In the spirit of Side by Side, Grace Students being baptized will join the adults in the main worship gatherings this weekend. The splash just keeps getting bigger! We’re honored that several of the middle school and high school students shared their stories too. Meet sisters Lexi and Cece, Makena, and Stephanie.
Alexis (Lexi)
“I have been in church since I was a baby. In kindergarten, I learned more about Jesus and I prayed. Pretty much all of my friends at school are Christians. At night I would listen to the Action Bible on CD so many times I scratched them and my parents had to buy it again…this time for my iPod. I memorized the story of Nicodemus called, Born Twice. This made me want to know more about Baptism. My parents talk to me about Christ very often and I enjoy hearing it. I want to be baptized because I want to know Jesus better. I believe in him and I love him very much.”
Cecelia (Cece)
“I would like to be baptized because I am ready to start a new chapter in my life with Christ. I am ready to become a full-fledged Christian and learn more about my relationship with Christ.
I feel I have always had Christ in my life; He’s been a part of my life for as long as I can remember. I really didn’t fully understand my relationship with Him until Middle School. Now I am learning more about myself through Him, and growing in my relationship with Him. I wanted to get baptized before but I was scared. Now I am ready. I have accepted Christ into my heart and I want to live for him.”
Makena
“A few months ago me and my friend went to a show called Secret Keeper Girl. It really brought me to the Lord. I had the chance to accept the Lord and I did.”
Stephanie
“I first realized that I needed Jesus as my Lord throughout middle school and going into high school. Through tough times of losing friends, and not having my plans work out as I wanted them to, I learned that I can lean on and always trust that God has a bigger future for me than anything I could ever imagine, and I can trust that everything will work out for good in the end. It was in 6th grade, on my first spring retreat that I made my decision to follow Christ and devote my life to serving him and his will. Before that, I was kind of in and out of faith because it wasn’t personal for me, it was just based on my Christian family.
Over time, I’ve learned that following Jesus is making me into a more relaxed and forgiving person. I have been able to focus on what God has planned for me and stop focusing on my own plan and trying to force it to work for my life. Also, I have learned to let go of the past and accept the way things happen, trusting that it will all work out in the end.
I want to be baptized because I have grown a lot in my faith and I know that God is real, and is always there, even in the most chaotic and stressful moments. I want to broadcast my faith and show that I am devoting my life to serving the King, because I know that without him, I wouldn’t be able to live freely, or really at all.”
Baptism at Grace
During all worship gatherings on Baptism Weekends, we celebrate the very reason we exist as a church: Christ’s mission to make disciples, baptizing and teaching in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit (Matthew 28: 19-20). We share testimonies of how Jesus changes lives now and for eternity. And the best part… we baptize with a joy that’s out of this world!