Faith, Fellowship and Fun Community Day at New Beginning Church of the Nazarene

Faith, Fellowship and Fun

Community Day at New Beginning

Church of the Nazarene

Gwen Akers

The Ashland Beacon

Ashland is known for its love of community, encouraging people to come together and get to know one another and their stories. The New Beginning Church of the Nazarene is no different, and this fall they are once again moving to create a space to celebrate and honor the tight-knit community of our region.

On Saturday, October 18, the church will be hosting its annual Community Day, featuring food, live music, a petting zoo, inflatables, flu shots, and more. The New Beginning Church of the Nazarene Community Day is sure to be an exciting event for people of all ages.

Pastor Kenneth Martin, a Greenup, Kentucky native, has been a pastor for 37 years, and he loves nothing more than engaging with and providing opportunities to the people in the region. Martin used to be the pastor at another church where he first started hosting these free community days. It is his vision to help everyone that he can—even if it is just bringing a smile to their face. Martin himself will be fixing beans and cornbread for the event.

“I hope they get out of this event the pride of our community and the necessity of compassion for other people,” detailed Martin. “[I want them] to realize that there's people in different situations and people with different needs, and everybody can do something for somebody, and just take that talent that God’s given to you for His glory.”

Community Day is completely free, running from 11:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., and will feature the Royster family, whose famous apple butter will be available. One fan of their apple butter and dedicated community member is Rachel Cooper, the current Missionary President at New Beginning Church of the Nazarene and one of the key figures behind the event. Cooper has been attending New Beginning for four years and has a deep connection with her faith and her congregation—even being family friends with Martin. Cooper hopes to encourage community members to find their own church home and to enjoy time in community with others.

“We have lots of missions that we do within the church for the community. He [Martin] felt this would be another outreach,” expressed Cooper. “We just want to provide an event for the community.”

During her time in HR at King’s Daughters Health Center, Cooper noticed just how important it is to make sure that these types of events have opportunities for children of all ages, especially toddlers and young children. This year, Cooper asked her church to include inflatables to cater to these young children. This, in combination with the petting zoo and the photo booth, makes the day the perfect family memory—all taking place on a crisp fall Saturday.

With each passing year, New Beginning Church of the Nazarene does its best to answer the needs of the community, providing faith, fellowship, and fun to all those around.

In the future, the church will continue to have Community Day each year and reach out to the community with various different missionary projects. For more information about Community Day, check out the New Beginning Church of the Nazarene Facebook page.