June 18, 2010

Be A Part!

Posted by Jill

Hello Summit Connect group leaders!!

My name is Jill Kern and I am the coordinator for the children’s ministry during the 6 p.m. service at the Herndon campus. Every week, I have an amazing opportunity to let kids of all ages know that they matter to God! I also get to honor and serve their parents by providing the opportunity for them to be renewed and refreshed by fully engaging in a worship service. And, I would love for you to be a part!

If your group does not yet have a regular service plan, I would like to present you with really great opportunity to serve as a group. I am working on growing this 6 p.m. team over the next few months, so that more families are able to attend this service, and so volunteers can work at a manageable pace.

So here’s the ask: would you allow me to attend your Summit Connect Group for twenty minutes to talk about this wonderful opportunity and answer any questions you might have? I promise to bring pizza and sodas and possibly do a couple of magic tricks! Obviously, if you are already committed to a service project then please fulfill that commitment, but if you are still looking for a place to serve, then this might be the perfect place!

I really look forward to hearing from you! You can reach me at jillkern@summitconnect.org

Thank you so much for your consideration and for leading a Connect group.

June 16, 2010

Courageous Leadership

Posted by Will

Isaac likes to remind us that we are all leaders somewhere. Maybe it’s at work or school. Maybe it’s within your Summit Connect Group, Marriage Prep Class, or at reGROUP. Whether we like it or not, and whether we are aware of it not, we all have spheres of influence in which others watch us and take their cues from us.

That is why it is so important that we make the most of the relationships and talents God has entrusted us with. Bill Hybels gives us a step-by-step approach to effective leadership and what it requires with his book Courageous Leadership.

He covers everything from why it’s so important to have effective leaders – and what’s at stake when leadership is missing – to how to implement, evaluate, and work towards a vision once it’s been decided upon.

While he talks from the perspective of a senior pastor, the advice and insight he gives can be used to recognize and develop your own leadership style, regardless of your vocation or stage in life. The parts about setting aside time for spiritual growth and evaluation are true for everyone. One of the most helpful insights for our schedule-packed lives is that in order to lead effectively towards a vision, we will inevitably have to say “no” to some otherwise worthwhile activities.

This is a great book to read on your own for personal development, or with your Summit Connect Group – there’s a study guide in the back!

June 8, 2010

Learn more about Injustice

Posted by Will

This summer, Summit will be sending several teams to countries that desperately need help, starting with an intern team that will be spending 2 months in Malawi.

Sending people to afflicted countries is one way we can begin to address the deep injustices that occur in the world, but there are several other ways God has gifted us to have an impact on the world around us.

In his book Good News About Injustice, Gary Haugen talks about some of the ways we as Christians in North America can have such an impact. It also lays out a framework for how injustices occur in the first place so that we can better understand and fight them.

Many of the conditions Haugen describes that perpetuate deep injustice, such as extreme poverty, exist in countries like Malawi, Sierra Leone, and the Dominican Republic – which all are countries that Summit regularly sends teams to.

In Africa specifically, extreme poverty leads to illegal seizure of property from widows who have no means to defend themselves, and to a lack of treatment for and education about epidemics like AIDS that have ravaged the population and left entire villages of orphans.

Haugen chronicles his own journey of being educated about such injustices and how it ultimately led him to form the International Justice Mission in 1994.

Educating yourself with books like this one and others that are available in the Resource Center (The Fate of Africa, Too Small to Ignore) is a great next step in partnering with God on His call to combat injustice wherever we find it.

December 17, 2009

Holiday Service Opportunities

Posted by Rene

Hello Summiteers,

Did you know that our neighborhood non-profits have a wish list this year?

You can help to lessen Santa’s load by checking out the list below to see how you or your Summit Connect Group can meaningfully contribute during this holiday season.

Merry Christmas!

