God is moving in powerful ways in and through Southeast. From 1,860 students connecting in HSM and MSM, to 1,600 people joining a group for the first time this fall and finding a place to belong, be seen, and become who God made them to be, to SE Recovery partnering with 27 recovery centers to bring healing and hope, God is faithfully drawing people closer to Himself and changing lives for eternity.

Here are some updates on how we are continuing to move together as one church, forward in our mission, and closer to those who need Jesus through our MOVE vision initiatives.

MOVE TOGETHER

Unleash the Next Generation

• 1,860 new students have connected with HSM and MSM since MOVE began, building intentional relationships that are helping shape their faith.
• Shelby County Campus students are planning a 24-hour prayer event at their campus, while students all across Southeast are leading weekly prayer meetings at their local schools. These next-gen believers are stepping into their faith and helping unleash a movement of prayer right where they are.
• 357 leaders have stepped up to serve for the first time since MOVE began, moving us more than two-thirds of the way to our goal of 500 new MSM and HSM leaders.
  

Build and Deepen Community

• 1,600 people signed up for a group for the first time this fall, joining 561 groups total—74 of them brand new. Each one is a place to belong, be seen, and become who God made us to be.‍

MOVE FORWARD

See 10,000 Changed Lives

• 6,022 people have been baptized since we began our two-year MOVE journey in April 2025, including 2,132 in Year 2 alone, bringing us closer to our goal of seeing 10,000 people experience new life in Jesus in three years.
  

Send 4,000 on Short-Term Mission Trips

• 904 people have served on 82 short-term mission trips since the beginning of MOVE, reaching 53 countries with the love of Jesus.
  

Changing Lives at Camp

• Fresh off an incredible season of Southeast Camps, we’re already looking ahead to 2027. Camp dates are now available on the Southeast website as we prepare to create more opportunities for kids and students to build relationships, grow in faith, and discover God’s purpose for their lives.

Highlight: Maggie recommitted her life to Jesus at High School Camp in 2025 and later asked her leader, Ambi, to baptize her. By HSC this year, she’d stepped into leadership in her High School Ministry group, discipling her friends Claire and Abby, who asked her to baptize them following camp. Weeks later at Middle School Camp, Maggie co-led a girls group alongside Ambi. Maggie now leads in Middle School Ministry and serves on the HSM social media team. This is what it looks like when disciples make disciples.

MOVE CLOSER

Help the Hurting

• The Bullitt County Campus now has five Care groups and hosted an Encounter gathering this month.

Support Recovery Centers

• SE Recovery is now engaged with 27 recovery centers, surpassing our goal of connecting with 25 centers in two years. Each new center connection means more opportunities for people to encounter Christ-centered care and take steps toward lasting freedom.
• 1,438 people have been baptized through our recovery ministry—including 543 in 2026 alone—since MOVE began, moving us closer to our goal of seeing 5,000 people step into the waters of baptism and into the life, freedom, and hope of Christ.
  

Expand Shine

• This year’s Shine Fall Fest welcomed more than 2,000 people on August 28 across five campuses: Blankenbaker, Crestwood, Indiana, Southwest, and—for the first time—Bullitt County. And the celebration is continuing, with the Elizabethtown Campus hosting its Shine Fall Fest on October 23 as we create more opportunities for people with disabilities and their families to experience connection, belonging, and community.

Highlight: For one mom who brought her family to Shine Fall Fest at the Bullitt County Campus, the event meant more than just a fun night out. As a mom in a special needs family, she shared how difficult it can be to find activities the whole family can enjoy together, but Shine Fall Fest created a space where everyone could participate, make memories, and simply enjoy being together. She expressed gratitude for her family being seen, welcomed, and included, and for the opportunity to experience joy and community together.

‍

From 7,698 people attending a Southeast Camp this summer, including 538 campers who made the decision to follow Jesus, to 778 people gathering for our Group Leader Summit ahead of Fall Groups—where people are known and encouraged to become who God made them to be—we continue to see God move in and through Southeast!

Here are some updates on how we are continuing to move together as one church, forward in our mission, and closer to those who need Jesus through our MOVE vision initiatives.

