3 get baptized in great start to the year

Based on your confession of faith, I now baptize you in the name of God the Father, Son and Holy Spirit into the Lord Jesus Christ….arise in newness of life!

With these words, three brave souls endure the surprisingly not-chilly waters of Camp Bay this Sunday 7th January and are baptized in what is this church plant’s first set of baptisms.

The setting could not have been more idyllic. In the shadow of “Parson’s lodge”, a majestic battery dating back hundreds of years, a small cove in Gibraltar’s Camp Bay beach, no “beachlet”, provides an excellent vantage point for the 35 or so that have gathered to witness Lidia from La Linea, and husband and wife team Manolo and Pamela declare their faith in Christ and be baptized. We gather early, at noon, we hang around, I go over the order of the baptism service with those concerned and we review some scriptures together. Half way through our baptism class we get interrupted by an excited pastor’s wife exclaiming “Dolphins!”.

Sure enough two striped dolphins cruise rhythmically along the edge of the breakwater providing a pleasant reminder of a wonderful creation given to us by a wonderful creator. We stare and gaze as these majestic mammals swim by impervious of the prophetic act that these same waters are going to witness shortly.

Fathers and mothers start arriving in this a popular spot in Gibraltar to soak up some sun ray therapy whilst young toddlers peddle away on their bicycles or play a game of soccer in the enclosed court. We get a few curious stares as our worship leader Angel starts strumming away on his guitar and we all chime-in to praise songs with more heartfelt worship than acoustic skill. The Lord hears the heart, I comfort myself. Soon enough we are going full-swing, arms raised an’ all worshiping Jesus, and thanking our Father for a weather that could not have been made any better had I myself been handling the cosmic forces at play here.

The three ‘batizees’ are invited to share a little of their testimony, and I proceed to dedicate a baptismal verse to each and declare a word of blessing over each of them. “You are chosen to steward the blessing”……..”I feel you have been called to minister in the Mary anointing, having chosen the better part”……….”You have a calling to pursue the abundant life in Jesus, do not settle for anything less”.

We then step into the water and the three are baptized quickly…..this is not the time to hang around wet in the middle of cold and flu season in Gibraltar. A change of clothes in the beach’s changing rooms gets us good as new, and rejoicing for the goodness of God. Nothing better to top this all up than to have a fabulous fellowship meal together. We all proceed to the GGCA hall that we sometimes for these events, and eat together laugh and have a blast. Living Waters provides the food, drinks, a huge cake, and bibles for each of the dear ones baptized.

At this point faith rises up in me and I boldly declare, “this church is going to be holding baptisms every three months!” Make it so Lord.

pictures to follow shortly so watch this space!

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