Growing up in Hillsborough in the church, Kevin Sykes didn’t feel the need to follow through on what he was learning about God. Many years later, after a failed marriage and substance abuse, Kevin’s cousin invited him to the Summit. At one of the lowest points of his life, Kevin decided to give church another try. For a month, he only attended services and didn’t change the way he was living.

But then God started dealing with Kevin’s heart, and Kevin realized he wasn’t getting the satisfaction from things he was doing before. After a Sunday service in April, he decided he didn’t want to continue living the same way and gave his life to God.

“Shortly after I accepted Jesus, I was in my car, thinking about drinking and drugs,” Kevin shared. “It was like God spoke to me and told me he could give me more pleasure and satisfaction in this life if I just serve and follow him. That's what I want to do.”

After attending Starting Point, Kevin realized he needed to take another step of faith and be baptized, and he did so right away. He also joined the teardown crew at the Chapel Hill campus, started giving regularly, and participated in ServeRDU in Chapel Hill. He is part of a small group and recently went on a short-term mission trip to New York.

“Jesus is changing the desires of my heart,” Kevin said. “I don't know what the Lord has planned for me, but it's a whole lot better than the way I was going. I've been sober for five months, and that's because of the power of Jesus Christ.”