SHERWOOD, Ark. – Thirteen people were baptized in Christ on Sunday, Oct. 29, at Fresh Start Community Church in Sherwood.
Praise and worship were abundant during the service and congregants were led in scripture by Fresh Start Community Church Pastor Torvac Amos.
“We are extremely excited today. We have numerous candidates for baptism, and we thank God for each of you. We’re looking forward to taking you to the water as you follow Jesus Christ in baptism,” Amos said at the start of his message.
His sermon focused on Acts 28:6, “They expected that he would swell up or suddenly drop dead. But after they waited a long time and saw nothing unusual happen to him, they changed their minds and said he was a god.”
The baptisms followed his sermon and a time of invitation, during which two more were added to the baptismal list and three others decided to become members of the church.
Fresh Start Community Church launched its first service on the campus of First Baptist Church in Sherwood in the student worship area on Easter 2022.
Since then, they have moved into the former preschool area as their designated worship space. As a church plant, Amos said they have about 45 congregants per Sunday, however, they are in the midst of an uptick as a result of their evangelism focus.
“It’s just simple evangelism,” Amos said. He said one of the things they do is visit apartment complexes, as well as neighborhoods, knocking on doors and inviting people to come. He noted they also utilize social media.
“As a church plant in Sherwood, we are simply attempting to get the Gospel of Jesus Christ out to the masses,” Amos said. “We want them to meet Christ.”
Thanks to strong partnerships with FBC Sherwood and Dr. Ricky Lee, senior pastor at FBC Sherwood, and North Pulaski Baptist Association under the leadership of Greg Varndell, Amos said Fresh Start has been able to minister to the needs of the community. They have helped displaced families find resources for housing, given new furniture and more.
“Every week God is doing more and more. We’re just extending the invitation and people are coming,” Amos said.