an entire sleeve of Oreo’s first? The room filled with laughter at the beginning of each session, but then we would come to a time of praise and worship before diving into the Word.

Over the first three sessions we discussed how we were born into sin and how our sin was deserving of the punishment of death, but that the Gospel was God’s payment for our sin. The Gospel sanctifies us and gives us a secure future with Jesus. We discussed how the Gospel radically changes and defines our lives as believers. The result of this transformation isn’t of duty and obligation, but of declaration and obedience. We have been rescued and redeemed by the blood of Jesus, and that makes us different to the watching world. As a transformed believer, we can be identified by love and unity, by loving others and loving God, and by putting Jesus on display for the world to see. We were given 20 points to evaluate our transformation. Were we more like a caterpillar, not yet fully formed into our most beautiful image, or were we a butterfly, fully transformed and soaring high? As we walked through these 20 points, we focused on areas that we needed to repent and seek forgiveness for, areas that we needed to focus on, and areas that we could rejoice in. After each session we would break into small groups to discuss what we had just heard and how we could live out God’s Word more fully. As a small group leader, I was so in awe of the eight girls sitting around me at every gathering. Their love for Jesus burned like a fire in their hearts. Everyone participated in sharing their own stories and their own views. We learned from each other, grew from each other, and came to know each other. That carried on into free time as well. We had an open afternoon on Saturday, so what better way then to spend it at the beach! The sound of laughter, excitement, and crashing waves filled the atmosphere. Old friendships were being renewed and new friendships were just beginning. Corn hole and spike ball tournament brackets were full! We played until we couldn’t play anymore.

Then came Sunday, our last session. Adam wrapped up our weekend with a transformed appeal. We were reminded that we were purchased by God and for God. We were reminded that God gave each of us a gift to be used for His glory. We were not put on this earth to conform to everyone else, but to live out our gifts as offerings to Christ Jesus. In closing, we were challenged with remembering seven words, a declaration to remind us daily of who we were before being transformed, and that we can’t do this on our own. “I can’t. You can. Here I am.” With that, our weekend was almost over. For some people it was sad, but for 18 others it meant that they were about to rejoice in their new life in Christ. Adam called the 18 people to the front of the room to share their story in 30 seconds. These 18 people were broken sinners, lost in the ways of the world, but they all had one thing in common…they had been saved by the blood of Jesus and they were ready to declare it to the world! 18 baptisms happened that afternoon, and I was one of them.

Over the summer, I sat down with Adam and told him that I was ready to be baptized. I had chosen to follow Christ and I wanted the world to know. I also wanted to wait for Fall Retreat to be that time because that’s where my journey began a year ago. I stood on the beach Sunday morning and watched 17 people walk into the ocean, go under as old, and come up as new. The cheers and excitement from everyone on the beach as they watched could be heard for miles. With each newly baptized Christ follower, the celebration grew! People on the beach would stop and watch, ask questions, and some stayed to celebrate with us. Then it was my turn. As I walked into the waves with Adam and Stephen, I felt the excitement growing within me. I was ready to declare to all of my friends, family, and strangers that were standing on the beach, that I had decided to follow Jesus and there was no turning back. When I came up out of the water there was an overwhelming explosion of celebration, and it shook me to my core. I was a broken, worn down sinner, not worthy to be called a Child of God, yet by His grace and mercy I was saved.

Fall Retreat is not just a weekend for followers of Jesus to come and learn. Fall Retreat is a weekend for lives to be changed, for hearts to be wrecked, and for God to be praised! The weekend may be over and the excitement may die down, but the memories will last forever. We came as a group of college students, but we left as the Body of Christ. Now is our time to take all that we learned and put it into fruition. Now is our time to live for Christ. Whether it be on the campuses of FGCU and FSW, at Summit Church, at the grocery store, in our homes, or out with friends, now is our time to be used for God’s glory.

I can’t. You can. Here I am. 

-Erika

Serving in the Dominican Republic

The team and I arrived in Dominican Republic on Saturday, September 24th and since we arrived we’ve been welcomed and received so well by the staff of Love Serves; one of our Xpansion partners.

Love Serves’ mission is to train pastors and help equip them for the mission of reaching their geography with the Gospel of Jesus Christ. They do this in a variety of ways and they do it effectively, working with close to 2000 pastors and churches across the island. Since our partnership with Love Serves, Summit has decided to focus on the work in the city of Haina. Haina has a population of approximately 160,000 people made up of many different villages and towns. As you can imagine the poverty is extreme but the spirit of our Christian brothers and sisters here is strong.

Summit is blessed to work with Pastor Julio who is the lead pastor of El Refugio Church in Haina. Like it's name, this little church has truly become a refuge for the community and truly is doing a great work presenting the Gospel to every man, woman and child both in word and deed. Currently El Refugio, has four other church plants with a vision to plant five more all throughout the city.

