Christmas Baptisms - 12.17.23
Sunday, December 17, 2023 we celebrated four baptisms at the end of the third service. As we have been learning in our series God With Us, through Jesus birth, death and resurrection we have been reconciled with God and truly have the power of the Spirit with us when we believe and choose to live with Jesus as King. We praise God for these steps of faith and obedience. Pray for these women and celebrate with us by reading their stories below.
Olivia D.
“I grew up in the Christian church, so I’ve known about Jesus for as long as I can remember. As life got challenging, I began “going through the motions” in my walk with Christ, and not prioritizing my faith in my life. Without my Christian support system around me, there was always an excuse for why I couldn’t spend time with God, join a new church, or read my Bible. This past year, I have really felt God’s presence in my life. As I made this choice to be baptized, I felt His peace in a big way. I am being baptized because I want it to serve as a physical representation of my commitment to follow His word and continue to build my relationship with Him. I have a long way to go to get to where I want to be with God, but for the first time in a long time, I am excited for that journey.”
Monet & Vanessa J.
“I grew up Catholic and when I was 14 I was baptized at a nondenominational church. I turned away from God when I started college and four years ago, I turned back to God. Since then, God has brought me out of depression, shame and anxiety. My life with God has been better than when I was living without him. Even though life is challenging God has shown me many times in my doubts to trust Him and He will help me overcome all my fears and problems. I am continuously reminded to trust in God everyday and to fully surrender my life to Him.
I am taking this second journey to follow Jesus with my daughter to dedicate our lives to Him. I want her to know living for God is the way and the only way to salvation and whatever difficulty she faces in life to pray and trust God. We have decided to be baptized and we want to proclaim Jesus Christ will forever be our Lord and Savior.”
Renee P.
“My name is Renee and I’m 57 years old. I’ve been Catholic all my life and raised two children in the Catholic Church. I love my church and was proud to be a Catholic when my son was getting ready in preparing to be confirmed parents had to join the confirmation class in the church. That night, the priest was going over stories from the Bible, and he proceeded to tell us if we were divorced and remarried that you shouldn’t receive communion because it’s a sin and you needed to receive annulment. It made me feel betrayed by my church and lost in my faith because I am divorced and remarried. What I want most is to continue to follow Jesus and His word that is my one desire and my main focus. My good friend knew I was unhappy so she invited me to BridgePointe in hopes I would like the service. When I walked in I felt welcomed and just looking around and seeing the people in the congregation, so full of joy and light, it made me realize I knew I found my way to a new place I can follow and grow with Jesus.”