|
by
Anna Iliff
Shannon stands at the edge of the pool with her feet firmly planted and her mind made up. She is a longtime member of Foothill Vineyard Church in San Dimas, California and the time has come for her to make a decision about where she stands. On May 27, 2012 Shannon was baptized before her family, friends, and church family at her pastor’s house in his backyard pool. This ceremony is a public commitment to live life according to Christ while the body is filled with the Holy Spirit. Many churches have baptismal pools located in the sanctuary, but it is a growing trend to hold baptisms in unlikely places, from beaches and rivers to backyard pools and Jacuzzis. For the faithful, adult baptisms provide a way for the body to symbolically be reborn as a follower of Christ. Today, adult baptisms are a common practice among non-denominational Christian churches. Shannon was nervous, excited and full of emotion on her baptism day, one minute fidgeting and laughing and the next sobbing in the arms of her pastor. For her, this ceremony is the next step in her faith where she can fully commit body, mind and soul to her Lord, Jesus Christ.
|