MOVE TOGETHER

Unleash the Next Generation

• 1,799 new students have connected with MSM and HSM since MOVE began, stepping into intentional relationships where they can grow in faith and be known. That puts us well on our way to our goal of connecting 2,869 new students.
• 452 students at camp this summer accepted Jesus’ invitation to follow Him. Each one is a testimony to what happens when the next generation encounters the Gospel.
• 289 people have said yes to serving as MSM and HSM leaders, bringing us closer to our goal of 500 new leaders who will invest in the next generation.

Highlight: Nick, an incoming 6th-grader, started attending Southeast with his family this summer after his friend, Nate, invited him to church and camp. Just before Middle School Camp, Nick responded to an invitation during a service, expressing a desire to talk about baptism. At camp, he made the decision to follow Jesus and was baptized the following Sunday by Nate.

Build and Deepen Community

• 778 people from across all our campuses gathered for our one-day Group Leader Summit, a time of vision and equipping to prepare for the kickoff of Fall Groups.
• 561 on-campus, home, and online groups launched this fall across all campuses, creating spaces for people at every age and stage of life to ask questions, learn how to read and live out Scripture, and grow in faith together.

Highlight: A member at the Shelby County Campus living in Frankfort started a women’s group out of a desire for community, expecting maybe five responses to her Facebook ad but hearing from 200 women within 24 hours. With help from the Shelby County Campus—including Bibles, resources, and a reminder that “the disciples didn’t have any special training; they learned on the job”—she launched the group, which drew over 20 people to its first coffee shop meeting.

MOVE FORWARD

See 10,000 Changed Lives

• 5,934 people have been baptized since we began our MOVE journey, including 842 just this summer and 415 in July alone. That puts us nearly 60% of the way toward our three-year goal of seeing 10,000 people experience new life in Jesus.
  

Plant 40 New Churches

• Waypoint Church, launching this September in the rapidly growing community of Northwest Las Vegas, drew over 800 people to a free outreach event at a local trampoline park and 391 to a preview worship gathering. As one of three churches launching next month, Waypoint will help bring the total number of churches planted since MOVE began to 12.
  

Send 4,000 on Short-Term Mission Trips

• 892 people have been sent on a short-term mission trip since we began our MOVE journey, carrying the hope of Jesus to people in 51 countries across 80 trips.

Highlight: A recent trip participant had never been on a mission trip before and admits the destination likely wasn't one she would have chosen for herself. Yet through the experience, God reshaped her heart in ways she’s still processing—stirring a deep gratitude for things she once overlooked, a longing for simplicity, and a renewed sense of who He made her to be. She calls it the best experience of her life and encourages others to consider serving on a short-term mission trip.

Changing Lives at Camp

• 7,698 people attended a Southeast Camp this summer—an 8% increase from 2025—with 1,844 Southeast adult leaders helping campers experience God’s purpose and passion for them like never before.
• 538 campers made the decision to follow Jesus and be baptized this summer. It’s an incredible glimpse of how God works when we intentionally create space for campers to connect with others, ask questions, and grow in their faith.
• 138 students at High School Camp took a first step in answering God’s call to ministry, a powerful sign of how He’s stirring in the hearts of the next generation.

Highlight: Tommy helped launch the Elizabethtown Campus and has served faithfully in Kids Ministry and at camp every summer since 2021, along with five summers serving at Camp Zako in Poland with our ministry partner Proem. This year, after being diagnosed with stage 4 colon cancer, Tommy hoped for one more chance to serve at camp, and his campus team made that possible. It gave him the opportunity to serve once more in a ministry that has meant so much to him.

MOVE CLOSER

Help the Hurting

• Care Ministry shared its vision with those attending Southeast’s Group Leader Summit while equipping them with practical steps for responding when deeper issues arise.
• Two more campuses—Southwest and South Louisville—now have Campus Leaders in place. These volunteers serve as the main point of contact for all things Care at their campus. With just three campuses left, we’re closing in on having this Care leadership structure in place church-wide.

Support Recovery Centers

• 76 people boldly proclaimed their faith in Jesus in July, stepping into the waters of baptism and into the life, freedom, and hope found only in Him.
  

