A young congregation, 80 members strong, opened its doors to the community Saturday in an effort to help others enjoy healthy growth.

New Beginnings Christian Church, 1609 First St. in Newberry, is gearing up to celebrate its first anniversary on the weekend of July 18. But this weekend, members were more interested in making what Pastor Willie Davis Jr. called their “first attempt to reach out to the community,” by beginning an annual health fair.

The church was open from 9 a.m.-noon and bustled with activity as 13 different booths armed visitors with information and other tools to pursue a healthy lifestyle.

Davis said he looks at the church as a “wellness and fitness center for the soul” and this helped with the congregation’s decision to help provide the same sort of attention for the bodies that souls dwell in.

Davis and others at New Beginnings know a little bit about healthy growth. The church was founded in July 2008. Congregants celebrated five candidates’ baptism in the weekend prior to the health fair and are adding members and services all the time.

Currently, the non-denominational church has tutorial services on Mondays, Bible study hours and weekly services.

Saturday, the church building was filled with some more unusual offerings which ranged from blood sugar testing and hospice information, to an on-site masseuse and healthy snacks.

Local grocery stores contributed the snacks and local health care providers provided the screenings and information. Members, led by health fair organizer Tyshawn Cannon, provided the additional manpower to host an event that took two months of active involvement by volunteers to plan and put on. Younger church members even donned scrubs and play stethoscopes as they helped visitors from booth to booth.

Summer activities planned by the congregation include Vacation Bible School and an anniversary celebration beginning Saturday, July 18 with a banquet at the Clara Wertz Activity Center on Grant Avenue and wrapping up with service and a dinner at the church Sunday, July 19.