An innovative partnership between Centerpoint Church and Tampa Bay HEAT is creating new opportunities for families across the Greater Brandon area while offering a different model for how churches can use their facilities to serve the community throughout the week.
Tampa Bay HEAT, a homeschool community serving more than 3,000 students, officially expanded onto the Centerpoint Church campus in January. Since then, the partnership has continued to grow, both in the number of families served and in the shared vision for the property.
Centerpoint Lead Pastor Bryant Golden said the partnership reflects the church’s longstanding desire to be connected to the community.
“We’ve always believed the church should be deeply connected to and invested in its community,” Golden said. “We have buildings, classrooms, land and resources that could sit largely unused during portions of the week. We began asking what it could look like to leverage those resources in a way that serves families and our community seven days a week.”
Tampa Bay HEAT provides homeschool families with educational opportunities, classes, activities, athletics and community. Since moving onto the Centerpoint campus, HEAT has experienced significant growth.
“It has been an incredible partnership,” Golden said. “We share a commitment to families, to our community and to creating environments where people can thrive.”
A growing number of HEAT families have also begun attending Centerpoint, further strengthening the connection between the two organizations.
Quail Run Coffee has added another element to the campus, with its coffee shop operating six days a week, including Sundays. The location provides families, students, church members and others with a place to meet, work and connect.
The partnership is also shaping the future of the campus. Centerpoint plans to begin construction on a new auditorium and community-focused lobby in early 2027, with completion targeted for early 2028. Its current auditorium will become a gymnasium, expanded classrooms and activity space serving HEAT students and Centerpoint ministries.
HEAT is also renovating a large cabin on the property into a library and meeting space.
“This really isn’t about constructing another church building,” Golden said. “It’s about asking how we can use what we’ve been entrusted with to serve more people.”
Centerpoint Church is located at 1720 S. St. Cloud Ave. in Valrico. For more information, visit www.centerpointfl.org.
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