Published: May 9, 2013
Born Anew Church in Spartanburg held its first official worship service on Easter Sunday. The church plant had 80 in attendance at an elementary school gymnasium.
“The atmosphere was welcoming and filled with a spirit of love,” said member Lakesha McCutchen.
Bivocational pastor Hoyt Bynum Jr. said the church is in the right location to reach people — near a multihousing complex, an 800-student middle school, and an elementary school with 500 students.
Bynum, president and CEO of the Simpsonville Area Chamber of Commerce and Welcome Center, moved to Spartanburg in 2005. After relocating to the Upstate, Bynum said God led him and his wife to plant a church.
“My paths through the business world and my current job allow me to network with people and to spread the gospel to areas where most people wouldn’t have a network to connect with,” said Bynum, who is working on a seminary degree.
Born Anew Church began with a few couples meeting in homes last fall. As it grew in size, the group moved to a hotel conference room for worship and Bible study. Bynum was introduced to the idea of partnering with other churches through his best friend from college, a Southern Baptist Convention church planter in Florida.
His friend ordained Bynum last October and helped connect him with the South Carolina Baptist Convention and with Spartanburg County Baptist Network. There he met director of missions Jim Goodroe and began partnering with New Life Christian Fellowship, located about five miles away in Roebuck, which now sponsors Born Anew Church.
Scott Shields, SCBC church planting strategist for the Upstate, said Bynum is doing everything right. “He has a heart for Spartanburg and has connected well with churches and the association, and he has reached out to a local pastor,” Shields said.
Hoyt Bynum
While the people closest to Born Anew Church are predominantly African-American, Bynum said it desires to be a multicultural church. He cited a reported statistic that 90 percent of public-housing residents do not attend church, and he believes the church must go outside its walls to spread the gospel. On the Saturday before Easter, Born Anew Church members canvassed a neighboring multihousing complex and offered hotdogs, drinks, and an invitation to join them in worship the next day.
Goodroe said he welcomes new churches that will reach the parts of any community not already reached through an existing church. “I enjoyed celebrating Easter morning at Born Anew’s launch,” Goodroe said. “Jesus’ body rose from the dead, and now a new body of Christ was coming to life there.”
Since its beginning as a house church, Born Anew Church has focused heavily on small-group connections and the fellowship, prayer, teaching, and accountability that come from relationships built there. Now that the church has officially launched, Bynum said corporate worship will be the focus of Sunday mornings, and more small groups are planned to better meet individual needs.
“My goal is to be in God’s will and do whatever part I have to play in building his kingdom as a bivocational pastor and a leader in the community,” Bynum said. — SCBC