Summer thunderstorms may have cancelled the picnic, but after our morning services, we gathered at Crescent Park before the rain, and 15 people professed their commitment to Jesus and were baptized. We praise God for how He is at work among us, changing lives and bring freedom by the power of His Spirit. We invite you to read their baptism stories in their own words in this post.
Brian A.
Prior to Jesus I navigated life with mixed emotions about him and was never fully vested or even trusted. There was a lack of fulfillment that I didn’t realize I had until now. Only coming clear to me over the past couple of years and how it impacted me, my wife, and my family.
The reality of the importance of walking with Jesus and leading my family in such a manner on a daily basis while leaning in on my faith for guidance and understanding that we are spiritual beings in a human existence has become a priority for me.
I was deprived spiritually and finally realized how much I needed it. My faith has grown and now finally have the ability and strength to lead my family in the direction of Jesus and I declare that he is my lord and savior.
Samantha A.
My whole life I’ve always known of Jesus and had faith but I never fully committed to Him. As I started getting older my interest in church and Jesus started to grow. I was just afraid to fully give my life to Him, I was full of anxiety but I knew it was what I wanted to do and that I just wasn’t ready yet. I started to realize when I have fear or I’m feeling insecure He will be the person there for me and He has shown me it’s okay to not be perfect. As I started going to BridgePointe it had helped me realize being baptized is what I was wanting all along. I believe that everything happens for a reason and everything I’ve been through, there is a reason for it and He is doing each of these things for a reason. Now I know I don’t want to live my life without Him.
Jenna B.
Attending a non-denomination church I've experienced freedom. Thinking a certain way was biblically accurate for so long, I've finally can say that I know Jesus. Knowing Jesus I can't help but to be IN LOVE. His Grace is sufficient- He meant that.
When He said 'It was finished' that was enough.
Stephan B.
Story coming soon.
Serena F.
As I write this and think about my life before Christ, I was weak, vulnerable, lost, confused, indecisive, anxious, addicted to things of the world, insecure, naive, and eager to learn what I was truly missing in such a very loud, chaotic world full of evil, deceit, lies, manipulation, gossip, and slander. There had to be more to this world than what we see in real life and in movies.
Jesus changed my life and continuously changed my mind and heart. I no longer wanted to be a part of the world. I didn't want to be in a hot and cold relationship anymore. He has shown me time and time again who He is and what He can do in my life. I found myself in constant battle in relationships with others yearning for His love and His mercy. I stand for the truth and the light of the world. I refuse to live my life according to the world. I choose to commit my life to Jesus!
The Holy Spirit has picked me up several times and allowed me to move from place to place. I've lost so much in my life and when no one understood my trials, I ALWAYS KNEW HE DID! I am a true believer in Jesus! He knows my heart more than anyone else and I am ready to surrender my life!
Stephen G.
Story coming soon.
Robert K.
Story coming soon.
Jordan L.
Story coming
Sabrina M.
My name Is Sabrina and I am a follower of Jesus. Growing up I was raised Catholic and was baptized when I was a baby. My faith wasn’t strong enough because the church I grew up in said it was mandatory to go to church and CCD every week and I felt like I had to be there just for them not to say anything. As a kid, I didn’t really understand much about the bible because the Pastor would just read from it and not explain what they were reading. During these years I was bullied a lot in school. I would go to the bathroom and cry asking God “why would you let this always happen to me?” It would make me weak and depressed and at times I felt like I wanted to give up and that the world would be a better place without me.
As I got older I started to realize that sometimes things happen in life for us to realize that we need Jesus in our lives and we have to show him how much we need him and that’s when I started praying. Doing that has made me a stronger person. A couple of years ago my sister Jennifer that will be baptizing me today had told my family and I about a church that her friend had told her about and recommended that my family should go to Bridgepoint in hopes we would like the service. When I walked in I felt welcomed with so many people noticing me with a big smile on their face. When the service started and we were told to stand up to sing and praise to Jesus and I instantly felt something I’ve never felt before at a church... the presence of God. I appreciate everything Jared reads from the bible as he explains it in multiple ways for everyone to understand! Being a part of the Bridgepoint family doesn’t mean the building I am in almost every Sunday is “church” it’s the people I praise God with is the church I am a part of.
