BAPTISM STORIES

I asked God to forgive me and lead me when I was eight years old. I remember being in the car after church and wanting to follow him because He is my creator and trustworthy. He has forgiven me of my sin and made a way for me to be with Him for eternity. God has blessed me with a family that has valued reading the Bible and talking with me about any questions. Epic and Refuge have helped me get into God’s Word and pray. I went to SBR this summer, and it brought me closer to God. I strongly felt his presence there, and when I got back, I started praying, reading the bible, and worshiping more because I wanted to follow him more closely now. Being baptized today, for me, is declaring that is what I want to do and that I want to continue to seek God for the rest of my life. “For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Romans 8:38-39

I surrendered to Jesus lying in my bed one night at a low point. It felt like I wasn’t giving enough to anyone and was just done with everything. I hated school, and my friends started to ghost me individually. I just started crying, asking God why and asking Him for forgiveness for all the wrong I had been doing. I knew I wasn’t at my best; I had been doing many things a teenager shouldn’t have done. God has now become a guide to me and helps give me the boldness to share His word with others! I want to follow Jesus because He has shown me the difference between living and LIVING! I’ve never been happier since following Him. The two people who have helped me most in my faith are my former youth group, Pastor, sharing and teaching his knowledge to me, but most importantly, Maddie and her family she helped me start going to church and deepening my walk with Christ. She came into my life at the right moment; my prayer was answered! Being baptized is not so much becoming a disciple for me; I’ve fully surrendered to Jesus for almost a year now. Taking this step is something I’ve been called to do for a long time now! After this step, I’ll grow a lot more in my faith and the things I do within the church. I know my relationship with Christ will strengthen more!

It’s hard for me to remember an exact moment when I believed in Jesus because I have always known about God and his love. My parents read the Bible to me and taught me what it means to obey, love, and follow God with all my heart, mind, and strength. I was inspired by my big brother when I heard him say he gave his life to Christ. It got me thinking, and when I was seven, I prayed, I’m sinful, and I ask you to forgive me. Thank you for sending your son Jesus to die for me and give me eternal life. Please help me to be more like you. A verse from the Bible I like, which is a challenge to me, is Matthew 5:43-45 which says, “You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbor and hate your enemy’. But I tell you: Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you that you may be sons of your Father in heaven.” I need God’s Spirit to love my enemies – or even my siblings! I want to be obedient to all God’s commands and to trust Him to give me the strength and grace I need when I mess up. I’m getting baptized because I feel like this is the next step God wants me to take and to show everyone that I believe in Christ.

I asked God to forgive me at SBR. I was in the chapel, and one of the lessons that we were learning touched me and made me want to take the next step. Therefore, I decided to get baptized. God gave me the courage to tell my mom I wanted to get baptized. God has also given me many good friends who have helped me become more comfortable talking about how I am a Christian. So God, to me, is courage. In the sense of friendship, He has given me many opportunities to spread His word to others.

I want to have a relationship with Jesus because I have seen him do many great things for others, and I like that, too. Many people have helped me with my faith, but talking to people who also know Christ helped me have the courage to express my love for him. People have also helped me learn more about his word.

Being baptized means many things to me, but I'm doing it mainly because I think it's best for my relationship with God. I also want to become new and have my sins washed away so I can live differently. My life will be different because I will start to lean away from people who put me down in my faith and try to make me not follow God. Also, I will start to make more decisions like Jesus. I will be able to grow more in my faith when I get baptized.

I always believed in Jesus, but the extent of my relationship with him was saying the same simple prayer every night before bed. Almost three years ago, a traumatic event took place in my life. After passionately praying my heart out for months, Jesus answered my prayers. But, as time passed, I returned to that simple, repetitive prayer. I also developed an extreme case of anxiety. I was afraid to drive to take my children places, and the thought of death was suffocating me. I knew I needed to show God more gratitude for what he did, and something in my life needed to change.

That is when I asked my friend Lauren about CCC. Before the very first sermon, the worship song was one that I had an extreme emotional connection to from my past. I knew at that moment that I was right where I was supposed to be, and I surrendered that day.

After accepting Jesus as my savior, a huge weight was lifted off my shoulders. I accepted the idea that some things in my life are out of my control. I can put my faith in God and know that everything is a part of his plan. I don't feel the burden of always trying to fix everything; I know I can give it to God. I have so much more positivity, and I can't wait for our relationship to grow.

