Guy and Summer Benton

Starting Year with SAMS: 2009 (Summer) and 2013 (Guy)

Calling to Ministry: Guy and Summer both felt strong callings to global missions since their teen years. Each went on their first short term trip at 17 and felt God stirring their hearts through that experience. Summer joined SAMS and went to Cambodia in 2009 as a single young adult. In 2011, on a trip to New Zealand to speak about her work in human trafficking, she met Guy who was working as a youth pastor at an Anglican parish in Wellington, NZ. After a time of dating and getting married, Guy joined Summer in Cambodia where they spent the first 5 years of their marriage. In 2017 both of their ministry roles in Cambodia came to natural shifting points and they discerned that God was bringing their season in that country to a close. Out of a deep passion for the struggling state of the church in the secular world in New Zealand, Guy and Summer moved their family to Wellington to continue their ministry.

Mission and/or Vision for Ministry: Guy and Summer and their children hold strongly that they are a family on mission together - each serving God in their own contexts.

Guy and Summer are involved in many different ministry spaces in Wellington, New Zealand. They lead a church in one of Wellington’s eastern suburbs. They also look after ‘AYM Houses’ an intentional community of about 45 young adults who are on a discipleship journey and learning to do youth work to support the youth ministry program of the Anglican Diocese of Wellington. Guy and Summer also serve as mission enablers for the diocese and work closely with New Zealand Church Mission Society to develop a heart for God’s work in the world among local churches.

Isaac Benton is attending university and a member of AYM houses. He serves as a youth worker at an inner-city church in Wellington.

Quinn, Norah, and Addison Benton all passionately engage in their parents’ ministry spaces and share Jesus with those around them at school and kindy.

Personal Points of Interest: Summer is a clinical social worker and has a deep passion to use her skills in mental health care for the advancement of God’s Kingdom. She currently works in private practice a couple days per week where she supports many people in ministry and their families. When she’s not with people in work and ministry, she loves gardening, snow skiing and adventuring around beautiful New Zealand with her family.

Guy has a deep heart for community and thrives spending time getting to know people in the local café or at the school playground. He has also recently discovered a love for sailing and tries to get out on the water as often as he can in his 2^nd hand, slightly dodgy, 1 person sailboat. If he’s really lucky, he gets to tag along with others in the community who love to sail as well. Guy also loves spending time outdoors and searching for sea creatures in local rock pools with his kids.

Favorite Bible Verse: John 10:10