Summerhill told CNA that in his ministry, he has given out about 450 Bibles this year, and talked and prayed with many passersby. He stressed that his ministry is not about him or his own fame and recognition, but rather about meeting people where they are and ministering to them.
Every time he hands out a free Bible, Summerhill says he asks the recipient to read it and be willing to discuss it with him if they see him again. He says nearly everyone agrees to those conditions.
Summerhill said his ministry is different than what most people might think of when they envision Evangelical street ministry. He does not carry a bullhorn, does not preach, and he does not aggressively push his Bibles on passersby, he said.
Instead, he merely puts up his "Free Bibles" sign and waits for people to approach him, he said.
"And I've averaged about a Bible an hour over the past three years," of being outside with the sign, he said.
Handing out Bibles at the Portland protests was not without danger, he said.
Federal agents responding to the protests in Portland have garnered criticism for using tear gas and other forceful methods against protesters. Summerhill himself says he was, at one point, caught in a tear gas assault as federal agents attempted to break up the protests.
Some of the protests have been accompanied by riots and looting. In addition to extensive property damage in the city's downtown, there have been occasional incidents of violence within or adjacent to the protests, including shootings and stabbings.
Despite this, Summerhill says he has observed mostly peaceful demonstrations in the downtown area where he and a mission partner have worked to spread the Gospel.
"The three days I was there...I would say we were welcomed. The narrative of what's going on seems to be fueled by people with a political agenda," he opined.
Summerhill pointed out that neither he, nor anyone else who has yet publicly come forward, knows who exactly it was who burned the Bibles on Aug. 1. He said he thinks it could easily have been provocateurs from either side of the political divide.
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"I have every reason to wonder who was burning the Bibles. No one has claimed responsibility, no one has identified anybody," he said.
Summerhill noted that he sees God among many Black Lives Matters protestors. As a firsthand observer of the protests, he said the widespread perception of the protestors as a monolithic, Godless, and Marxist movement is inaccurate.
He added that he does not support the Black Lives Matter Global Network Foundation, an organization that promotes LGBT ideology and is often an organizer of Black Lives Matter protests.
But Summerhill said he personally has met many protestors, both in Portland and Seattle, who told him they identify as Christian.
"It is flat wrong to say that there is no Christian element in what is going on in Portland," he said.
"The answer to our problems is Jesus Christ. And if we can't figure that out, we might as well throw in the towel."