When Will SouthPoint Reopen Campuses?
Channel: SouthPoint Church
Date: 15/05/2020

With the constant change, rather than come up with some timeline we’ll end-up changing over and over, SouthPoint has come up with FOUR Strategic and Guiding Principles that will filter how we make our decisions about reopening. 

Principle #1: SouthPoint has Never Been Closed
Here’s the amazing thing…God has done what only God can do! 
Our attendance has grown significantly due to digital access. 
Small groups have been meeting on Zoom
The Parent Cue App has provided discipleship content to families and children
More people have said “YES” to Jesus in an 8 week stretch (over 144) than at any other time in SouthPoint’s history. 

We’ve Loved our Community Well
We’ve given out to close to 400 bags of groceries
We provide meals to St. Mary’s hospital for frontline workers. 
We purchased and provided laptops for under-resourced students who didn’t have access to online education. 
SouthPoint never closed its doors - We’re still being the church!

Principle #2: SouthPoint Services Would Stink Under Strict Social Distancing Guidelines!
The reality is that SouthPoint services just don’t work with strict social distancing. Three key parts of SouthPoint’s services can’t function with the current guidelines - kids, worship, and community. 
Kid Ministry - The next generation is a top priority at SouthPoint, and kids don’t know how to social distance. It’s not in their nature.  Asking kids to stop what come naturally, could create a lasting memory of a poor experience. 
Worship - Just imagine for a moment, Singers, musicians, and attendees would be required to spread out and wear masks. Singing in groups of people is one of the most contagious activities we can do. Most of us feel uncomfortable singing loudly…what does worship look like when we only hear our own singing because were all 6ft a part? 
Community – The recommended guidelines make it especially difficult to connect relationally with others.  Groups of 10 or less, maintaining 6’-7’ distance.  No coffee and donuts.  No hugs and high fives.  Our mission statement starts with, “Connecting the Disconnected...”  Our  physical gatherings are typically the primary vehicle to do that. But, if we’re honest, trying to have services under the current guidelines...means our services are no longer SouthPoint-style services – we can’t be who we’re meant to be under those conditions. Having services just so we can see other people doesn’t work. 

Principle #3: Love means we won’t rush back for ourselves and hurt how people see Jesus and His Church. 
We all have different opinions on how to solve our current crisis, I get it. But regardless of our opinions, just because things are open, doesn’t mean the virus has gone away. As followers-of-Jesus we would never want our community to think that our personal desire to be together outweighs their need to be safe. On top of that, trying to hold services that don’t reflect who SouthPoint really is could “turn away” three groups of people. First, those who’ve never been to church; they could see SouthPoint as out-of-touch and uncaring. Second, those who’ve started attending online would come for the first time and have an undesirable experience. Thirdly, regular attenders who come back hoping for their church only to be disappointed. Having services that don’t reflect who SouthPoint really is, causes EVERYONE to lose.

Principle #4:  We will remain agile and all plans will be flexible as things change daily. 
You’ve heard it said, “The only constant is change.” This once-in-a-lifetime event has created change that happens almost on a daily basis. None of us knows what will happen next week, or over the next several months. So as we continue to move forward we’ll make mid-course adjustments as needed.  Reopening will be a “process” with phases, not one big step. Currently, we are hard at work trying to figure out how we can continue to be SouthPoint Church in a way that is not just legal, but safe and effective. We haven’t fully figured out what the best phased approach is yet. However, we will continue to stay in regular communication with you.

For now, we feel like the digital resources and content is the best way to continue to move forward. Let’s remember, that the church isn’t a building or a meeting, it’s a group of people dedicated to following Jesus. I do miss seeing all of you…let’s keep loving Jesus and others on His behalf. And, remember you matter deeply to God. 

We’ll update you as things change.  Stay encouraged and connected on social media, and we’ll see you on SouthPoint Online, Sundays at 9am and 11am. https://southpoint4u.com/live