Summit Ridge Church Here in Las Vegas, Nevada we are a church all about discipleship: trusting and following Jesus through a gospel-shaped identity, gospel-shaped mission, and gospel-shaped community. We invite you to come, connect, and touch the lives of others. We can’t wait to meet you! https://summitridgechurch.org Sat, 17 Aug 2024 14:47:00 +0000 Sat, 17 Aug 2024 14:47:00 +0000 hourly 1 3600 SnapPages.com Space to Climb Mount Perspective https://summitridgechurch.org/blog/2025/08/16/space-to-climb-mount-perspective Sat, 16 Aug 2025 17:35:00 +0000 https://summitridgechurch.org/blog/2025/08/16/space-to-climb-mount-perspective
2 Corinthians 12:9 – 10, “‘My grace is sufficient for you, for My power is perfected in weakness.’ Therefore, I will most gladly boast all the more about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may reside in me. So I take pleasure in weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and in difficulties, for the sake of Christ. For when I am weak, then I am strong.”

There has been a theme I have been brought back to in reflection over the last few years. It is this: I am weak, yet, the Spirit of God dwells in me and is at work for His glory and my good. But that said, weakness is not the posture I am comfortable being in. I think I am much more comfortable when I feel in control, when I feel like I can accomplish, when I think I can please everyone, when I don’t have to tackle hard places in my life. I don’t like having to remember that I am finite. But this is where God does His best work – in my surrender to Him. And that surrender is ongoing. Meaning, it is over and over again every day!

While Angela and I were away on our sabbatical, I was brought to 2 Corinthians 4:7 again. It says this: “Now we have this treasure in clay jars, so that this extraordinary power may be from God and not from us.” The image that comes to mind is a cracked pot but inside is this glowing light of the Spirit of God at work. It is a beautiful daily reminder for me.

The time away on sabbatical allowed Angela and I to have space to “climb Mount Perspective” and pray on all of the various areas of our lives. The space created the opportunity for the Lord to gently lead and nudge us to places where we could evaluate and pray through. I am humbly grateful for the ability to give to so many important areas of our lives.

We were encouraged with the continual call He has given us in our service to this body of Believers. We were thankful for the (nearly) 18 years of ministry here – and the 25 years of ministry as a church! We were grateful for the answer to prayer for our new building as well as continuing to walk with people to Jesus. We were incredibly blessed with the team of people who serve that make up the church leadership as well as the people He has brought here!

This is just a short snapshot of what the Lord has done in us while we were away on sabbatical. We are so thankful for your prayers.

The Lord is at work in and through each of us who are in Christ – this is such a comfort. Just imagine, He exults over you with loud singing (Zephaniah 3:17), what a thought!

God willing, I will see you tomorrow.

May His Light Shine Through,
]]> https://summitridgechurch.org/blog/2025/08/16/space-to-climb-mount-perspective#comments 0 We Begin a New Series, “Foundations: Know What You Believe” https://summitridgechurch.org/blog/2025/08/02/we-begin-a-new-series-foundations-know-what-you-believe Sat, 02 Aug 2025 17:34:00 +0000 https://summitridgechurch.org/blog/2025/08/02/we-begin-a-new-series-foundations-know-what-you-believe
                           
Hello church!

We are back home! We have had an impactful time away on sabbatical. Every time we have had a sabbatical and been able to get away for these times and stretches it has proven to be meaningful to us and the church. So we are incredibly grateful for having had this time. As God always knows, we had this at just the right time. (I will likely share more of our time away and thoughts in our next newsletter.)

As Angela and I return home we are on the brink of a number of upcoming events for us as a church. For instance, we are celebrating our 25th anniversary. We’re also moving into a new location that we have been praying for over the last seven-plus years. These are significant for us! I am also eager to continue to shepherd our church family toward Jesus all the more. I am so thankful to the Lord for our staff and elders as we head into this new season as a church!

We are also beginning a new series tomorrow that has been stirring in my bones for weeks now! In my 18 years of preaching at Summit I’ve never walked us through, in an orderly manner, what we believe as a church and as Believers. I’ve seen that in a culture of confusion and fast-changing values, we need more than opinions—we need truth that anchors our lives. So we have a new series entitled, “Foundations: Know What You Believe” which will be a 25-week journey through the core doctrines of the Christian faith, designed to ground us in the unchanging truths of God’s Word. From the character of God and the beauty of the Gospel, to the purpose of the church and the hope of eternity. We’ll unpack why sound doctrine isn’t just for theologians—it’s for you. It’s for your worship, your family, your decisions, your struggles, your calling, and your joy. [You can see a breakdown of our series HERE.]

As I read through Isaiah again, I was reminded of chapter 40:8, “The grass withers, the flowers fade, but the word of our God remains forever.” His Word has been given to us personally. In other words, we aren’t left to our own ways, but He’s provided a means to know Him and follow him! And we have the great privilege to hear from the Lord – what a gift we’ve been given!

We begin tomorrow morning. I look forward to seeing you all face-to-face, to worshiping our great God and to opening up His Word together.

One request I have for you, bring your Bibles with you during our series (your paper Bibles if you have one, not just your electronic ones). It’ll be good for us to actually open our Bibles and see His Word on something other than a screen. God willing, I will see you tomorrow.

May His Light Shine Through,
                         
                                                                                               
]]> https://summitridgechurch.org/blog/2025/08/02/we-begin-a-new-series-foundations-know-what-you-believe#comments 0 Your favorite part of Sunday morning. https://summitridgechurch.org/blog/2025/07/19/your-favorite-part-of-sunday-morning Sat, 19 Jul 2025 17:33:00 +0000 https://summitridgechurch.org/blog/2025/07/19/your-favorite-part-of-sunday-morning
What's your favorite part of Sunday morning at church?
Is it the musical part of worship, where you lose yourself in a heavenly scene, praising God for Who He is?
Is it the sermon, where you learn about a text you may not have ever spent much time in, and you see the timeless truth it holds and how that timeless truth applies to your current life events?
Is it praying with your brothers and sisters, going to the Lord together? Mingling and catching up on the week with friends? Hugs? Serving?
I bet you wouldn't say announcements are your favorite.
Announcements can be the most boring part of church. They're not what anyone comes for. At best, they feel like the table bread at a good restaurant -- you forgot it was coming but you're happy about it.
 
Announcements come at a funny time in the service flow. We've probably sung one upbeat song. People are still trickling in. Most of us are still thinking about what was going on getting out of the house, or drama with our kids in the parking lot, or wishing we'd grabbed a coffee. I’ve led communion, preached, played on the worship team, done live Q&As… and believe it or not, announcements can be one of the most challenging “up front” things to do. We want them to be thorough, engaging, and concise. Some people do it better than others! I’m not offended if you don’t think much of my announcement style.
 
Sunday morning is an important part of church, but "church" is so much more than Sundays, so much more than a sermon and worship.
if you get this newsletter, you already know: your local church body is where you do the "one anothers" of Scripture (1 Jn 4:11, 1 Thess 5:11, Heb 10:24, Rom 15:7 etc), where the men who preach on Sunday might actually know you and your story, where elders know your name and highs and lows (if you let them), where you ask for moving help.
 
Announcements are where you learn about opportunities to connect, to build real community here in Las Vegas. It might start by filling out a contact card and my wife Tiffany or I reach out to you to answer questions about ministry or doctrine. Maybe a picnic is coming, or there's a baseball game, for some informal fun and meeting people from the church; or a new small group semester is starting soon where you can find real discipleship and know and be known.

It's where you realize that, far from being a social club, this modest body is doing more than you thought. We're supporting global missions, local ministry, real orphans, praying like prayer really touches the heart of God.

Announcements are a little peak into the body life of the church. Updates about ministries, pictures of the construction progress at our new facility; beloved families move away, students go off to college; or maybe we're meeting on a Saturday morning to pray.
Pastors and elders cast vision in the announcements. It's a main way we communicate our heart. Out of the many things we COULD be doing, why are we doing the things we ARE doing? What is a prayer cohort and what's with that weird name? What's a Wummer camp? Do we support missions at all? What's the point of small groups? Who is this church even for?

Announcements are like Beanie Babies at McDonalds - you have to go every week if you want to collect them all. We want to avoid weeks where we have so many announcements that time is taken from singing and preaching, so we try to carefully balance between giving things enough exposure, not too much or too little.

Maybe announcements are like McDonalds in other ways. Sometimes it's not the quick in-and-out you hoped for, or the quality is sub-par. Maybe the shake machine is broken and something just doesn't come across.

