On the cusp of its second birthday, City Pointe Church, the epitome of an underdog, will soon be taking over one of the largest church buildings in Plant City.
When the sun begins to rise each Sunday morning members of City Pointe Church can be found lugging boxes into whichever building around town has been designated their home for the day.
The nomadic congregation has spent approximately 730 days wandering through locations like the Plant City Family YMCA and the Trinkle Center. The church will be celebrating its second birthday this Sunday, and it will soon unpack its luggage in one of the largest church buildings in town.
Scott McIntosh, pastor of City Pointe Church, is taking his new congregation to his childhood spiritual roots. He has signed a two-year lease with First Baptist Church of Plant City to take over their facilities on Palmer Street and, on Easter, his congregation will open the doors to the sanctuary for the first time in a celebration of the big move.
“We have a philosophy of ‘go big or go home,’” McIntosh said.
McIntosh said a spiritual revolution is coming and his church is excited to be a part of it. The new facilities will allow his congregation to do more and offer a more diverse set of services than they were able to when the entirety of their belongings could be packed up into a truck.
City Pointe was born two years ago in a living room with $3,000 worth of insurance money from a wrecked motorcycle. Now, the congregation regularly sees several hundred attendees. However, even McIntosh recognizes the move is a stretch for the young church.
After analyzing the monthly rent and moving costs, McIntosh set a $150,000 fundraising goal to transfer his
mobile congregation into the massive First Baptist Church sanctuary. The church has currently raised approximately $50,000, but far more is needed to allow City Pointe to have the resources to fully utilize the new space.
If successful, McIntosh said he hopes this move will be the spark that sets a flame behind the spiritual community in Plant City. He said there are over 100 churches in the community, which currently has a population just over 38,000 people, yet City Pointe has prided itself on reaching those who are often overlooked.
“This is a town divided by denomination and by race, and we believe Heaven’s not,” McIntosh said.
He said that City Pointe is not comprised of people who were going to one church and then decided to attend another. His pews are filled with people who simply are not stereotypical Christians.
Former gang members, those with a past of drug and alcohol addiction and even those who simply had to learn to cut down on their profanity on Sundays call City Pointe home, and McIntosh said his doors are always open to his fellow prodigal sons.
“Our team will do anything short of sin to bring people to Christ,” McIntosh said.
His enthusiasm and genuine love for his neighbor has caused the underdog church to blossom into one of the largest, active congregations in the city. Since its birth, City Pointe has given over $100,000 back to the community and seen over 160 professions of faith.
Prior to ever opening its doors, McIntosh sat down with the mayor and asked him to identify what the greatest needs in the city were. Armed with a list, he made it his mission to dedicate everything he had to serving and loving the community.
Thankfully, McIntosh said Plant City’s churches have never had a competitive mindset. When he first started out, Pastor Brian Stowe from First Baptist Church of Plant City encouraged McIntosh to continue his fight for the lost.
“(Brian) said ‘Scott, there’s plenty of lost people out there. Just go after them,’” McIntosh said. “I never forgot that.”
Stowe said his love for Plant City makes a partnership with any church that has a heart for the lost a no-brainer. He said there are still many needs that have yet to be met and he is excited First Baptist is able to offer City Pointe a place to call home.
“It’s pretty evident in our area just as it is in much of America that seven out of 10 people are unchurched,” Stowe said. “We all realize the need. Some are trying different things to reach them. Scott is definitely doing different things than most other churches.”
Like McIntosh, Stowe is optimistic about a spiritual revolution in the city. However, he said the only way it will ever take off is if the local churches band together to make sure they are maximizing their reach for Christ.
Citing Proverbs 27:17, which says “As iron sharpens iron, so one person sharpens another,” Stowe said partnering with McIntosh and other spiritual leaders will only help straighten God’s impact on the city.
When First Baptist began its move to the new facilities on James L. Redman Parkway there were only a limited number of options for its old building. Stowe said selling a church is a unique process because the building is usually only sold to city, government, schools or other churches.
When McIntosh came along, it seemed like a perfect fit. Leasing the property allows First Baptist to keep several of its services, like its preschool, Spanish ministry and its offices, at the original location until construction is finished at the new property.
Ultimately, Stowe said the plan is to sell the property completely, however, no timetable is yet in place to finalize the transition to the James L. Redman Parkway location.
“We’re excited about our move and we’re also really excited about Scott and what God is going to do here,” Stowe said. “We’re also grateful there will be some people who won’t have to hurt their backs as much every Sunday putting up and taking down their equipment for services.”
McIntosh agreed they are looking forward to being able to take the extra time in the morning to worry about a different aspect of worship other than completely building a sanctuary from scratch. The structure and stability of a physical church home also comes with a challenge. The new sanctuary sits 1,200 people. McIntosh said he hopes his outreach is successful so those pews are regularly filled with people worshipping God each Sunday morning.
“This is me putting out a public call to whoever, “ McIntosh said. “If you want to help, we need you. We want to see this city lit up for Christ. I think there’s a revival coming, a revolution. I don’t think it’s far away. I want to be a part of it.”
