May 22 Update

In our May 15 update, we committed to putting a plan in place to regather in-person as a church in a manner that would “honor the guidance and direction from the state” and that we would “regather in the same fashion as our community is able to regather.”  We have and will continue to follow this and are excited to make some additional announcements regarding regathering.

If you watched the latest #chillwithbill today, you already know the most exciting news, which is that we are planning to regather as a church and celebrate in full Rock Point style the weekend of June 20 & 21!  We will be releasing more details about various events and gatherings leading up to this amazing weekend in the next week, so be sure and keep an eye on our social media and e-mail communication!

Many have asked why we aren’t regathering immediately in light of President Trump’s announcement that churches are “essential” earlier today.  While many churches in many other states were deemed non-essential, the Arizona Attorney General made clear that participating in church services is a constitutionally protected essential activity. Governor Ducey’s executive order allowed constitutionally protected activities to be “conducted in a manner that provides appropriate physical distancing to the extent feasible.”

If you have been following all of our communications through this time, the first and most simple reason we haven’t returned to meeting is that our campus is still in the final stages of construction.  Even if we decided to “exercise our rights,” we don’t currently have a place to meet on campus!  Additionally, our core values are to return to meeting together in a safe manner that allows us to celebrate in Rock Point style while also honoring the requests of those in authority. We have decided to be known as a community that loves our neighbors and chooses to do the right thing even if that means temporarily waiting to exercise our right to meet in-person.

The CDC guidance to churches released today, in conjunction with President Trump’s announcement, outlines what we are being asked to do at this point in time to protect the public. At the state and federal levels, we are still being asked to proceed with caution which is what we will do.

As final construction winds down in the coming weeks and our state continues to open up and relax social distancing guidelines, we will be busy getting everything ready for an incredible celebration June 20 & 21.  It will be an incredible weekend that we will be able to exercise the freedom to worship together while taking common-sense and prudent precautions as we maintain our testimony in our community. 

As a reminder, we will continue to offer home groups, Bible studies, and classes leading up to our regathering & grand opening celebration. We can’t wait to see you again very soon! 

Bill Bush – Lead Pastor 
Dave Sutherland – Executive Pastor 
Jared Tetzlaff – Safety & Security Director

May 15 Update

May 15 marks an exciting and encouraging day in the Arizona battle with the COVID-19 pandemic. State officials have determined our state is in a position to allow the Stay Home, Stay Healthy, Stay Connected Order to expire. Rock Point never closed during this time – we continued to offer online services, bible studies and programming and heard many stories of our Rock Point family being the church as they served our community. The looming question on everyone’s mind remains, “When will we be able to regather?”

Our plan for regathering in-person as a church will honor the guidance and direction from the state and we will regather in the same fashion as our community is able to regather. The Arizona plan to reopen the state is a tier-based approach which means starting next week, small groups will be able to meet again in person! Assuming this first phase goes well, we anticipate being able to move into the 2nd phase with the rest of the state in just a couple weeks. At that time, we will regather some classes, bible studies and other programming for medium sized groups. The final phase, which we believe could be mid to late June, is when we expect we will be able to regather for our weekend services. Each step requires successfully completing the step before, but the Rock Point team is working hard to be prepared for the best-case scenario for moving through each phase!

Our plan is built to give people the opportunity to safely regather as quickly as possible while honoring the authorities in place as commanded in scripture. We are incredibly excited to regather and celebrate the Grand Opening of our new building in Rock Point style. For those longing for connection, we encourage you to engage in a small group or class in the coming weeks leading into our weekend celebrations. Rock Pointers have been incredibly faithful during this trying time and we believe these 4-8 weeks will bring incredible opportunities to point people to Jesus, by loving them like Jesus.

We have been praying for you during this challenging time.

We can’t wait to see you. We love you and are excited to celebrate with you.

Bill Bush, Lead Pastor
Dave Sutherland, Executive Pastor
Jared Tetzlaff, Safety & Security Director 

April 30 Update

HURRY UP AND WAIT! The phrase that likely originated in the military back in the 1940s is just as fitting today as it ever has been. You probably saw that the Stay Home, Stay Safe, Stay Connected, Return Stronger order in Arizona has been extended through May 15. As a result, we wanted to let you know that Rock Point will continue to operate as we have for the last 30 days through May 15. The staff has continued working remotely and harder than ever to effectively equip our church family in new ways as the church is deployed! Even as our campus is closed to the public, we are working hard to get it prepared for our celebratory return and Grand Opening in the very near future!

While the extension of the order and delay of being able to meet in person was a bit discouraging, the good news is all indications are that we are progressing towards being able to safely meet together again! Governor Ducey described his plan for the return to “new normal” as being like using a dimmer switch to slowly bring things up. We are anxious to meet back together while also being responsible members of our community. We will continue to closely monitor the guidance from our state and local governments and update and communicate our plans to meet again in person accordingly.

