I blogged about the new kind of weird looking baptistry that we just got to be able to baptize people in the building we are now in. It was a slightly a weird color, so we did end up covering the outside with a cloth and other than the color - it was great.
People share their stories of what has led to their baptism before they are baptized and it was incredibly thrilling (and I am not just saying that as cliche words) to hear how God has worked in their lives.
Cliff, is a 24 year old who shared that he grew up outside of the church. God used a friendship that he made with someone in high school who brought him to the young adult ministry Josh Fox and I were leading at Santa Cruz Bible Church. He went a few times and then stopped. I met Cliff at a wedding I was performing and we chatted over dinner that night. Cliff then shared how he decided on his own to check out Vintage Faith Church and began coming. He got connected with some new friends whom God used in his life. He got into a guy's mid-week community group and he told us the story of how they were reading through the book of Luke. One night as they were reading about Jesus' agony in the garden before he was arrested - Cliff was profoundly moved and began crying. He went into the bathroom to gain composure and in the bathroom prayed to trust Jesus as Savior. He didn't even tell the guys in his group until last week. (Cliff shared all this with everyone.) He then wanted to be baptized.
Laura is a college student who also grew up entirely outside of the church. She had an interest in art and got intrigued with biblical art. Her English Lit professor encouraged her to read the Bible. As she did and was journaling about it - she also trusted in Jesus and put faith in Him. She then looked up our church on-line and emailed Kristin to tell her she had never been to a church in her life and wanted to get some guidance. So Kristin (who is in the picture here too) met with her and helped her get connected and she then wanted to get baptised. It is amazing when you hear these stories of people who never set foot in a church before and their experience.
Sara had a church experience growing up, but shared how she pretty much gave up on church and faith for a while. She ended up coming on her own to Vintage Faith and eventually got connected with other people, she joined a class which is several months long and intensive Bible study and life sharing which God used to draw her back to Him. And she wanted to get baptized.
Lauren shared also had given up on the church for the most part and through a friend ended up coming, met people, got in a mentoring relationship with an older woman in the church, also got in an intensive class for deeper study and life sharing. She then wanted to get baptized. Sarah Martin in this photo too as she was part of Lauren's story and helped baptize her.
These very short summaries of their stories do not capture at all the heart and emotions that they shared with us as they told their stories and their love for God they have. It is just incredible to see how God works in lives and in each of these stories, it was from ordinary people whom God used in their lives in different ways to draw them to Him.
It was a wonderful, wonderful Sunday and I am glad we got the odd portable baptistry and am so glad to see how God worked in their lives. Becky brought Katie and Claire to the evening gathering as we were telling them about baptisms and they saw the baptismal in the mornng when they were there. They wanted to see a baptism. 
Gracie Franklin (in photo) was there too watching. They just turned 6 years old and normally are in bed at that time - but how could we refuse allowing them to stay up late and watch people getting baptized? So we broke their normal time for bed for this night too.
