More than a thousand people met at Bournemouth Beach on Sunday to witness 43 people publicly commit their lives to Christ.
Now in its second year, the BCP Church collective expanded the celebration to cover two consecutive weekends with involvement from ten local churches. Both Sunday services open with “praise and worship in song”, followed by testimonies, preaching and baptisms.
Val Simon, who was one of those baptised, said: “I pray people will be inspired by this event, because it’s never too late to commit and be baptised!”
‘Extraordinary’
Peter Baker, Senior Minister at Lansdowne Church, told Premier Christian News that the “beach baptisms are a public declaration”.
“That’s what baptism is all about. It’s a public demonstration of faith in Jesus. It symbolizes the forgiveness, the cleansing, the washing, the fresh start.”
He emphasised that God is “on the march” throughout all walks of life, saying: “We’ve got people getting baptised from refugee migrant backgrounds, people who have new age backgrounds. We’ve got young folks who have been open to the spirit of God, just in extraordinary ways.”
Confidence
Earlier this year, a report revealed that most UK Evangelical Christians are confident in living out their faith, despite reporting concerns over increased social pressure.
‘Confident faith, contested culture’, published by the Evangelical Alliance, found widespread confidence in the legal rights and freedoms enjoyed by Christians, with a warning over the “relational, cultural and reputational” cost that believers face.
The report is based on a survey of 884 respondents, and aims to provide “a snapshot of evangelical perceptions in this current moment of cultural uncertainty and transition”.
‘Historic’ moment as Bible translated into 800th language