It started as a passing thought. What would this city look like if all of its churches were able to come together in a moment of uninhibited solidarity?
The thought refused to abate, drawing Scott McIntosh, pastor of City Pointe Church, into a quest for revival and communion unlike any the city had ever seen.
His then-nomadic church was just beginning to gain a foothold in the town McIntosh was raised in and seemed far away from being able to fulfill this journey toward his metaphorical Jordan. But McIntosh refused to ever doubt the magnitude of his God.
“We are a city that’s often divided by denomination, we’re divided by ethnicity, we’re divided by race and age and our hope is the church is a place for people to come together,” McIntosh said.
City Pointe began hosting Worship Wednesday a few years ago, bringing a variety of local churches together for a night of worship. Now that City Pointe has found a home in the former First Baptist Church on North Palmer Street it is throwing everything it has at uniting believers under one roof. The event is now held on the first Wednesday of every month.
Last week, approximately 300 people gathered in the sanctuary, standing together, putting aside their differences and worshiping the God they all have dedicated their lives to. The evenings feature a diverse and passionate worship session along with a message from the pastors.
People have stepped forward and shared stories of being leaders in motorcycle gangs and bouncers at bars. They’ve shared stories of God drastically changing their lives and giving them a new purpose.
McIntosh said he hopes this continues to grow until every believer in the city has a chance to get to know their fellow brothers and sisters in Christ.
The represented denominations, ethnicities and theology are as diverse as the members who comprise each church, yet for one evening they all come together with one mission: to worship their Creator.
“It’s funny, but we really haven’t had any issues,” McIntosh said. “For us, the central belief is Jesus Christ is who he said he is and the Bible is the Word of God. To be perfectly honest, most of the obstacles we’ve had have been logistics. We really believe we are better together.”
It’s a simple philosophy, but one McIntosh said every pastor who has gotten involved has walked away believing to their core: This is bigger than any one church.
He said what they’re doing each month is bigger than any church, any name or any logo. When followers unite under Jesus Christ, McIntosh said there is nothing they won’t be able to accomplish.
“The Bible describes the Body of Christ like a body,” McIntosh said. “We have a finger and an eye, a knee and a nose. So often what can happen in churches is we can get focused on all doing our own thing, but whenever we don’t work together it’s like a hand not recognizing the value of an eye. It takes all of us working together to affect significant change.”
Differing denominations are not a separate entity, McIntosh said. If everyone could find a way to come together what they do could be “unimaginable.” As the Worship Wednesdays continue to grow, McIntosh said, he hopes there will soon be a day when there is not a building in Plant City that can hold all who wish to worship. When the revival comes he said he’s ready to see believers file into the stadium or another large outdoor venue to worship God under the stars.
“We’re excited to see what the Lord is going to do,” McIntosh said. “We just think we’re better together and think the Lord has called us to unite the tribe. I can’t wait to see the impact we can have if we all work together.”
Anyone interested in joining the event or getting more information can call City Pointe Church at 813-441-6693.