February 23, 2024
Hosanna Wong was raised in an urban ministry but never intended to go to a Christian college. She ended up at Hope International University, however, and after graduating in 2011, she has become an international speaker, author, and spoken word artist who is helping everyday people know Jesus for real. . . .
October 7, 2020
News Channel 11 in Johnson City, Tenn., interviewed several people for a story last week after it learned “Milligan University had forced a gay professor to resign or renounce their lifestyle” during spring semester. A number of students and alumni sent a form letter to Milligan’s administration and trustees several months ago asking that they commit to several promises relative to sexual orientation and “anti-discrimination” policies involving LGBTQ+ individuals. The lengthy news report said Milligan president Bill Greer met with a current student and a recent alumnus about the situation over the summer. Greer declined to be interviewed for the
July 8, 2018
This architectural plan reflects the personality and mission of Summit Christian Church in Sparks, Nevada. By Mel McGowan Just north of Reno, between the flash of casinos and the vast Nevada wilderness, you’ll find a community where economic booms and busts come with the territory, and people are desperate for a higher view and solid ground. Summit Christian Church of Sparks, Nevada, endeavors to provide these things. Desert Roots Nineteen years ago, a determined group of people in love with Jesus put down roots in the Truckee Meadows. They weathered the region’s economic growth and collapse in the same
July 1, 2016
By Stephen B. Bond It all began as an innocent conversation. I was turning 60 years old and someone asked what was on my bucket list. I thought for a moment and offhandedly said, “I”d like to climb Mount Whitney! I”ve never done it before and it would be a challenging adventure!” (Mount Whitney rises 14,505 feet above California, making it the tallest mountain in the contiguous United States.) As soon as the words left my mouth, they seemed to take on a life of their own. It wasn”t long before the elder team at my church jumped on board
January 31, 2015
By Stephen Bond A long swim was made better because we were a team. Five years ago when I first heard about the Alcatraz swim, I put it on my bucket list. It sounded like a thrilling challenge . . . swimming 1.5 miles from the former penitentiary across the San Francisco Bay to the mainland. From the movies I had seen, no one had ever “escaped from Alcatraz,” and this would be my chance! However, when I heard the water was a brisk 55 degrees, I decided to wait until the year I turned 60 years old. I wanted to show
December 23, 2012
By Jessica Vana I served on staff at Summit Christian Church in Sparks, Nevada, for more than five years. Each year when the glittering Christmas decorations went up, I would get a little spring in my step and a grin I found impossible to restrain. The whole campus glows with dozens of trees, thousands of lights, and many other special touches. But every year, there was one tree that stood out. It wasn”t a very large tree, and it was simply decorated with paper angels. On the back of each angel was the name of an under-resourced child. Parents, grandparents,
September 10, 2012
By Kent E. Fillinger “Generosity needs to be a thread woven through the fabric of the entire congregation,” said Leadership Network development director Chris Willard, “because generosity is a cultural issue.” Here”s how four churches are creating a culture of generosity among their members. In their new book, Contagious Generosity: Creating a Culture of Giving in Your Church, Chris Willard and Jim Sheppard define generosity as “a lifestyle in which we share all that we have, are and ever will become as a demonstration of God”s love and a response to God”s grace.” Willard is the director of generosity initiatives
February 9, 2012
By Stephen Bond The Bible is surprisingly vague with regard to organization in the local church. It”s clear that God intends each local congregation to have a plurality of elders in leadership. We see this, for example, in Acts 14:23 as “Paul and Barnabas appointed elders for them in each church” (note that elders is plural). It”s also clear that mature Christian character is what matters most for elders. The qualifications for elders mentioned in 1 Timothy and Titus deal almost exclusively with character. Beyond those two broad characteristics””more than one elder, all of mature/good character”” the Scriptures are essentially
July 6, 2011
By Jessica Vana I attended college at an aeronautical university, which means I spent time brushing shoulders with a unique breed. Literally, I went to school with NASA interns and rocket scientists. My alma mater has one of the highest percentages of international students in the nation. Despite my colleagues” bright minds and tremendously diverse backgrounds, however, I began to notice a theme of need. A school like mine has an atypical amount of club involvement because, well, it wasn”t exactly the Greek system crowd. My club of choice, after being invited personally and repeatedly by two jaunty and entertaining
February 3, 2011
The youth group at Summit Christian Church (Sparks, NV) has raised more than $50,000 to help the residents of slums in Nairobi, Kenya. The youth group, called 1-Life, partnered with Christian Missionary Fellowship (Indianapolis, IN) to assist with health care, microfinance, and more. Last week the mayor of Sparks publicly recognized the youth for their work; student ministry pastor Bryan Smith accepted the commendation on behalf of the group. Read more here!
November 8, 2010
By Stephen Bond I played water polo in high school. Water polo is a team sport. Each player in the pool has a distinct role, and each one depends on the other if the team is to be successful. On my high school team we had Mike Moore, a scoring machine, “in the hole” on the offensive end of the pool and Guy Antley on the defensive end as our goalie. Both men received All-American awards but both played very different roles on our team. We needed both Mike and Guy (and several more of us non-All-American players) to win. The
March 28, 2010
By Stephen Bond I meet for lunch every month with four other senior pastors who serve in my community. I”m surprised by the openness of each pastor in sharing the unique hurdles and challenges his church faces. But one challenge we”ve all wrestled with in the past two years is finances. The economic downturn has affected our churches in different degrees””but we”ve all felt the crunch. In our state, Nevada, unemployment hovers near 13 percent. When people don”t have jobs, it often means they don”t have money to support their local church. This inevitably affects the financial resources churches have
October 26, 2008
By Stephen Bond Steve Bond and his wife, Pam, launched Summit Christian Church in March 1998. The church met in the Sparks YMCA for 3½ years before moving to a new permanent facility on a 36-acre site. Summit”s vision is to “Love God, Love People, and Serve Others.” Over the past 10 years the church has grown to more than 2,000 people in weekend worship attendance. Approximately 1,000 adults are also involved in life groups. One of the keys to this growth has been a high level of teamwork among Summit”s staff and elders. This is the second of four
October 19, 2008
By Stephen Bond Steve Bond and his wife, Pam, launched Summit Christian Church in March 1998. The church met in the Sparks YMCA for 3½ years before moving to a new permanent facility on a 36-acre site. Summit”s vision is to “Love God, Love People, and Serve Others.” Over the past 10 years the church has grown to more than 2,000 people in weekend worship attendance. Approximately 1,000 adults are also involved in life groups. One of the keys to this growth has been a high level of teamwork among Summit”s staff and elders. This is the first of four
February 4, 2007
By Stephen Bond Multisite ministry is sweeping the nation. More and more churches are experimenting with this creative method of church extension. In church leadership gatherings, pastors increasingly speak about being “one church in two locations” (or three or four locations). It is always thrilling when the church is on the march! Multisite ministry is proving to be an effective way to advance the kingdom of God in many areas. The church I serve jumped on the multisite bandwagon two years ago. Summit Christian Church had previously helped plant two independent congregations, but we wanted to pursue church extension through
August 28, 2005
Summit Christian Church grew fast—and learned hard-earned lessons while building and expanding. Steve Bond shares practical guidance on timelines, staffing volunteers, budgeting priorities, capital campaigns, prayer, and keeping the mission of changed lives first.
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