Sunday, June 13th, after a year of being unable to gather all together — we gathered at Bristol Town Beach for a picnic and to celebrate the baptisms of five people who took this important step of faith. Here are their baptism stories in their own words.
Nathan C.
“I'm going to keep it short. I wasn't looking for God, but I think He was looking for me. I was in school and really into this girl. The problem was she was a Christian and I really couldn't have cared less about Jesus. It didn't work out as I had hoped at the time, however I'm grateful God used the situation to help me to seek him. It has been a really slow process since then, but in my life I believe I've experienced God answer prayers, change some desires, help me to overcome some fear of man, and given me some victory over an addiction.
I don't mean to say I'm even close to a finished product. There's still so much Nate left. Like all, I'm a sinner in need of a savior and I hope getting baptized is a step of obedience. Please pray that I would desire to surrender every day and that he would fill me with His love.”
Alexandria D.
Joy for Jesus
It feels like my entire life I have been seeking a truly deep connection. I have always had this inner craving that I couldn’t satisfy… as if there was a hole in my heart that I would try to fill with anyone and anything that would come my way. It wasn’t until March 7, 2021 that I finally realized what I have been seeking after my whole life.
The answer was, and always will be, Jesus.
Walking into BridgePointe was a day that I will never forget. God had been seeking me (chasing me really) incessantly for about a year and a half, and He brought me to this specific place that has profoundly changed my life. I was entering the church coming from a place of pain, suffering, confusion, and really poor choices. I was stuck in a holding pattern of resentment, guilt, shame, and the inability to forgive (mostly) myself.
It was during that first worship praise that I finally found the truth, the light, the way.
Since that day, I have been on a passionate pursuit to know Jesus more. To prepare myself for this exact moment in time where I feel ready to fully commit myself to Him and His Kingdom. In the past 3 months I have learned more about myself, forgiveness, and what it is that Jesus can offer us. A true delight and trust in life that I never even knew was possible. I have learned to trust in Him completely, no matter how hard that may be. Most importantly, I have learned how to entirely commit myself to Him and the plans He has for me. I am beginning to learn what it means to truly feel free. None of this to say that my journey has not just yet begun..
The truth is that my commitment to baptism is just the beginning.
I know that God already has a plan mapped out, waiting, and ready for me. I also know that this declaration of love that I am making to Him through baptism, is a way for my true journey with Him to start.
I don’t have any answers on what my life will become. However, I do know that I trust in Him fully and that the rest of my life is entirely in His hands.
I pray that I continue to seek God only every single day, and that I have the ability and pleasure of discipling the people in my life to also find Him and know His way.
Thank you for praying for me.
I am ONE.
Annette L.
Annette was baptized by her son when she made the choice to be baptized in response to Sunday’s message. Here is her story:
Why am I doing this?
Why, at my age, and after having been baptized by my parents and grandparents in infancy, am I recommitting my life to Jesus? It is such an easy question to answer. Let me explain…
All my life – 58+ years – I’ve been Roman Catholic. I was content in my role, going to weekly Mass (even daily for many years), serving as a Lector and Eucharistic Minister. I especially loved reading, sharing the story of Jesus vocally and enthusiastically with the congregation. That was something I was good at and people appreciated. I loved that I was using my gift of reading skill for God and His Word.
Then the pandemic hit. It hit everyone hard – but it caused a growing disconnect between me and my church during the early part of 2020. People were yelling at me – verbally in the pews – that I was wearing my mask incorrectly. There was anger, there was no joy at being in God’s house, there was animosity towards me (and my uncovered nose) that was inexplicable and devastating to me. It got me thinking more and more about a topic I had long avoided: my own disenchantment with Catholicism, the church on earth, and the practitioners. My biggest problem with the church was how un-Jesus-like it had become. People I knew in my church, folks I saw on a weekly basis, did not seem happy there; they seemed stressed and lacking in joy. The thrill of faith was not there. The day I was yelled at by a parishioner about my mask – out loud in church – was the last day I stepped foot in there. In April 2020, I stopped going. Any church that could make me turn my back on worship is not for me. And in more than a year since, not one fellow parishioner has checked on us. That stung like a bee.
When my son Matthew came to me (after angsting about it) and decided to tell me of his own disenchantment with the church, we both felt strangely relieved, like Jesus was using each other to turn each other around. We decided to find a new church – and BridgePointe seemed like a great option (I pass it each time I go shopping). Our first service – in July 2020 – was the supreme embodiment of what we each had been looking for. A place to share our love of Christ; a community of happy joyful folks who exemplify what service should do at its best: conjure joy, create disciples, encourage the spread of His Word. That first service began a tradition that continues to this day: after every service, my son and I embrace. Those weekly hugs of joy and love are our way of thanking each other for saving our collective faith.
Jesus has always been a central element in my life. The phrase “What Would Jesus Do?” comes up in my life daily. My choices, my decisions, my motivations are all aimed towards being a disciple, an embodiment of the thrill of His influence on my life. And so, as such, I really don’t feel as if I’m entering a “new life” with Jesus at the core. Instead, I feel as if I am solidifying His presence in my existence, showing myself and the world how important He is to me. Being baptized in the ocean was a very important piece of that puzzle – I am not a swimmer, and am irrationally afraid of the ocean. Wading into that water, chest-high, and allowing myself to be immersed, and trusting I would be raised (thank you Matt and Keith!) – all of that was a nod to Jesus that I trust Him and faced my biggest fear to show that trust. I wouldn’t have done baptism any other way; it meant the world to me.