Since the team arrived we have been working with Pastor Julio and the wonderful folks of his church, doing children's ministry, making home visits and leading their men’s and youth ministries. It has been such a blessing to see the team from Summit serve alongside the church here.

We’ve also been working hard on El Refugio's current construction project, which will be a vocational center for the youth in a city called Quitosueno. Pastor Julio’s vision for this project came after his son was murdered several years ago in a gang-related robbery attempt. This is a devastating situation for any parent, but here is where the beauty and the power of the Gospel never ceases to amaze. Pastor Julio's response to this horrible event was to build a vocational center right in the midst of the community where he lost his son, to give young men and women a better opportunity at life and more importantly, to spread the life giving message of Jesus Christ. Not only will this be a vocational center but also the sixth church campus location for El Refugio.

The humility and the passion of these pastors is a wonderful and refreshing thing to see.  The folks of El Refugio as they work on constructing the building are also building bridges into the community.

Summit would you please join us in prayer for the work here in the DR and for our brothers and sisters on the front lines doing the Lord's work. On behalf of all of our elders and staff, thank you for your faithfulness to the mission. Your faithful giving and continual prayers are being used by God to further his redemptive work beyond what you think, and we thank you again for it.  

Orlando Cabrera

The Gospel and Race Forum Video

Here is the video of our first Gospel Forum. Please watch and share this extremely important and timely discussion.

Impacting our Schools!

Our Family Ministries team has had a great week at our Core Assemblies this week as we visited 4 different schools; Rayma C. Page Elementary, San Carlos Elementary, Pine Woods Elementary and Three Oaks Elementary. We were privileged to teach a curriculum called Core Essentials to over 4,000 students and 250 faculty, giving them solid principles like "Treat others right, Make smart decisions and Maximize your potential".

Producing and executing these assemblies helps us establish a solid presence in our schools and builds relationships with the students and faculty in our community. We have seen that building into these relationships have given us huge favor not only with the faculty of these schools, but with the parents and students as well. We are praising God for His favor with these schools in our community. Please pray with us as we work to grow our influence and continue to build relationships in our community for the sake of reaching every man, woman and child with the gospel of Jesus Christ!

- Mark Schaap

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The Gomez Family on Mission

Visit Al and Sarah at gomezmission.com to find out how you can support their transition to Nicaragua.

Summit's 13th Anniversary

 This coming weekend will mark the 13th anniversary of the first official service of Summit Church on the campus of Florida Gulf Coast University.  I came across this old logo today which was one of the first logos we had, and quickly my mind was flooded with so many thoughts and images, so many faces and moments that I could not help but to sit back and smile. 

So much has happened since 15 people came together in a living room to begin the discussion of what God wanted regarding a new church in Southwest Florida.  So many milestones have been reached, so many blessings have been experienced and so much has been accomplished, and we know for a fact, all of what has transpired from a positive Kingdom aspect is all due to one reason and one reason only, the faithfulness of God.

 When we set out to plant Summit Church 13 years ago, there was a vision, there was excitement and there was a lot of expectancy and belief that God would do something special, but we had no idea that He would pour out His grace and grant us His favor in such tremendous ways. 

Today Summit is one church in three locations. We’ve been able to plant a total of twelve churches, some locally, others nationally and some internationally.  We have been able to partner with tons of ministries around the world through our Xpansion ministry.  Today we have thirty eight Xpansion partners in sixteen different countries.  And through the generosity of God’s people, which has always been such a powerful characteristic of this expression, we have been able to give close to 6 million dollars to ministries outside of our four walls during these 13 years of existence. 

Over the last five years since we first launched our Every Child Initiative we have seen tremendous growth in the number of families who have adopted and who are currently serving as foster care parents and who are also involved in other ways of caring for vulnerable children.  We have seen tons of people come to know Jesus Christ as their personal Savior and follow Him in obedience in believer’s baptism. Already this year we have been able to baptize over 50 people most of who came to know Christ through the ministry of Summit Church.

We have a lot to be thankful for and we certainly have a lot to celebrate, but we do not celebrate ourselves, we celebrate the Lord.  Some of the first words spoken at Summit Church on the day of our first service were from Psalm 115:1 “Not to us, O Lord, not to us, but to your name goes all the glory for your unfailing love and faithfulness.” 

There have been many renditions of our logo over the last thirteen years but I am so grateful that this verse has remained central to our ministry and to our prayers and that is, may all we do truly bring glory to God.  He is the famous One, He is the hope for the world and His Gospel is the Good News that people need.

As we approach this weekend it is right for us to look back and remember all that God has done, but as we do, may it serve to fuel our gratitude to a God who is so worthy of our worship and our very lives. It has been an amazing 13 years and we thank those who have been and continue to be a part of this mission. 

There is still much we are trusting God for and so we ask that you continue to pray that God would build His Church, not just Summit Church, but the Church that is grounded in the Gospel.  Let’s pray that the Church would see such a move of God that we do see an ever-growing number of people hearing and responding to the Good News of Jesus Christ. May we as the people of God continue to seek the Lord and continue to represent the Gospel in the places we work, live and play. 

