Medo L.
I was raised in a loving Catholic home and went to church weekly with my parents. As I grew older, I felt like the Catholic church wasn’t for me, so I stopped going altogether. I’ve always believed in God, but I never read the Bible or truly understood the Gospel.
About one year ago, I started to feel depressed and lonely. I felt like there was a dark cloud around me, but I would always put on the fake smile so that people wouldn’t ask me what was wrong.
One day I was talking to a friend of mine named Jonathan, he and I are part of a scooter group on Facebook. Jonathan lives in Kansas and I noticed that he was a Christian, so I started to ask him questions about Christianity. The more we talked about God the more I wanted to find out all about Him.
I did a Google search to look for churches and that’s how I found BridgePointe. Since the first time that I walked through the doors, I felt the dark cloud disappear. I’m a happier person and no longer feel depressed and lonely, the smile on my face is real now. So, it goes to show you that no matter how far away from God you are, He is always trying to talk with you. All we need to do is open your heart and let Him in.
Today, I can tell you that I’ve felt and found God and it’s a beautiful feeling. I’m ready to take my next step toward Jesus through baptism.
As I stand and wait to be baptized this morning, I would like to refer to a passage from Romans:
“For I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God that brings salvation to everyone who believes.” – Romans 1:16
I’m a believer of Jesus and I want to show and share the Gospel with everyone!
Thank you for praying for me, “I am One.”
Judy R.
I don’t know where to begin in explaining why I feel the need to be baptized. I can tell you I was raised in a religious family, but at some point in my life I pulled away from the church.
I picked up the Bible at a time when my health, along with other things, was going badly and I felt the need to try and see if reading would help. I was amazed that it did! The funny thing was that from that point on when I was down or things were going wrong, I would pick up the Bible and read, and for some reason what I was reading took on a different meaning. It would always seem to relate to whatever was bothering me or troubling my heart.
After that I searched around for a church to call my home, but never felt comfortable at the ones I went to. Then my niece Bianca told me about this great church with the coolest people, so I went. She also brought along her family, my sister Penny and brother-in-law Ralph. I have to say, she was right and so many times I wanted to be baptized but something always stood in my way, mostly my health, but believe me, I have wanted this.
I have a seashell from the Christmas service a couple of years ago that I keep on my nightstand. In his sermon, Jared used the illustration of Dory the fish from Finding Nemo, and how she followed a path of shells her parents left her as a way to get home. He gave out these shells saying that when we are ready, to use that seashell as a reminder that God wants to bring us back home. I can now give the shell back to Jared, now that I’ve finally been able to take my next step back to God.
I am so excited about starting my new life with Jesus and His church. Thank you for praying for me. I am one.
Victoria C.
Before I committed to following Jesus, life for me felt like it was at a standstill with no way of improving or succeeding. I can distinctly remember times when I was at my lowest when I would say to myself, or even some times out loud, out of frustration, “Why God? Why did you choose me?” The pursuit of a relationship with Jesus began for me when I knew I couldn’t control my life anymore. I need His guidance and unconditional love to show me the way. I decided to commit to Jesus through baptism today because only He knows what He has in store for my life. He has everything already planned out, so by committing to Him, in the end everything will always be OK. Entering this new phase of my life with Jesus and His church, I am most excited to grow my faith, share it with others, and hope that one day Jesus can impact their lives as much as He did mine. Thank you for praying for me. I am ONE.
Kerri L.
Before I committed my life to Jesus, nothing stable ever grounded me, life was uncertain and changing quickly. Coming to BridgePointe made me pursue the relationship with Jesus I’ve been missing and longed for elsewhere. I’m committing to Jesus through baptism today because He means everything to me through every aspect of my life and I desire to live my life through Him. I’m excited to continue serving Jesus through the church and attending my small group with all my friends here at BridgePointe, as well as going on mission trips in the future and inviting friends and family to BridgePointe! Jesus has definitely changed my views on important matters and really helped me see the bigger picture and I couldn’t be happier being baptized here. Thank you for praying for me, I am ONE.
Alexandria C.
Happiness has eluded me from a very early age. My earliest memory was at 3 years old and I already knew there was no love in my parents’ marriage or faith. I grew up in an abusive home and carried on what I learned in my future relationships. Throughout high school, I knew I was missing something. I was in search of something more and it wasn’t knowledge. I know now it was God. Don’t get me wrong, there was “church” in my life and “routine” but nothing more. I continued searching for what was missing in my relationships which both failed due to emotional and physical abuse. I was left wondering where I went wrong… I loved these men soo much and at times more than myself. Again, I needed God but was unsure of where to find Him. Fast forward to April 16th, 2014 when I was diagnosed with an aggressive stage 3/b breast cancer. It was then that I asked God wherever He was, to please, please, please get me through this for my babies. It wasn’t easy, but on September 23rd I was officially in remission and I knew it was God who had gotten me there.
The first time I walked into BridgePointe I knew I was home, it was such an overwhelming experience. The service that day was about God calling His people home. If that wasn’t the topping on the cake for me, I don’t know what was. I continued my search of God every Sunday because I wanted to know more of Him, learn more of Him. I loved this Man, Jesus, so much and I wanted to know everything that I could. This is why I’m choosing to be baptized: I want to completely give my heart to this Man so he can do whatever He feels necessary for my continuation in faith. I want to be a Christian first and I know my duties as a mother, daughter, sister, and friend will fall into place. I want my children to learn from this day that when the world turns its back on you, because it will, God will always be there even when you’re not looking for Him.
Stephanie F.
Stephanie has recently started attending the 5pm evening service. A family friend, Larry had been praying for her and been inviting her to come. During Sunday’s message, Stephanie was moved by the Holy Spirit and came up for prayer after the service. During that time of prayer, she felt she couldn’t leave that night without making a commitment to Jesus. After talking with Jared, she made the decision to be baptized. The baptistry was still out from the morning baptisms, and after a quick scramble to locate some spare clothes and towels from someone’s car, about 25 people from BridgePointe were able to witness Stephanie’s profession of her faith and baptism. Sometimes a baptism is planned, and sometimes it’s a spontaneous act of obedience and step of faith like Stephanie’s. We thank God for His prompting, we celebrate Stephanie’s decision, and we pray that this would just be the first step of a long walk of faith for Stephanie.