Worship at the Lake

We had our church service by a lake cottage today, singing worship songs to the strum of an acoustic guitar. The congregation sat on lawn chairs or just on the grass. Frogs and birds joined in the singing.

Oddly, our church building does not have a baptistry. Since we are of the church tradition that baptizes by immersion, this means we either borrow another church space and baptistry, go to a swimming pool, or baptize people in a lake (only a summer option). A baptistry in a church building is good, and both a baptistry and a pool are nice and clean with no weeds or mud. However, there is something about a baptism in a lake that I particularly enjoy--the more natural setting, the sun glistening on the lake water as the congregation stands on the shore to sing, watch, and pray for those being baptized--and it makes me think of the Jordan and John baptizing Jesus as others watched from the banks..

The woman below, Donna, has been taking some classes from Global University, an Assemblies of God correspondence school. Today she preached her first sermon and did a great job, sunglasses and all (she has to wear them outside because of an eye problem.). Some of her relatives were in town for a visit, so it worked out that they could join us for the service.

Bob, Mark, Brienne, me, Patti, Claire, Faith, CJ and Aaron

These eight people standing with me were about to get baptized. What a joy it was to see several of our young people taking this step. I had some help out in the water, becasue it is slippery and because I have a sore shoulder. Only afterwards did it occur to me that it is pretty unusual to have two women baptizing folks.

Brienne is a special blessing to our church family.

As for Patti, this is a truly life-changing moment. Bob, her son, would enter the water soon too.

Mark, our guitar player is another of our wonderful young people.

Steve prays for three of the guys.

Aaron shares with us why he is being baptized, and says he will seek, by God's grace, to live in a way that brings glory to the Saviour.

It was a beautiful day, and God's presence was with us. There were prayers and hugs and tears and much laughter as well. God is good.

Afterwards I changed out of wet clothes and discovered I had two little lake snails with me--one in the right pocket and one in the left!