A new Triad ministry already is growing after just its second meeting.

Called “Fit in Faith,” the weekly fitness class meets 6:30 p.m. Tuesdays in the Youth Room and blends a cardio workout with devotions, prayer time, and fellowship.

“The ladies who have attended so far are loving the workouts,” said member Amy Freemon, who launched the ministry Aug. 5. “We added three more at our second session, and one has invited lots of friends. Her first guest came last week and was very pleased and will be coming back.

“My prayer is that we’ll be able to reach people who would otherwise not hear God’s word as well as give them a chance to experience a fun and uplifting class where they don’t feel intimidated.”

An online fitness and nutritional coach who regularly offers nutrition and fitness tips on her blog (www.pinkgirlfitness.blogspot.com), Freemon and her husband, Wally, have been at Triad Baptist since 2004. Back then, Amy was in the middle of a life-threatening battle against an aggressive form of breast cancer. The experience strengthened her faith and convinced her even more of the importance of healthy nutrition and exercise.

“I truly believe God is the one that showed me my cancer,” she said. “I was lying in bed one night and had an itch. What I felt when I scratched was like a peanut under my skin. I quickly did a self-exam and realized I was definitely feeling something. That was on a Saturday night. On Monday, I made the appointment to be checked out.”

Doctors confirmed her worst fears. At age 27, she had breast cancer. A lumpectomy, four rounds of chemotherapy, six weeks of daily radiation treatments, and five years of taking the drug tamoxifen followed. On Sept. 24, Amy will celebrate her 11th year as a cancer survivor.

During the devotion time of her first “Fit in Faith” class at Triad, Amy shared how God turned her trial into a testimony time and time again. First, doctors told her she’d never be able to have another child. But along came Gracie to join son Wyatt and stepsons Wally, Scott and Hunter. Gracie celebrates her fifth birthday on Aug. 31.

“I thank God every day that He showed me my cancer, and got me back into church,” Amy said. “God is so good! When I was going into surgery, and before each radiation treatment, my husband would tell me if I felt scared to close my hand and squeeze it and imagine it was him close to me.

“It wasn’t until a few years later that I found Isaiah 41:13 which says, ‘For I am the LORD your God who takes hold of your right hand and says to you. Do not fear; I will help you.‘ “

Her favorite verse, and the one that undergirds her new ministry, is Philippians 4:13: “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.”

A native of Indiana, Amy honed her passion for fitness early, working out in the gym with her mother during non-sports seasons and swimming and running track in high school the rest of the year when she wasn’t being a cheerleader and majorette.

It’s a passion she shared with her father Don Cuckrowicz, who entered bodybuilding tournaments and even talked to Amy about opening a gym together. She had also shared with him her dream of making fitness a ministry. Don died in May 2013 of a sudden heart attack. Doctors learned he had a silent heart abnormality.

“We never got to open our gym but my desire was still there,” Amy said, “So I decided to take a leap of faith and present Pastor Rob (Decker) with my idea last February.”

No fan of fad diets that cut out whole food groups, Amy said she’s learned the secret to taking care of health is to eat the right foods in the right portions and to exercise regularly.

“Lean proteins like chicken, turkey, fish, and eggs, are great choices for meat,” she said. “Quinoa, brown rice, oatmeal, and whole wheat breads and pastas are your grains. Start measuring your portions. Some people can lose weight based on this change alone before they even change the foods they eat.

“I truly believe that many of our health issues come from the foods we eat,” Amy added. “So much of the food we eat is full of chemicals and so heavily processed. If we eat better and take care of our bodies and treat them the way God intended us to, we’ll be a lot healthier. Having cancer just convinced me of that even more.”