Here is a quote from the website (http://theresurgence.com/pages/the-explicit-gospel-tour) on what we will be hearing about.

“You know you know it . . . but then again maybe you don’t.

Too few people attending church today, even those in evangelical churches, are exposed to the gospel explicitly. Sure, many will hear about Jesus, and about being good and avoiding bad, but the gospel message simply isn’t there—at least not in its specificity and its fullness.

Inspired by the needs of both the overchurched and the unchurched, and bolstered by the common neglect of the explicit gospel within Christianity, Matt Chandler has written this punchy treatise. He begins with the specifics of the gospel—outlining what it is and what it is not—and then switches gears to focus on the fullness of the gospel and its massive implications on both personal and cosmic levels.

Recognizing our tendency to fixate on either the micro or macro aspects of the gospel, Chandler also warns us of the dangers on either side—of becoming overly individualistic or syncretistic. Here is a call to true Christianity, to know the gospel explicitly, and to unite the church on the amazing grounds of the good news of Jesus!”

For tickets go to http://theresurgence.com/pages/the-explicit-gospel-tour.

Hank Murphy will be leading worship and Matt Papa will be preaching!

You won’t want to miss this!

For graduating seniors we will share opportunities to serve 2 years after college in a local setting, one of Summit’s national church plants, or overseas. For underclassmen we will be presenting short-term opportunities they can be involved with while in college.

Door prizes like ipod shuffles and Lecrae tickets will be given to juniors and seniors attending the event. It is going to be a great time to learn where to strategically place your life for the kingdom. The event will take place in The Bay at Brier Creek from 6:30 to 8 on February 24, 2012. Hope to see you there!

Along with the community-based internship we also had a pastoral internship at the Summit. We split our week with two alternating days at each internship. There were typically two people per pastor but in my case I had my pastoral internship alone with the Summit Kids pastor Jeremy Pollard. However, my main connection and go-to person for the summer was Sarah Carver. Most of my time in the beginning was spent preparing for Kids Week at the Summit. So I helped set up and prepare for that each afternoon and made sure the snacks and crafts were in each of the classrooms. After Kids Week my time was spent going through old curriculum that could be reused in the coming months that tied in with Pastor J.D. Greear’s sermon themes. I also just helped out Sarah where I was needed and helped her do some office work while she was in meetings.

I wouldn’t consider either of the internships glamorous, but they were very rewarding and informative. I had never worked with a non-profit before so it was quite an experience to get a glimpse of how they work and operate. I was also glad to be able to take the burden off John Blake to help with the summer camp preparation while he could spend his time working on other projects for the organization. The pastoral internship was very eye opening for me because when many people think about church they think about worship music and the sermon on Sunday mornings. They don’t necessarily think about all the behind-the-scenes work that goes on to help make sure not only church, but Sunday school runs smoothly. Sometimes doing office work (like making copies, stapling or cutting fliers) was tedious and far from enjoyable, but it helped me to appreciate all the work that the Summit staff puts into the church. In order to have the fun and enjoyment of church you have to get the nitty-gritty stuff done first and I’m glad I was able to be a part of helping make that happen.

Both internships were great and even though there wasn’t much instant gratification, there was definitely a sense of reward gained by the time the summer ended. I was also able to grow in my knowledge and understanding of how to go about serving the community and the church and gained the desire and passion to be pro-active in serving both on a weekly basis by teaching with Summit Kids for pre-school aged children and also working at the YMCA and volunteering with youth programs they offer.

Post by Lauren Maidment, UNC Grad, City Project participant 2011.

Are you a college student, who loves Jesus? Do you want to evangelize to Muslims in New York City, go to Kenya to help children and needy families, and minister to AIDS patients? I had the joy to do all of those wonderful things as a part of the Summit’s City Project last summer.

Did you know that God has a heart for all nations and all peoples? In Matthew 28:18-20 Jesus gave us “The Great Commission.” I didn’t really understand this until I let the Lord take me beyond my comfort zone in Jamaica Queens, NY.