We thank God for these 13 years and we are expecting great things in the future from Him, for the good of our city and for the glory of His name. May the mission and the call on our lives to take the Gospel to every man, woman and child be an anthem that continues to resound in our hearts…thank you again for your prayers, partnership and faithfulness, we are grateful for you.

-Orlando Cabrera

The Eyres on Foster Care

If you've ever considered becoming a Foster Parent and would like more information, don't hesitate to contact us. We would love to hear from you!

"Thank you" from our school partners!

Our school partners are so grateful for the people of Summit Church have so faithfully demonstrated the love of Christ to our community! Below is just some of the thanks we have received from Teachers and School Administrators.

“Thank you so much for the gifts of the uniforms, smoothies and the check. Our Staff and students are so appreciative of everything that you do for us. We could not have a better partner for Treeline!”

— Kelly Thornton, Principal of Treeline Elementary

“We truly appreciate the love you show to our staff by providing smoothies! It really is a nice treat that makes our long preschool days more enjoyable.

On behalf of our students and families I would also like to thank the entire Summit Church family for the backpacks full of student supplies. This is a tremendous blessing to our families and also to our teachers. More often than not, when students do not have the necessary supplies our teachers dip into their own pockets to help provide for the students.

It’s a great day at San Carlos Park Elementary!”

— Christy M.P. Kutz, Principal of San Carlos Park Elementary

“Huge THANK YOU to Summit Church for their awesome donation of backpacks for students in need.”

— Estero High School Twitter

Justin & Shannon

Intentional Discipleship

Over this last year, I have had the joy and opportunity to be discipled by Pam Cabrera, along with a few other girls. Participating in discipleship meant engaging in what we have been called to be a part of.

Personally, it has taught me the reality of living out the gospel. I have learned the gospel is our saving grace, not to make our story complete and over with, but to transform us every single day. The gospel is not a part of what my testimony "was", but is a part of my testimony right now! It is because of this discipleship process that I have learned how being called a "follower of Christ" means we have the joy of living each day with our identity being justified and dignified.

Meeting with Pam, I have learned that reading the Word and understanding what it is saying is something that is tough, yet so very important for a follower of Christ to engage in because it is God's own breath written to his sons and daughters. When we try to capture the beauty and mystery of what God has for us stored in His Word, we enter into a new way of living out something that we would never want to hide, and never want to keep quiet about.

This journey of discipleship is not just a study of the Bible, but actually doing life with others who want to walk alongside you and turn you back to the gospel because they themselves have seen and understand the love that our Heavenly Father has first shown us. Through this discipleship process, God has led me to understand this call for my life and has allowed me to disciple a girl of my own and from here on out I hope to continue following after the call He has given me to be one of His disciples.

-Sarah

Saturday Night Services

In just over a week and a half, on August 13th, we will be re-launching our Saturday night services at our University Campus with a new time of 6pm.  We are very excited to be going back to three services on the weekend. As a staff we see the need to offer a third service as a true blessing from God and as an opportunity to continue to move His mission forward. 

We continue to be amazed God’s activity and thankful to Him for His continual blessings and faithfulness to us and to our ministry.  We are seeking and trusting God for greater things (Eph. 3:20) in this next season of ministry, for the good of our people, our community and for the glory of His name alone.  As we get ready for this re-launch there are a few things we want to keep in front of you and ask you to consider….

#1.  First, as we move forward with this re-launch we want you to keep in mind that our Saturday night service, like all of the other services we offer at Summit,  is first and foremost about worshipping God in Spirit and in truth.  When we gather, we gather with the aim and chief desire to exalt the name of Christ. When we gather it’s about engaging the Lord through His Word, as we sit under its teachings with a desire to be taught, challenged, lovingly corrected and transformed by it through the power of God’s Spirit. It’s about being encouraged, renewed and sent out for God’s mission.  Recognizing that the power of our gathering is seen through our scattering as we live sent lives for the sake of the Gospel.  Our gatherings are about creating a space where those who are outside of a relationship with the Father can come in and have the opportunity to hear the saving message of the Gospel and hopefully respond to it’s life-giving claims.  So with all that stated, as we get ready to re-launch our Saturday night service, let’s remember that this gathering is not primarily about freeing up chairs on Sunday and it is not to be a thing of convenience for ourselves, but may we hold with great intentionality the purposes of why we gather as the church.  May we see Saturday night as both an opportunity to engage a living God, as well as an opportunity to press into the mission He has given us.

#2.  Secondly, if Summit University is the campus you attend would you prayerfully consider making Saturday night “your service.”  We would love for you to be committed to attending that service with a true missional spirit and intentionality.  Filling seats is not our goal---the mission is “to glorify God by making disciples who will represent the Gospel to every man, woman and child.”  So not only do we need and want many of you to make the switch to Saturday night, we also want you to do it with an eager and expectant heart. We want this type of focus and commitment to be reflected in an attitude of service.