Free 200 Victims of Sex Trafficking

• Southeast was represented at the Abolition Summit in Houston, where a team of 10 anti-trafficking advocates supported organizations from across the country caring for victims. We’re excited to bring the Summit to our Franklin Campus in 2027.
• 100 parents attended an awareness event in Nelson County, gaining insight to help protect their children from the threat of trafficking.
  

Equip 150 New Families to Foster and Adopt

• Eight families registered for Considering Foster Care and Adoption, our monthly online interest session for those wanting to learn more about how to get started on their fostering or adopting journey.
• Twelve families are now equipped and ready to welcome children into their homes, including three who just recently completed the licensing process. This moves us closer to our goal of 150 families in five years.

Ellen Smith had never planned to lead a grief group.

“It wasn’t on my bucket list of things to do,” she said.

But after losing her dad, she found herself on her own grief journey—one that kept circling back to a quiet nudge from the Lord. She wanted to say no, but eventually she said yes.

“I meet people at the hardest time of their life, and I get to walk this journey with them,” Ellen said. “It’s not easy, but I get to see healing for people. I get to see them finally meet Jesus and have joy in the midst of their sadness, and I get a front-row seat to that.”

That front-row seat has brought Ellen into some of the hardest stories imaginable and allowed her to witness what can happen when people don’t have to walk through grief alone.

That includes a man who lost his wife after more than 54 years of marriage.

“It got me through probably one of the darkest times in my life. … Without this group, that journey back to where we are now would’ve been most difficult,” he said.

For him, Ellen’s encouragement was also a reminder that grief hadn’t changed how God felt about him.

“That’s what Ellen kind of teaches, is that, ‘Okay, He still loves you. He still cares. You’re going through this, but just stay in here, stay with it,’” he said.

Another group member remembers walking in less than 30 days after her dad passed away. There, she met and felt an immediate connection to Ellen, who had lost her own dad, too.

“I just remember being very angry,” she said. “She got me to open up, and I dealt with my anger. Took me a long time, but the grief group helped a lot.”

Another man found something he didn’t expect after experiencing a devastating loss.

“Lynn and myself, we were together 27 years. She was my rock. I lost that rock,” he said. “I found this group here, and they just brought me in, treated me like family.”

For some, the group has led somewhere unexpected: baptism. Ellen has baptized two or three people from the group, including one man who had been out of church for more than 40 years and never wanted to go back. He finished the workshop and chose Jesus.

“Ellen and Anne [another woman in the group], they baptized me on the day that my love had passed,” he said. “This group has saved my life. I’d do anything in the world for this group.”

It would be easy to assume a room full of grieving people is a heavy, joyless place to be. And while it takes courage to walk through the door for the first time while carrying that kind of grief, that’s not what Ellen sees.

“The group and the workshop are filled with joy,” she said. “It’s filled with laughter. People are laughing and enjoying life again.”

Walking Alongside the Hurting

“One of the things I love about our church is our desire to walk alongside those that are trying to move forward through life’s messes,” said Laura Dickinson, Care Ministry Leader. “We believe in creating communities so people aren’t alone through the hard and unexpected seasons of life. Our Care Ministry exists to do just that—and for people to find real hope and healing.”

Through MOVE, Southeast set a goal of 75 new Care groups over three years to reach the hurting in and around the church.

“Because of your generosity, we’re close to 60% towards reaching this goal,” Laura said, noting 43 new Care groups have launched across all of our campuses since the start of MOVE.

But the need is still great.

“Just like Ellen, we’re looking for people who have found healing on the other side of grief, addiction, abuse, or mental health issues to be part of what the Lord is doing,” Laura said. “If you have a story of your own, we invite you to come and be part of healing in someone else’s life.”

Learn more and get started in helping change someone's story today.

From 202 students saying yes to Jesus at High School Camp, to 395 people in recovery finding new life, hope, and freedom, to more families taking their next step toward fostering and adopting, God is moving in and through His people at Southeast!

Here are some updates on how we are continuing to move together as one church, forward in our mission, and closer to those who need Jesus through our MOVE vision initiatives.

