The Summit leadership team is putting the final touches on plans for the 110th annual Bible lectures, set to take place Sept. 18-21 with the theme “Love God. Love Your Neighbor.”
Dr. David Wray, director of Summit, said he anticipates 1000 guests to attend the four-day event. Notable additions to this year’s lectures are the use of a mobile app for scheduling and a Medical Missions track.
Students will only be able to earn three Spiritual Formation credits during Summit by attending the 11 a.m. sessions in Moody on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday of the week. Summit organizers made the decision to move the evening sessions to Cullen Auditorium, a smaller venue than Moody Coliseum, so the Chapel Office said the decision to offer fewer credits is all about space.
“Summit planners want to make sure that there is enough room in Cullen for those who register and come to Summit, many from out of town,” said Jan Meyer, director of spiritual formation. “It’s a big change for them from Moody Coliseum. So they have asked us to limit the sessions where we give credit to those in Moody Coliseum.”
In the past, Summit has mailed out 15,000 booklets with speaker biographies and schedules to guests in advance, but Wray and the Summit team are directing guests to the app for all the information they need for the week.
“We need to come into the 21st Century with Summit,” Wray said.
Hard copies of the programs will be available at the Summit Headquarters in the Campus Center and the Summit information desk in the Bible Building. The full schedule, speaker biographies, campus maps and social media links can all be found in the ACU Summit app, which can be downloaded on the App Store.
Wray and his team invited six physicians involved with non-profit, faith-based agencies who have participated in missions around the world for an all-day track Tuesday. Dr. Cynthia Powell will host the event and she has made arrangements for pre-med students to attend sessions throughout the day.
“Our Medical Mission Track presenters have spent years treating patients, studying cultures and praying for wisdom and God’s guidance as they have worked in communities across the world,” said Powell, associate professor of chemistry and biochemistry. “They’ve seen how God’s love can be communicated through caring for physical needs.”
Wray and Powell anticipate 125-175 pre-health students attend all or parts of the sessions offered.
“I hope [the students] will be challenged to think about how they can use training in a health profession to serve on mission fields in a way that most effectively reflects God’s mercy and brings the good news of God’s grace,” Powell said. “Many of our students are passionate about serving those who have limited access to medical care.”
The medical missions track pairs well with the overall theme of “Love God. Love Your Neighbor,” and Wray said he hopes students will take advantage of the opportunities throughout the week to engage with those coming to campus.
“One of the real strong principles of Summit is to have students, practitioners and congregational leaders come together for conversations,” Wray said.