#3.  Third, if Saturday night has been or becomes your service, then get involved from jump.  Connect into an area of service.  There are plenty of opportunities within our different age-based children’s ministries, Big Enuf and KidZone.  There are also opportunities to serve on the Host Team or our AVL Team.  One of the ways in which we grow in our spiritual maturity is through service. Joining one of our service teams not only connects you deeper with the body of Christ but it also moves you closer to the center of God’s redemptive activity and mission.  So make the move to Saturday night, but don’t just attend, get engaged in what God is doing and what He desires to do.

#4.  Lastly, if you can’t make the move to Saturday night or don’t feel led to, or you attend one of our other campuses, here is something we ALL can do and must do, and that is PRAY, PRAY, PRAY.  What we have been called to and what we are trusting the Lord for must be bathed, grounded and fueled through prayer.  Leonard Ravenhill, an old time preacher, says in his book, Why Revival Tarries “the lack of prayer from God’s people is a subtle yet bold declaration that what God has initiated by His Spirit we now think can be accomplished our own strength…”  May this never be the case for us as the people of God who call Summit Church home.  May our dependency upon God through prayer grow and grow and grow in this next season.  And may our prayers be filled with thanksgiving, intercession for the lost, accompanied with pleading for God to pour out more of His Spirit on our communities that results in a revival of Gospel proportions. 

Thank you Summit for your continual commitment to the mission.  We love you guys and look forward to seeing many of you on Saturday night.

 - Orlando Cabrera

Say So Stories

Summit family, we're so encouraged by the stories of God's activity in our lives. Below are several excerpts from some of the stories that were shared with us throughout our summer series, 'Say So'. We hope you are encouraged by the goodness and grace of God!

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About 3 years ago I was devastated to discover my husbands affair with a young co-worker. I was in total shock. I was in such pain and hurt and I didn't know how to go on after my life, my future, fell apart.  After everything failed, I put my trust in God. I knew it was all out of my control. It was the most difficult time of my life but I am so grateful that I put my trust in God. He fought my enemies and in the end I have the victory. Forever blessed. - H

Reading through Psalm 107:10-16 this morning reminded me that I was once "so blind". Those verses describe me perfectly. I sat in sin and darkness, a prisoner of my sin. A slave to its call. Desirous of its momentary pleasures. Rebellious towards God...prideful and covetous, lustful and irresponsible. In the pit of darkness on June 10th, 1985 verses 13 & 14 were also true of me. "Then they cried out to the Lord in their troubles, and He delivered them from their distress. He brought them out of darkness and the shadow of death, and burst their bonds apart". Praise be to God. The chains were broken and I was redeemed. Free from my life-dominating sin. He has taught me more than I could have ever imagined. He is a good, good God and I owe Him all!  - C

My grace story is my wife.  When I felt like throwing in the towel, her prayers kept our marriage alive. This summer we celebrate 9 years of marriage. When I deal with struggles within myself, conviction kicks in and my wife's love kicks in. Summit family, keep pressing forward and remember in our weakness, He is our strength. - S

I am so thankful for a faithful, honest place to call home. Most of my life I thought I knew what church and a Christian walk should look like until I left the only church/city I knew and came to Fort Myers/Summit. I'm so thankful for the community of Summit, (Recovery included) that the Lord continues to use to teach me the beautiful importance of vulnerability, His overwhelming goodness, and that He works in ordinary days and routines, not only in big moments. - C

When I was 18 years old I lead a life full of darkness. My friends and I were actively into drugs, alcohol, and partying. My life was lost and full of emptiness. I literally remember waking up most mornings feeling empty and having nothing to live for except another fleshly experience that would leave me feeling more empty than the experience before.  Just a few months before I turned 19 years old, I was at a camp. During this time they had Christian speakers that spoke about God and His Love and forgiveness. During one of the nights I came forward to give my life to Jesus. I can remember it like it was yesterday. It was the most wonderful feeling I had ever had. It was literally like the Pilgrim's Progress story where the character Christian has his burden lifted and the burden is gone!  The thing I think about is this... Sometimes I say 'what has the Lord done for me today?' But I forget that today would look much different without Him. God has saved my life in more than one way.  - R

My wife  and I have been married for seven years and God has really grown us through adversity. Within the last three and a half years we have experienced four consecutive miscarriages. Although it has been extremely difficult to understand and grievous, the Lord has given us “a peace that surpasses all understanding” as Philippians 4:7 says. We believe we will meet the children one day in heaven in Jesus’ presence. Despite the sadness and grief that has come with the losses, the Lord has grown are faith, love, trust, and knowledge in Him; not only has He grown us in Him, but He has grown our love and intimacy towards each other in our marriage. To Christ’s glory and praise, we are almost 20 weeks pregnant. We have never come along this far and everything looks healthy. To God be the glory and we are entrusting ourselves and this pregnancy to Him. We have experienced and thoroughly believe Job 1:21: “Naked I came from my mother’s womb, and naked shall I return. The Lord gave, and the Lord has taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord.” - R