MOVE TOGETHER

Unleash the Next Generation

• 202 students said yes to Jesus at High School Camp, taking a life-changing step of faith. God is moving in the next generation, transforming lives and raising up young people to shine His light in the world.
• 541 adults served as small group leaders at HSC, faithfully walking alongside students throughout the week. Their faithful presence created space for students to ask honest questions, build lasting relationships, and grow in their faith.

Equip Children and Families

Highlight: Recently, a Southeast Kids volunteer excitedly shared the following about our new curriculum: “I just wanted to say that I am really enjoying teaching from this curriculum. All the content has been so good that I am running late in class because I don’t want to leave any of it out. This curriculum is hitting the mark with me and so far, is turning out to be a great tool. Loved today’s lesson and the verses chosen.”

‍

MOVE FORWARD

See 10,000 Changed Lives

• 689 people have been baptized since Easter through the end of June.
• 5,299 people have been baptized since we began our MOVE journey in April 2025, moving us closer to our goal of seeing 10,000 people experience the new life found only in Jesus in three years.

Send 4,000 on Short-Term Mission Trips

• 355 people have been sent on 29 short-term mission trips across 20 countries this year alone. Since beginning our MOVE journey, that number has grown to 798 people bringing the hope of Jesus to communities around the world. Each trip creates lasting impact for both those who go and those they serve.

Highlight: A recent trip to Poland was marked by unexpected challenges, but through it all, God provided peace, endurance, and opportunities to serve. One conversation with a searching student became a powerful reminder that God works behind the scenes. Thinking she was connected to the ministry, a team member began sharing about faith in Christ, only to learn the next day that leaders had been praying someone would reach out to her.

Changing Lives at Camp

• 5,612 people have attended a Southeast Camp this Summer—with Middle School Camp still to come. Through life-changing experiences and intentional relationships, more students and leaders than ever are discovering God’s purpose and passion for their lives.
• 871 people subscribed to Pray4Camp, receiving prayer prompts throughout the Summer to faithfully pray for campers, leaders, and the life-changing work God is doing through Southeast Camps. Together, they’re covering every camp in prayer from beginning to end.

‍

MOVE CLOSER

Help the Hurting

• Around 30 people attended Care Ministry’s recent Anxiety Workshop at the Prospect Campus, marking an encouraging first step. Many left excited to become facilitators and help launch new Care groups, adding to the 44 started across all our campuses as we move closer to our goal of 75 new support and recovery groups over three years.

Support Recovery Centers

• SE Recovery is now engaged with 24 recovery centers, closing in on our goal of supporting 25 centers in two years.
• Through these partnerships, 395 people have stepped into the waters of baptism this year alone, walking into the life, freedom, and hope found only in Christ.

Highlight: Individuals actively engaged with SE Recovery worship services and Spiritual Pathway classes are continuing to grow in their personal connection with Jesus and follow His leading to share His message with others. Whether advocating for Spiritual Pathway classes at their facility, leading them, or volunteering in worship services, their lives reflect how the Lord multiplies faithfulness one person at a time.

Equip 150 New Families to Foster and Adopt

• June’s Coffee & Conversations gathering at the Indiana Campus welcomed its largest attendance yet. It’s a strong sign that the recent Be The One weekend at the campus—which introduced families to our discernment pathway for those exploring whether fostering or adoption could be their next step—inspired more families to continue that journey.

Southeast recently paid off a $1.5 million mortgage for The Next Door Recovery, a Nashville-area treatment center for women—freeing the organization to expand its staff and serve more women on their journey toward recovery.

Women like Stevie Davis.

“When I came into treatment, my relationship with my 5-year-old daughter was very broken. She told me that she hated me,” Stevie said. “To be able to come through here and learn all of these coping skills, to learn communication, to kind of process my past and what happened and forgive others really sets me up to be a good mother.”

Today, Stevie is raising a 3-year-old born after she achieved sobriety, grateful for the chance to be the mother she always hoped she could be. “I get to show up and be a different parent for her today. I have her in a Christian school…I get to be present with her today,” she said.

