by Rev. Jason Skinner

Pastor, Hillcrest Baptist Church

In 2 Corinthians 5:17 (ESV), the Bible reads, “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.”

Sunday, June 12, 2022 started off like any other Sunday morning service. We were having our commemoration service for our annual Vacation Bible School. We had a larger than usual crowd, due to parents coming for the finale of the program. At the invitation time, we had a family of five come to join and partner with us in ministry.

After morning service, we were scheduled to meet for baptisms at the home of a church member who has a swimming pool. We had been planning for months to do about a dozen baptisms, then have a fellowship meal following the baptisms.

After getting into the pool and baptizing a few, I noticed other people ministering to one another. I overheard a few were wanting to recommit their lives and wanting to know if they could be baptized again. Rejoicing, I said, “Absolutely!”

We were giving God praise and could certainly feel the Holy Spirit moving amongst the church body. We had several moments of baptizing entire families at one time. What an overwhelming humbling experience!  The experience was a miracle from our Lord.

During the time of these baptisms, two young men approached me wanting to know about Jesus. I had the opportunity to be able to lead them to the Lord.

We went to do the work of the Lord,  to be a blessing to others, and ended up receiving a blessing as well. A total of 31 baptisms happened that day…nothing short of a miracle.