Building the Future of Our Church

After the service today, we had a small luncheon and were about to begin our business meeting. Jake, an 8 year old boy almost as big as me, came over by himself and said; " Pastor, Can I be baptized?"

I said, "Sure! That's great Jake!"

Jake's Grandfather laughed and was pleasantly surprised to hear the young man come to me on his own and ask to be baptized. We all were encouraged by his boldness and sincerity.

Baptisms are a big deal here in Puerto Rico. They are not just part of a Sunday service. We usually do them on a Saturday and outside at a swimming pool, river or even the ocean. This makes it also an opportunity to invite neighbors over and makes the church more visible in the community.

And since everybody has come in the afternoon to a body of water, we bring chairs, tables and provide a BBQ lunch and the meeting becomes a church picnic and fellowship time. After the baptism and picnic, we let the kids swim and the adults fellowship, play board games or just relax and sip some strong Caribbean coffee.

And why not? A baptism is more than just an individual's step of obedience. It is also a time when the church is encouraged by the addition of a new member, with new gifts, giving the church hope for the future. We celebrate important things like this in a big way and make a big deal about it, because it is a big deal to us.

Thanks Jake for taking a big step. We are happy for you and happy for our church because of you!