Fresh Start Church has a rich history with its origins as Pleasantville
Baptist Church established in 1891. Founded by Mrs. Phoebe Adams, our
church began with the vision of Mrs. Adams to have “a local church that
wasn’t afraid to preach the gospel and wasn’t afraid of a little rain.”
Upon arriving in Pleasantville, New Jersey from Philadelphia, Mrs. Adams
had a heart for a vibrant, faithful, local church. She worked her connections
in the region and doors opened in the city of Pleasantville, New Jersey in
1891.
Over the years our church has experienced many changes. In fact, it
almost closed its doors in the 1930s during the great depression. But,
several faithful members actually mortgaged their own homes to keep the
church alive.
Our church has seen many pastors and three different locations over the
years. And it was not without its own share of controversy. During the
1970s, 80s, and 90s, we saw three consecutive pastors come and go. All
three had to resign due to poor choices and moral failures. The church
purchased land and built a home in Egg Harbor Township in the
mid-1990s. We’ve also had a couple of name changes along the way.
In the fall of 1999 our current pastor, Tim Chambers, accepted the
position of lead pastor and has faithfully served the church ever since.
With Pastor Tim’s passion for reaching “the one” who is far from God,
Fresh Start Church has continued to have an outward focus. Since that
time, the church has grown to have a presence in the township and in
Atlantic County. We also saw some rather explosive growth along the way.
As Fresh Start Church focused on reaching people for Jesus and
becoming a healthy church we seemed to see other local churches strive
to become healthy as well.
Thankfully, many of our members remained faithful as well and we are
currently seeing a season of fresh growth as formally hesitant members
and brand new families are coming through our doors each and every
week. It is an exciting time at Fresh Start Church.
With a population over 265,000 – Atlantic County offers Fresh Start
Church a great opportunity for reaching people for Jesus. Our team of
staff and volunteers are excited and encouraged to share Christ with our
community and make an impact for His Kingdom.