Four and a half years after arriving at The Next Door Recovery as a client, Stevie now serves as the center’s Peer Support Specialist, walking alongside women facing the same struggles she once did.

“I’d been to several other treatment centers, and nothing had worked out for me. This place was different because I felt like the people really cared,” she said. “I would sit in my room, and I would look out and just dream of the day that I got to come back to work here.”

One of the mantras of our church is Catch the Wind, the idea that we want to raise our sails and let the Holy Spirit take us as a church where God wants us to go. The Holy Spirit led us to launch the Franklin Campus a year ago. As our recovery ministry began exploring partnerships across the Nashville area, God led us directly to The Next Door Recovery.

Over the past several months, Southeast has been leading a weekly worship service at the center, building relationships with women in recovery as many have made decisions to follow Jesus.

“MOVE is all about us as a church corporately saying, ‘How can we move closer to where people are in darkness and hurting and bring them into the light and shine with the way that only Jesus can?’” said Steve Carter, Executive Pastor of Ministry Support.

Paying off the $1.5 million balance of The Next Door Recovery’s mortgage is one way we’ve been able to do that.

“God gave us this opportunity to say, ‘Hey, at The Next Door Recovery, they have a mortgage payment that is preventing them from being able to hire more staff to be able to serve more women,’” Steve said. “And God just said to us, ‘I want you to go there…and take care of that mortgage.’”

That freedom is allowing God to work through the center’s leadership to bring more staff on board and reach more women.

“I can’t think of anything better than that,” Steve said.

Neither can Susan Weathersby, Director of Development at The Next Door Recovery. Having lost her mother to an opioid addiction nearly 19 years ago, she knows firsthand the need to help each woman who comes to them find hope and healing in recovery.

“We truly meet her where she is…and what we want her to feel more than anything is love.”

‍

We continue to see God move in powerful ways every day. From new students finding meaningful community and growing deeper in their faith, to individuals being sent around the world to share the hope of Christ, to those who are hurting experiencing healing, restoration, and renewed purpose, God is faithfully working in and through us to draw people closer to Himself and change lives for eternity.

Here are some updates on how we are continuing to move together as one church, forward in our mission, and closer to those who need Jesus through our MOVE vision initiatives.

MOVE TOGETHER

Unleash the Next Generation

• 831 new students have connected with MSM and HSM since we began our MOVE journey, stepping into intentional relationships and life-changing experiences that are growing their faith.
• 267 people have already said yes to God’s invitation to invest in the next generation by serving as leaders. Their commitment makes new student connections possible and brings us more than halfway to our goal of 500 new leaders.

MOVE FORWARD

Send 4,000 on Short-Term Mission Trips

• 759 people have served across 62 short-term mission trips, reaching communities in 35 countries since we began our MOVE journey. More people are exploring and being sent on mission trips than ever before!

Highlight: Anthony’s first mission trip—to Glasgow, Scotland with missions partner 20schemes—left a lasting mark on his heart. He witnessed the Gospel shared through meals, community gardens, and cookouts—simple acts of love that humbled him deeply. Anthony returned home with an ignited passion for serving as Christ served, seeking the lost, one at a time, in his own community and wherever God leads.

‍

Changing Lives at Camp

• More than 8,000 people—including a record number of campers—are experiencing meaningful life-change at camp this Summer. Through MOVE, we equipped the additional leaders needed to create space for more campers than ever to encounter Jesus.

MOVE CLOSER

Free 200 Victims of Sex Trafficking

• We have assisted 112 survivors, with 76 taking a next step on the path to physical, emotional, and spiritual freedom.
• Three safe houses—with up to 16 beds—have opened in Kentucky since last November, each providing survivors with Christ-centered care.
• More than 500 people have attended awareness events across multiple campuses to learn how they can help liberate sex trafficking victims.

Help the Hurting

• Three new volunteer leaders joined our Elizabethtown and Nelson County campuses. They will serve as the primary point of contact for Care Ministry and shepherd the Care group facilitators at their campus.

Highlight: 105 Care group facilitators gathered June 6 for our first-ever Encounter Equip event. This time of equipping is essential to the health, encouragement, and effectiveness of our volunteers—and to our calling as a church that walks alongside those seeking support and recovery as they journey toward healing.

