By Orlando Cabrera
This coming weekend we will celebrate the 18th anniversary of the official public launch of Summit Church. In some ways it feels like just yesterday that we were gathering and launching out together in this new work on the campus of Florida Gulf Coast University. So much has happened in these past 18 years that one blog post could never begin to scratch the surface. God has truly done “far more abundantly than all that we could have asked or imagined” (Ephesians 3:20). And He has done it all for the glory of His name and for the good of His people.
From that one gathering, 18 years ago, the Lord in His grace and faithfulness has multiplied Summit to three congregations in SWFL, meeting in their own facilities and reaching their God-given geographies with the gospel of Jesus Christ. We’ve been privileged to help start new churches across our community and across our nation and the world. We’ve celebrated even recently as the Lord sent out two Elders, eight Deacons and more than 30 Covenant Members to plant Restoration Church to saturate the community of Lehigh Acres with the gospel. Throughout these last 18 years God has allowed us the grace of partnering with Him in His redemptive mission through many Gospel-centered partners, missionaries, churches and mercy ministries. We have seen countless lives transformed by the power of the Gospel! And all of this and so much more has been for the praise of His glory.
18 years ago the very first words spoken at Summit Church came right from God’s Word found in Psalm 115:1.
“Not to us, O Lord, not to us, but to your name give glory,
for the sake of your steadfast love and your faithfulness!”
That truly has been and remains the cry of our hearts; to make much of the One who has called us, redeemed us, and loved us with a steadfast love.
I could share lots of different numbers and ‘accomplishments’ (for a lack of a better word) and that is good. But I think the important thing is to remember that whatever Summit Church is and whatever it does, ministry is about people. God’s heart is for His glory, and it is also for His people. Christ’s redemptive mission, grounded in the heart of the Father, was to rescue sinners and restore them back to God, defeating sin, death and the Enemy. To the glory of God.
There is a symbolic object that is used in the Old Testament (and also found in the well-known hymn, Come Thou Fount) known as an Ebenezer stone, which literally means “stone of help.” We are introduced to this term in 1 Samuel chapters 4-7 where we find an account of the people of God battling against their arch enemies the Philistines. The people of God are defeated and the ark of the covenant, the very symbol of God’s presence, glory, and promise, is taken from their midst. Then in chapter 7 the power of God comes against the Philistines and once again God shows Himself to stand supreme. The enemy is put down, the ark of the covenant returned, and the people of God rejoice. Samuel, hoping to encourage the people and consecrate the moment, takes a great stone and sets it as a memorial to the great victory of God on their behalf. And as he does that, he declares “Till now the LORD has helped us (1 Samuel 7:12). That stone was erected to serve as a constant reminder to the people of Israel that God had protected them, blessed them, and led them to victory.
Why do I share this with you, Summit Church? Because Summiteer (if that’s a word)… child of God, you are a walking, breathing, talking modern day Ebenezer stone. That’s what we celebrate most over these last 18 years. 1 Peter 5:2 says “you yourselves like living stones are being built up as a spiritual house, to be a holy priesthood, to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.”
Here’s my encouragement; join us in thanking God, celebrating His goodness and faithfulness over these last 18 years, and pray with us that we would each lift our lives up to God as “Ebenezers” in selfless service and testimony to the world around us. What God has done for us, He can do for them. Summit we love you. What a ride it has been. And I truly believe God’s NOT done. Thank you for being a part of this mission. Be blessed!