Before Christ, I was young, very young, and I went to a small church where me and my sister went to Sunday school with my cousins. My grandma would read us stories from the bible, and I would understand them, but I would not understand the importance of Jesus. I turned to Christ because, after all the lessons, I wanted a relationship with Jesus and my sinful life to change for the better. I followed Jesus without many questions until middle school when I began having more questions. I would ask my grandma these questions on my way home from school, and she would answer. These questions brought me closer to God, and I took prayer more seriously. After Christ, my life changed for the better. I became happier and was more dedicated to change. I began praying more in-depth. I learned how to pray even better once I started going to Christ Community Church. I started using an acronym that helped me. Confess, Honor, Ask, Thank. CHAT, this acronym, has come up every night since I learned it. Recently, since the baptism classes were coming I saw the opportunity to better my relationship with Christ and I don't plan on ever ending.

On December 12, 2021, I was saved after I asked Jesus Christ to be my Lord and Savior. To me, God is the creator of all. God has provided all I ever needed in life. I want to follow Jesus because He is my Lord and Savior. My family helped me take these next steps in life. Being baptized means I keep the promise to live for Jesus Christ and make it known to all. My life will be different now; I will fear nothing because I have put my faith and hope in Jesus Christ.

I asked God to forgive me shortly after attending Christ Community Churc. I started seeing changes in my life after I started a bible study and attending service. My life started to feel fulfilled and purposeful. I prayed and asked for forgiveness for my sins and for him to guide me. When I started implementing God’s word into my life, He blessed me with new friendships through Rooted. They’re more like family than friends. He also provided opportunities to help people through his word. I feel compelled to be a better person. I want to follow Jesus because He’s the best role model I could have. If we could all be more like Jesus, our world would be filled with joy and happiness and less suffering. My children have helped me the most because they started attending churches and youth groups with friends. I saw the power of faith change them. Then, my wife and I started looking into churches to find the one that was right for us. After searching, we ended up loving Christ Community Church. Being baptized is the next step in deepening my relationship by publicly declaring for myself that Jesus is washing away the old me and becoming new again. I can’t say how my life will change, but I know that through Jesus, all things are possible, and as long as I follow Him, He will guide me and help me live life in his likeness.

Before Christ, I was worried about my mom and soccer, like making the team for Dekalb.

My decision to accept Jesus, my mom and dad told me that Jesus is important at my house because we were tight on money and then I told them I wanted to give my life to Jesus to help my mom with breast cancer my parents were very happy. After Christ, now I feel a lot better about my life, and we all pray at night or I will pray by myself, and I feel a lot better going to church and being a part of his family, and I feel a lot better about life.

I have grown up knowing God. When I was seven years old, my mom read me a book where the main character had a very personal relationship with God. He talked to him and asked for strength to do hard things. I wanted that, too, so I prayed that Jesus would forgive me of my sins and give me the strength to follow after Him. I’m still learning and growing with what it means to follow the Lord wholeheartedly. God has put baptism on my heart for the last few months, and while I was at SBR, I felt him telling me this was my next step. I want to get baptized because I want everyone to know I have surrendered my life to Jesus. One of my favorite verses is Proverbs 3:5- 6, “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him and He will make your paths straight.” This verse reminds me that if I acknowledge Him, He WILL make my paths straight, and I can trust him in that.

It caused me to think about Christ because my mom got breast cancer, and I was worried about other things, and I worried about having fun and concerned about school. My parents helped me surrender to Christ. I remember talking to my parents about Christ when I was at my house. I love Christ, and he saved my mom. I started to follow Christ and I started to pray and go to church more often, and I started to pray with my family. Then, my brothers and I wanted to continue to follow Christ, so we told our mom, and she told us about getting baptized, so that's why I want to get baptized.

