Dear New Beginnings Family,

As 2020 comes to an end, let’s share a moment of reflection and hope as we enter a new year. As you know, the church has undergone challenges this year unlike we’ve ever seen. Closing the doors for nearly 4 months, and finding a new way to build community and serve our congregation, was a task our leadership team and volunteers stepped into with humility and excellence. Even in the midst of so much uncertainty, thanks to your continued support, the Gospel message has pushed through and we had many people come to faith, rededicate their faith, and grow closer to God than ever before. We receive messages and comments every Sunday from our online family sharing how much God’s word is helping them through each day from week to week.

Bethany and I thank God for you every, single day. You are a blessing to us. I’ve made it a practice to go through our social media comments, visitor rosters, and the members of our Facebook New Beginnings Church Community Group and pray for you. By transitioning out of my full-time job, in November, to be self-employed, I’ve been able to spend more hours serving our congregation. Before that transition, after months of prayer and careful consideration, Bethany and I both knew it was time for me to walk away from what most would call a promising career. However, I am not walking into this new chapter with a heavy heart, but with hope and anticipation. After spending a decade waiting, sometimes patiently and sometimes not, looking to see what God was doing in my life, God reminded me that my greatest testimony might be what I DON’T do with my life. You may remember the story about the card from Bethany. As I was cleaning out my office at SOAR, questioning myself a bit, I found the card Bethany had given me in February of 2015 before we had even started the church. This card had the very verse, Ephesians 2:10, that I had preached on in 2018 that refueled the desire in me to launch FiathLife Ministries. It’s our foundational verse and it was with me before I even was focused on it. It was in my office the entire time. What once felt like everything to me (the mission to help shape Appalachia Kentucky though SOAR), had officially become a loss to me. I’ve never felt the words of Paul in Philippians 3:7-9 any stronger:

7But whatever were gains to me I now consider loss for the sake of Christ. 8 What is more, I consider everything a loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them garbage, that I may gain Christ 9 and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which is through faith in a Christ—the righteousness that comes from God on the basis of faith.

At the end of 2019, we formally organized FatihLife Ministries as a 501 (c) 3 non-profit organization with the mission to inspire and equip people to live out their faith in Jesus Christ with purpose. I feel called to continue shaping Appalachia Kentucky, but with a foundation built on faith by:

Helping Christians around the world connect their faith to their life by applying what they feel on Sunday mornings to how they live through the week at work, in community, and with family.
Leveraging my experience as an entrepreneur to build social enterprises that reach the broken in our community who have been affected by substance use disorder and poverty, but also create jobs and provide a tangible demonstration of God’s love for our region.
Helping unleash the good things that God has prepared for His people to do. (Ephesians 2:10)

We plan to do this through biblical, faith-based life coaching, leadership development, and social entrepreneurship.

Our first endeavor in 2020 was to launch FaithLife Market as our first social enterprise, and by doing so, we’ve created 4 new jobs in Pikeville, anchored faith as part of hundreds of customers’ everyday lives, and impacted many local vendors by providing them with a space to display and sell their items in downtown. In 2021, we’ll be launching FaithLife with Jared Arnett and repackaging my sermons and previous sermon series for a broader audience through the web, YouTube, and Podcasts to help build discipleship. We’ll continue to build out FaithLife as a lifestyle brand with shirts, cups, coffee, and other merchandise as a way to inspire Christians to be comfortable and connected in their faith. When people live out their faith, it changes everything.

I’m praying we can rejoice together as we go into the new year holding fast to the truths that God has an unbelievable love for us, and that He has set a path before us to run. I’m ready to rejoice into 2021 as you join our family in Following God into the Unknown.

Jared and Bethany

*To give an online end of the year gift to New Beginnings Fellowship Church click here.

*To give an online end of the year gift to FaithLife Ministries and help us launch our broader ministry in 2021, click here.