But regardless, announcements are one way important communication happens throughout our church. If you missed them, ask what you missed. If you're not clear about something, you're probably not alone - ask the announcer and maybe it'll get clarified for everyone.
In Him,
Pastor Jeremy
]]> https://summitridgechurch.org/blog/2025/07/19/your-favorite-part-of-sunday-morning#comments 0 "I have hidden Your Word in my heart..." https://summitridgechurch.org/blog/2025/07/05/i-have-hidden-your-word-in-my-heart Sat, 05 Jul 2025 17:32:00 +0000 https://summitridgechurch.org/blog/2025/07/05/i-have-hidden-your-word-in-my-heart
Ministry is never easy, and there have certainly been some hard things in the church and in many of our personal lives over the last few months. But, because God is always breathing life and redemption into graves, I’ve enjoyed some sweet moments lately as a pastor over youth, and for this newsletter I want to share a high point with you.

God’s Word is true food indeed. Man does not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God. When I came into the pastorate here four years ago (July 1st!), one of the first things I wanted to support in our youth was deepening not only in reading and studying, but internalizing and memorizing Scripture. I issued a challenge early on: “if you memorize a whole chapter at least 22 verses long, I will help you pick out and buy you an awesome new Bible.” (Why 22 verses? That’s a common length in the Psalms – one verse for each letter of the Hebrew alphabet. Each verse starts with the next letter of the “aleph-bet”. Psalm 119 is the longest example, with 8 verses per letter.)

I’ve had a few kids express interest, pick a chapter, and tell me they’re going to do it. But a few weeks ago, for the first time, we had a young person stand up on a Sunday night and recite an entire chapter (Ephesians 2) perfectly from memory. She’s labored long over it, and as a result the chapter has gone deep into her heart. It struck me as I stood grinning reading along that she was more than reciting – the Word was coming alive! I’ve hardly heard the Bible like that. The last time was a senior saint three churches ago, reciting the entire book of Ephesians from memory.

I gave her a brief interview hoping to encourage other students and draw out some helpful tips. She didn’t have tips though. She just grinded her way through it. I realized I’d missed an opportunity in not preparing the kids to do that kind of longer memorization.

So the last two D Groups have been dedicated to scripture memory techniques and time set aside to go do some memorizing. Last time kids were getting seven, twelve verses down in 30 minutes. They're encouraged that they are capable of more than they thought they were, and I hope it’s not long before another student is ready to earn a nice new Bible.

What’s D Group, you ask? Maybe you haven’t heard about this thing we do. It’s like a special small group for the youth that really want to grow in their faith. We have dinner together which is always a good time, but we don’t have a special fun activity or game, “just” fellowship. If you get Christians together, we’re usually going to have a pretty good time! D Group runs basically all year long, maybe a few weeks off here and there when we’re changing curriculum or during holidays. We’ve gone through lessons in how to study and ask questions of the Bible, walked through Romans 1-8; we’ve done Person of Jesus studies through Compassion and Honesty; and we’ve been stepping through our church doctrinal statement looking at what we believe as a church; why; what some other Christians believe; what is heresy, and asking questions. We used to meet in the Cooper home; but, it got too big – usually half to 3/4s of our students attend D Group - so we host it at the church now.

Are you interested in some ideas for your own scripture memory?

For a single verse, you can try reading the verse ten or so times, then write just the first letter of each word of the verse and see how well you can do repeating the verse just from that help. It’s great if you can erase a few letters at a time and see how you do filling in the blanks; continue erasing until you’re doing the whole thing from memory. I liked doing that on a white board with kids’ Sunday School classes. You can do the same with a dry erase marker on your bathroom mirror! Tiffany wears “verselets” – beaded bracelets with the first letters of verses. You can find these for sale, or talk to a crafty friend from the church and have some commissioned.

For a longer passage, I learned a good new tip from a wise old pastor. He would read whole chapters out loud 50 times before he would start preaching through them. As a result, he ended up memorizing much of what he had preached through and it added up to huge portions of the New Testament and great patches of the Old Testament as well. Repeat it from memory 25 times, they say, and it will be locked in. I’m starting this with the Upper Room Discourse in John (around chapters 14-16). We’ll see how it goes!

In looking up newer methods for my youth, I learned that of course that “there’s an app for that” – check out Versify! It has all sorts of options, including games. They don’t have the CSB translation that we use as a church, but they do have the ESV, which is another great translation that Pastor John and I, and many others in the church have used for years.

Psalm 119:11 says, “I have hidden Your word in my heart, that I might not sin against You.” Hide some scripture in your heart today!
In Him,
Pastor Jeremy
]]> https://summitridgechurch.org/blog/2025/07/05/i-have-hidden-your-word-in-my-heart#comments 0 Q&A with Pastor John on Upcoming Sabbatical, Part 2 https://summitridgechurch.org/blog/2025/06/28/q-a-with-pastor-john-on-upcoming-sabbatical-part-2 Sat, 28 Jun 2025 17:31:00 +0000 https://summitridgechurch.org/blog/2025/06/28/q-a-with-pastor-john-on-upcoming-sabbatical-part-2
I have just begun my sabbatical (June 20-July 31) but wanted to close out with this newsletter update and give a final picture of my time away. This is a follow up to my last newsletter where I began to answer various questions about this time away for me and Angela. As a reminder, every three years I am given a sabbatical in order to take time away from the daily responsibilities of ministry and spend it in engaging in life-giving activities. So for instance, I spend time doing things that will help me grow personally toward the Lord and in helping me to further lead the church in the days ahead. 
 
Q: What spiritual practices do I want to focus on? And will I do anything fun? 
A: Yes, I will want to continue my daily reading in God’s Word and growth in prayer – it taking unrushed time to spend with Jesus. I will also listen to a pile of podcasts (I currently have over 25 hours of podcast time awaiting me). I am looking forward to time in coffee shops to read as well as time for walks on paths. For other fun activities I am looking forward to a few baseball games, spending time with family as well as friends. 
 
Q: What books do I want to read?
A: First of all, I know I have too many, but I will give it a good go anyway. Here’s my list:
“You Were Never Meant To Do It All” – Kelly Kapic
“Defending Sin: A Response To The Evolution And The Natural Sciences” – Hans Madueme
“Transforming Grace” – Jerry Bridges
“Awe: Why It Matters For Everything We Think, Say, & Do” – Paul Tripp
“Do You Believe?” – Paul Tripp
“Wiser With Jesus” – Zack Eswine
“Scrolling Ourselves To Death” – Brett McCraken
“The Art Of Disagreeing” – Ortlund
“Daily Doctrine” – Kevin DeYoung
“Everyday Gospel” – Paul Tripp
 
Q: What am I hoping to return with, both personally and professionally?
A: It is my prayer that I will return with clarity for the church for the days ahead. I hope to return with a fresh breath after having run hard for a while now. And I hope to have refreshed rhythms to my daily life that help to bring sustaining ministry. The timing of this sabbatical is good for us, we can feel our finitude. 
 
It is always an act of trusting the Lord for me to go. It is always a reminder for me that the church doesn’t rise or fall on me, Summit Ridge is not about John Caprine. The church has what they need – Jesus, first and foremost. We are also an elder-led church – and we have fantastic elders who are actively caring and shepherding the flock. I am grateful to entrust the church to the Lord. This is an active way for me to do that in practice and not just in my words.
 
This past week I listened to a timely podcast from CCEF about navigating the chaos in a culture of busyness… it was just what I needed to hear. Perhaps you too would be blessed by it? Here’s the link if you’d like to give it a listen: https://www.ccef.org/podcast/navigating-the-chaos-in-a-culture-of-busyness
 
Would you please pray for me and Angela? Would you put it on your prayer list to daily pray for us while we are away? Please pray that God would continue to grow us toward Him. Pray that we will hear the leading of the Spirit in our lives and that it will flow into our church family. Pray that we are poured into during this season.


I am eager to walk with Jesus. I am eager to see how He will guide us. He has always done so much in us every time we have gone away on our sabbaticals – so it makes me excited about the time away this time too. Thank you for this gift. Thank you for your prayers for me and my family. I am thankful to know you will be cared well for as I am away. I love you, church. I am eager to return and walk this journey with you.


I will see you in August. Mega blessings.
                           
Nothing on my own,

Pastor John
]]> https://summitridgechurch.org/blog/2025/06/28/q-a-with-pastor-john-on-upcoming-sabbatical-part-2#comments 0 Q&A with Pastor John on Upcoming Sabbatical, Part 1 https://summitridgechurch.org/blog/2025/06/07/q-a-with-pastor-john-on-upcoming-sabbatical-part-1 Sat, 07 Jun 2025 17:30:00 +0000 https://summitridgechurch.org/blog/2025/06/07/q-a-with-pastor-john-on-upcoming-sabbatical-part-1
In a few weeks I will be away on a sabbatical (June 20-July 31) where I will get away for concentrated time to pray, read and reflect. Every three years I am gifted a time away for this and this year is that time again. But I know that as I go on sabbatical there may be numerous questions about “why now?”, “what will I do?”, and maybe even, “what is a sabbatical?”. I thought it may be helpful in this newsletter and the next to try to answer questions that I suspect you may have. It’s my hope that it will help bring clarity and encourage you to pray for me and the church during this time.
 