‍

For nearly four decades, God has used Southeast Camps to change lives, shape generations, and create spaces where students truly belong.

In 1988, our church made a bold decision to invest in the next generation. And almost 40 years later, we’re still witnessing the impact of that “yes” in ways no one could have imagined.

What started as a single step of faith has become a lasting legacy of life change—year after year, generation after generation.

Because our church kept showing up with generosity, prayers, and faithfulness, thousands of students, families, and leaders have encountered Jesus in powerful and personal ways.

And now we believe God is inviting us to keep moving forward.

From elementary students to high schoolers, from children impacted by foster care and adoption to individuals with developmental disabilities, every camp is more than just an event on the calendar. Each is an opportunity for someone to experience the love of Jesus, find community, and discover purpose—maybe for the very first time.

We want to keep creating spaces where every student and every leader can encounter God in a real and life-changing way. That kind of impact only happens because people continue to invest—through serving, through prayer, and through generosity.

This Summer, we’re expecting more than 8,000 people at camp, with over 1,600 leaders committed to walking alongside students. Because of your investment in the next generation, more students than ever before will have the opportunity to experience life change at camp.

More stories. More healing. More freedom. More moments of surrender. More lives changed by Jesus.

As camp season begins, we know God is going to move—and we want to invite the full force of our church to pray with us and to pray for us.

Text Pray4Camp to 733733 to receive prayer prompts throughout the Summer.

God is still writing stories in this generation. Thank you for believing in us and investing in what He is doing. Let’s keep moving forward together.

God continues to move in and through His people here at Southeast! From volunteers faithfully investing in children each week—helping them discover God's story and their place in it, to more than 4,900 people celebrating new life in Jesus over the past year, to expanding opportunities for our Shine friends, we are partnering with God in remarkable ways!

Here are some updates on how we are continuing to move together as one church, forward in our mission, and closer to those who need Jesus through our MOVE vision initiatives.

MOVE TOGETHER

Equip Children and Families

• 86% of Southeast Kids volunteers who began serving at the start of the ministry year last August continue to faithfully serve—up from 72% the previous year! Their week-in, week-out commitment reflects hearts devoted to helping children birth-5th grade discover God’s story and their place in it.

MOVE FORWARD

See 10,000 Changed Lives

• 4,978 people across all our campuses have boldly declared their faith in Jesus through baptism since we began our MOVE journey just one year ago. That’s 4,978 stories redeemed, 4,978 futures forever changed, and 4,978 lives transformed by the power and grace of Jesus!
• With 126 people attending our first-ever Next Steps Beyond Baptism Workshops, we’re removing barriers and walking alongside new believers as they step fully into their new life in Jesus!

MOVE CLOSER

Equip 150 New Families to Foster or Adopt

• This Spring, we launched Equip Nights—a program providing connection and training for both new and existing families—as we press toward our goal of supporting 150 new Southeast families in becoming foster or adoptive families.

Help the Hurting

• With the support of 531 dedicated volunteers, Care Ministry has added 44 new groups since MOVE began, increasing the total number of support and recovery groups to 117. Through these groups, we are now walking alongside 1,384 people every month.
• 29 new volunteers were recently added as Care group facilitators, helping us move closer to our goal of 75 new support and recovery groups in three years.

Support Recovery Centers

• In April alone, 95 people were baptized across 21 facilities, bringing our year-to-date total to 233 as we pursue our prayer of seeing 5,000 lives transformed through the waters of baptism in our recovery ministry.

Highlight: Allison connected with us through the recovery maternity center we partner with. She has been sober for nearly two years, and today she serves on staff there. She remains an active part of the weekly SE Recovery worship service. And her son? Practically raised within those walls, he has been taking it all in. He now stands before the television with his hands raised in worship, mirroring the faith he has seen lived out all around him. Praise Jesus!

Expand Shine

• The Elizabethtown Campus unveiled a newly renovated kids space—with an updated adult space to follow by fall—as we continue expanding our Shine Disabilities Ministry offerings across additional campuses.

‍