By Orlando Cabrera
This week marks the 17th anniversary of the first official service of Summit Church on the campus of Florida Gulf Coast University. It has certainly been an incredible journey. The many miracles we have seen God do in our history are nothing short of amazing. So much has happened since 15 people came together in a living room to discuss what God desired to do in and through a new church in Southwest Florida.
God has blessed us richly! We have been privileged to partner with God and see the fruit that has come from His immeasurable grace. We have seen evidence of God’s power, grace, and love in a plethora of ways. All glory goes to Him! We can say with confidence that our God is good, mighty, and steadfast in all His ways.
When we set out to plant Summit Church 17 years ago, there was a vision, excitement, some apprehension, and an overwhelming sense that God wanted to do something special. But to be honest, we had no idea what it would look like. 17 years later, we have seen the Lord do immeasurably more than we could have imagined. Today Summit is one church in three growing and thriving congregations that are each meeting in their own facilities and striving to reach their geographies with the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
Since our inception we have been given the opportunity to plant churches locally, nationally, and internationally. The Lord has allowed us to link arms with many ministries around the world through our Xpansion ministry. Today we are working with missionaries, churches, and mission organizations in 14 different countries to bring the Gospel to every man, woman, and child. The generosity of God’s people has been a powerful characteristic of this church, and has resulted in just over 10 million dollars invested in ministries outside of our four walls. Again, we praise God for His faithfulness.
Ten years ago we launched Recovery at Summit. This ministry is focused on bringing healing, hope, and restoration to those who are struggling with a hurt, habit, or hang-up. We thank God for the amazing stories of life change through this ministry.
Over 9 years ago we launched our Every Child Initiative. Since the birth of this ministry – which is now central to who we are – we’ve seen families step forward and step out to be a Gospel response to the plight of vulnerable children. We thank God for the families and individuals that have responded to God’s call to foster, sponsor, adopt, and advocate for vulnerable children.
And on top of all of this I must mention the hundreds of people that have come to know Jesus Christ as their personal Savior and have followed Him in obedience in believer’s baptism.
Summit, there is much to be grateful for and we have tons to celebrate, but we do not celebrate ourselves; we celebrate the Lord. Some of the first words spoken at Summit Church at 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.”
Much has changed here at Summit, but I am grateful that this verse and the posture it called us to have remained central to our ministry.
So, with all that said, as a Church, let’s do the following:
#1. Take a moment to look back and remember all that God has done in your own life through this ministry. Whether you’ve been at Summit for 17 years, 17 months, or 17 days, if God has touched your heart and blessed your life with the grace that flows from Christ, THANK HIM for that. Let us be a thankful people. (Psalm 100)
#2. Remain in prayer with us. These 17 years have been incredible, but God is not done! The Lord is still moving and desires to reach every man, woman, and child with the Gospel of Jesus Christ. So let’s remain committed and vigilant in praying that God would dispense His glorious grace. Let us be a praying people. (Colossians 4:2)
#3. Continue to embrace the mission as your own. Get connected in the life and ministry of the church, both inside and outside the walls of Summit. One of our convictions is that whatever God wants to do in the world today, He wants to do through all of Christ’s people. If you’ve trusted in Christ, God desires to use you in His redemptive mission. Join Him in this glorious, life-giving work. Let us be a missionally-driven people. (Matthew 28:18-20)
We cannot thank each of you enough for your support, encouragement, generosity, and partnership. Let’s “press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 3:14) as we seek to be godly people who represent the Gospel in the places we work, live, and play. We thank God for these 17 years and we expect great things in the future from Him, for the good of our city and the glory of His name. We love you Summit Family!