Water Baptism

June 15, 2003

Although the amber rain signal was on, no rain could stop us from attending this important ceremony on the Sunday afternoon of 15 June 2003.

Eleven brothers and sisters decided to be water-baptized on this special Sunday, which also happened to be Father’s Day. There were no fewer than 70 brothers and sisters gathered at Repulse Bay to witness and support the event. As Pastor Gavin was visiting our sister church in Korea, the ceremony was led by Brother Nicholas and Brother Allan.

After a short prayer led by Brother Nicholas, we started to praise and worship the Lord while passers-by were amazed by our singing and they watched curiously. Brother Allan then explained to the 11 brothers and sisters the meaning of water baptism. According to the Bible, every Christian had to be baptized as this was one of Jesus’ commandment. In water baptism, a person submerged the whole body under water. When he came out of the water, it symbolized the beginning of a new life.

Brother Timothy gave his testimony on why he decided to be baptized on this occasion. Having spent 43 years of his life as a non-believer, Brother Timothy came to know Christ last year when he was encountering difficulties in life and could not find a way out. Many things that he did had also disappointed his family greatly. His shepherd shared the love of God with him during that time. He realized that although he had made many wrong decisions in the past, God would forgive him when he repented and turned to Him. Now, he knew that God would continue to guide him to the right way, and he firmly believed that the baptism he was about to undergo was the right thing to do.

Rain poured heavily after Timothy’s testimony and all of us started to scramble for umbrellas. The 11 brothers and sisters, accompanied by their shepherds, went into the water to received water baptism by Brother Nicholas and Brother Allen. Although the rain was heavy and lighting began to strike, all the brothers and sisters stayed until the end of the ceremony before making their way home on this very special Sunday.