Cedarville Magazine, Spring 2013

Cedarville Magazine | 19 Caring for others’ needs evenmore than your own has always been a distinguishing mark of God’s Church. At its core, the Church is made up of people who have been providentially scattered into every sphere of life — people with unique gifts, roles, and personalities; people who have been forever transformed by the Gospel; people who intersect the needs of the world every day. The mission of Summit Church in Greenville, South Carolina, where I am a teaching pastor, is to give every man, woman, and child repeated opportunities to see, hear, and respond to the Gospel of Jesus Christ without having to come or go anywhere. That is less a theological statement about whomGod will reach than a statement about how we believe He will reach them. We believe the Gospel will go everywhere God wants it to go because it goes in you, in me, in us ... it goes in His Church. The Spirit of God — through the Word of God in the people of God — can alter any geography, any sociology, and any economy. A thorough understanding of the Gospel changes everything: how we view our relationships, physical bodies, time, money, resources, family, careers ... all of life. If we truly believe that everything we are and have is a gift from God, we should manage that With so many people feeling anxious about the economy, there is a powerful place and an urgent need for Gospel-motivated generosity. by Kyle Estepp ’01 gift in a way that glori es Him and puts the Gospel on display for the world to see. Changing Our Thinking Equipping the people of Summit Church to care for others’ needs in a depressed, uncertain economy flows naturally from our mission. It fits the rhythm of life in our ministry. Summit is just over 500 people spread through three campuses in upstate South Carolina. The upstate is 10 counties with a population of nearly 1.4 million people and a growing diversity of cultures moving into the area every year. It is one of the top five relocation cities in America — in a very real way, the world is moving into this fusion of urban and rural South. Our particular ministry is led by six elders and a very lean, sacrificial staff committed to our mission and the centrality of the Word of God. We care deeply for the