Byron City Church growing with new name, location

BYRON -- What began as a new church plant in Byron two years ago has now become a church "re-plant" with a new name.

Centralpoint Chapel, which began in a building in North Peach Industrial Park, moved in early December to a space at the Peach Shops at Byron near the Byron Welcome Center.

And the congregation changed the church's name to Byron City Church.

"Part of our core vision has always been to reach others with the gospel, and church planting is a key biblical strategy for doing that," said Myke Harbuck, lead pastor at the church. "As a church, our call is to reach others and especially to reach others who are unchurched or are de-churched. Those who are de-churched are people who, for one reason or another, stopped going to church either a long or not-so-long time ago."

Harbuck said the former Centralpoint location wasn't visible enough. He said he actually heard of people who tried but couldn't find the church.

"For example, there was a couple who came who said they'd been looking for us for three weeks," he said. "If someone's looking for you for three weeks and can't find you, you're not in the right place."

Harbuck said the wisdom of the move became clear when after six weeks at the new location, Byron City Church had double the visitors it had in six months at the old Centralpoint spot.

But, he said, God still did a lot at the original site.

"We solidified our identity as a church body and built a strong foundation," he said. "Almost everyone who came into our fellowship were people out of fellowship or who had never been in church in the first place. To me that was a big accomplishment."

Harbuck said at the old location the church had free yard-sale giveaways, conferences, did Black Friday outreaches for waiting shoppers and sent a team of five members as short-term missionaries to Durban, South Africa.

"That's 10 percent of our people going out on world missions," he said. "I think that's really something. While we were in the old place we grew from six people to 50. In the six weeks we've been in the new location we've grown to about 80."

Harbuck said becoming more accessible physically matches the church's original vision, which remains the same.

"It's our desire to offer solid, verse-by-verse Bible teaching, modern but reverent worship, small group -- or house church -- communities, and a friendly, casual, come-as-you-are atmosphere."

In addition to beginning the new year in a new location, Harbuck said Byron City Church is beginning the new year with a new church association. He said Byron City Church is now affiliated with Calvary Chapel churches.

Calvary Chapel originated in Southern California in the late 1960s and was first identified with the Jesus Movement. Over time, the association of churches has grown to an international movement of more than 1,600 churches. Harbuck said the affiliation offers benefits while allowing Byron City Church to remain autonomous and nondenominational.

"We planted Centralpoint as a nondenominational church even though I have a Baptist background and pastored a Baptist church for nine years," he said. "Our association with Calvary Chapel allows us to remain an autonomous, nondenominational church but gives us a way to partner with other churches and ministries for missions and relational accountability. The Calvary Chapel movement of churches has no denominational headquarters or monthly denomination fee requirement."

Harbuck said Centralpoint talked early on to Calvary Chapel leaders about affiliation but didn't pursue it. He said after the first of the year, Calvary Chapel leaders reached out to him and Byron City Church about affiliating, and he and church leaders made the decision to do so.

He said Calvary Chapel as a movement is committed to verse-by-verse Bible teaching and to church planting, just like Byron City Church.

"As we've re-planted here, we've recommitted to planting four new churches in the next 10 years," Harbuck said. "We don't know how or where that will happen but the amazing people of Byron City Church have proven themselves so generous and so willing to volunteer I have no doubt it will happen. Until then, we'll continue to physically remodel our new facility inside and to formulate life ministries that meet people where they're at, whether it's through women's ministry, men's ministry or whatever. We're still praying and talking about just what our servanthood identity in the community is to be and what opportunities we're to pursue. I do know we have a much bigger parking lot out there now for a free, community yard sale and we're going to do that. We're going to remain outwardly focused."

Contact writer Michael W. Pannell at mwpannell@gmail.com.

Byron City Church

Address: 311 Ga. 49 N, Suite 240, Byron, GA 31008

Leadership: Myke Harbuck, lead pastor

Phone: 478-345-2722

Worship: Sunday 10:30 a.m.

Website: www.byroncity.church

This story was originally published February 2, 2016 at 10:01 PM with the headline "Byron City Church growing with new name, location ."