This year started off with my mom being diagnosed with an incurable brain tumor. I could not even imagine walking through this storm without the Lord by my side. The knowledge of His goodness and the bondage He has pulled me from brings me peace in the storm because I know He will rescue me in my distress. He has done it. He has proven it. My greatest fear with my mom's illness is her salvation. And even that the Lord has taken from me and has whispered to me, "I've got this." So no matter what happens, I know I can rest in Him because He loves me and He cares for me like no other. He is still my God. -D

FAST FORWARD

WHY FAST?

– Fasting was an expected discipline in both the Old and New Testament eras. For example, Moses fasted at least two recorded 40-day periods. Jesus fasted 40 days and reminded His followers to fast saying, “when you fast“, not if you fast.

– Fasting and prayer can restore the loss of the “first love” for your Lord and result in a more intimate relationship with Christ.

– Fasting is a biblical way to truly humble yourself in the sight of God (Psalm 35:13; Ezra 8:21). King David said, “I humble myself through fasting.”

– Fasting enables the Holy Spirit to reveal your true spiritual condition, resulting in brokenness, repentance, and a transformed life.

– Fasting can transform your prayer life into a richer and more personal experience.

– Fasting can result in a dynamic personal revival in your own life and make you a channel of revival to others.

POINTS OF FOCUS.

1.  Pray for our community, specifically for those who do not know Christ.  Pray that the uprising we are seeing of crime and violence throughout our communities would cease.  Pray that the light of Jesus Christ would continue to push back darkness and set captives free.  Pray that God would continue to draw those who do not know Him into a loving relationship with Himself through His Son, Jesus Christ.  (“The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance.” 2 Peter 3:9)

2.  Pray for our nation.  Pray that God would bring revival.  Pray that the Church, the people of God would stand up and be the ambassadors that the Lord has called us to be.  Pray that the Church could lead the way in love, grace and unity amongst all people.  Pray for our leaders at the local, state and national level.  (“I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for all people, for kings and all who are in high positions, that we may lead a peaceful and quiet life, godly and dignified in every way. This is good, and it is pleasing in the sight of God our Savior, who desires all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth. 1 Timothy 2:1-4)

3.  Pray for the surrounding churches in our area.  Pray that God would continue to bless these  expressions and grow their influence and efforts into their communities for the sake of the Gospel.  Pray for our latest, church plant resident, Bill Vecchio, as he continues to gather and train up a launch team for his church plant, Ecclesia, which will be launched near the SWFL State College area.  Pray for God to provide for the different needs of these works as they strive to bring the Gospel to every man, woman and child.  (“…and thus I make it my ambition to preach the gospel, not where Christ has already been named, lest I build on someone else's foundation, but as it is written, “Those who have never been told of him will see, and those who have never heard will understand.”  Romans 15:20-21)

4. Pray for our mission partnerships and missionaries around the world.  Pray that God would work in mighty ways in and through these different organizations that are striving to bring the Gospel to every man, woman and child.  (A list of these partners can be found on our website www.summitlife.com/missions/)  (“Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in[b] the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.” Matthew 28:19-20)

 5.  Pray for our Life Group Ministry that will be getting ramped up again this fall.  Pray that in this season God would raise up leaders who would serve in this crucial area of our ministry.  Pray that as a church we may see a greater number of people living in biblical community and intentional discipleship.  (“And they devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers.” Acts 2:42)

Student Life Camp 2016

"But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light." - 1 Peter 2:9

This week at Student Life Camp we are learning about being 'set apart'. Early in the week the Holy Spirit began to move and stir in the hearts of our teenagers, as at least 12 students stood and declared Jesus as their Savior.

After our second night of worship we had a church gathering of all 3 Summit campuses and gave the students an opportunity to share what was on their hearts. We are truly witnessing heart transformation. The students shared boldly what the Lord has placed on their hearts and was a great encouragement not only to their peers but also to the leaders.

We are excited what God has planned for the rest of the week! Please be in prayer for us that God would transform the lives of our students!

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Update from Haiti

We began our journey somewhere around 2am Saturday morning headed for Ft Lauderdale to board a plane with 20 moms, dads and kiddos flying to Haiti to serve alongside one of our Xpansion partners Mission of Hope, Haiti.  Our first two days have consisted of us entering the local villages to meet families, playing soccer and other fun games with the children, and seeing all the great things MOH is doing for the country of Haiti.  They truly desire to see every man, woman and child transformed by the power of the Gospel.  

On Sunday we worshipped in their Haitian-led church services and toured the main campus along with the Bercy campus where our team is staying.  It has been very eye opening to our team as they have seen MOH President, Brad Johnson's vision come to life from his willingness to answer the call God placed on him and his wife Vanessa in 1997.  