Fast forward to today... I am engaged to the love of my life and we are both being baptized here together! Every day when I pray to God I thank him for putting Manny in my life and making me feel safe and proud of myself. I am happy that we both have that connection to God and always pray together. I also want to thank God for the loving and supporting family I have and wouldn’t trade them for anything. I thank God for helping me start my own small business as a Makeup Artist which is something I always wanted to be since I was a kid. I know that it was God who gave me all the blessings and many accomplishments I have and continues to help me every step of the way.
Here’s to coming out of this water and making my faith with God stronger each and every day! God Bless!
Tina M.
Story coming soon.
Benjamin M.
My whole life, I struggled with the concept of God. I used to look at the sky and curse the Lord. I was angry with Him because I didn’t understand how He would allow such evil to happen under his watch.
I was more angry than anything else, very confused, conflicted in every way possible. I abused drugs and alcohol on a constant basis. I couldn’t find a reason to truly live. Many times I contemplated taking my own life because I did not enjoy being here. I figured if God was real, he would show himself at some point because if he truly was real, why would He hide from me? I gave up trying to fight. I gave into my drug habits and I figured whatever happened would happen and if God was real, maybe I would meet Him before He sent me somewhere else.
I started fishing, I started spending more time in nature, I started looking to the beauty in the creation that God supposedly made. I started fishing bass tournaments throughout the country. I started driving 24 hours, 18 hours, 27 hours, seven hours, to all different locations throughout this country. And I started to hear this voice in my head, one I knew wasn’t mine.
The Lord was speaking to me.
At first, I thought it because I wasn’t sure if I was going crazy because at this point I had given up on pretty much everything. I was just trying to find solitude and I was just looking for an end. But the Lord absolutely found to me.
One day, I finally listened, and I spoke back, and the voice was clearer than talking to my wife. There was a reason that I was here, although I may not have understood it, I was meant to be here, I had went through dark times to see the light. I no longer questioned. God was real, but I questioned His purpose and mine in this place. Finally, I was answered and felt like there was more to this life than just darkness.
I still don’t know my purpose, fully, but what I do understand is that the Lord has a path we must all walk, and if we have a little bit of faith, we can find Him. I stopped being so angry, I stopped resenting, I stopped holding negativity against any body. All the wrong things against me became water under the bridge that I no longer held anybody accountable for.
As hard as I tried to fight, I was listening to the Lord, who kept talking to me. He kept letting me know He had a plan and everything kept seeming to fall in place. The things that I heard, things that I felt all happened for a reason.
I’m still on my path, I’m chasing childhood dreams that I thought would never happen, and the Lord is providing me with everything that I need to stay afloat. I never thought that I would be a professional bass, fisherman, but here I am making it happen and I know that it’s not me. It’s the Lord.
I decided that I wanted to be baptized because I know that the Lord is with me, and I know evil forces are against me. I know that I want to do well and do good in this life and I know there are forces that are trying to hinder that. The devil can recruit me, as much as he tries, I will never give into the darkness.
I am owned by the light as dark and deep as I may have gone, I am not evil, I am owned by the Lord, my blood and my body is that of Jesus Christ my savior.
Brad P.
This is my testimony to Jesus Christ.