Q: What is a sabbatical?
A: Over the last 18 years at Summit, I am gifted with time away every three years. And here is the aim: To take time away from the daily responsibilities of ministry and spend it in engaging in life-giving activities. So for instance, I spend time doing things that will help me grow personally toward the Lord and in helping me to further lead the church in the days ahead. 
 
Q: Seems like terrible timing to go away for 6 weeks (for instance, termination of a pastor, new building project) why now? Why not wait until the Fall?
A: We wrestled with this for a while. But as an elder team we believed now was better than later because of a couple of things coming in the Fall: Our men’s seeJesus school; a Macedonian prayer team trip in the Fall. Also, this will get me back before the kick off of our 25th anniversary and launch of our new building in September. The building project is well underway and with Rick (our contractor) and the care for our people by pastor Jeremy and our elder team, we have those bases covered very well. So this felt like the timing was right – not convenient, but right. 
 
Q: What will I do? Where will I be?
A: Each sabbatical has looked a little different. Early on, our kids were with us when they were younger. Now it is just Angela and I and our kids are in different parts of the country. For this particular sabbatical we will be spending our time on the eastern side of the country. We will spend a majority of our time in Chattanooga, Tennessee where our son and family live. We’ll also take a few days to drive up to Toronto to visit some friends. I hope to catch a few baseball games and take some day trips to a few places too. 
 
Q: What spiritual practices do I want to focus on? 
A: I will spend time in prayer and in reading and listening to a number of podcasts that I can’t catch in the usual flow of my days at home. I’ll spend time in coffee shops and walk a few civil war sites too. I am eager for some uninterrupted time with Jesus especially. I really want to get to know Jesus more and more… personally, deeply. That’s a smattering of the plans – we’ll see how the Lord works and moves. I simply want to be about my Father’s business.
Q: What are my primary goals for this sabbatical? How will I process and work through areas of my heart?
A: It’s rest, studying/reading, time of being poured into, reflection over the last few years, preparation for new series’, evaluating our staffing and needs as church to name the primary goals. I will also check in a few times with a counselor I meet with in various seasons of life. That will be good to help me process out loud various areas of my heart so I am open to the Spirit’s work in me.
 
That gets us started in answering questions about this sabbatical. Here are questions I will answer in our next newsletter: 
·         What does rest and renewal look like for me during this time?
·         What books do I want to read? 
·         Will I have any contact while I am gone?
·         What am I hoping to return with, both personally and professionally?
·         How can this sabbatical benefit the long-term health of the church?
 
Is there anything you would want to know that I am not answering in these? Email and ask and I will try to answer those.
There are two weeks before Angela and I head out of town. I would humbly ask that you pray for us as we prepare to go. We both have numerous responsibilities to attend to well before we leave. Pray that we engage well in those various tasks and with people. 
I look forward to seeing you over the next two Sunday’s and us worshiping together. Our Lord is good and faithful in all things. 
                           
Nothing on my own,

Pastor John
]]> https://summitridgechurch.org/blog/2025/06/07/q-a-with-pastor-john-on-upcoming-sabbatical-part-1#comments 0 Here’s Some Encouragement To Growing In Prayer https://summitridgechurch.org/blog/2025/05/24/here-s-some-encouragement-to-growing-in-prayer Sat, 24 May 2025 17:28:00 +0000 https://summitridgechurch.org/blog/2025/05/24/here-s-some-encouragement-to-growing-in-prayer
I love the devotional by David Powlison, “Take Heart: Devotions to Deepen Your Faith”! I have read it a few years now and find encouragement and wisdom that points me to God’s Word and moves me toward Him and people. Below is one that has encouraged me in prayer, I hope it does for you too:

Now Jesus was praying in a certain place, and when he finished, one of his disciples said to him, “Lord, teach us to pray.” —Luke 11:1

It’s hard to learn how to pray. We can sometimes make an intelligent, honest request from capable friends whom we trust for something we need. But somehow when making a request is termed “praying” and the capable party is termed “God,” things tend to get tangled. You’ve seen it, heard it, done it: the contorted syntax, formulaic phrasing, meaningless repetition, artificially pious tone of voice. If you talked to your friends that way, they’d think you’d lost your mind!

But if your understanding of prayer changes . . . if your practice of prayer then changes . . . if the prayer requests you make change, then you will change, and so will your relationship with God and his people.

When you pray, remember the three emphases of biblical prayer: circumstantial prayers, wisdom prayers, and kingdom prayers. Sometimes we ask God to change our circumstances: heal the sick, give us daily bread. Sometimes we ask God to change us: deepen my faith, teach us to love each other, forgive our sins. Sometimes we ask God to change everything by revealing himself more fully: your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.

When any one of these three gets detached from the other two, prayer tends to go sour. If you just pray for better circumstances, then God becomes the errand boy—no sanctifying purposes, no higher glory. If you only pray for personal change, then it tends to reveal a self-absorbed spirituality detached from engagement with other people and the tasks of life. If you only pray for the sweeping invasion of the kingdom, then prayers tend toward irrelevance and over-generalization.

Learn to pray with the three-stranded braid of our real need.

Good writing and encouragement here isn’t it?
May the Lord grow you in Him.

I love you church and look forward to continuing to walk with you in Christ.
                           
Nothing on my own,

Pastor John
]]> https://summitridgechurch.org/blog/2025/05/24/here-s-some-encouragement-to-growing-in-prayer#comments 0 4 Signs That Your Heart Could Be Growing Cold https://summitridgechurch.org/blog/2025/05/10/4-signs-that-your-heart-could-be-growing-cold Sat, 10 May 2025 15:13:00 +0000 https://summitridgechurch.org/blog/2025/05/10/4-signs-that-your-heart-could-be-growing-cold
In walking with people over the years I have seen various signs that have pointed to one who has a growing cold heart toward the things of the Lord. Like erosion over time, a cold heart grows slowly and is almost imperceptible in shifts of one’s heart that bring on the condition of a hard heart to the Lord. No Believer wants this, we don’t ask for it, but it can happen to any one of us.

What is the “cold heart” toward God? It is when the things of God that once encouraged and sparked your heart now leaves your heart flat-lined, you feel nothing in particular – that is the cold heart. So, how’s your heart?

Every one of us is susceptible to this, each of us has even experienced it from time to time. But left unattended to, it can create a frozen tundra of the heart.

These are all marks of a growing cold heart to God:
 
1. Lack of Spiritual Engagement: You become unmoved by any Bible reading, and you find yourself going through the motions more and more. The Gospel isn’t transforming. No real repentance. You prayers are cold. And you are generally bored by the things of God. 
2. Negative Internal Shifts: Criticism grows. Irritability sets in. Angry outbursts increase. And so much media has flooded your eyes that you are numb.
3. Diminished Compassion and Self-Centeredness: When people are more of an obstacle to what you want. And when you have no compassion for the hurting, suffering, or people in general.
4. Hidden Sin and Moral Compromise: You hide little sins, the ones no one but you know of. Over time, these become more regular and grow in their consequences.
None of these singularly may be an indicator of a cold heart, but if there is a pattern of a few of them growing - you may be experiencing it growing in you.

[Here is a short note to all of my scrupulous friends reading this: You will likely over-think this list and if not careful, you will think I am writing specifically to you and you have each of these. If you think that is true. Just pause and bring these fears to the Lord right now. The Holy Spirit is really good at pointing to truth and in gently guiding us to walking with Him – if you hear condemnation – that is NOT the Holy Spirit!]

Let me close with some hope for those whose hearts are growing frigid. Zephaniah 3:17 says this to you: “The Lord your God is among you, a warrior who saves. He will rejoice over you with gladness. He will be quiet in His love. He will delight in you with singing.” He rejoices over you? Yes! And Psalm 86:15 says: “But You, Lord, are a compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger and abounding in faithful love and truth.” This is a truth for you, friends. He is patient, He is at work! Lastly, Philippians 1:6 says: “I am sure of this, that He who started a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.” He isn’t finished. So lean into Him. Open up your Bible again. Share with a Jesus-loving friend that you have felt cold to Him lately and ask them to pray for you.

I love the fact that He is not done with us! Thank You, Lord!
                           
Nothing on my own,

Pastor John
]]> https://summitridgechurch.org/blog/2025/05/10/4-signs-that-your-heart-could-be-growing-cold#comments 1 We have begun building our new building https://summitridgechurch.org/blog/2025/04/26/we-have-begun-building-our-new-building Sat, 26 Apr 2025 15:12:00 +0000 https://summitridgechurch.org/blog/2025/04/26/we-have-begun-building-our-new-building
If it is Saturday morning as you read this, then there are a number of folks working at our new location because today is: Demolition Day! We are tearing out walls and getting ready for the new build!

