New Creation Baptist Church was launched less than six months ago, and Pastor Ed Stewart baptized five new believers on June 30.
“I pinch myself all the time – is this supposed to be happening this fast,” Stewart asks rhetorically about how God has allowed this neighborhood church to flourish this year. “I have always said [about ministry] that if God is in it, it won’t make sense because He’s in it. He’s definitely doing things that can’t be explained.”
Stewart shared several stories about some of the new believers, who are neighbors who engaged with the church plant in different ways. There’s a quiet sixth grade boy who hasn’t stopped smiling since he prayed to receive Christ. And a teenage girl who has been attending the church’s student ministry since the first meeting on January 10, who prayed to receive Christ during a sermon series on the fruits of the spirit. “She is on fire for God. I am so excited for what God has in store for her,” Stewart says.
Chase gave his life to Jesus during that same sermon series. He attended some men’s ministries in April and has continued to grow and be discipled. Then there’s Chris, who lives two houses down from New Creation and approached Stewart outside of the church one day when he needed help. As it happened, Stewart was with some potential ministry partners who were visiting the campus.
“Chris’ car wouldn’t start, so the three of us walked with him to try and help. I introduced myself and asked who he was. Chris said he’d been struggling and then asked if I could talk with him about forgiveness and anger,” Stewart recalls. “I realized he didn’t know Jesus and, after we talked some more, he prayed to receive Christ right there in the parking lot. I went inside the church to get him a Bible and a new believer’s pamphlet. Afterward, our guests asked if it was always like this around here and I said, ‘no, but it should be!’”
Chris was one of 30 individuals who attended New Creation’s New Members class on the first two Sundays in June. Stewart reports even more people have prayed to receive Christ but, for a variety of reasons, aren’t ready to be baptized. “The Lord is doing great, great things. This first baptism is just a highlight reel of the work He is doing,” he says.
Stewart is also excited that two young adult ladies who are a part of New Creation’s core team of planting members are helping to make connections within the local academic community. An Indian-American student pursuing her master’s degree recently prayed to receive Christ, and other younger members of the neighborhood continue to be curious about what’s happening at the church.
“As they engage and attend events, we are engaging with them. They are hearing the gospel, and we are seeing lives transformed in Christ,” Stewart says. “We started with 13 people and right now we are averaging 70 people on Sunday mornings. God’s in it, He is blessing us, so let’s go do it!”