The rest of my life is before me. I really won’t be changing all that much – I still smile a lot, I still try to be welcoming and enthusiastic to those I meet, and I still keep Christ in my every move and my every decision. Heaven – eternal life in Paradise – is my goal, and my behavior in this life will ensure that I reach that goal. Good deeds for me are easy, as I call them “getting one rung higher on the ladder to Heaven.” I do what I do, behave as I behave, and live like I live with Jesus always in mind. How does He want me to act? What would He want me to do? What kind of parent, wife, daughter, worker, friend would He want me to be? Those questions are omnipresent in my mind and my chief motivations. That’s always been how I’ve rolled.
Baptism, for me, was my choice to show Jesus how much a part of my life He is. Not my parents’ choice, not my godparents’ choice, but mine. I acknowledge Him as the core of my life. I always have, and I always will. Now, my BridgePointe family sees it and knows it. Most importantly, Jesus saw how willing I was to face a huge fear head on, for Him. And I did it.
He has always known I love Him. Now, he knows how much.
Dora M.
“Hello everyone, my name is Dora M. and I was born and raised in St. Michael, Azores, Portugal. I am 1 of 17 brothers and sisters. Growing up in the Azores was great. We were very family oriented and celebrated many traditional festivals. One of my favorite festivals was the festival of the Holy Ghost. I loved watching the parade and joining everyone at the docks as the elders released fireworks as we prayed. One day, I was with my family at the docks having lunch, something we did almost every Sunday. It was a hot and sunny day, and I was sitting on the rocks to watch my brothers and sister jump off the docks and rocks. I never went in the water because it was deep, and I did not know how to swim. I was sitting on one of the big rocks to have a closer look at my brothers doing flips into the water when all of a sudden, I felt my oldest brother pick me up and push me into the water. I went under water and began to panic, taking in water. I didn’t know how to come back up. I remember calling out to God to save me and felt a big rock in front of me. I grabbed it and pushed myself up. I believe that God gave me the strength to lift myself up from the water. Since that day, I have been afraid to go in water, whether it is a swimming pool or the beach, but I became closer to God.
Fast forward to 10 years, I met a wonderful man and got married a year later. 4 years later, we had our first child, Jennifer. 4 years later, we had our second child, Tina and 5 years later, our third child, Sabrina. Throughout the years, God continued to bless me with an amazing family. In addition, I have 3 amazing grandkids, Selena, Carlos, and Reginae and 2 wonderful sons-in-law, Augusto and Manny. I was always close to God and always held Him near to my heart.
A little over a year ago, my daughter, Jennifer invited me to Bridgepointe and I have been coming here since. Although my English isn’t perfect, God gives me the wisdom to understand. I am happy to call BridgePointe my home. On this day, I gave birth to my oldest daughter, Jennifer and today she will be baptizing me. I am so thankful for this day as we come together and celebrate my commitment to Jesus as my King and Savior and face my biggest fear, water. As I enter this water, I firmly believe that God will break the chains of fear off of me. I have everything in Christ. Thank you for being here with me today. God bless us all.”
Brian P.
My name is Brian P. and I was introduced to BridgePointe by my girlfriend Rhonda a couple of years ago. As a child I was brought up Roman Catholic and was baptized as an infant in the Catholic Church. My faith journey has taken me from the Catholic faith in my late 20's to the Episcopal Anglican Catholic Church in which I spent the next 24 years. During that time I was very involved in the ministries of the church as a Sunday School Teacher, a member of the Vestry Council (the lay leadership of the church), a hospitality volunteer and more. During that time I had the opportunity to do a pilgrimage to the Holy Land in which I renewed my baptismal vows as an adult in the Jordan River. So I felt I had already been baptised as an adult based on my decision to do so. As I made the decision to leave the Episcopal Church and become part of the BridgePointe Family I was invited and given the opportunity to get baptised at BridgePointe as well. I passed on the opportunity as I felt that having already been baptized twice I did not see the need to do so again. I can tell you that my time at BridgePointe has been a true gift as I have learned much from the teachings in a Bible based Christian Church that I had not learned in the first 50 years of my life. I am truly grateful for that experience and as a result I have been attempting to foster a growing relationship with my Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.
Lately I have been going through a very challenging portion of my life and this past Sunday Rachel was praying over me at the conclusion of the service. It was at that moment that I felt moved by the Holy Spirit and decided to commit to Jesus through baptism at BridgePointe. Thank you Jesus and thank you Rachel! I am truly excited to continue to grow in my relationship with Jesus and His church as my faith journey continues.
Joseph T.
“Before knowing Jesus, I lived a life for myself rather than for Him. Indulging in a life where sin was running rampant, I prioritized my desires over what Jesus desired of me. I always considered myself a Christian and believed in God, but never truly pursued Him and all His glory until I found BridgePointe. By the grace of God, I was introduced to this amazing church, and the Holy Spirit spoke to me during every sermon. As my knowledge of what it means to be a Christian grew, so did my understanding of the gospel that Jesus died for our sins and that we are saved if we take Him as our Lord and Savior.
Beginning to know more and more about Jesus, He lead me to pursue Scripture as well. Reading the Bible on a regular basis has strengthened my faith in ways that I could never have imagined and reading has taught me to follow and obey His word in all aspects of my life. Reading Scripture has felt like a conversation between me and God, and He always finds ways of working in me. Jesus has shown me the way, and the way is to love and help others, and have faith in Him even when it's hard.
It's not always easy to follow God's laws because as sinners, we are bound to sin. But Jesus is greater than all sin, and through Him we can overcome evil. Jesus has taught me to seek Him when things are tough, not turn away. Jesus has taught me to immerse myself in prayer and ask Him to give me the strength when I have none. Jesus has taught me to keep my faith strong and to always believe in His plan that is so much greater than me.
I feel incredibly blessed that He has chosen me and I will continue to live a life for Jesus.”