LAKE LANIER — Metro Atlanta Georgia Baptist Hispanics gathered under leaden skies on Aug. 13 for their first ever-mass baptism, but they didn’t let the heavy downpour dampen their spirits. And those who were baptized were even less bothered by the rain.
Jim Burton
Johana Vazquez and her niece, Cecilia Garcia, clap during worship at the Hispanic churches baptism celebration. The Gwinnett County residents attend the Peachtree Corners Baptist Church Hispanic mission.
About 500 friends and members of Atlanta-area churches, mostly from Gwinnett County, turned out for the event held at Lake Lanier Islands. When the site turned to be too steep and dangerous for a lakeside baptism, two portable baptistries were located and pressed into service. A total of 27 new believers were baptized that afternoon.
Moses Valdes, who has served as GBC Hispanic missionary for North Georgia for 23 years, said the members from eight congregations are hoping to expand the event to an annual occurrence.
“We used to have a united worship service but it never included a baptism.
Jim Burton
“It’s been three years since we met together and this was a wonderful way to bring us back for an afternoon of worship celebration, dinner on the grounds, good music and a baptism. We began at 3 p.m. and didn’t end until after 9 p.m.,” he stated.
Valdes said the planning for the event came as a result of the recently concluded WAVE revivals. A group of pastors began meeting to pray and intercede for their communities and decided it would be good to have a joint gathering. Ken Kytle, missions minister at Hebron Baptist Church in Dacula, was chosen to bring the sermon.
Looking back over the afternoon, Valdes said it was “a wonderful experience to see all the people coming together to worship the Lord and to observe the ordinance of baptism. It was like Pentecost all over again.”
Jim Burton
Luis A. Hernandez of Iglesia Bautista Resurreccion in Buford joins in prayer during the afternoon celebration. Hernandez was among 27 who were baptized at the first-ever event.
Jim Burton
Publio Sance, pastor of Iglesia Bautista Nuevo Jerusalem in Norcross, prepares to baptize Fernando Guzman. Two portable baptistries were pressed into service when it was determined that the baptism site was too deep for the ceremony.
Jim Burton
Fabio Lemus, pastor of Iglesia Bautista Resurrecion in Buford, addresses the bi-lingual crowd. An afternoon downpour brought the service indoors and out of the rain.
Jim Burton
Each pastor baptized those from his own congregation. Hector Prieto, pastor of El Alfarero, takes a moment to pray with baptismal candidates from his Norcross church.
Jim Burton
Moses Valdes, who has served as a Georgia Baptist Hispanic church growth consultant for 23 years, leads prayer before Ken Kytle of Dacula’s Hebron Baptist Church delivers the afternoon sermon.
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