There are 91,000 meals a day sent out by this organization and still 81,000 on a waiting list. There are so many other great things they are doing here like building a technical school, an elderly home, orphanage, schools, medical clinic and many other great things.  

The beauty of this ministry is that everything they do leads with the Gospel.  The hope for mankind is Jesus and as they make disciples here they will see radical transformation of this country. Men, women and children who are saved and begin following Jesus will now live on mission in the places they live, work and play so that many other will hear the Good News.  

Please continue to pray for our team as we have some who are sick and rundown already. Pray for God’s continued favor on MOH and for our team to be vessels He uses for his glory as we are here this week.

Update from the Dominican Republic

We are halfway through our week in Haina, Dominican Republic, and it has been a truly amazing experience so far. Last Saturday we set out with six young adults from Summit to serve alongside The Refuge Church "El Refugio" in the urban community outside of the capital city, Santo Domingo.

We joined with 30 others from churches in south Florida, Tennessee, and Ohio, to engage with, encourage, and empower the local church here in the D.R. in conjunction with our partner Love Serves. It really has been a partnership with the local church and Love Serves as they have already been doing the ground work, planting seeds, and reaching the lost, and we have now joined them in their mission.

We have helped finish the floor of their trade school that will serve to equip men and women with opportunities to provide for their families, as well as to give the young people of this community outlets from the typical lifestyles of gangs and prostitution. The team has also enjoyed getting to care for the children of the community by hosting camps in conjunction with The Refuge.

Besides serving with The Refuge, we have also learned from the Dominican men and women what it means to love the community God has placed us in. It's humbling to see every household being prayed over, invested in and engaged in evangelistic conversations. This church has truly become a light in the darkness and we have all grown from witnessing their faithful representation of Jesus to their neighbors and family.

In the midst of so much poverty, pain, and seemingly hopeless situations, God is displaying his love and goodness through this faithful expression of His body.

As we enter the final half of our week would you consider praying for our team?

1. That God would continue to provide opportunities for us to engage with the community in Gospel conversations leading to growth and salvation.

2. That our six from Summit would embrace the mission that God has given us, not only for the Dominican Republic but for out own homes and family.

3. That our partner, Love Serves, would feel encouraged by our team's presence here and would feel the love and support from our summit community.

Injustice and Hope

I have tried over the past week to sit down and collect my thoughts and try to write some of what has been running through my mind and heart over the last week as I have, along with the rest of the world, observed the events that have unfolded in our country. Especially concerning the shooting deaths of Alton Stirling, Philando Castile as well as the shooting deaths of five police officers in Dallas who were killed in the midst of a peaceful demonstration. 

This blog post is in no way a statement of what side I am on regarding these horrific cases and the many like it. And whether we want to admit it or not, there are sides. But what we need to realize is the fact that these sides have existed and have been present long before these incidents. I am a pastor, the brother of a police officer, the friend of many who are from different nationalities and backgrounds and the son of two parents who were not born in this country, so all of those things seem to flood my mind as I try to discern and come to grips with events like this and I am sure it’s the same for many of you. 

So again this blog is NOT about what side I am on. It actually grieves me that there even has to be a side.  So for the sake of clarity I repeat, this blog is not about “my side”. In fact, part of what grieves my heart is that there are so many “sides” in events like this.  I am seeking desperately to remember and remain on God’s side of these unfortunate events.  I am praying that God keeps me in a place that is cognizant of the fact that ultimately in my life there were two sides…darkness and light, bondage and freedom, truth and lies, death and life and before the Gospel, I was on the wrong side.  My life was filled with darkness, bondage, lies and death with my imminent reality being a Christ-less eternity, BUT GOD in His grace through His Gospel rescued me. I don’t ever want to lose sight of that and I desperately want to remain on the side of light, freedom, truth and life, especially in moments like this.

This blog post is also not an attempt to bring closure to these events as though to say let’s hurry up and turn the page, and go back to our regularly scheduled reading of statuses concerning people’s workouts, food and/or recaps of the latest Bachelorette episode. No, my heart and hope is to just set out a sober call to us as the Church and the people of God. I stated that I wanted to be on God’s side as I come to and continue to reflect upon the events of the past week and the real growing possibility of similar events or retaliatory type of events that may come in the future, because it’s only in the Gospel that I can find rest for my angst and peace for my troubled soul.  So with that stated I humbly and prayerfully share these thoughts that I hope will in some way cause us to slow down and reflect, and then lead us to more earnest and deep prayer as the Lord brings us to a place of resolute hope in Him.  As I consider and view these events from God’s side and through the lens of the Gospel I must remember that…

#1. The hostility between people due to race, color, religion, and/or ethnicity is not a new problem, (though it may feel like one because it’s become more relevant to us). But it is a real problem and tension that is part of the basis of Jesus’ mission. 

