In light of the fact that May is Mental Health Awareness Month, we asked The Summit counselor and pastor, Rev. Stephen Walters to share an article for this week's update. He was more than willing to share his heart with us on this important matter.

“Show me a person with anxiety, and I will show you a person whose prayer life is lacking.” I heard this quote a few years ago listening to a pastor that I have a lot of respect for. Because I respect this pastor, his words carry a lot of weight with me. When he made this statement, I was crushed. And, not in a good Holy Spirit way of being crushed. More like a “what is wrong with me?” kind of way.

It crushed me because I have an anxiety disorder. I have been to counseling, and I work very hard to not let it be a dysregulation in my life. I also love God and seek to pray and read scripture daily. I have been preaching since I was 17, and I’d like to think some prayer has been involved in that. I take it seriously when people ask me to pray for them. As a counselor, I pray for my clients. So, when someone says that I have anxiety because I don’t pray enough, that hurts.

I get the verses that talk about anxiety like Philippians 4:6-7 and II Timothy 1:7. And, I know that in reading that it can seem that anxiety is something that shows we have a lack of faith. However, I also know that our God gives us verses that show He knows we will experience anxiety, and He wants to help...CLICK HERE TO READ MORE.

SERMON SERIES

Acts: the story continues

April 16-June 4

“You will be my witnesses.” These simple words of Jesus represent a big mission for the Church. Each faithful witness in Acts is empowered by the Holy Spirit to fulfill the mission of Jesus. These stories give us hope that we too may experience God’s presence as we continue the ministry and work of Jesus Christ. The Book of Acts is a collection of small steps and true stories and God’s story continues today through us. 

We'll see you on Sunday at 9:30am in the Chapel and 11am in the Worship Center as we continue our sermon series in the book of Acts.

HAPPENING ON THE HILL

Mother's Day

May 14

Mothers, we see you! We are so grateful to mothers, mother figures, aunts, grandmas, neighbors, mentors and every woman who builds us up each day. You are loved and we want to honor you. This Sunday, May 14 is your day, so we hope you will join us On The Hill for a special celebration. 

We want to help you all celebrate Mother’s Day as well. Here is a blog post sharing about What Women Need Most.

On Earth as it is in Heaven

May 18-28

As God’s people, we are always finding ways to live out the Lord’s Prayer by doing on Earth as it is in Heaven. We believe that an intentional time of prayer and fasting is a great way of accomplishing that together as a church and even for you to do as a family. 

Whether you have participated already with us in our times of prayer and fasting this year, or this is a completely new concept, we invite you to simply start where you are and experience what God has in store for you over this 11 day period. We have designed this experience to be flexible for participation at any level starting May 18. 

You can visit the landing page for more details on On Earth as it is in Heaven: A Time of Prayer and Fasting and additional resources to prepare you. The landing page will also provide details on how to sign up for the daily text message notifications or download the interactive PDF. 

Rally on the Hill

June 5-11

Your kids are invited to the first ever Rally on the Hill this summer! We'll offer experiences for both preschool and elementary students from June 5-11.

Online registration is open until May 21 to register your child to attend or to volunteer. Interested in contributing supply donations to this summer's Rally? More details on requested donations and online registration can be found at onthehill.life/rally.

Automate the Important

In 1 Corinthians 8-9, Paul encouraged the church to give intentionally, deliberately, and at a pre-determined time. “Automating the Important” helps us become disciplined and generous givers as we intentionally make time to support God’s work through our local church. 

To learn how to "automate the important" check out onthehill.life/give. 

GPS