That makes this a good time to give an update to what’s been happening with our new location. This newsletter will be slightly longer than normal because there is so much to update on. I know this is important to all of you who have been praying and giving to our new building! We are in an exciting place.

We are currently aiming for a complete finish and move-in date around the middle of August. Now that we have all our permits, plans and contractor we are all set for our buildout. So many things have happened since our last update! But we are on our way!

As we communicated last time, the costs for the project rose significantly than when we first began this journey. We went into the project with a projection of about $400,000 for the buildout. But that was back in July and August of last year, and since then costs have increased for materials, plus additional requirements from the city that were unexpected. For instance, based on the occupancy of the building we needed to replace the fire suppression system, replace two air conditioners for higher occupancy and build a fire wall that separates the doctor’s office and us (the doctor – who is also the owner – uses 2,500 square feet compared to our 7,500 square feet of the building). All of those costs increased our total to $750,000. (When we got bids for building out the location we even received one for a total of $1.1 million to do! We didn’t take that bid.) All that to say, there have been higher costs. I know that is not uncommon, but it’s still disappointing.

In regards to our costs, we have been able to lower our costs by a number of ways but the two most significant has been that our air conditioning system is being supplied through a God-connection with an HVAC acquaintance we had who offered to help reduce costs. And secondly, our contractor is Rick Coblentz with his construction company, I-Build. (Side note: To stay above reproach with the finances, we have also put additional checks-and-balances in place to ensure Rick cannot sign any checks – which he’s never been able to do because he is treasurer – and we have made sure that every check/payment for our project is signed/approved by one of our elders. We have taken other cautionary steps to ensure accountability as well.) One of the blessings with Rick being the contractor is he can arrange for our own people for help with the project that keeps costs significantly lower. Additionally, he has over 20 years of involvement and care for our church as well as years of work in this field. This is all very exciting for us!

Due to the higher costs, we have needed to seek additional financial support for the project. Since our last update, we have had numerous people generously giving to the project which means we have had over $300,000 given to the project so far! We currently have approximately $300,000 that has been pledged (some already given) by people who have made an investment to the church building. (These are people who will be paid back over time.) And third, we have submitted for a loan to cover the final amount from our bank and hope to hear back from this any day. All in all, we have seen God’s gracious hand in supplying all that we need to allow the project to move forward!

I would be amiss if I didn’t update you as well to a challenge we have faced with our new neighbors. The two other churches that are sharing parking space with us are less-than-thrilled to have another church near them. We knew going in that there would be challenges with parking, which is their concern as well. We have counted out all the spaces available and have carefully considered what the maximum occupancy is for the three churches and believe that parking will be tight, but it will be doable. Nevertheless, the other two churches haven’t loved the idea of us moving in with them. I can certainly appreciate that, but we believe the Lord has made this clear to keep moving.

So this leads me to the final update and part for you to be a part of… will you pray specifically for us in these matters?
Here are ways you can pray:
  • For the timeline of this project to stay on track for a move-in time of August
  • For the final dollars needed for completion of the building to come in
  • That we will be found with favor with our neighbor churches, that there will be no “parking wars” with them
  • That the workers on our project will be diligent and skilled in all that they do
  • That the surrounding homes will be drawn to a Gospel-centered church like ours
  • That we will see the Lord’s hand at work as we move forward in faith that He has led us here

These are exciting times for us church! We are nearly there – nearly at our own place unlike ever before in the nearly 25 years as a church!

We are watching God at work! I thank God for that!
                           
Nothing on my own,

Pastor John
]]> https://summitridgechurch.org/blog/2025/04/26/we-have-begun-building-our-new-building#comments 0 Blindness is a Serious Condition https://summitridgechurch.org/blog/2025/04/12/blindness-is-a-serious-condition Sat, 12 Apr 2025 15:11:00 +0000 https://summitridgechurch.org/blog/2025/04/12/blindness-is-a-serious-condition
In my men’s small group we were studying in John 9 about the man born blind and the disciples asking why he was blind (actually more like judging him). If you know the story, Jesus gave the man his sight! He did this again and again, giving sight to the blind.

Isaiah 35:5-6 says this about the coming Messiah, “Then the eyes of the blind will be opened, and the ears of the deaf unstopped. Then the lame will leap like a deer, and the tongue of the mute will sing for joy, for water will gush in the wilderness, and streams in the desert.” 
 
Eyes that see… 
   Ears that can hear… 
      Legs that leap for joy… 
         Songs that loudly express joy in the Lord… and, streams flowing in deserts.

What a picture! Jesus told John the Baptist who was doubting and struggling while in prison, “Go and report to John what you have seen and heard: The blind receive their sight, the lame walk, those with leprosy are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised…”

Blindness is a serious condition to be sure, but certainly the most serious condition is a blind heart! The inability to “see” the Lord and trust Him. The condition of the heart that turns from the Lord and goes about life with only what their eyes can see through their own reason. This, my church, is a blindness that is of most seriousness. Over the years I have met with many who are heart-wrenched over the chaos and destruction they have caused because of the blindness of their sin! The blindness of deceit, of hiding, lying… I have seen it countless times over the years as someone is exposed (or, more unusually confesses) of their blindness in sin! O, that we could see what would come of the fallout! (Proverbs lays out a very clear picture of it if you read through it.)

In my reading this week through the Bible I was in 2 Kings 6 where a servant of God had his eyes opened to what he couldn’t see. The city he found himself in was surrounded by those who would destroy them. Elisha prayed for him that his eyes would be opened to “see”. Verse 17 says, “So the LORD opened the servant’s eyes, and he saw that the mountain was covered with horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha.” There was good reason why the servant was fearful and cowering… he couldn’t “see” until the Lord opened his eyes! And then… wow! Sight to see!

O, that the Lord would open our eyes too! Eyes to see the dangers and pitfalls of a course set on sin; eyes to see when fear entangles our hearts; eyes to see when we see no way out. 
How’s your eyesight?
Lord, give sight to us all!
                           
Nothing on my own,

Pastor John
]]> https://summitridgechurch.org/blog/2025/04/12/blindness-is-a-serious-condition#comments 0 I Know We Want The Power, But That’s Not Where We Start https://summitridgechurch.org/blog/2025/03/29/i-know-we-want-the-power-but-that-s-not-where-we-start Sat, 29 Mar 2025 15:10:00 +0000 https://summitridgechurch.org/blog/2025/03/29/i-know-we-want-the-power-but-that-s-not-where-we-start
When was the last time you saw someone – or a ministry – boasting in their weaknesses? We generally avoid our weaknesses, we try desperately to hide them, not highlight them. But what if I told you that the way of Jesus is the path of weakness, not that of power? That is not so attractive in our world.

It isn’t surprising to me that we avoid weakness… we don’t like that feeling of vulnerability and needing to be dependent on someone else. So, no, that’s not our natural inclination to embrace our weaknesses.

What I typically see churches emphasis is power, not weakness. And, I get it, power is attractive. The problem I see though is it lacks the totality of God’s Word.

Consider with me 2 Corinthians 12:7b-10, Paul says this:

“So that I would not exalt myself, a thorn in the flesh was given to me, a messenger of Satan to torment me so that I would not exalt myself. Concerning this, I pleaded with the Lord three times that it would leave me. But He said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for My power is perfected in weakness.” Therefore, I will most gladly boast all the more about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may reside in me. So I take pleasure in weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and in difficulties, for the sake of Christ. For when I am weak, then I am strong. [Emphasis added.]”

“Power perfected in weakness”… “when I am weak, then I am strong”. These seem to get lost in today’s power-focused messages. Frankly, we don’t want the weakness, we want the power. But that’s not the Jesus way.

Paul says that he will boast in his weaknesses so that he points to Christ in his life. He says in Philippians 3 that he counts - all his gains for self-sufficiency - a loss for the sake of knowing Christ Jesus his Lord!

The path of Jesus is one of weakness before power.

I agree with AW Tozer who said, “It is doubtful whether God can bless a man greatly until He has hurt him deeply. …Without doubt, we of this generation have become too soft to scale great spiritual heights. Salvation has come to mean deliverance from unpleasant things. Our hymns and sermons create for us a religion of consolation and pleasantness. We overlook the pace of the thorns, the cross and the blood.”

I fear that when we ignore the path of Jesus for the sake of just having the power, we miss Jesus and we miss His work and presence in the midst of dying to ourselves and the suffering He has us to go through. But we cannot skip the dying if we want Jesus, if we want His strength.