I’ve always kind of lived my life like Jesus, just unintentionally. Before I found God again, I was in a state of depression, felt hopeless, and overwhelmed. I was never truly happy. I just pretended to be. I would have never noticed all the small blessings in day to day life. At a dark moment in my life, I prayed and asked God to prove to me He is real and take the pain away or at least let things start to go better. Shortly after, I started noticing little signs here and there. That was when I dove deep, bought a bible, started praying, and started to put my faith in him. Meanwhile, my daughters had been attending various churches with friends. It wasn’t until I started noticing positive changes in them that my husband and I decided we needed to find a church. About two months later, we joined Rooted, and it was one of the best decisions we ever made. We were all very comfortable and vulnerable with each other, which led to problem solving In our daily lives, we are connected with God. We’ve since become a little prayer warrior of family of friends. I want to be baptized because I have had positive changes in my daily life after consistently trying to build a relationship with God. I regularly interact with people where Jesus comes up naturally, and I feel compelled to spread the good news. Being baptized is the next step in getting closer to God and committing to praising and sharing his word.

God has helped me persevere; even when it is hard, even when I am sick, he still helps me believe. He has always guided me through my life. When I ask Jesus to forgive me, I say I admit I am a sinner, and I believe that God died for me. I want to follow Jesus because I have wanted to follow in my family's steps.The people who have helped me take these steps are my mom and dad, who take me to church to help people and just show kindness. He has helped with everything I have done, even if it is hard. God has helped my family take me to church and help us believe even through hard times. Getting baptized means that all my sins get washed away and that I am born again. My life will be different because all my sins have been washed away, and I will have a new life.

I am the oldest son in my family of four. My family has been attending church ever since I was in kindergarten. My passion for God and the bible has grown through my understanding of God. My father’s wish for me and my family was to attend Christ Community Church every Sunday. My curiosity about God spiked when I was old enough to read some parts of the bible on my own. Two years ago, I also took communion for the first time; that's when I confirmed I was a follower of Christ. When I knew my dad believed in God, I thought I should, too. But then I started to learn more about God by myself. Whenever I feel doubt or do something terrible, I pray with my dad or myself. God is my true savior. God has done many good things for my family; he recently helped my grandmother move from Aurora to Sycamore. I want to follow Jesus to help others learn more about God. I can show what I have learned and help them on their path with Jesus by learning more. My Dad, Omar Ordaz, has been a great mentor and has helped me learn more about God. Being baptized means I have taken a significant step in learning about God. It can lead me to be a better person by accepting Jesus as my savior. My life will be saved because It will be justified.

Before Christ, I was young, very young and I went to a small church where me and my sister did Sunday school with my cousins. My grandma would read us stories from the bible and I would understand them, but I would not understand the importance of Jesus. I turned to Christ because, after all the lessons, I wanted a relationship with Jesus and my sinful life to change for the better. I followed Jesus without many questions until middle school when I began having more questions. I would ask my grandma these questions on my way home from school, and she would answer. These questions brought me closer to God, and I took prayer more seriously. After Christ, my life changed for the better. I became happier and was more dedicated to change. I began praying more in-depth. I learned how to pray even better once I started going to Christ Community Church. I started using an acronym that helped me. Confess, Honor, Ask, Thank. CHAT, this acronym, has come up every night since I learned it. Recently, since the baptism classes were coming, I saw the opportunity to better my relationship with Christ, and I don't plan on it ever ending.

Being a follower of Jesus at an early age, I was fully vested in the church we were attending and part of several serving ministries. As with any journey, you stay the course, and then you veer from it, which was my experience throughout most of my life. Always believing but missing the relationship. Being baptized young, the question continued, “Do I really need to do this?” I was blessed to have an opportunity to serve on a mission trip to Honduras, which began to open my obstructed view, seeing the joy the Christian people there had with and in Christ. This eye-opening event transformed my heart and desire for a relationship with Him, not just believing in Him. His blessings are abundant, and the people He placed in our recent Rooted group served as a vessel that guided me to a better relationship with Him. The final nudge from Him was a simple and gentle one. It came from a lyric in a song at a recent sermon where He was speaking to me: “You are my everything.” God, you are my everything, and I place full faith and trust in YOU!

I knew I needed Christ because I did not follow or do what God wanted me to do.

I’ve been going to church, but it didn’t really appear to me that I needed Christ until I went to Silver Birch Ranch last year. It was my cabin leader at Silver Birch Ranch who helped me give my life to Christ. I gave my life to Jesus because when I was around more Christian people, you could see that their lives just looked different for someone who was not with God, so I decided to give my life to Christ. Ever since I gave my life to God, my life has changed, even though it has not been that long. One change is that I pray more. I also feel like my life has been better ever since I gave my life to Jesus.

