Two Valrico churches will soon come together as one.
Horizon Church will officially merge with Centerpoint Church, using the Centerpoint name, on Sunday (June 3).
The merger came about after Horizon pastor Brian Hughes contacted Centerpoint pastor Bryant Golden seeking a new home for Horizon's 200-member congregation.
Hughes explained his church struggled with debt, making it difficult to fulfill its mission.
Centerpoint's impact in the community drew Hughes' attention and felt God calling Horizon to join them, he said.
Golden and his 600-member congregation spent weeks praying about the idea, ultimately choosing to move forward with a campaign they labeled Better Together, said Centerpoint operations coordinator Christopher Olson.
Horizon will sell its property located at 1720 S Saint Cloud Ave. and fully dissolve as an organization, Olson said.
Proceeds will go toward the building of a new joined facility on Centerpoint's 1801 S Miller Road property or to purchase a new property.
Centerpoint now employs Horizon's staff, with Hughes serving as connect pastor.
"Our mission has always been to lead people to a relationship with Jesus Christ and transform this area by reaching people with an alternative to church as usual, where everyone is welcome where ever they find themselves in their faith journey," Olson said. "This merger will allow that to happen on an even larger scale."
Golden, a Tampa area native, opened Centerpoint in 2010. He grew the church from 50 members to several hundred with a mission statement welcoming the religious, irreligious, skeptical, cynical, lost and hopeless. The church, in partnership with organizations including ECHO and Lighthouse Ministries, works to help those outside its walls.
Golden considers Centerpoint's new adventure a turning point in the church's faith-inspired story.
"We are excited to see how Jesus will use this to reach more people and where he will lead us next," he said.
Centerpoint meets at 9 a.m., 10:45 a.m. and 12:30 p.m. Sundays. Child and young adult ministries are available. For more information, visit centerpointfl.org or call (813) 689-1906.
Contact Sarah Whitman at sarahrothwhitman@tampabay.com.