Our weaknesses, our brokenness before the Lord… really, our dependence upon Him is the way. We don’t have it in ourselves, we are not sufficient for our days, we need Him and His strength to face and get through our days. It is in the places of our shame and weakness and inability to navigate our days that He wants to meet us in.

Let’s consider our dependence upon Him, of our leaning into Him all the more – recognizing our need for His Spirit to make it through our day(s).

“Lord, help!” That’s our starting point.

I look forward to worshiping in person tomorrow.

To God be the glory!
 
                           
A Weak Man,

Pastor John
]]> https://summitridgechurch.org/blog/2025/03/29/i-know-we-want-the-power-but-that-s-not-where-we-start#comments 0 5 Years Ago... Reflections on the COVID-19 Pandemic https://summitridgechurch.org/blog/2025/03/15/5-years-ago-reflections-on-the-covid-19-pandemic Sat, 15 Mar 2025 15:08:00 +0000 https://summitridgechurch.org/blog/2025/03/15/5-years-ago-reflections-on-the-covid-19-pandemic
This week marked the five year mark from the global pandemic of Covid-19. All that we endured in that 2020 year and all that has transpired since then has me pondering. 2020 will certainly be a year that is remembered as a pivotal marker of our lives.

We had a number of folks over this week in our home for a few gatherings (which we couldn’t do 5 years ago!) and we reflected on this milestone marker of five years and the impact on our lives and the church of that pandemic.

I asked a few questions of our guests as we talked about the affects of Covid-19 on us and our society as a whole. I wondered what they thought had changed because of the pandemic. And I wondered if they thought our society would accept another shutdown if that came our way (which was a resounding no! by the way). I also wondered with them the effects on the church during that time.

Here's a consensus of the conversations:
Our kids will have long term effects both academically and socially
A distrust of institutions, government as well as “experts” and “science”
More individualism, me-first thinking 
Divisions of identities and ideas and the growth of the cancel-culture
Online church became a real option (and thankfully has not remained as a viable option) 
Shortly after the lock-downs we had George Floyd and all the turmoil that came from that. Boiling over of anger and frustrations and injustices.

The church was deeply affected as well. I believe we still feel the effects of that time period today. The divisions over masks or no masks. It seemed as though politics were on our faces now. We had people leave on both end of the spectrum. I believe that it exposed thoughts and feelings we had under the surface already and just exposed our hearts and sped up the process of those underlying frustrations and beliefs. I still semi-regularly talk with pastors who feel tired and exhausted from the effects of Covid upon their church.

How did you spend your days in those lock-down months? Personally, I remember feeling like it was some of the memes that were quite funny and captured the moments: (Here’s a few I saved)
                                       
           
                               
                                       
                               
                   
                                       
           
                               
                                       
                               
                   
                                       
                               
                                       
                               
                   
                                       
                               

Then, during our lock downs, we offered online services (of which I am still deeply grateful to Scott Rider for his making this all happen so well for us). For about three months, we went “online” and then as we began to enter back into “in person” services we had to register to come and create “bubbles” for people to be able to meet… with masks. Here’s some of the pics I saved from that as well:
                                       
           
                               
                                       
                               
                   
                                       
           
                               
                                       
                               
                   
                                       
                               
                                       
                           
                           

Finally, I want to encourage you to watch the Easter worship video that Scott and Heather created with our team of folks to remind us of our body of Christ worshiping together: 
   
                                           
       

I walk away with a deep gratitude for the Lord’s Church, for the gathering together and need for one another and physical touch and in-person conversations, and preaching to real people who are interacting as we go through God’s Word together. We need the church, we need one another. It’s easy today to take our gathering together for granted. This reflection has been a helpful reminder for me. How about you?

I look forward to worshiping in person tomorrow.

To God be the glory!
                           
Held By His Abundant Grace,

Pastor John                        
                                                                                               
]]> https://summitridgechurch.org/blog/2025/03/15/5-years-ago-reflections-on-the-covid-19-pandemic#comments 0 How's Your Sleep? https://summitridgechurch.org/blog/2025/03/01/how-s-your-sleep Sat, 01 Mar 2025 15:07:00 +0000 https://summitridgechurch.org/blog/2025/03/01/how-s-your-sleep
You are reading this right now because you are, well, awake. I don’t know what time it currently is for you as you read this. But the fact that you are awake may be a good thing, or it may be because you are wide awake with the glow of your screen on your face as you doom-scroll through your phone because you can’t sleep right now.

Generally, I know we don’t get enough sleep on average. (And – sad news here – it apparently doesn’t work to try and “catch up” on missed sleep on the weekend!) It seems the average American gets about 5.7 hours of sleep when we need 7 to 9 hours a night. How’s your sleep? I know mine has increasingly struggled, some weeks better than others. But I average about 6 to 6.5 hours sleep a night (I am not sure how much of that is actually sleeping).

I have been reading a book lately called, “Reset” by David Murray and he clearly addresses sleep. Here is a portion of what he writes:

“Few things are as theological as sleep. Show me your sleep pattern and I’ll show you your theology, because we all preach a sermon in and by our sleep. For example, if we pride ourselves on sleeping only five hours a night, we preach the following truths:

I don’t trust God with my work, my church, or my family. Sure, I believe God is sovereign, but he needs all the help I can give him. If I don’t do the work, who will? Although Christ has promised to build his church, who’s doing the night shift?

I don’t respect how my Creator has made me. I am strong enough to cope without God’s gift of sufficient daily sleep (Ps. 3:5; 4:8). I refuse to accept my creaturely limitations and bodily needs (Ps. 127:1–2). I see myself more as a machine than a human being.

I don’t believe that the soul and body are linked. I can neglect my body and my soul will not suffer. I can weaken my body and not weaken my mind, conscience, and will.

I don’t need to demonstrate my rest in Christ. Although the Bible repeatedly portrays salvation as rest, I’ll let others do the resting. I want people to know how busy, important, and zealous I am. That’s far more important than the daily demonstration of Christ’s salvation in when and how I rest.

I worship idols. What I do instead of sleep shines a spotlight on my idols, whether it be late-night football, surfing the Internet, ministry success, or promotion. Why sleep when it does nothing to burnish my reputation or advance my glory?

What sermon are you preaching in your sleep?”

This just has me thinking about my own patterns and thinking on something as important as sleep. I think we often try and cover up our sleep deprivation by drinking coffee or energy drinks. But I think we may be masking a more serious problem by doing so. What do you think about your own habits?

Psalm 127:2 says this, “In vain you get up early and stay up late, working hard to have enough food— yes, He gives sleep to the one He loves.”

Sometimes in the middle of the night as my heart is heavy in thought and anxieties I remind Him of this verse.

I am having to take stock of my own life and sleep and my dependence on the Lord. I encourage you to do the same. He literally made us to sleep, to try and circumvent how He made us puts us in the driver’s seat – that’s not where we want to be!

May He grow us as a people who trust Him with all of our schedules. May He help us to release to Him what we watch, when to turn things off, and when to sleep.

Nighty, night.
                           
Held By His Abundant Grace,

Pastor Joh
]]> https://summitridgechurch.org/blog/2025/03/01/how-s-your-sleep#comments 0 Pray for Us https://summitridgechurch.org/blog/2025/02/15/pray-for-us Sat, 15 Feb 2025 15:05:00 +0000 https://summitridgechurch.org/blog/2025/02/15/pray-for-us
Would you commit to praying for us?

Beginning Sunday afternoon through Tuesday afternoon we will have our annual pastor’s/elder’s retreat. We will be meeting in St. George for a few days of worship, prayer, training and fellowship. There will be 12 of us gathering there.

Here are a few ways you can pray for us (some of this adapted from the attached prayer):
 
  • Health (nothing to hinder ability to meet and engage together)
  • Humility to see and name ways we need to grow. Healthy evaluation
  • Restful sleep and fresh faith in the mornings
  • Wisdom, balance of emotions, care for one another
  • Fresh approaches to old problems and broken relationships
  • Fortitude to enter divisive, volatile situations
  • Comfort for any weary souls
  • Times of laughter and light-heartedness

Maybe you would like to pray a little more specifically for the pastors (and elders) by name? You’ll find the attached prayer “Intersession for a Minister” taken from Vol. 3 of Every Moment Holy as a helpful tool. I know I would personally be deeply encouraged to know you are praying this for me.

Thank you, friends for praying for us. We are grateful.

I will (God willing) see you next Sunday as we shift our study into the book of Esther.

                           
Held By His Abundant Grace,

Pastor John
]]> https://summitridgechurch.org/blog/2025/02/15/pray-for-us#comments 0 How quickly we forget... https://summitridgechurch.org/blog/2025/02/01/how-quickly-we-forget Sat, 01 Feb 2025 15:03:00 +0000 https://summitridgechurch.org/blog/2025/02/01/how-quickly-we-forget
It is one thing to forget where I put my keys… and even in the frantic search for them to actually be holding the keys in my one hand and then switch hands to check the other pocket looking for them – oh my, that’s embarrassing! But forgetfulness happens to all of us. And how quickly we can forget things!

