Reflections: Natalie Metzger
There are a lot of exciting developments happening at The Summit! In anticipation of our upcoming Celebration Sunday (Feb. 8, 5:15pm), as well as us planting our AM Congregation beginning February 15, we asked some of our members to share their experiences of what it's looked like to be part of the Summit family.
Back in 2010, when I was an upcoming senior in college, I heard two strangers speak about planting a church in the city of Denver. I wanted to go. To put this decision in context, I grew up in a town of 3,000 people and then lived in a small college town. Not to mention the fact that I had never set foot in the state of Colorado or even travelled west of the Mississippi. So you can imagine my parents' concern when I announced that I wanted to move halfway across the country to urban Denver with people I just met.
The need for a church plant in Denver was (and still is) tremendously compelling. Simply put, I believed in the Summit’s vision and wanted to be a part of it. Before I called Denver home, it was tempting to think of the city as a kind of project. It was difficult to imagine doing life in an unknown place and therefore was easy to simply focus on the needs I wished to serve.
Jesus has blessed and grown our church in such radical ways that I almost can’t believe it, even though I watched it happen. Personally, I have been blessed and changed by answering God’s call to move to Denver. The truth is that daily life can be incredibly difficult, especially considering what God has called us to as missionaries. As important as my vision to serve the city was, I have also experienced the joys of allowing myself to depend on my family, the Summit Church. I saw our community with fresh eyes when my husband was in a car accident this past summer. Being a member of the Summit that night meant that I had friends with me in the emergency room, friends who asked the doctor questions when I couldn't, friends who stayed by my side in the waiting room until 3am. These countless instances of radical generosity revealed a church family that cared for us so deeply that they shared in our hurt.
What I have started to realize is that the church as the body of Christ is not just a nice concept, but is a real and tangible truth. Paul writes that belonging to the body of Christ, the church, means that “If one member suffers, all suffer together, if one member is honored, all rejoice together” (1 Cor. 2:26). I have seen these words on display through my community. Being a member of the Summit means that I have a family who rejoices with me in my victories and mourns with me in my losses. My journey to Denver may have started with strangers but it has led to a family.