Bayside to open third campus

MANATEE COUNTY — The East County’s largest church is getting ready to grow again.

Bayside Community Church has announced it will launch an East Sarasota campus in September.

“We’ve been working on this probably for over a year,” Associate Senior Pastor Alex Anderson. “Every time we get filled up, we try to find another way of emptying chairs so more people can come. We’d rather invest our money in people (rather than a bigger building), so we do other campuses.”

Anderson said more than 500 families who currently attend services at Bayside’s main campus off State Road 64 actually live in Sarasota.

The decision to launch a satellite campus, which will receive teachings from lead Pastor Randy Bezet via video streaming each Sunday, stemmed from both their requests for a campus closer to home, as well as a need to create more space at Bayside’s main facility.

Although church leaders still are looking for a venue at which to hold services, Anderson said Bayside East Sarasota likely will open at a school.

Craig King will serve as campus pastor.

“We’re just really excited about it,” King said of the opportunity. “We love Sarasota. We love the people.”

King said he is looking forward to the months ahead, as he works to foster a sense of community among Bayside’s existing members who are from the Sarasota area and will begin attending services there when the campus opens next fall. He’s already planning a campus picnic and a beach day to help build relationships and offer opportunities for families to be introduced to the church in an informal setting.

A launch team for the East Sarasota campus will begin meeting May 2 to prepare for the opening.

“I’m really excited about what God is going to do down there,” King said. “We’re confident God’s out in front of this. We’re following after what he prepared.”

For more, visit www.baysidecommunity.org.

Contact Pam Eubanks at [email protected].