The Best Part

This past weekend, Pam and I were in Sparks, Nevada for the inauguration of Summit’s new 1,300 seat Worship Center and a retirement celebration for my 23 years serving as the church’s Founding Pastor. In 2000, one year after we planted the church, we purchased Summit’s 36½ acre site. From the beginning, the Master Plan for the campus envisioned a Worship Center seating more than one-thousand people. It was wonderful to see the new facility finally reach completion after dreaming about it for over 20 years.  The new Worship Center will be an invaluable ministry tool for decades to come!

However, for me, the highlight being at Summit went beyond seeing a beautiful new building that still had the “new carpet” smell. The best part was hearing scores of stories about how Pam and I had impacted individuals for the cause of Christ. People approached us all weekend sharing deeply personal experiences. Words of comfort we had shared. Messages we had given. Prayers we had offered.  Our presence at a hospital during a crisis.

I’m not certain how it came about, but throughout my ministry I have enjoyed building. We built numerous buildings when we lived in Chile as missionaries. And since returning to the USA, we’ve helped to fund several more buildings. In fact, next week I travel to Chile to take part in the dedication of yet another new church. After we moved to Wisconsin, we led the charge to purchase 40 acres for the church to relocate. And we led through three major building programs at Summit.  I really do love building!

But, over the years, I have come to love even more the people who worship and minister inside those buildings. At this point, some of the buildings in Chile that we so proudly dedicated 35+ years ago have become weathered and worn. The sparkle has rubbed off the fresh paint when the buildings were new. But the people inside those facilities still shine for Jesus. And that is the best part!

Yes, I still believe that buildings are an invaluable tool for ministry. The truth is, I fully expect that the church I now serve in Costa Rica will one day have a capital campaign to build a permanent facility. But the best part is never the fresh paint and new carpet. The best part is always the people who are touched by God’s grace and changed for eternity.

Two brief announcements:

·        I’m organizing a trek to climb Costa Rica’s tallest peak, Mount Chirripó. It is 12,536 feet in elevation and an average person takes three days to go up and back. I’m planning the trip for July 19-21. If you are interested, please let me know.  

·        Also, Pam and I are leading another exciting trip to Israel, November 1-10. It is an experience of a lifetime to actually walk where Jesus walked. We’d love to share this spiritually encouraging journey with you. If you are interested, please send me an email at sbond@summitnv.org.

Warmly,

Steve and Pam

How Do You Reach English-speaking Internationals?

This is a question we’ve been pondering since we arrived in Costa Rica. English Christian Fellowship seeks to bring the good news of Jesus to the English-speaking internationals who live in this area. There are over two million people living in the Central Valley, but only a portion of those are English speakers. One website suggests there may be 60,000 English speakers in this area. But most people think it’s less…perhaps 20,000 or so.

So, how do we reach them? We faced a different problem when we planted Summit Christian Church in 1999. At that point, church attendance in Northern Nevada was less than 5% of the population. So, we used an extensive direct mail campaign to get the word out. In Summit’s first year we sent eight oversized post cards to the 20,000+ households in our primary target area. It was costly, but the results were amazing. Over two hundred people became part of the Summit family in our first year.

Pondering and praying about how to reach the “hidden” 20,000+ English-speakers in the San Jose area, we are trying a new approach. This week we put up two billboards on the main highway between the areas where most of the English-speakers live. One billboard faces one direction and the other faces the opposite direction. I’m quite certain that the vast majority of the English-speakers travel this highway regularly.

The question is: Will the billboards catch their attention and cause them to check out ECF? We don’t know for sure. But we’re asking you to pray in this direction. The Bible tells us that at one point God opened a donkey’s mouth to speak clearly. If God can do that, we’re pretty sure he can also use a billboard to spark spiritual interest among English-speakers who are seeking the more and better life that Jesus offers.

We also want to thank you for your prayers for ECF’s Christmas Eve service. We had our largest attendance yet with 43 people…and God’s loving presence was evident. We are encouraged as we continue rebuilding ECF in this new season of ministry for us.

After Christmas, we traveled to Santa Rosa, CA to spend several days with our daughter, Christina, and her family. We enjoyed playing games, sharing meals, laughing, talking and connecting with each other. Their three kids are growing up quickly, so it was nice for Pam and I to be able to connect with each of them.

One of the goals Pam and I set for this year is to develop a new hobby. So, this week we are taking our first golf lesson. Our marriage has weathered some tumultuous storms in the past 43 years. Now, we’ll see how we do on the golf course. Fortunately, we are both at ground zero knowing nothing about how to play golf. We hope it’s a fun new experience that we can both enjoy.

Thanks for your prayers!

Steve & Pam