The Apostle Paul in the Book of Ephesians tells us that the agent of reconciliation between people groups is in fact Jesus.  He writes in chapter two verse fourteen, “For he himself is our peace, who has made the two groups one and has destroyed the barrier, the dividing wall of hostility,” (NIV). 

There has never been “the days of yester year” whatever that means. There have only been two individuals in the history of humanity that ever experienced the reality of life without hostility and they blew it. Their names were Adam and Eve, the place was the Garden of Eden, the time was the beginning of the world, the result was sin and brokenness.  Sin has given birth to all sorts of diseases, like racism and hostility. Trying to refute the reality that there is in fact a wall or trying to make light of others whose lives are in fact impacted on a daily level by the wall of hostility and racism is not the answer, and we must see that it only perpetuates the problem further. The answer for our growing problem is and will forever be Jesus.

I know what you’re thinking-“I know that, but…” and there in lies the problem. Our “but” if we are not careful can turn into a sign that we either don’t truly believe there is an actual problem, don’t think it can ever change or don’t actually care because we ourselves aren’t being impacted, or don’t care about those whose lives are dramatically effected by such a wall of division. The Gospel breaks down walls, and reconciles people together and we must never lose sight of that truth.

#2.  God has and will never be silent on the issues of injustices in all it’s forms (whether it be the abuse of authority that results in the unfair treatment or killings of black males, any and all forms of unjust treatment of people or the assaults and murderous slayings of police officers) and God desires that His Church act as His voice of Truth while representing His heart of mercy and love.

The Church cannot afford to sit this one out, so to speak. This is not the season or time to fade into the background and hope the current narrative, temperature or reality of our time some how changes.  We have been called by God to a relationship with Himself, through the finished work of Jesus Christ and we have been commissioned and granted power to be His agents of change, His mouthpieces and His ambassadors. God’s Word is clear, “He has told you, O man, what is good; and what does the LORD require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?” (Micah 6:8).  Now this is not a license to scream at the culture, but rather a command to be present in the midst of the culture’s weeping. It’s a call to move with greater intentionality towards those who are hurting, marginalized or mistreated and seek to bring hope and help in whatever form the Lord will lead or call us to. We have been instructed to speak Truth in the midst of the culture’s twisted agendas, fully aware that such a stance may draw critics as well as opposition. So through the power of the Holy Spirit, we must bring with that Truth both boldness and graciousness…The Apostle Peter wrote, “But in your hearts honor Christ the Lord as holy, always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and respect, having a good conscience, so that, when you are slandered, those who revile your good behavior in Christ may be put to shame. For it is better to suffer for doing good, if that should be God’s will, than for doing evil.” (1 Pet. 3:15–17). 

God has ordained us as His people to stand as those committed to being a conduit of His grace and love that ultimately brings reconciliation with Him and opens the door for reconciliation to be had with others.  We must take to heart the words of the Apostle Paul, “Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, God making his appeal through us. We implore you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God. For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.” (2 Cor. 5:20-21)

I know the problem is so big…I get it, but we mustn’t allow the immensity of the problems we see around us be the excuse for our inactivity and disobedience. Be fully present, be committed, be sensitive, be vocal in both your words of Truth seasoned with grace and be LOUD in your selfless acts of love and service that speak to your love for God and more importantly His radical, furious love for people. 

#3.  A day is coming that is much greater than this day and the vision of that coming day is what fuels our missional zeal and aligns our hearts with the Father.

Hopefully you know the day I am referring to is the day that the tension of this now and not yet is finally lifted and the yearnings of our hearts to be home with Him will be fully experienced without hindrance or delay. That DAY in all it’s glory will surpass, trump and close out this Day of pain and suffering. That DAY will bring full understanding to all of the Father’s providential and sovereign workings in human history. That DAY will usher in a new day for us and will open for us the place and person we were designated to be in relationship with, God the Father.  And as I close let this picture encourage you, break your heart and fan your passion to share the loving, victorious Gospel of Jesus Christ…

 “After this I looked, and behold, a great multitude that no one could number, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed in white robes, with palm branches in their hands, and crying out with a loud voice, “Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb!” And all the angels were standing around the throne and around the elders and the four living creatures, and they fell on their faces before the throne and worshiped God, saying, “Amen! Blessing and glory and wisdom and thanksgiving and honor and power and might be to our God forever and ever! Amen.”  (Revelation 9:9-12) 

Our hope is in the One who is the finisher of our faith.  Our hope is in the One who reigns right now and forever, so let’s fix our eyes on Him and let’s seek to live as sent ones in a world that is desperate for hope, change, healing and joy. We may not know exactly what change needs to be brought, but we do know that the Gospel is relevant, is powerful and is the source of real change, so let’s speak GOOD NEWS. Let the redeemed of the Lord SAY SO…

Johnny's Transition

The Pereiras

 “ He who calls you is faithful; he will surely do it.”