As a reminder, you can find all the ways to stay connected right here on rockpoint.io We hope you take encouragement in Paul’s charge in Romans 12:10-13, “Love each other with genuine affection, and take delight in honoring each other.  Never be lazy, but work hard and serve the Lord enthusiastically.  Rejoice in our confident hope.  Be patient in trouble, and keep on praying.  When God’s people are in need, be ready to help them. Always be eager to practice hospitality.”

Bill Bush, Lead Pastor
Dave Sutherland, Executive Pastor
Jared Tetzlaff, Safety & Security Director 

April 12 Update

The very first Easter, the disciples were locked in a home and were afraid. Jesus suddenly appeared to them and as He showed them the wounds in His hands and side, He told them, "Peace be with you." He then breathed on them and said, "Receive the Holy Spirit." Even as the disciples wept, wondered, and feared what would come next after Christ's death, He was at work. When He appeared to them, He showed the evidence of the work He had done on the cross and empowered them with the Holy Spirit. Even now as we have been locked in our homes, Christ has been at work. We are seeing new families join us for service every week, we are connecting to families in new and exciting ways and people are meeting Jesus over Zoom. We are Rock Point and we as a church are empowered with the Holy Spirit as we are continuing to point people to Jesus by loving them like Jesus!

During this time we are not meeting on campus, we want to remind you that the properties are closed to the public. We are encouraging everyone to be good neighbors and follow the Stay Home, Stay Healthy, Stay Connected order that is in place to help slow the spread. If you happen to drive by the church and see vehicles or activity, be assured that only essential personnel are on campus and we take social distancing and hygiene disciplines very seriously. As tempting as it may be to stop by our church campus or office, please remember it is closed to the public as we want to do our part to get through this as quick as we can.

We miss meeting together but are so proud of what our church family is doing during this time. Don't forget to click on the "Need to Talk?" tab at rockpoint.io to let us know how we can pray for you or support you during this challenging time.

Bill Bush, Lead Pastor
Dave Sutherland, Executive Pastor
Jared Tetzlaff, Safety & Security Director 

April 9 Update

“The darkest hour of all is the hour before day.”

The ancient Irish proverb giving hope in adverse conditions seems especially appropriate this week. The point of this proverb is not how dark it can get, but how much hope the dawn brings. This week we celebrate the fact that the Easter story does not stay in the darkness the disciples must have experienced after Christ’s death on the cross, but provides the HOPE of the empty tomb on Sunday morning!

This week is projected to be the darkest days of the COVID-19 pandemic in our country. As we have studied the data models and tracked the progress and updates daily, there is great hope that we are reaching the plateau of this pandemic and relief may be in sight sooner than originally expected. The science also indicates that the social distancing and vigilant hygiene practices are having a positive impact on slowing the spread and flattening the curve of the virus.

We are nearly two weeks into the five-week Stay Home, Stay Healthy, Stay Connected order in Arizona, and we hope you are enjoying the various ways that Rock Point is connecting and ministering to you and your family. In addition to practicing the hygiene guidelines attached, we hope you will apply the Stay Home, Stay Healthy, Stay Connected principles in your faith journey during this time as well.

Stay Home: Even though it looks a little different, make it a priority to continue attending our online services. We have programming available for all ages and finding it is easy thanks to rockpoint.io.

Stay Healthy: In addition to ensuring you are eating well and getting exercise, make it a priority to feed yourself spiritually by being in the Bible. A great place to start is by checking out our Devotional Resources tab on rockpoint.io.

Stay Connected: Practicing social distancing doesn’t mean social isolation. Not only can you find ways to join an online group at rockpoint.io, you can also click on the Need to Talk? tab to request prayer, talk to a Pastor, request counseling, connect with us to share your story, ask a question, or just say hello.

These are simple ways we as the deployed church can apply Hebrews 10:23-25: “Let us hold tightly without wavering to the hope we affirm, for God can be trusted to keep his promise. Let us think of ways to motivate one another to acts of love and good works. And let us not neglect our meeting together, as some people do, but encourage one another, especially now that the day of his return is drawing near.”

Jared Tetzlaff, Safety & Security Director 

March 30 Update

Last week, the Arizona Department of Health Services updated the Community Spread level to “Widespread.” As testing has expanded and increased, the substantial uptick in documented cases in Arizona has not come as a surprise. While we miss meeting, serving, studying and worshipping together in person, we also are committed to continuing to follow the recommendations of our local governments and to help slow the spread and flatten the curve and grateful for the various ways we can do that virtually. We hope that you will take this time that we can’t be in the seats to consider how it is that God wants you to be sent, and connect in deeper ways with your family and your Father in Heaven.

We are praying for a quick turnaround, while simultaneously planning for this “new norm” to last several weeks. Please remember the following ways you can help prevent the further spread of COVID-19:

• Wash your hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds. If soap and water are not available, use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer.
• Avoid touching your eyes, nose, and mouth with unwashed hands.
• Avoid close contact with people who are sick.
• Stay home when you are sick.
• Cover your cough or sneeze with a tissue, then immediately throw the tissue in the trash.
• Clean and disinfect frequently touched objects and surfaces.