For about a year now I have been going to church at BridgePoint. My girlfriend and I decided to start going to church after finding out we were pregnant with our first baby and I’m so grateful we did. When I was younger I grew up in the Catholic Church where my experience wasn’t the best. I was going through the motions without having a deeper understanding of why. Unfortunately, I did not find or feel a connection to God there and stopped going to church shortly after confirmation. Throughout different seasons of my life I have dealt with worldly influences and temptation. Most recently I had been struggling with temptation regarding sexual desires and lustful acts. I was living a selfish life that broke apart my family for a short period of time. During this time of self hate, solitude and regret I was starting to feel conviction from God. I wanted to change my ways, I needed to change my ways but I needed help. I began to dive deeper into the word and truly wanted Gods love and guidance. It was then when things started to turn around, pushing me all the more to want to surrender my life and put all my trust and faith in Jesus. I feel unworthy of Jesus’s love at times as I am ashamed as to how I was living my life before; yet I am so grateful for His grace and everlasting love. When I was constantly sinning my life was filled with anger, destruction and the void I was trying to fill just keep getting bigger. There was no peace. Now that I am following and surrendering my life to Jesus I have purpose and feel awakened and strongly guided. I thank God every day for His glory and grace. I’m forever grateful for the sacrifice Jesus made for me.
Manny R.
Jesus was always a big part of my life but I always felt like something was missing. Over 4 years ago I met the love of my life Sabrina and she introduced me to BridgePointe Church. Attending BridgePointe has made me realize so many things about God and the Bible that I did not know before. Being closer to God made me realize that some of the things I was doing was not good for me and for my future. Because God helped me see what was not good and continues to help me everyday I want to be baptized to show Him my thanks and continue my faith!
Nathan S.
Hi, my name is Nathan, and I want to share my testimony with you. By listening to the Word of God, I realized that I am a sinner, and the payment for sin is death. I especially noticed my sin when I would tease my sister and sometimes not clean my room. After understanding this, I told my parents that I wanted to be baptized. I want the Holy Spirit to enter my heart, and I want to share the good news of Jesus Christ with others. When I saw my sister's baptism, it made me question why she was doing it. Her decision to follow Jesus and be baptized inspired me to reflect on my own faith. I realized that I, too, wanted to make a public declaration of my faith and commitment to follow Jesus. Being baptized is my way of showing my trust in Him and my desire to live according to His teachings. I am grateful for this opportunity and excited to begin this new chapter in my spiritual journey.
Courtney S.
I struggled with a rare form of epilepsy growing up. My time was mainly spent around doctor’s and in hospital rooms. I wasn’t raised in the church, but my mom and I would occasionally attend catholic mass. Life at home was complicated. My father battled alcoholism. His addiction led him into a coma that he never woke up from. I remember believing that prayer could save my dad and it didn’t. As an 11-year-old, I wasn’t sure what to do with that. As I got older, grief manifested into anger and anxiety.
I never had a relationship with Jesus or understood what that even meant. I thought the Bible was nonsense. The idea of the “universe” being our source seemed more appealing than believing in a Creator. I explored different beliefs. Sought out fulfillment and love in worldly relationships and friendships. I've made many poor choices that left me feeling lost and hopeless. I had seen enough to hinder any belief in a "good" God. But when I ended up in a really dark place some years ago, I experienced the Holy Spirit firsthand. See, the thing is, the world tends to think that Christians find Jesus because they need some sense of comfort and belief to hold onto, but the truth is that Jesus finds us. I felt His overwhelming love before I ever even opened a Bible. It was only when I desired to truly get to know Him, that I began to have a desire for His Word. And it was only when I accepted Him into my life, that I began to understand and see things more clearly than I did before.
People want proof of God in order to believe but I can testify that it’s only by first believing (even with the smallest seed of faith) that truth is then revealed. I’m not here today by my strength alone. He has pulled me up out of deep waters many times. I have several testimonies and am living proof of what the mercy of God can do. I pray that my heart for the Lord can be an inspiration to others and that He may use me as a vessel throughout my time on this side of heaven. Because if there is one thing, I am absolutely certain of, it is that He got out of His tomb because he got me out of mine.
“Faith is a principle which hath it’s root deeper than feelings. We believe, whether we see or not. We believe whether we feel or not” - Charles Spurgeon