May 4, 2010

Thank You!

Posted by Garry

So, you never really know until it happens.

We planned, and prayed, and hoped, and prepared, and worked… But until the doors opened, we really didn’t know what it would look like. Would Summit Church Waterford be a place where people could come in contact with the reality that they matter to God? Would people pour into an unrealized vision? Would an elementary school be a place where people would come to encounter fellowship and connect with other people trying to learn, love, and live the way of Jesus? Would it be a community?

In a lot of ways, quite appropriately, that first Sunday service felt a lot like that first day of fifth grade where you were pretty sure you would see all of your friends, but you were a bit irrationally worried that all your friends had moved away, or decided over the summer that they would now be hanging out with other friends instead of you. Ok, maybe that was just me.

But it wasn’t like that. It was amazing. And it is still amazing every week. I love Summit Waterford. I love the people I get to see every Sunday. I love that lots of people still wear bright green shirts that say ‘I’m going local.’ I love that people still cheer when we announce something exciting about the progress of the permanent facility, or that we are launching a ministry at the Waterford campus. I love that people stand around and talk, and laugh, and meet other people after services. I love that Summit Waterford is a place where it is clear that God still uses creativity and innovation, coupled with people’s willing spirits, to form communities of faith. The gospel of love, hope, and redemption through Jesus is being preached and lived out.

Thanks to everyone who has been great in making this vision a reality. Let’s keep moving together.

For further updates on Summit Waterford news and events, please visit the Summit Church blog. We are merging these blogs together!

December 17, 2009

Being Interruptible

Posted by Robyn Hathaway

Before the Going Local initiative began, my husband Doug and I had been praying for ways to get involved at Summit. We both have busy schedules and found it difficult to get involved outside of attending Sunday services and our weekly Summit Connect group. As the idea of multi-site campus began to form, Doug and I hoped and prayed that the first Summit multi-site would come to Waterford Lakes. We live in the Waterford area, which makes our ability to be involved and volunteer at the Herndon campus limited in some ways. Having a church where we lived would provide ample opportunities for us to serve and invite friends. Little did we know what God had in store for us when Summit chose Waterford Lakes.

We prayed continuously for God to show us our next right step and ways to be 100 % committed to the new campus. We shared our commitment to “Go Local” with our amazing Summit Connect group who poured out words of encouragement and their support in our decision making process. Everything about committing to the Waterford campus seemed easy and right. However, when the idea was proposed to form new Waterford Connect groups at the December 6th group night, I immediately felt hesitant. Garry explained that it was important for our new campus to form Connect groups in order for us to create an identity and be able to “hit the ground running” when we launch the new site. Garry also said that if our spiritual well-being was reliant on our current group that he would not recommend us leaving them. We love our Summit Connect group and the relationships we have built, so my immediate excuse to stay was that we couldn’t possibly leave our group because I was spiritually reliant on them.

As time edged nearer to the group night, I felt a tug on my heart. About four days prior to the Waterford connect night I realized I was staying in my group mainly because I was comfortable. On one hand I was praying for God’s will and to be 100% committed, but on the other hand I still was holding back, mostly for fear of the unknown. In a recent service, Isaac described being “interruptible” with God and that really described our situation. I prayed to be 100% committed but I still had my own agenda that refused to let God be completely in charge. Doug and I decided that if we were to be fully involved with the Waterford initiative, we had to give up this last area we had been holding on to.

We experienced a joy and overwhelming peace when we went to the Waterford group night and joined a new group. Following God’s will can be hard at times, but the outcome is always far better than what we could imagine. We are excited to see how God will use us at the Waterford campus.