Practical Impact and Compassion?

The Southside Church of the Nazarene is on a mission. They believe their church should be defined by how they practically care for the community around them. They ask a very simple question: “Is this church community such a force of good, are we so compassionate, that if our church were to suddenly disappear, the county we live in would feel a profound sense of loss?” (Southside, 2019)

The church tries to live out this commitment every day.

The Southside Church is situated on almost 300 acres of beautiful forest in Chesterfield, Virginia. The church shares the property with three other organizations: Guardian Christian Academy, X-Zone, and FootSteps Counseling. (Partners, 2019) While they are separate entities, all four organizations work together towards their common goal of “Empowering lives in our Community” in their specific areas of expertise. (Partners, 2019)

I became aware of this unique community after visiting XZone with some friends in high school. XZone offers “multi-sport facilities with a focus on arts, education spaces, adventure park, and team housing.” (Vision, 2019)  I remember particularly enjoying their incredible paintball and airsoft arenas. XZone features “walk-on .68cal paintball and airsoft on Saturday 10am-6pm and Sunday from 11am-6pm.” (Sports, 2019)

While talking to other players at the field, I learned XZone helps financially support massive after-school programs for under-served kids in the Chesterfield community. (T.E.A.M, 2019)  XZone runs a “after-school and summer program provid[ing] a fun, safe environment, with quality mentors, and staff for rising 6th-grade middle school students through 12th-grade high school students.” (T.E.A.M, 2019)

Personally, I think this is successful for a couple reasons. Since XZone is distinct from the other explicitly Christian ministries, it is easier for them to partner with non-religious businesses. I was at XZone for a massive event sponsored by a large US airsoft boutique company. The company enjoyed the PR benefits of partnering with a charity without working directly with a Christian religious group, which can be divisive. Additionally, I learned that church members make it a point to play airsoft and paintball at XZone every week after church. XZone appears to be an interesting tool for creating community within a church, particularly with young boys and teenagers. This “faith-based” organization is getting some attention from local media.

In the interest of clarity, the online presence of XZone and its relationship with their partner organizations honestly needs some work, so the exact nature of the relationship between these four organizations is hard to precisely define. However, the Southside Church and its unique coalition of partner organizations is still something worth sharing in the context of this class.

I believe this fascinating community has a lot to teach us about creatively using resources, which relates to our discussions about entrepreneurship and the mission of the church.

(Photo Credit: Ben White on Unsplash)