New Summit Presbyterian Church

All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.

(2 Timothy 3:16-17)

Do you believe those words? Do you believe that the Bible is actually God's Word, breathed by God, our owner's manual and God's love letter to the world? If you do, or even if you don't, consider this: IF the Bible is God's Word, then we enter into a conversation with God every time we read the Bible. Reading the Bible is the highest form of prayer.

An Invitation to be mentored by God in 2010

In 2010 the leaders of New Summit Church invite all members and participants to enter a covenant of Scripture and accountability, making a commitment to God and to others:

By God's grace and with God's help, in 2010 I covenant to read Scripture every day, and to talk and pray with someone about what I am reading every week.

How much are we reading? We want to resist legalism and at the same time avoid the dangers of a faith that never responds in obedience. For that reason we are not asking everyone to commit to a specific amount of reading each day. There are several options, among them:

Follow our worship themes January - April. This will take you through the major stories of the Old Testament, reading about one chapter of the Bible each day.
Read the Old Testament in 4 months, approximately 8 chapters of reading per day.
Read through the entire Bible in a year, reading just over 3 chapters per day.
Include daily readings from the Psalms and/or Proverbs. These wisdom writings speak to our heart, human condition, and behavior. 1 Psalm per day will take you through the Psalms in 5 months. 1 Proverb per day will take you through that book in one month.
Read at a pace that seems right for you. We suggest at least one chapter of Scripture per day, but if you respond to a very small and specific portion of Scripture, stop and stay there, asking God to reveal His purpose for you through that reading.

Am I expected to follow a specific pattern for my reading? We are more concerned with the result than the approach. We suggest that you spend 20 minutes reading and 20 minutes in prayerful reflection on one specific verse or portion of your reading that seems to stand out to you. We encourage you to make use of a journal to write what you hear God saying to you. Then, in your weekly conversation with someone, talk and pray about what you heard God saying, how you were led to respond to what you heard, and how you did respond.

How do I connect with someone else? We are inviting every existing group at New Summit to incorporate time into meetings for participants to share and pray together about how they are hearing from God in Scripture. Another great option is to establish a one-to-one meeting with a friend or family member. We will make every effort to help all who wish to connect with someone- let us know of your interest by email (nspc@swbell.net), phone (816-246-7474), the sign-up sheet at the Information Center, or by using the contact card in the worship bulletin on Sunday.