When Scott McIntosh made the decision to start CityPointe Church in his hometown, he knew he wanted it to be a different kind of experience for his congregation.
“We’re brand new,” McIntosh said. “We wanted an authentic, delightful place to worship Jesus together. We wanted to focus more on similarities than differences. Our vision was for a different kind of church. Our goal is to bring folks together.”
Currently based out of the John R. Trinkle Center on the Plant City campus of Hillsborough Community College, CityPointe Church will celebrate its first anniversary Tuesday, Jan. 31. The church, which is currently debt-free, will commemorate the anniversary with a celebration Sunday, Jan. 29 — including 100 dedications to God.
Come Together
A native of Plant City, McIntosh attended The Crossing Church in Brandon and First Baptist Church of Plant City while growing up. He wanted to bring a new, welcoming experience for all to the Winter Strawberry Capital of the World.
“The pastors have been so great and supportive,” he said. “We wanted to create a place that reflected the culture and was a little more contemporary with the goal of helping people hope again.”
But he needed help. At the time, the finances set aside for the church came to only $3,000.
“The Lord had really put it in our heart,” he said. “But the question was, ‘How?’”
The church established a fundraising goal of $170,000. As word began to spread, donors came together. CityPointe was able to raise $80,000 within six months. As donations continued to come in, the church made a point of giving back to their new community.
“We just started blessing people,” McIntosh, who recently celebrated 20 years in ministry, said. “We believe in investing in our community. We set aside 10% of everything that comes in … to help other things in the area.”
In February of 2016, just one month after the church opened, CityPointe donated $3,000 to Ministerio Voces Angelicales, which translates to Angelic Voices Ministry. Headed by Blanca Rodriguez, the ministry is dedicated to helping homeless in the Plant City community obtain food, clothing and shelter.
CityPointe donated the funds after their first church service offering, which yielded $6,000. An additional $3,000 was donated to the City of Plant City for summer programs.
As the church’s ability to give back grew, so did its congregation. The church has about 200 regular members, as well as a volunteer team of about 30 people.
“We focus on being real, relevant and relational,” McIntosh said. “We want to be life-giving and fun. We try to have Sundays that impact Mondays.”
Home Base
Up next, the church hopes to have a permanent place to call home. While the congregation looks for the perfect location, the church will continue to operate out of the Trinkle Center on Sunday mornings.
“We’re portable,” McIntosh said. “We can do what we’re doing forever. Ideally, we would like a building that sits about 600, has good parking and access to I-4.”
The goal, he said, is to continue to reach out to people who don’t have a church they call home.
“About two to four out of every 10 people go to church,” McIntosh said. “We’re not going after the two to four. We’re going after the six to eight people who haven’t gone to church in years.”
At the church’s one-year anniversary party, members and guests will be able to attend a church service with testimonials, followed by a celebration complete with bounce houses, a band and more.
“We’re celebrating 100 people that are now coming home and discovered the love of the Father,” McIntosh said. “It’s been a wild ride. Everyone is welcome. We want everyone to come and bring friends. It takes everybody. We’ve had some amazing stuff happen.”
The church’s celebration party will kick off with a time of prayer at 9:30 a.m., followed by a worship service at 10:30. Activities will take place after the service on the grounds of the Trinkle Center, 1206 N. Park Road in Plant City.
Contact Emily Topper at etopper@plantcityobserver.com.