I had been baptized as a teen and in a very different lifestyle and church. I had turned away and left this particular church. This experience lacked the spiritual significance I needed to fully understand what it meant to turn my life over to Christ. I tried to do God's work, but I also started to become a man of the world and not a man of the Lord. I went to several other churches to experience and see if they were the one for me. We found Christ Community Church and have been here for over a year. I participated in Rooted, saw how this church is and participated in the local community. This experience taught me what it truly meant to turn my life to Christ. My faith has always been good, seeking after God. I just need a deeper connection with him.

Two years ago, I was at a rally for my youth group, and I asked Jesus into my life and to be my Lord and Savior. But before that, it felt like something we do every week - Go to church and pray during meal times. But when I let God into my life, things changed. God was someone I could look for comfort in when I felt like there was no one I could find comfort in. He helped me through the hard times in my life. Because I wanted to lead a good life, I believed in Jesus; he was someone I could always talk to. Mostly, my parents helped me make this decision, and my leaders at my youth group were people who helped me, too. Being baptized is being reborn and being washed clean. I am much more confident that I will be going to heaven.

Before I came to Christ, I was lost in my ways. Life didn’t feel right. I knew I was missing something important. My grandma offered to pay for me to go to Silver Birch Ranch. The whole week, life felt different, and I had never felt closer to God. Every morning, I would spend thirty minutes alone with God. At the end of the week, there was a sermon that moved me. My cabin leader, Steve, helped me give my life to Christ.

God has always been there for me and He always will be. I fear Him and love Him at the same time. I want to follow Jesus because he died on the cross for me. Because of Jesus, there is a place in heaven for me.

Baptism means showing everyone that Jesus Christ is my Lord and Savior and that He died for me and rose again. Now that I have given my life to Jesus, I am working on becoming more truthful, becoming light in the darkness, and bringing Jesus to skateboarding because skateboarding is my culture, and if I need Jesus, then so does skateboarding.

I asked God to forgive me of my sins. I also asked him to take the pain of hate away. He leads me through difficult times. He showed me His grace and love. He showed me how much faith He has in me. To me, God is a faithful and a giving Lord. There are no words that I can express to describe how He is. He has taken me out of my pit of shame and fear. I want to follow Christ because He is my savior. He forgives everything I do. Some people who have helped me are my friends and family. To me, being baptized means giving your life to the Lord. It means that you are reborn in his grace. My life is different because I have faith in Christ. He makes me feel more fulfilled and happy.

Three years ago, during my first panic attack, I cried out to God in desperation, asking Him to forgive me and take control of my life. In that moment, I recognized my deep need for His guidance and love. God, to me, is my Savior, the light in my darkest times, helping me navigate the challenges of anxiety and depression. At one point, I almost took my life. I was overwhelmed by hopelessness, but God intervened. He reminded me that I am never truly alone. I want to follow Jesus because I know He is the only one who can bring true healing and purpose to my life. My best friends, Isabel Leppin and Milena Franks, have been incredible sources of support and inspiration, helping me grow stronger in my faith. Their encouragement, along with the guidance of various leaders throughout my church, has been vital in my journey. These relationships have shown me the importance of community and faith. Being baptized is my way of publicly declaring my trust in Jesus, symbolizing my new identity in Him. It represents a fresh start, a commitment to live differently, rooted in His love and grace. With this trust, I believe my life will change—not by erasing struggles, but by facing them with hope and resilience, knowing that God is with me every step of the way. This decision marks the beginning of a new chapter, one filled with faith, purpose, and the promise of God’s unwavering presence.

Before Jesus, I was in an abusive relationship, addicted to narcotics, in communities I shouldn’t have been involved with, in a constant downward spiral from childhood to adulthood. Nobody introduced me to Jesus. He rescued me in one of my darkest moments sitting alone after hours in a church I didn’t attend. One and a half years ago on a night of desperation, I sat in a church and made a last-ditch effort to cry out to a God I wasn’t sure was listening. A cry to be led to a safer life because I couldn’t keep going on my own. If I had, I wouldn’t be here today. God listens, and He listened that night. He showed up in my heart to give me the strength to pack up my life with my dog and leave my abuser and addiction behind. I never looked back. God is my personal savior. Jesus is King but also my friend. He has shown me what life is and what family can be, two things I didn’t know before. At 22 years old, I’m one and a half years clean from narcotics. I am healthy and most importantly, I’m at peace, no longer holding anger in my heart. I’ve found community at CCC. The group of friends I’ve made this summer in young adults helped cement my decision. My baptism is my declaration that I have chosen to walk the path with Jesus, the one who has and continues to change my heart.