I have been reminded this past week that forgetfulness is nothing new. As I was re-reading in the book of Exodus, I saw a number of times when God rescued His people (in miraculous ways mind you!) but then they seemed to forget what the Lord had done in a very short period of time. This is the pattern I saw: 1) God rescued the people from their suffering; 2) the people are relived; 3) in a matter of days they forget what God had done and begin to complain again against God and His leaders. How quickly they forget God's work and that He is with them!

Here are some scenarios where we too may forget God is with you: 
· Perhaps you have found yourself so busy that you forget to actually talk to the Lord and invite Him into your situations of the day? 
· Or maybe a particular fear creeps in and it seems to paralyze you? So, the method of the day is take control.
· Perhaps you have an area where obeying the Lord is scary and hard. To trust Him in your steps forward would mean some hard decisions and trust in ways you never have.
 
These are all ways we may end up forgetting that God is with us and cares.

When we forget Him in our day-to-day lives it becomes easy to let our fears grow out of control… And when our fears grow we can be just like the Israelites in Exodus and think it may be easier to go back to the old way of life, back to what we knew. We may think we have more control over the situation, or at least more normalcy. Or we may even be tempted to go back to a particular sin we were so comfortable in. Maybe going back to a bad relationship. Or back to a destructive pattern like alcohol or porn or gambling or an eating disorder. Back to hiding. Back to covering up and hoping it passes you by. But as the Holy Spirit testifies to us, we know that is not going to be best. Instead, He reminds us to not forget Him but invite Him into our struggles. He says, “Trust Me. I am with you.” In Exodus 15:26, God tells His people, “I am the LORD who heals you.” He is the One I want to trust and more lean into. Lord, guard us from a God-amnesia!
                           
Held By His Abundant Grace,

Pastor John
]]> https://summitridgechurch.org/blog/2025/02/01/how-quickly-we-forget#comments 0 Celebrating 10 Years of Not Forgotten https://summitridgechurch.org/blog/2025/01/18/celebrating-10-years-of-not-forgotten Sat, 18 Jan 2025 15:02:00 +0000 https://summitridgechurch.org/blog/2025/01/18/celebrating-10-years-of-not-forgotten
I want to take the space to share the latest news from our partner ministry, Not Forgotten. We connected with Tyler and Allison in 2014, in the very beginning. And I thank God for how He has worked there in Peru! And I thank God for the mark of ten years we celebrate of His abundant care there. Thank you for being on the journey with us. This is exciting news!

Here is their latest newsletter:
                                                   
                                       
                           
                           Celebrating 10 Years!                        
                                       
                               
                   
                                       
                               
                           TEN YEARS! In January we are excited to celebrate the 10 year anniversary of Las Lomas, our first children’s home in Peru. Since 2015 there have been numerous opportunities to bear witness to the truth that our God is the only One who can generate effective, lasting change. Change that begins in hearts and stretches to systems, culture, and communities.                        
                       
                   
           
                       Over the past 10 years we have cared for over 50 boys. At Las Lomas we have constructed four bungalow-style homes, two classrooms, a gazebo, and a soccer field. We have supported small boys who were fearful and untrusting as they grow into young men who are confident and engaging. We have come alongside boys who were told they would never be good at school and seen them rise to the top of their class. We have watched talents blossom in areas such as music, art, theater, language, and science. We have walked beside boys who were forgotten and abandoned by their families and seen them grow in their knowledge of a living God who will never leave them or forsake them.                    
                       
                   
           
                       In 2020 we opened a second children’s home called Aporcar. There we have built an additional 3 bungalow-style homes, multiple classroom spaces, art spaces, and apartments. We have watched our boys engage with their classmates and compete academically in their school. We have seen them participate in extracurricular activities like the school orchestra or a club soccer team. We have been encouraged by their involvement in the local church and youth group where they help lead worship.                      
For the past decade we have witnessed our children experiencing countless “firsts”. They have learned to swim, flown in a plane, seen the ocean, visited the presidential palace, gone to the movie theater, dined in restaurants, performed for others, learned to bake, taken music lessons, and begun English classes. Deeper than this, we have done our best to faithfully share the good news of our Father who will never fail and of His son, Jesus Christ, who has come to save us, both for the sake of this life and the one to come.
                                       
                                                       
                           
                           Celebrate with us what God has done through NF over the course of ten years. Imagine what He can do with the next ten! Please give of your prayers and resources that this work might continue. “To God be the glory, great things He has done!”

With love and gratitude, Tyler and Allison Fuqua                          
                                                   
                           Isn’t this great to see!?! That’s God’s faithfulness at work. To Him be the glory!

Held By His Abundant Grace,

Pastor John                        

                                                                                               

                                                                                               

                           
]]> https://summitridgechurch.org/blog/2025/01/18/celebrating-10-years-of-not-forgotten#comments 0 Remembering 2024 and Looking Forward to 2025 https://summitridgechurch.org/blog/2025/01/04/remembering-2024-and-looking-forward-to-2025 Sat, 04 Jan 2025 15:00:00 +0000 https://summitridgechurch.org/blog/2025/01/04/remembering-2024-and-looking-forward-to-2025
By God’s grace, we have begun a new year! Finishing a calendar year always has me reflecting on the year we finished and highlighting where I saw the Lord at work as a church as well as other tidbits. Here are a few of the highlights for 2024:

·   Pastor Marc began with his cancer numbers climbing... but finished the year cancer free!
  • We began a new location work (with a move in around May ‘25)
  • Danica Henry began as our new Children's Ministry Director 
  • Grew in dependence and prayer in our ministries and as a church
  • We helped plant Summit Henderson
  • Began updating our doctrinal statement
  • We had a few elder transitions (that was sad and hard!)
  • International work: The O’s are back on field – now in Macedonia!!!
  • Ministry throughout the year: Small groups, Youth, baptisms, meals delivered, Retreats (Women's, elders/pastors), Straight Ahead, Olive Crest
  • We listened to the Bible a lot! Dwell Bible App: 196,805 overall minutes, 7,825 minutes last month
  • We experienced loss: Sandy Sample, and Robert Villaverde passed away
  • By the Numbers:  
    • Our general Sunday attendance – 296
    • New members (currently 173) 28 new members in the last year
    • Overall volunteers count – 128 serving on Sunday mornings in any area, includes youth helpers (111 members serving)
    • Small groups – 136 people attended small groups this last semester
As I reflect on this list I want to respond with, “Thank you!!!” “Thank you,” first and foremost to the Lord for His mercy and continual care over us throughout the year! At times in ministry and times in our personal life, the year was hard, times when He brought us through various trials and challenges. But through it all, He was faithful and cared for us! I am incredibly grateful! 
I also thank each of you for your prayers, your giving, and serving in the various ministries throughout the year. Church, thank you! We have continued to lean into Him and grow in dependence!
Here is an encouraging fact going into this year: We are heading into our 25th year as a church! That is significant! We will (God willing) be in our new building as we celebrate our 25th year. We will celebrate and give thanks to Him for the work of His Spirit in and through us over the years! 
Finally, I am really looking forward to our new teaching series through the books of Ezra, Esther and Nehemiah. We begin tomorrow on this journey together. I am personally seeing how this is already refreshing my soul as I am currently soaking in the book of Ezra. The reminder that God is at work, that He says what He does and does what He says. The reminder that He is faithful and at work – even when I don’t always see His hand at work or know how, I know He is! I am reminded from my study that He is at work in us – refining us. I am eager for Him to reform us as draw us all the more to Jesus through our study together. [If you would like to see an outline of Ezra you can click on this link: Outline of Ezra.]



 
I pray you will join with me in worship tomorrow as we enjoy seeing each other and encouraging one another as we gather around His Word and in singing, inviting Him to work in and through us!
I love you church and am eager to worship with you!

Held By His Abundant Grace,

Pastor John
]]> https://summitridgechurch.org/blog/2025/01/04/remembering-2024-and-looking-forward-to-2025#comments 0 Read Through the Bible in 2025 https://summitridgechurch.org/blog/2024/12/21/read-through-the-bible-in-2025 Sat, 21 Dec 2024 14:56:00 +0000 https://summitridgechurch.org/blog/2024/12/21/read-through-the-bible-in-2025
                           
We are days away from heading into a new year! Have you given any thought to what you hope next year will look like when it comes to getting to know the Lord more fully and personally?

Let me encourage you to set aside time each day to read through His Word. You can read through the Bible in a year if you take 10 to 20 minutes a day. We can do that!

