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    One Sunday. Two Churches. Over 900 Baptisms.

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    From the NilesStar.com...

    Granger Community Church’s annual Baptism Celebration was held Sunday at Coveleski Stadium in South Bend, Ind.

    Granger Community Church held its annual Baptism Celebration Sunday at Coveleski Stadium in South Bend Ind. Karen Alexander was among the 350 to be baptized. 
    Before the Cove, the site of the yearly baptism event was held at Clear Lake in Buchanan. However, due to the large area and turnouts, the event was moved to the stadium this year.

    Six above ground pools were set up between first and third bases as people waited in long lines for a chance to be baptized.

    The annual baptism was a huge event and seemed to put a smile on everyone’s face. Some were baptized alone, while others joined family members and friends and went through the process together.

    In all, around 350 people were baptized, including many from Niles. Donna Palmer and Karen Alexander, both Real Estate Specialists at Coldwell Banker, Niles and Brandywine High School student Colton Ditto, were among the many individuals to be baptized.

    That’s a lot of people, but considering the church has around 5,000 members, it was expected to have a large turnout, which is one of the main reasons the church decided to move the event to a larger location.

    This year’s event was a grand slam - literally - and already has many looking forward to next year’s event.

    From the Independentmail.com...

    Tents filled with tailgaters ringed the parking lot as smoke from sizzling grills drifted into the September sky on Saturday.

    The revelers in Anderson cheered, but not for their favorite college football team. On this day, their attention was focused on a different kind of experience.

    They celebrated as six people at a time climbed into aboveground swimming pools and got dunked for Jesus.

    A soaking wet Earle McDermott emerged from the waters with a smile on his face.

    “It was great,” he said. “It’s an experience you never know until you do it yourself.”

    Mr. McDermott and between 500 and 600 others took part in the outdoor baptism service Saturday at NewSpring Church off S.C. 81 North.

    The event was designed to not only celebrate the baptism of hundreds of new believers, but also serve as a launching pad for a new series titled “Game Time” that will focus on the future of NewSpring, said Tony Morgan, the church’s chief strategic officer.

    Mr. Morgan said it would likely take a couple of hours to complete the baptismal service Saturday. Most of the participants came to Christ during a recent five-week series titled “Illuminate,” Mr. Morgan said.

    “We invited people to come early and tailgate and grill out,” he said. “This is kind of like a Clemson football game, but we’re celebrating something much more significant than football.”

    Just before entering the water, Kim Jordan admitted her heart was pounding.

    “I need to follow the example of Jesus,” said Mrs. Jordan, who started attending NewSpring two years ago. “If it was good for him, it’s good for me.”

    Robert Critchlow said he was raised in a Methodist church and was baptized as an infant, but didn’t made a true commitment to Christ until about six weeks ago during a service at NewSpring.

    “I felt like something was ripping through my heart,” said Mr. Critchlow, whose daughter, Lavinia, also was baptized Saturday. “I’m honored to be a part of it. I just can’t get over it.”

    Handmade signs with messages like “Tailgating for Jesus,” “Go public ... get saved,” and “Honk if you’ve been dunked” decorated tents throughout the parking lot.

    Russ and Tonya Baker said they pitched their tent about three hours before the start of the service and could hardly contain their enthusiasm.

    “If you can get excited about a football game, why can’t you get excited about the tomb being empty?” Mr. Baker said.

    Joel Lopez, a member of another church, said he attended the service to support a friend who was being baptized.

    “This is something that should be celebrated like this,” Mr. Lopez said. “I think it’s really great what they’re doing here.”

    Across the parking lot, Robby Davis, Tony Knight and Ricky Brady were grilling up burgers, hot dogs and bratwurst.

    “We’re having all the goodies and all the fixins just like a football game,” Mr. Davis said. “You make it fun for the whole family.”

    God is doing some amazing things. For example, just this past Sunday, over 900 people were baptized at just two different churches. Granger Community Church held a baptism for over 350 people; and NewSpring Church baptized 562 people. Isn't that incredible? Below are two separate newspaper articles written about these baptism services. It seems that even the secular media takes note when this many people accept Christ!

    Comments

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    1. Tim Stevens on Fri, September 14, 2007

      Todd - Thanks for the report! We actually baptized 441 on Sunday and had several thousand in attendance!

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