-1 Thessalonians 5:24

I have always loved the clarity, simplicity and urgency of this verse for as long as I can remember: clarity in the sense that the Lord calls you to the work He has placed before you, simplicity that the Lord who calls is also faithful, and urgency to be obedient as you trust in the One who will ultimately do the work to which He has called you.

Our family has been so blessed to have had opportunities over the last seventeen years of pastoral ministry to hear the Lord’s call to gospel works, experience His faithfulness in and through our lives, and participate in His activity through those works.

In July of 2011, our family was led to be a part of Summit Church and I became the Naples Campus pastor after having been a part of church-planting in Naples since 2007. Words cannot express the gratitude and privilege it has been for our family to be a part of the Lord’s work at this church. We have been so humbled to work alongside this amazing staff, pastor fantastic people, and see the gospel at work in this region, nation, and world.  I am not the same man and my family is not the same since being at Summit. In our pastoring of you, God has shepherded our hearts to mold and make us more like Himself and for this we will be eternally grateful.

As much as we love Summit Church, we believe the Lord’s desire and calling for our family is to obediently follow what He has prepared us for next.  We believe the Lord has directed us to join a church-planting network called Harvest Bible Fellowship (HBF) and plant a Harvest Bible Chapel.

www.harvestbiblefellowship.org.

Since 2003, HBF has started 152 churches in 19 countries on five continents and much like Summit Church, has a heart for gospel proclamation to every man, woman, and child.

Our family wants you to know that this decision has not been an easy one. We love Summit Church. We love its leaders and pastors. And we have cherished the opportunity to lead and love the people of the Naples campus!  But when God speaks, we must obey.

A passage of scripture the Lord used to confirm this “next” calling in our lives was…

He who has prepared us for this very thing is God, who has given us the Spirit as a guarantee. 6 So we are always of good courage. We know that while we are at home in the body we are away from the Lord, 7 for we walk by faith, not by sight. 8 Yes, we are of good courage, and we would rather be away from the body and at   home with the Lord. 9 So whether we are at home or away, we make it our aim to please him.

            -2 Corinthians 5:5-9

We leave Summit Church knowing the Lord has prepared us for this very thing and so we obey with courage and we walk by faith knowing that our aim in life is to please Him.

What is unique about what the Lord is calling us to, is we do not yet have a clearly defined place where we believe God is calling us to plant a church. We just know He has called us to join Harvest Bible Fellowship and plant a Harvest Bible Chapel.  In many ways we see this as God asking us to be obedient like He did with Abraham in Genesis 12:1 - …go to the land that I will show you.”  So we are obeying the call of the Lord in our lives expectantly, joyfully, and faithfully believing in the “one who calls us is faithful and will surely do it.”

As you read this I am sure there are some questions and I want to answer what I believe would be the two most frequently asked:

1.     When will your family be leaving?

Our family will need to be in Elgin, IL at the Harvest Training Center the second week of August. Lily and Lucas start school August 16th. This gives us a week to move into the Training Center housing and get settled before the kids start school. We would live in Elgin from August through December as Lori and I attend the Training Center and the children would go to the school through the fall semester. In January, we will move to where the Lord gives us direction to minister.

2.     What is the plan for the Naples Campus?

As we make this leap of faith trusting in the character and provision of the Lord for our family, we also take great confidence in knowing the Lord will also provide for the Naples Congregation. Aaron, Jason, and Wendy already carry much of the weight of the weekly administration, programming and ministries of the Naples Campus. Jamin will step into the primary communicator role at the Naples Campus through the end of this year. This was Jamin’s role at the Naples Campus for five years before I came to the campus and the Naples Campus thrived under his teaching.  Jamin coming down to step into this role through the end of the year gives time for the Lord to reveal his long-term plan to the Directional Edlers for this position in Naples. The Naples Campus is in good hands and in a healthy place to experience God’s BEST!

As I stated at the beginning of this blog, 1 Thessalonians 5:24 says, “He who calls you is faithful; he will surely do it.” This is true for our family and this is also true for the Naples Campus and Summit Church as a whole!

We love you all!
Johnny Pereira

Pray for Sports Camp

We are super excited for Sports Camp 2016!

This year we will have 750 students between our two Sports Camps and this creates great opportunities for us to have gospel influence in our communities. Nearly a quarter of of our attendees (22%) indicated that they have no affiliation with any church, so we’re excited about the opportunity to represent the gospel through this camp to families who otherwise might not have any connection to Christ.

Each day we will be sharing the gospel through large group rallies as well as small group breakouts as our 230 volunteers engage these kids on a daily basis. As we head into these next couple of weeks of camps, we would like ask the church to pray for us in the following ways:

1.    Pray for God’s continued favor to connect with these families in our communities.

2.    Pray for all our volunteers that they’ll be able to engage in gospel conversations with the kids in their small groups.  

3.    Pray that the weather will cooperate with us and the rain will hold off.  

4.    Pray for endurance for the leaders who will be leading out in back to back camps this year.