Adult Literacy League, Inc.
345 W. Michigan Street, Suite 100
Orlando, FL 32806
Phone: (407) 422-1540
Fax: (407) 422-1529
Contact: Susyn Kitner
Email: skitner@adultliteracyleague.org
Mission: To develop readers to build a strong and literate community.
Holiday Donation Needs: New children’s books (primarily toddler board books, preschool, and kindergarten through first grade); crayons (8-pack, large crayons), markers (8-pack, washable); 4.5” blunt-tipped children’s school scissors; 4 oz. and 2 oz. bottles washable school glue; 9 × 11 construction paper (variety of colors); color copy paper (pastel blue, ivory, pastel pink, lavender, pastel green, peach); sheets of newsprint (9” x 11” and 18” x 24”); plastic storage bags (1 gallon), sandwich bags (quart size, snack size); plastic-tipped laces or “tipped lacing yarn”; watercolor paints (8-color container); 8 oz. bubbles; modeling Clay (1/2 lb. or 1 lb. package, four colors); Play-Doh/Fun-Doh (4-packs of 4 oz. containers or packages of six 1 oz. containers); 6” plastic rulers (clear or colored); finger paints (4 packs of individual 4 oz. containers); felt (variety of colors, either squares or yardage amounts); yarn (variety of colors; no fun fur, confetti yarn or the trendy yarns out now). Where specific sizes or quantities are listed, those are the specific sizes and quantities needed. Larger quantities make packing, distribution and classroom storage difficult.

BETA Center
4680 Lake Underhill Road
Orlando, FL 32807
Phone: (407) 277-1942
Fax: (407) 381-0907
Contact: Lisa Blackwelder
Email: lblackwelder@betacenter.org
Mission: To give children and parents the knowledge and support needed for strong and healthy families, with a focus on teen moms and at-risk families.
Holiday Donation Needs: Clothing (birth – teenagers), blankets, diaper bags, bottles, baby shampoo, plastic blocks and/or shape toys, coloring books, musical toys, balls, baby dolls, play dough, Lego’s, drawing sets, Barbie dolls, basketballs, baseballs, sports gloves, board games, movie passes, athletic socks, backpacks, purses, lotion, hair accessories, non-perishable food, school supplies, baby items, and personal hygiene supplies.

The Center for Drug-Free Living / ANCHOR Program
2803 Arlington St.
Orlando, FL 32805
Phone: (407) 521-2574
Contact: Lisa Hylkema
Email: LHylkema@CFDFL.com
Mission: The Center for Drug-Free Living, Inc. is a comprehensive, community-based, substance abuse treatment and prevention agency serving the residents of Central Florida regardless of age, sex, race, creed or ability to pay.
Holiday Donation Needs: Holiday decorations, arts and crafts supplies, supplies and decorations for making cookies, mini toaster ovens, and personal hygiene items – especially for men.

December 9, 2009

Holiday Service Opportunities

Posted by Rene

Below are some organizations you can serve alongside this holiday season.

BETA Center
Contact: Lisa Blackwelder
Phone: (407) 277-1942
Email: lblackwelder@betacenter.org
Opportunity: Groups to sponsor a meal for 40 girls for a FAST track event. FAST track is the outreach program for girls who are no longer at BETA. Meals can be as simple as pizza and salad, a pot luck prepared by volunteers, or a restaurant donating to the project.
Dates/Times: Flexible through out December

Jewish Family Services of Greater Orlando
Contact: Marni Chepenik
Phone: (407) 644-7593
Email: marni.chepenik@jfsorlando.org
Opportunity: Drivers are needed to deliver holiday “kosher” meals to homebound seniors.
Dates/Times: Specific dates to be determined in December

Osceola Council on Aging
Contact: Connie Bellanceau
Phone: (407) 933-9525
Email: info@osceolagenerations.org
Opportunity: Help serve meals to the seniors and homeless population at the Barney E. Veal Center. Drivers are also needed to deliver holiday meals to homebound seniors.
Dates/Times: Flexible through out December

Retired & Senior Volunteer Program of Orange County
Contact: Hedy Bass
Phone: (407) 422-1535
Email: rsvp11@earthlink.net
Opportunity #1: Santa Shop – sponsors a family and provide a light dinner and/or gifts for children in need.
Dates/TImes: December 10 and 11 from 8 a.m. – 12 p.m.
Opportunity #2: Sponsors are needed for a luncheon for the 100+ volunteers who work at the Santa Shop. Sponsors may donate the luncheon meal, but are also welcome, and encouraged, to come and meet the volunteers, as well as help serve them lunch.
Dates/Times: Dec. 11 or 12 from 11:30 a.m. – 1 p.m.

Seniors First, Inc.
Contact: Georgie Phillips
Phone: (407) 298-6686
Opportunity: Christmas Day meal delivery to the Orange County Meals on Wheels clients.
Dates/Times: December 25 (volunteer recruitment will begin on Dec. 1, 2009).