The First Week at Summit: A New Year Begins

A few days ago, cars were pulling onto campus, suitcases were being carried into dorms, families were saying goodbye, and students from across the country and around the world were stepping into a season they had spent months preparing for. For some, it was their first time calling Summit home. For returning students, it was the beginning of another year in a place they already knew well. Either way: the school year had begun!

“Okay, I’m Really at Summit Now”

During the first few days of the semester, we asked several students a simple question:

Was there a moment when you thought, “Okay, I’m really at Summit now”?

A few of them laughed and immediately gave the same answer: Turning in their phones.

One student described sitting in his dorm room afterward and realizing there was suddenly “no TikTok.”

It is a funny moment, but it represents something significant about life at Summit.

Part of the Summit experience is intentionally stepping away from the constant noise and distraction that fills so much of everyday life. Students spend the school year unplugged from personal smartphones and computers so they can give more attention to the things happening right in front of them: their relationship with God, their studies, the people around them, and the community they are becoming part of.

For one returning senior, coming back to that rhythm was the moment Summit felt real again.

“The time that I would use on my phone or device is directed more toward fruitful activities,” he explained, “like devotions and prayer and even fellowship with other people.”

That shift does not mean every moment suddenly becomes deeply spiritual. There are still classes to attend, meals to eat, responsibilities to handle, and friendships to navigate.

But it creates space.

And in the first week alone, students are already discovering what can fill it.

A Community Forming

One new student said the biggest surprise of his first few days was simply the sense of community. He described seeing people gather around God together and experiencing a kind of spiritual community he had never known before.

Another student put it even more simply: “I really can see the joy of the Lord in everybody.” That community begins forming almost immediately.

Arrival Day moves into dorm fellowships, shared meals, campus tours, small groups, worship nights, classes, prayer, and time spent simply getting to know one another.

Students who were strangers days earlier are suddenly sitting across the table from each other, worshipping beside one another, studying together, and learning how to live in community.

For one student, it was a worship night that made the week feel real. “It was so cool just to hear everybody singing together and praising the Lord,” she said. “It's more rare than people realize for such a large group of people my age."

When the Classroom Becomes Personal

The first week is not only about settling into campus life. Classes begin quickly, and students are already being challenged by what they are learning.

One student pointed to a class called Champions of the Faith as a moment that had already affected him deeply. The lesson caused him to think about the difference between knowing what faithfulness looks like and actually living it. “It made me realize how selfish we can be,” he said, “and what it really means to rely on God and how hard that can be.” He continued:

“I think a lot of people understand it. (laying down your life for Jesus) They know what it means in their mind, but to actually do it is hard. It made me realize how important it is not just to speak, but to also live that life.”

That is one of the hopes behind Summit’s classrooms. The goal is not simply to give students more information about the Bible. It is to help them wrestle with what that truth means for their actual lives.

Moments That Meet Students Personally

Some of the most meaningful moments of the week have happened outside the classroom.

One student shared about praying at the altar during a gathering when a staff member came alongside her and began praying.

She described hearing words that connected directly with things she had already been praying about and sensing that God was meeting her personally in that moment.

“It was all directly what I needed to hear,” she said, “and aligned with what God has been speaking to me as well.”

Those moments cannot be scheduled.

But they are part of what happens when students are given time to worship, pray, seek God, and live alongside people who are doing the same.

What Could Happen in Eight Months?

Perhaps the most revealing question we asked students was this:

What are you asking God to do in your life over the next eight months?

Their answers were all different.

One student wants his mind, emotions, and spiritual life to come into greater alignment with God so he can be used for His purposes.

Another is asking for direction about what comes next in life.

A returning senior wants to grow in boldness so that when he leaves Summit, he can live out his faith confidently wherever God takes him.

And one freshman gave a simple answer that captures so much of what this year is about:

“I really want Jesus as a friend and not just someone I go to when I’m really thankful or really needing Him...just someone I’m in constant relationship with.”

The students have only been here a few days. There are still months of early mornings, personal devotions, classes, chapel services, campus service, meals, conversations, prayer meetings, friendships, challenges, and ordinary moments ahead.

No one knows exactly what those months will hold. That is part of the beauty of the first week. Everything is still beginning.

Come Experience Summit This Year

The campus is full again, and we would love for you to experience it for yourself.

Throughout the school year, Summit hosts public events, worship gatherings, conferences, and other opportunities for friends, families, alumni, and prospective students to visit campus and see what life at Summit is really like.

And for those who want to help make this experience possible, many of our students continue to have financial needs throughout the school year. Arrival Day may be behind us, but the cost of providing students with this season of discipleship, transformation, and community continues every day.

Whether you visit, pray, give, or simply continue following along, we are grateful to have you as part of what God is doing at Summit.

The first week is here. And this is only the beginning!

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