Celebration!

Twenty years ago, in October 2004, The Church at Southpoint was registered as a non-profit society in British Columbia. Southpoint’s story began with the hopeful energy of a small church plant. But then, life happened. The coffee shop lost money and closed its doors. Scott Simpson, the founding pastor, left. No longer receiving outside support and led by a part-time pastor, Southpoint had to learn to live within a balanced budget and be content with small steady, sustainable growth. Colin came out as gay and married David, which made us wrestle. We welcomed David into membership. People left. New people came. We grieved losses together. We created gentle structures of connection together. We came out of the closet as an inclusive, affirming church. Slowly our self-understanding clarified through all we’d been through. We know who God created us to be. We know why we are here. At Southpoint, it all begins with love. We want people to feel seen and loved by God. We want people to know they belong at God’s table.

Southpoint officially turns 20 this month, and this past weekend, we celebrated! On Saturday night, the Hardys opened their home and we filled it with a mix of old-timers, newcomers, children and adults. We ate and laughed—A LOT—and the competition was fierce during Southpoint-style Jeopardy.

Our theme for Sunday morning was “Stories and Stones”. We remembered and gave thanks for the many different groups of people who have sustained us over the years using stories, images, and songs. Laura Koch came to sing with us, and the musicians of Southpoint came together, offering up different songs. I felt such joy in the room during those songs. We made a stone pillar of remembrance, and thanked God for being with us and for us throughout these years. If you weren’t able to be there, I imagine you belong in one of these groupings of people. Thank you!

We honour our dreamers, planters, and founders who brought Southpoint into being and gave it a solid foundation.

We honour our pillars, those who have served, led and supported Southpoint with a generous heart.

We honour our storytellers, musicians, artists, and writers who have nourished us with depth and beauty.

We honour those who suffered with us and those who suffered for us, drawing us more deeply into God’s heart.

We honour God for being so tenderly with us and for us, and for the ways we see God’s heart in one another.

We honour our newcomers who have witnessed our commitment to inclusion and came to stand with us and now are one of us.

This is Southpoint: We are not a building. We are not a gathering. We are people committed to each other and to following the Good Way of Jesus together. I, as pastor of Southpoint, am unbelievably proud and grateful for you. I look forward to all God has in store for us.

Having received God’s love, may we continue to share this love with others in tangible ways, offering a warm, wide, welcome. May curiosity, questions, storytelling, and companionship be vehicles for our growth as we walk the way of Jesus together. May our values of simplicity and thoughtfulness guide us as we seek kinship with God, people, and Creation. May we cultivate this kinship in just, authentic, and embodied ways.

Surely, the God who has been so gracious to us in the past will continue to be gracious to us in the future, blessing us, keeping us, and giving us peace. Amen

Deep peace and blessing,

Anne

Rev. Anne Baxter Smith
Pastor, Southpoint Church

Sun Mar 30 Sunday Brunches — No Service at Sunnyside
Luke 15: 1-7

Anne Baxter Smith

Fri Apr 18 Good Friday
(Stay tuned for more info)

Sun Apr 20 Easter Sunday
Luke 24:1-12

Anne Baxter Smith

Sun Apr 27 All Out
More information to come

New to Southpoint?

At Southpoint, it all begins with God’s love. Just as a plant grows, it receives sunshine, so we grow as we receive God’s love. At Southpoint, we are growing in our capacity to love God, ourselves, one another, and Creation.

We seek to be a community of grace that is intentional yet organic, spacious yet authentic, grace-filled yet accountable. * We are fully welcoming. *

We encourage relationships rather than run programs, yet we recognize the importance of intentionality and structure as we nurture life together.

As a community, we seek to put our love in action. We value helping out on Sunday mornings, sharing food, and showing up in hard times. We keep our church life simple so folk have time to build relationships with family, friends, and neighbours. We encourage folk to serve in tangible ways within the wider community. We rent space rather than own a building, allowing us to do more with less, supporting missions at home and abroad.

Curious to know more?

These six slides express what motivates our ministry (best viewed on a monitor). Here’s the bio of our Pastor, Rev. Anne Baxter Smith.

If you’d like to really peek inside, sign up for our weekly Southpoint News (scroll to brown footer at bottom of page). The Southpoint News is a MailChimp distributed email—you can unsubscribe anytime and will not be added to our contacts list. Email us at office@southpoint.ca. Website: southpoint.ca.

New to Southpoint?

At Southpoint, it all begins with God’s love. Just as a plant grows, it receives sunshine, so we grow as we receive God’s love. At Southpoint, we are growing in our capacity to love God, ourselves, one another, and Creation.

We seek to be a community of grace that is intentional yet organic, spacious yet authentic, grace-filled yet accountable. * We are fully welcoming. *

We encourage relationships rather than run programs, yet we recognize the importance of intentionality and structure as we nurture life together.

As a community, we seek to put our love in action. We value helping out on Sunday mornings, sharing food, and showing up in hard times. We keep our church life simple so folk have time to build relationships with family, friends, and neighbours. We encourage folk to serve in tangible ways within the wider community. We rent space rather than own a building, allowing us to do more with less, supporting missions at home and abroad.

Curious to know more?

These six slides express what motivates our ministry (best viewed on a monitor). Here’s the bio of our Pastor, Rev. Anne Baxter Smith.

If you’d like to really peek inside, sign up for our weekly Southpoint News (scroll to brown footer at bottom of page). The Southpoint News is a MailChimp distributed email—you can unsubscribe anytime and will not be added to our contacts list. Email us at office@southpoint.ca. Website: southpoint.ca.