There our team was divided into triads, and charged to take the Gospel door-to-door. My triad went from one house to the next, but no one was interested, so we decided to return to the rest of our group. On the way back we met a Muslim man named Kahlil, his wife and their beautiful young daughter. After some brief small talk we began to share the Gospel. They listened graciously, but Kahlil maintained that he and his family trust solely in Islam. We hugged before parting ways. I then realized nothing, not even my best efforts could save the lost souls of this man and his family, but only Jesus. I was heartbroken, because I knew apart from belief in Christ this man and his family was condemned to hell and to be eternally separated from God for all eternity. This was a reminder for me that though God doesn’t need us he chooses to use us in our weakness and frailty, which in turn brings him glory.

In Kenya I saw people who are forced to totally depend on God, and trust in his faithfulness to provide. We visited children at a school in Kibera, who sang about their love for Jesus and his goodness, while they lived in utter squalor. Our team got close and did life with the people of a resettlement community, called Jikaze. It was amazing to see how hard they work, especially the women.

I was blessed to spend time with a woman named Miriam. I walked with her and others for several miles to gather water and firewood. She cheerfully shared with us what little food she had. Our team helped rebuild a home and cleaned up the remains of a greenhouse destroyed by a tornado.

Despite life’s daily struggles and the uncertainty of having their needs met the people of Jikaze press on. They truly understand and live out Jesus’ words in Matthew 6:25-34, “Do not worry,” because they know he is with them and will never forsake them.

All of those experiences I had with those precious people in New York, Kibera and Jikaze are gifts from God, but a man with HIV named Ali by far had the most indelible impact on me. He showed me what Paul meant in Romans 5:3-5 to “Rejoice in your sufferings.” With a smile on his face Ali told me if it wasn’t for HIV he wouldn’t have Jesus.

We serve a big God, whose gift of eternal life is for all to receive. The Gospel saves, sanctifies, gathers and sends. By the grace of God Summit College is here for you to know him, grow in your knowledge of his grace and truth with other college students, and to carry his great name together in Raleigh-Durham and abroad. Get involved!

The Particulars and Purpose of Summit College’s SC United

Many of you have wondered, what’s the deal with the new Summit College gathering name – SC United – are those guys a soccer team or something?  Well for all you concerned inquisitors we wanted to clear the air.

First, SC stands for Summit College. Makes sense, Right?

Second, we decided to use “United” as a way of symbolizing what Summit College wants to be about.

Let me explain: It would be easy to describe the landscape of RDU and the Summit Church as “complicated.”  At the Summit Church, we have a ton of universities represented from Meredith College, to NC State, to NC Central, to UNC-Chapel Hill (just to name a few). Add to that numerous campus ministries who have partnered with us from BCM to Campus Outreach to Cambridge to CRU/Cornerstone and the list could go on.  To make the situation even more interesting, the Summit is one church with many locations.  We have multiple Summit campuses located across the RDU area that our 1200+ college students can attend (looking for one close to you?  Check out www.SummitRDU.com  for all our locations).  All this to say, the Summit College landscape is a bit complex. And with these factors together has the potential to make our college ministry feel a bit divided.

Yet, we don’t see this as a hindrance – we actually view this as an incredible opportunity that God has given to us as a gift. Because of the amount of college students from all the universities, the beautiful diversity of campus ministries, and the different/strategic locations of the Summit Church in RDU – our sphere of influence is broad for the gospel. While these factors could divide, we see them uniting us.  Yes, we are physically separated but spiritually united.  We are one body with one Lord on the same mission and with the same goals. Therefore, the exciting question is what could God do with a united group of students all over the Triangle?

This is where the need for SC United comes in: because our influence is broad and our college students are in every area of RDU – we want to corporately gather together one time a month as one Body united to seek our Lord together.  We do this to remember, reflect, and refuel on His Good NEWS and to be encouraged and strengthened by what He is doing in other universities and campus ministries.  Our desire for students is that they be sent out from SC United refreshed in who God is, what He has done and wanting to send this Good News out to others in RDU and beyond.

Although uniting under the beauty of the gospel is our main goal there are other aspects of SC United.  We present opportunities for how to join a Summer Discipleship/Mission Initiative or how to get involved in serving the City.

We hope you’ll join us this Friday (March 16th) at 7 P.M. to “glorify God and enjoy Him forever” * – TOGETHER.

*Westminster Catechism

Email passion2013RDU@gmail.com for information on how to be a part of this epic trip!

(http://268generation.com/passion2013/#!/home/)

*In March SC United will take place on Friday the 16th. See you soon for a great night of worship and celebration!