Personally, I am finishing up reading through the Gospels right now and I plan on reading through the Bible again this year in the ESV and adding in Paul Tripp’s devotional with the readings. As I read I will also listen in my Dwell app as I go. Dwell offers nine different Bible reading plans as well – something that will suit your needs for sure! (I noticed they partnered with the Bible Project as well – I love The Bible Project! So that’s exciting for me.)

What I know is, if we want to draw closer to the Lord, we need to know Him, and to know Him, we need to know what He has said to us. We will need to set aside the time to read – there is no other way around it! I thank God for His Word for us!

I hope you will join with me in reading through God’s Word this year. If you are, I would love to hear what you will be doing. Which reading plan will you use?

May the Spirit guide you in drawing to Him this next year. He will not disappoint!

Held By His Abundant Grace,

Pastor John

]]> https://summitridgechurch.org/blog/2024/12/21/read-through-the-bible-in-2025#comments 0 Before We Rush Off... https://summitridgechurch.org/blog/2024/12/07/before-we-rush-off Sat, 07 Dec 2024 14:55:00 +0000 https://summitridgechurch.org/blog/2024/12/07/before-we-rush-off
We are in the Christmas season and it feels like we are “off to the races”… the finishing of various tasks and meetings and gatherings that close out the year. And with Thanksgiving a week later, it has made me feel like I’ve lost a week somewhere in there.
 
In spite of the rush of the season, I have thought about what we just finished as a church: we have finished studying the Book of Ephesians! And it feels like it could be amiss to just move on without at least reflecting on a couple of significant take aways from Ephesians. After all, we just summited one of the most profound books of the Bible!
 
Here is a list of a few curated lists from our study in Ephesians:
What God has done for me as a Christian:
  • Blessed me with every spiritual blessing
  • He chose me
  • He made me holy and blameless
  • He predestined me
  • He’s united us in Christ
  • He adopted me as His son
  • He is pleased – He enjoys – choosing and adopting me!
  • He lavished (richly poured out) His grace on me
  • He redeemed me
  • He forgave me
  • He made known to me His work
  • I have inherited His riches
  • He sealed me by His Holy Spirit

Who I am in Christ:
  • I am alive in Christ
  • I am a saint
  • I am His workmanship
  • I am created by Him
  • I have been brought near to Him
  • I have peace
  • I have access to the Father
  • I am not a foreigner or stranger but a citizen
  • I am a member of His household
  • I am a prisoner of Christ
  • I am a coheir and member of the body
  • I am a partner in the promise
  • I am a servant of the Gospel
  • I have access and boldness to Him

Ten Praises unto the Lord for His work from chapter 1:3-14: 1.  We praise God because He blessed us with every spiritual blessing (3)
2.  We praise Him because He chose us (4)
3.  We praise God because He adopted us (5–6)
4.  We praise God because He redeemed us (7)
5.  We praise God because He forgave us (7)
6.  We praise God because He lavished His grace upon us (7–8)
7.  We praise God because He made known the mystery of His will to us (8–10)
8.  We praise God because He provided an eternal inheritance for us (10–12)
9.  We praise God because He sealed us by the Spirit (13)
10. We praise God because He guaranteed our inheritance (14)
 
Such profound reminders for each of us who are “in Christ”! These blessings are now yours – right now! So let’s just stop for a moment and give thanks! This changes how we now live. …And it’s good.
 
 
Held By His Abundant Grace,

Pastor John
]]> https://summitridgechurch.org/blog/2024/12/07/before-we-rush-off#comments 0 The New Location is Taking Shape https://summitridgechurch.org/blog/2024/11/02/the-new-location-is-taking-shape Sat, 02 Nov 2024 14:53:00 +0000 https://summitridgechurch.org/blog/2024/11/02/the-new-location-is-taking-shape
Hello Church Family!
 
Today I want to update you (and hopefully encourage you) with what has been happening on the new church location. I thought it would be helpful to share some of things that have been going on “behind-the-scenes.”
 
First of all, a project like this has many ins-and-outs that go on to bring it to completion – it’s very complicated. For instance, we have an architect who is working on our project, and with him different people who oversee the electrical planning, the plumbing, and the fire system that needs to be installed. Besides, we have someone who’s doing interior designs as well as various ministry leads who contribute to the designs and input for the new building! After all the general plans are completed, it is submitted to the city for approval of our permits (hopefully this week we can submit the plans!). So many are involved in bringing this about – all before we ever start to even build it!
 
Here are two pictures of the imagined entryway and hall. And we will have more updates as they become available. Soon we’ll be doing more and more design work.





 
Your giving and prayers are what fuel this project. So thank you so much! Let me give you a couple of specific prayer requests for the project:
  • The permits to pass on the first round
  • New people who will be drawn to Jesus and be drawn to Summit Ridge
  • Funding needed for this project
  • A stirring in our people for prayer and growth in Christ
  • Nehemiah 4:6b says that “the people had a mind to work.” May this be true of us!
  • Spiritual protection, wisdom and discernment for our leaders
 
Thank you for praying and giving and being a part of Summit Ridge Church. I am eager to see how He will work among us.
 

Held By His Abundant Grace,


Pastor John
]]> https://summitridgechurch.org/blog/2024/11/02/the-new-location-is-taking-shape#comments 0 The God Who Is Personal https://summitridgechurch.org/blog/2024/10/19/the-god-who-is-personal Sat, 19 Oct 2024 14:52:00 +0000 https://summitridgechurch.org/blog/2024/10/19/the-god-who-is-personal
Hello Church Family!
 
You have likely heard me say that, “God is personal” (if you’ve been around long you’ve heard that a lot!) and I truly believe it! I am regularly reminded of that fact. Let me explain so that (hopefully) you too are encouraged to go to Him.
 
Just this week I have been reminded that God is at work in writing a story that I get to be a part of. Among challenging things happening in my life, I have seen Him at work as well – He’s been answering specific prayers that I have brought to Him, some prayers that are more recent prayers and some of them I’ve been asking Him about for some time. I have seen His provision; seen His care for us; seen His Spirit’s stirring in people. I have been reminded of His compassion for us. In my prayer cohort this week we talked about how our cynicism will thwart seeing His compassion and work in and around us. It was such a good reminder for me.
 
God is personal. We see it all over scripture, and we see it all around us. Look what Isaiah 41:13 says, “For I am the LORD your God, who holds your right hand, who says to you, ‘Do not fear, I will help you.’”  That’s close. That’s personal. That doesn’t sound like a God who is just perpetually disappointed with us – like He is just waiting for us to get it right for once! No, no, He is the God who comes close. And we see it on display as we read the Gospels and watch Jesus move close to people – the down-and-outers, the broken, the discarded, the ones who couldn’t get it together. Frankly, people like you and me. He is accessible, He’s personal.
 
So how about you? When you slow down for a moment, in what ways can you think of how God has been personal to you? Do you have any Bible verses you can look to that will help remind you of His care and comfort for you? Do you feel distant from Him? What can you pray right now to invite Him to draw close? (James 4:8a, “Draw near to God and He will draw near to you.”)
 
I will pray for you right now that you will see His closeness and how personal He is. I will pray that your own cynicism will be seen for what it is and crushed.
 
I love you church! And I love watching God at work among us.
 
 
Held By His Abundant Grace,


Pastor John

P.S.: We will be giving an update in the near future on our coming new location. We are excited, things are happening in the background but they are happening.
]]> https://summitridgechurch.org/blog/2024/10/19/the-god-who-is-personal#comments 0 5 Traits of Those Who Build Up the Church https://summitridgechurch.org/blog/2024/10/05/5-traits-of-those-who-build-up-the-church Sat, 05 Oct 2024 14:51:00 +0000 https://summitridgechurch.org/blog/2024/10/05/5-traits-of-those-who-build-up-the-church
Being a part of the Church for all my life, and as senior pastor now for 17 years, I have seen up close and personally the ins-and-outs of the church and church life. I was thinking about what kind of traits make up a Believer who builds up the church.
 
One who builds the church is one who is living out the grace of God in their lives. They tend to be growing in these kinds of areas, I was thinking of five of them:
  1. They “show up”. It’s the first part, and most difficult part, of faithfulness. Growing Believers will engage, they “show up”. They will engage in the body-life of the church – worship services, small groups, ministries. It’s them knowing others and being known.
  2. They encourage. Believers who build the church up will be encouragers. They will move toward people. They will slow down to listen. The aim is to be able to know someone well enough that they can pray about at least one things for the person they moved toward.
  3. They pray. That is a significant trait of Believers who are growing and building up the church – they pray. They will pray for the leadership, the ministries, the people, new folks. They will pray about problems and challenges in the church. They will ask for God’s mercy and protection for the church.
  4. They don’t gossip. One of the traits of one who builds up the church is that they won’t indulge in gossip. It is so difficult to not share morsels of gossip. It happens in private circles, in small groups. And when it goes it spreads and kills the church! But the one who builds up the church is committed to unity as the Lord directs us again and again.
  5. They are patient. They know we are all sinners in need of grace and patience. This is a significant trait to building up the church, being long on grace with people who fail. So they seek the Lord, they pray. They know love covers over a multitude of sins. So they trust the Lord to work and guide appropriately. But patience and gentleness are traits of a growing Believer.
 
