Page 20 - Cedarville Magazine Spring 2013 Volume 1 Issue 1

spiritual formation of the individuals and
families God has entrusted to us so that
we might equip them to take the Gospel
wherever they go in life. We are committed
to planting churches and partnering with
existing, like-minded churches.We regularly
discuss howGodmight use all of His people,
not just a select few “professionals,” to meet
the needs of our cities.
When most of us see someone in need,
whether we know them or not, our gut
reaction is to think, “Someone should
help that person. God, why isn’t anyone
helping them?” Or perhaps, “The church
needs to do something about this. I’ll
call my pastor.” It’s not entirely wrong to
think those thoughts. To be clear, those
are Gospel thoughts. Someone does need
to help, and indeed that someone is the
Church. But did you consider that God’s
solution to the need in front of you is you,
or your family? Thinking that solutions lie
elsewhere is common, but it overlooks the
notion of God’s sovereignty, providence,
and His intentional design to meet the
world’s pressing spiritual and physical
needs through ... well, us!
We believe God allows our lives to play
out in time and history for a reason. We
believe He is so intentional, so brilliant, that
people with spiritual and material needs
will intersect our lives on purpose. So when
the people of Summit Church encounter
needs, the line of thinking we encourage
them to follow goes something like this:
1. What does God want me and/or
my family to do about meeting this
need? Perhaps the lack of food, shelter,
money, parental care, transportation,
etc., is not a need God wants someone
else to care for. Perhaps this is a need
God wants us to care for.
2. If the need is too large for me and/or
my family, then what does God want
us and our small group to do about
meeting the need? Maybe the families we regularly share life
with have come upon this need for a reason. Maybe God wants
to shape the Gospel in our lives (and in the lives of others) by
our joint efforts to live generously toward someone in need.
3. If the need is too large for our small group, we’ll pass it on
to all the small groups to see what God would have us do.
Maybe a few groups working together could meet the need
and proclaim the Gospel’s power.
4. If the need is too large for several of our small groups, we’ll
pass it on to Summit Church’s leaders so we can ask God how
He might have our entire church respond.
5. If the need is larger than what our church alone can meet,
then we will take it to our 30–40 partner churches in the
area to see if God might help us meet the need for His glory
and clearly proclaim His Gospel through several churches
working together.
This kind of thinking doesn’t come naturally for any of us. It
is shaped by regular interactions with the Gospel and the sel ess
example of Jesus Christ. As church leaders, we seek to infuse this
Gospel-motivated DNA into the lives of God’s people by modeling
it in our own, teaching it from His Word, resourcing our people to
understand and practice it, and celebrating it whenever possible.
Practically, this could play out in numerous ways and would
likely be different in your community. Here are a few of the ways
it has played out in ours.
Blessing Other Churches: We often contact area churches to
ask how our congregations might pray for them. We seek to bless
other area churches and ministries nancially and by supporting
their material or service needs throughout the year. When God
allows us to nish our budget year in the black, we always seek to
give a large portion of the over ow to other area churches.
Gas Buy Down: Occasionally we will send families and
individuals from our ministry to several local gas stations with
$20 bills to buy gas for the rst 50–100 cars that pull in and remind
each person that God loves them. We simply call the gas station
ahead of time, and we have yet to be turned away. It’s surprising
howmuch pain and hurt is confessed and prayed for in 10 minutes
at a gas pump.
Backpack Give Away: This past year, we partnered with 14
other churches to give away 1,700 backpacks of school supplies to
single mothers and their school-aged children. The average cost
per church was less than $250.
Teacher Lunches andWorkrooms: Every time there is a teacher
workday in our area, we choose a school and bless its teachers
and staff with lunch or needed supplies. We’ll often send a simple
Chick- l-A boxed lunch with a note that says, “We appreciate
you!” and list the churches who are praying for them. Sometimes
we stock the teacher supply room with copier paper, tissues, hand
sanitizer, dry-erase makers, and snacks.
Those Easily Forgotten: From dinner for re ghters and police
officers to breakfast for the county sanitation workers, from taking
small Christmas gifts to the local business across the street to
taking gift bags to restaurant workers on a Sunday morning before
the lunchtime rush, we are always looking for ways to remind
those who are often forgotten that God has not forgotten them and
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.
20 | Cedarville Magazine