It’s hard to believe how fast time flies! As I reflect over the past 4 1/2 years, I am amazed at the faithfulness of God. As a church, we have endured a financial downturn, staff downsizing, location changes and yet we are still standing on solid ground. God is great! Our church is blessed with a great leadership team. These are some of the best men I have ever been around in my life. Also, our volunteers are incredible. A new attendee recently told me that he thinks Summit is the best kept in this area. That is both good news and bad news. It’s good news that God is using us to make such an impact. It’s bad news that more people don’t know about us. So, let’s make a commitment to make 2012 the year that we share with others what God is doing at Summit Church.

The last two months have been all about CHANGE. First, changes at Summit have been many. Two months ago we came to the painful conclusion that we could no longer afford to have an Associate Pastor. Kevin is a great friend and it was hard seeing him go. Then our Summer intern, Chad, got the opportunity to become the Youth Pastor at a very successful church plant in Tifton. We said “good-bye” to him after two years at Summit. Finally, our worship leader, Phillip, got the opportunity to join the staff at The Church at Brook Hills in Birmingham. This past Sunday was his last one with us. We wish him well. Understandably, my head is still spinning.

On a personal level, we moved our oldest daughter, Virginia, into her apartment in Athens this past Saturday. She will be a junior in the Grady School of Journalism at the University of Georgia. Yesterday, we moved our oldest son, Marty Jr., into his dorm room at Shorter University. He starts football practice for the Hawks today. We still have the two younger ones at the house but that will not be for long. Masey is a senior. Stephen, however, is entering the 5th grade so we’ll keep him a while longer.

This Sunday, June 26, we will have another baptism at David and Lisa Fiquette’s pool. I have grown to love outdoor baptisms. In our almost four years as a church, we have baptized in a lake, a public and a private pool as well as a portable baptistry at a local park. One of the main drawbacks to outdoor baptism is that it has to be performed in warm weather. However, I think the symbolism and the significance of the event are enhanced. It becomes an event in and of itself and not just part of a worship service. It doesn’t always have to be this way but the change in venue has given me a greater appreciation of its significance.

I have been extremely delinquent in posting on my blog. Here are a few updates. We are having good days at Summit. Since we moved into the Downtown Conference Center in November, we have had 3 of our highest attended Sundays (at the DCC) in the past 5 weeks. The band is on fire. Our volunteers are great and our offerings have kept us in the black. Chad Hendley is serving as our Summer Intern. We will have our first ever VBS in June. Baptism is scheduled for June 26. Some of our children are going to children’s camp. We have a day mission trip planned for Atlanta in late June. Just some random ramblings to say things are going well.

I think February has been the best month we have experienced as a Church. People have stepped up to take hold of ministries. Attendance has increased. Our number of guests continues to grow. From the Ladies’ luncheon to the Youth DNow to the 4th Saturday to the Night of Marriage lives have been touched and it is exciting to watch.

This past Sunday we had one of our highest attendances since we moved into the Downtown Conference Center. Then Sunday night exceeded all expectations. It was great! Scott and Lisa Beasley did an incredible job of reminding us of how hard and yet how rewarding the marriage realtionship can be. Forty-five couples plus a few spares received some incredble encouragement and insight.

March is now upon us. We need to continue to invite our friends and family to our services. We have an incredible opportunity to impact lives for eternity. On March 13, we will have our next FamJam. Our men will have a fish fry on the night of March 27. Also, 4th Saturday and our activities are on the calendar. It is shaping up to be a great Spring.

In our Relational Harmony series we talked about the parent child relationship. It’s pretty simple. Children obey and honor your parents. Parents teach and correct your children and don’t exasperate them. Simple in words but sometimes difficult in practice. Why? Because anytime you deal with people you have to deal with different personalities, a self will and a sin nature. In other words, it’s gonna get dicey. It takes a lot of patience and an incredible amount of love. Also, we have the added advantage of prayer. Don’t forget to pray for your children. Pray for their heart to be right with God. If their heart is right then their actions will follow.

Sunday was probably our biggest attendance since we moved into the Downtown Conference Center. We had several new faces. Keep inviting your friends and family! The Kidz Rock kids were in the worship service. We figured if we were going to address the parent child relationship then it would be best if we had the kids present. A special thanks to Micah and Masey for doing the motions to “Every Move I Make.” As a congregation, however, we need to work on our synchronized movement.

The Youth participated int he D-Now weekend at West Hills Church and had a blast. I must admit the speaker was one of the better youth speakers I have heard. He was extremely funny but his humor would open the door for incredible spiritual truth. Thanks to all the adults who helped out. I hope your homes recover. Also, thanks to Alyssa, Virginia, Chad and Phillip for doing a great job leading group discussion and shepherding the youth.

We are really looking forward to this coming Sunday night, February 27. Scott and Lisa Beasley will be with us for our Night of Marriage. Ticket sales have been awesome! The evening will be well worth your investment. Atlanta’s Finest is going to cater the meal. I can’t wait.

We continued our Relational Harmony series on Sunday. The topic was how a husband ought to love his wife. The Bible really has some great stuff to say when it comes to marriage. Unfortunately, it does us no good if we don’t put it into practice. Hopefully, there will be a lot of practicing going on this week.

Our Ladies’ Ministry had another luncheon on Saturday. Approximately 30 ladies came and received some awesome encouragement. A special thanks goes out to Ginny and Dolly. This mother and daughter combination are doing a great job.

Also, don’t forget the upcoming Night of Marriage on February 27. Scott and Lisa Beasley will be our speakers and childcare will be provided. You will thoroughly enjoy this evening so if you don’t have your tickets you can buy them this Sunday at the Information Table.

This Sunday we will look at Relational Harmony in the parent child relationship. You will want to have your teenagers in the service. It will definitely give them something to think about. Also, parents will be encouraged. See you Sunday.

We began our new series “Relational Harmony.” The topic was submission of wives to their husbands. I wish I could word it a little bit better than that but the Bible puts it pretty straight forward. We had a great crowd and nobody got hurt after the message. Wow! Seriously, the Bible contains God’s Word for relationships. His advice works because He’s the one that created us. Submission is an act of the will. A husband can not demand that his wife follow his leadership. It is a decision she makes out of her desire to honor God. Next week we will look at a husband’s responsibility to love his wife. So, wives make sure your husbands don’t have an unexpected hunting or fishing trip. They need to be there this Sunday.

We are beginning a four-part series called “Relational Harmony.” This Sunday we will look at Colossians 3:18, “Wives submit to your own husbands as is fitting to the Lord.” This is a loaded verse and to top it off it is Super Bowl Sunday. Some would think that speaking on wives submitting themselves to their husbands on Super Bowl Sunday is a man’s dream. Others would think it is crazy. However, it is an opportunity to look at a passage of Scripture that is often misapplied or ignored. As a church we value truth. To ignore truth is dangerous. To misapply truth is hazardous. So, make plans to be at the Downtown Conference Center at 10:00 am on Sunday and you might be surprised what you hear.

Today, we finished the series from the first 3 chapters of Colossians called “The Greatest.” The main question is “How much of your thinking does Jesus Christ occupy?” Is He your focus? Is He the source of your passion? A lesser passion can lead us to dishonor God with our lives.

FamJam followed our worship service. It was an incredible service. We have some really talented people in our church. The puppets were hilarious. The motions to the songs were catchy and Kevin’s message really hit home. Our next FamJam will be in March.

Last week we had our Summit Life New Member class. As a result, eight more people have become members of Summit Church. Two have requested baptism. Also, Summit University has gone extremely well. Tonight’s topic is “How to Share Your Faith.” I am looking forward to all that is ahead.