As you look at these five traits, are there any here the Lord wants you to grow in? What other traits would you add to it?
 
These remind me of my need of staying close to Jesus. Without my daily walk with Him I will take matters into my own hands and just make a mess of things. God help us as we walk in Him.
 
I love you church! And I love watching God at work among us.


Held By His Abundant Grace,
 
Pastor John
]]> https://summitridgechurch.org/blog/2024/10/05/5-traits-of-those-who-build-up-the-church#comments 0 Why do we pray? https://summitridgechurch.org/blog/2024/09/21/why-do-we-pray Sat, 21 Sep 2024 14:49:00 +0000 https://summitridgechurch.org/blog/2024/09/21/why-do-we-pray
One of the areas you know we have been growing in is in the area of prayer as a church. We are wanting to continue to grow in talking to the Lord and seeing Him at work in our lives and in the life of the church. (It’s why we want everyone to go through a Prayer Cohort at Summit!)
 
I thought I would share one of the daily devotionals that Angela and I read each day from David Powlison. (It is from “Take Heart: Daily Devotions To Deepen Your Faith”)
 
Hear my cry, O God, listen to my prayer; from the end of the earth I call to you when my heart is faint. Lead me to the rock that is higher than I. —Psalm 61:1–2
 
Why do you pray? I suspect that you and I are probably alike. When we are honest, we say the reason we pray is that we need to pray. It is the door of life. And if we don’t, we perish. If we don’t, we are insane.
In order to explore how prayer goes right, it helps to identify ways that prayer goes wrong. Here are a few ways prayer drifts:
  • Prayers can be vague and confusing.
  • Prayers can function as a wish list.
  • Prayers can be superstitious, a way to ensure bad things don’t happen and good things do happen.
  • Prayers can just be a religious or pious practice, a habit that separates the religious from the irreligious.
  • Prayer can be a mantra that seeks to evoke good feelings, treating prayer as a psychological experience.
  • Prayer can be a reflex—something we simply do before we “get down to business” or after something is completed.
  • Prayer can be something we simply tack onto life.
  • Prayer can be boilerplate—a simple repetition of stock religious phrases.
But prayer goes right when it is honest conversation with the Lord we need, trust, and love. Prayer is a spiritually needy person’s communication with the God who hears. Whether or not you pray reveals what you believe about everything that really matters. When you pray, you live with a fundamental humility before God and others. This humility fits reality—everyday needs can only be met by God himself.
 
          I found this helpful and encouraging. Ways prayer drifts… ways prayer goes right… so helpful! Can you relate?
         
          Oh that the Lord will grow us in prayer, in honesty before Him.

Held By His Abundant Grace,
 
Pastor John
]]> https://summitridgechurch.org/blog/2024/09/21/why-do-we-pray#comments 0 Week of What? A Peak into Youth Ministry https://summitridgechurch.org/blog/2024/08/31/week-of-what-a-peak-into-youth-ministry Sat, 31 Aug 2024 14:48:00 +0000 https://summitridgechurch.org/blog/2024/08/31/week-of-what-a-peak-into-youth-ministry
Youth ministry doesn't get the spotlight often. You usually have youth ministry brought to your attention just when we're promoting an event (or there are nerf fights on a Sunday morning.) The youth of our church are quietly serving behind the scenes in many capacities on Sundays and through the week (as you probably know if you've needed help moving!) I'm often asked privately how things are going in youth, but I thought it would be fun to share with you here about recent full days and adventures from Week of Fun ("WoF").

Youth is the best ministry in the church (I say without bias.) We have so much fun together! At the core of our good times, not shoehorned in or tacked on at the end, is worshipping Jesus and knowing Him through His word and prayer. Also critical and ever-present is relationship-building, trust-building, cooperation, shared experience both with peers and with as many of our adult volunteer staff as we can have. When we are together, we can count on having a good time together, transcending but including the normal markers of "fun."

Week of Fun is such a neat layout for our church. The format is modeled after something called a "D Now" (the D stands for Discipleship) which I first heard about through youth pastor forums. If you didn't know, in a typical summer/winter camp where we go out of town we can't have all of our staff, but with WoF, staff have an easier time navigating work schedules. Parents also find it easier to work with appointments. It's basically camp-in-town.

This year, aside from the trampoline park, sleepover, video project, hike and football in Lee Canyon, pool party and misc shenanigans, we focused on four themes from the Proverbs in "chapel time" with student-led worship. (By the way, these kids are seriously capable musicians! And yes, I do often accompany them on bass.)

I want to send the kids into the school year with the wisdom of the proverbs in teaching times with as many "sermonettes" as we can fit into the days, and these have proven to have surprising sticking power as kids continue to refer to content from last year. The adventures strengthen connection to their church community including friends and the adult staff who lead them in small groups (did you know the kids have small group times in youth ministry?)

In "Honor the Family Name", from Pr 22:1, we learned about the importance of your reputation -- A good name is to be chosen over great wealth; favor is better than silver and gold. Our kids represent their families, and we all represent each other as associated with Summit Ridge Church. And most importantly, we all represent the name of Christ as Christians. Let's honor one another as we represent each other outside of the church walls!

In "Teachability" I pulled from Pr 10:17 (CSB) "The one who follows instruction is on the path to life, but the one who rejects correction goes astray" and others to look at the importance of a teachable spirit. Don't arrogantly assume you can't learn from others; accept correction and grow in grace.

We talked about Pr 10:19 (CSB) "When there are many words, sin is unavoidable, but the one who controls his lips is prudent". Middle schoolers especially are delightfully unfiltered which makes it easier to see what's going on in their hearts. But we need to learn that our hearts are deceitful and if we get together with people with no intentionality to edify, encourage and spur each other on, we will degrade into unhelpful time-wasting and sin against each other in the things we blurt out.

We closed out the week talking about Firstfruits from Pr 3:9–10. We looked at how young people can give Him the best of their time and as they grow in finances. How many adults learned when they were young about the Old Testament tithe and where and how the New Testament modifies that old policy with giving principles? In this extended capstone Sunday night, we also debunked the modern "Prosperity Gospel."

It's an honor to shepherd the young people of this church, and I'm always blessed by the support I feel from my church family as I lead this group. Thank you brothers and sisters!
 
In Him,
Pastor Jeremy (YPJ)
]]> https://summitridgechurch.org/blog/2024/08/31/week-of-what-a-peak-into-youth-ministry#comments 0 Encouraging Changes to Summit Kids https://summitridgechurch.org/blog/2024/08/17/encouraging-changes-to-summit-kids Sat, 17 Aug 2024 14:47:00 +0000 https://summitridgechurch.org/blog/2024/08/17/encouraging-changes-to-summit-kids
Let me begin with more encouraging news for us as a church (I last shared that we have a lease for a new location! Save the date - we will have an Open House after second service on September 8th!). More immediate than a coming new location is in regard to a new Children’s Ministry Director and two new Leads!
 
We now have a dedicated Children's Director! Welcome Danica Henry to this new role! Danica has been our Lead for the Climbers room and is shifting to oversee the whole of Summit Kids. We have prayerfully needed this role for a very long time, and we thank the Lord for His stirring and moving to see this fulfilled. Danica’s proven love for the kids, teachers and parents has been evident. She has a heart for discipleship and training and a heart for the ministry – just the kinds of things we have been praying for!
 
Additionally, we have two new Classroom Leads stepping into the needed roles of Lead over both our Wobblers class as well as our Climbers class. Welcome Lindsay Thornhill to the Lead role over Wobblers and Katie Harmeyer to the Lead role over Climbers! Both bring experience in children’s ministry and leadership. This too is another sweet answer to prayer for His provision!
 
As I have gotten to know each of these precious people, I am so thankful for their love of the Lord – first and foremost – and their willingness to serve in a greater capacity. I am grateful for their willingness to sacrifice and serve. (Thank you, friends, for stepping into these roles!)
 
Be praying for them as they fill these roles and as they seek new volunteers in this precious ministry.
 
 
Held By His Abundant Grace,

 
Pastor John
                                                   
                       
                   
           
                       Danica Henry
Children's Ministry Director                    
                       
                   
           
                       Lindsay Thornhill
Wobblers Classroom Lead                    
                       
                           
                   
           
                       Katie Harmeyer
Climbers Classroom Lead                    
                                                                                               
]]> https://summitridgechurch.org/blog/2024/08/17/encouraging-changes-to-summit-kids#comments 0