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Faith takes a fresh approach

Turned off by organized religion? The pastor of FreshStart church, east of Oldsmar, knows what you mean.

By SHERYL KAY
Published December 2, 2005

Last January, a 45-foot Spanish armada sailboat cut through the main sanctuary at FreshStart church.

Some months later there were beach balls flying over the heads of worshipers, and one Sunday morning found high jumpers soaring through the air.

Another typical service at FreshStart, says senior Pastor Scott Welch.

"You just never know what's going to happen here," said Welch, 45, who uses drama, action and music to help bring his sermon to the congregation. "When you have predictability, your "connectability' is really low, but when you don't know what's going to happen, you're sitting at the edge of your seat, so your "connectability' is really high."

Making religion relevant with a sometimes-unorthodox approach is what FreshStart is all about, Welch said.

The church makes its home just east of Oldsmar and has plans to expand on land it recently purchased in Oldsmar. FreshStart was fashioned to appeal mainly to three types of people: those who have never been to church, those who have been turned away from their church because their behavior was deemed sinful, and those who have attended traditional church services but just haven't found the connection.

Welch grew up with religion as the son of a Methodist minister. From a young age he knew he would somehow devote his personal and professional lives to the church.

Eventually he graduated from seminary school and held a couple of youth-oriented minister positions until settling with a Methodist church in Clearwater for 10 years. It was at the end of his tenure there, and having just gone through a divorce, that Welch knew he needed a new approach to God.

"The church has a bunch of rules that we hold on to, things that people read into the Bible from our culture, but for me, that didn't feel right," he said. "I needed a new start in following Jesus without all of the religious baggage.

"I don't want to come across saying that other churches do it wrong, because for some people it's not baggage and that helps them unite with God, but for those who are cast out, for those who don't relate to all of the religiosity, these people need a way to connect with God."

Bill Elliott, 55, of Palm Harbor, came to FreshStart 21/2 years ago, having early roots in the Lutheran Church. His early experiences left him feeling that God was an authoritarian, which turned him off to organized religion for almost 40 years. After a divorce, Elliott felt the need for spiritual support and found FreshStart on the Web.

"Pastor Welch teaches about a Jesus that is not the disciplinarian but a God that loves you no matter what," said Elliott, owner of one of Tampa's last hand-rolled cigar factories. "He always tells us he thinks we're going to be surprised at who is in heaven and who isn't."

Welch goes one step further with his message of God's unquestionable blessings by preaching in the most informal settings, often to 200 or more people. When the Tampa Bay Buccaneers made the Super Bowl, Welch outfitted the church with bleachers, cheerleaders and a small football field, and proceeded to teach the similarities between the football coach and God, the playbook and the Bible, and the team and the church.

"Our goal is to get people's attention," Welch said. "Sometimes people think we're not really conservative because of some of the things that we do here, but that's not true at all. We're very conservative on the Bible; we're just huge on God's grace and getting the message to people in a way that has meaning to them."

Donna Wetherill, assistant to the pastor, also grew up in the church, an active Catholic who went to Mass every Sunday.

"I knew it all exactly by heart," said Wetherill, 40, of Trinity. "But my heart wasn't in it."

At FreshStart, she, her husband, Doug, and their 7-year-old son are never bored, she said. While she used to go to church because it was an obligation, Wetherill said she now goes because she truly wants to attend.

The church bought 10 acres on Pine Avenue in Oldsmar recently with the intention of building a church that will accommodate the ever-increasing membership.

But regardless of where they are, things will remain the same at FreshStart, and that means the atmosphere will be different than what's found at traditional churches.

"There are no sacred cows," Welch said. "You want to know how different we are? This year Christmas falls on a Sunday, and you know what? We won't be having church here that day. Most churches will have services, but we teach all the time that family is so important. We think God would say, "Be home with your family."'

--Sheryl Kay can be reached at skreporter@hotmail.com

[Last modified December 2, 2005, 01:14:18]