Probably in like first grade, in KidsWorld I started praying and I asked God for forgiveness & faith to follow him. He has changed me through my hard times. He has saved me from sin & death. I want to follow Jesus because I want his forgiveness. He was tempted with sin but He didn't, and He died for my sins even though he was perfect. A lot of people have helped me take these steps in my life - Jesus, my mom, my brothers, my dad, my church, and my whole family. Being baptized means to me that I love Jesus. He is my savior, and I want to follow him. Because I have put my trust in Jesus, i will have his forgiveness and an example throughout my life to strive toward.

God has been ever present in my life, but as an abstract idea. I struggled with my faith because I had so much misinformation from a previous church and life experiences. And then Ashley Newcomb invited me casually to Christ Community and I said "sure," and from that moment Jesus tapped me on the shoulder and whispered "this is what you’ve been looking for." It took me a few years to really listen to that whisper, and it took Ashley never giving up on me. She continued to invite me and she always made time to answer my questions. With her encouragement, I joined Rooted and the women that I met there turned that whisper I'd been hearing to a shout. This IS what I had been looking for! The moment that I knew I was in was the day of fasting during Rooted and the amazing guided prayer session we had that night. I confessed my sins to Jesus for the first time and I knew in my heart that He forgave me. I surrendered myself that day to Him. And while I am still working hard every day to walk this path, I can say that I finally have a path to follow.

I was a believer growing up, but there have been times when I haven’t followed the Bible. I thankfully was born into a family of believers and was given a very good example by them. Despite that, I’ve still made choices to do things that would go against the Bible, and I have learned firsthand how following God’s word can give us peace in our lives.

Today, I have a family with a beautiful wife and two little girls and it’s becoming clearer to me how much of an influence I have as a dad and husband. I want to continue to lead my family with the word of God as my guide so that I can do the best for my family as I can. I have seen God’s word give peace in my home with regard to finances, my relationship with my wife, and my kids. I want to get baptized to fully surrender to make God the leader of my life so my girls will see how best to live their lives and teach them where to get direction in their lives when they find trouble.

My name is Bri and I have been wanting to get baptized for a while now and I am so happy I finally get to experience this with my brother Jayden too. I think that putting your life in God’s hands is the best thing you can do for yourself. I want to get baptized because I think that it will change my life for the better in many ways. I always knew God was with me and everybody. God, to me, is everything! He has helped me get through the hard times along with my family and friends. I want to follow God because I know that is the right thing to do for me.
“Depart from evil and do good”, Psalm 34:14

I have made mistakes that I wish I could take back, but God forgave me, and he led me in the right direction in life. I have always trusted in Jesus and always will. When I think about how I can make each day great, I think WWJD? HWLF! I think of this… You're on the stage, about to put your life in God’s hands. And when you're underwater for that split second and you feel the water hit you, you think, “Wow, I am so lucky to have a God that cares for me and everybody else and supports us in our life.” My friends and family will be there to watch and so this is my way of showing everyone I love, my love for the Lord. This is why I want to get baptized and I can’t wait to show everyone that I believe in God. Amen.

I have been raised in a Christian home my whole life. We started coming to Christ Community about a year ago and I started coming to Refuge. In November of 2023, I was diagnosed with cancer in my left leg. During this time my family, my small group, and the elders of the church prayed for me and over me. I felt the power of all the prayers. I have been healed of my cancer by Jesus! I have had many family members, including my dad and mom inspire me to be a Christian and follow Jesus. By surrendering my heart to Jesus, I know he is with me always and I will follow him in all I do. My favorite Bible verse is Philippians 4:13: “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.” I have decided that because of all I have been through that it’s time to get baptized to show that I have accepted Jesus into my heart, know that he died for my sins and I will forever follow Jesus. I hope my story can inspire others to follow Jesus!

I want to get baptized because I want to put my heart into Christ and God so Jesus can wash my sins clean and so I can get closer to God and have God to guide me through life and hard times. I was 7 when we joined Christ Community Church, and I realized this was the life that I wanted when we joined.

My parents raised me in a Christian home and I’ve grown up learning about Jesus. I know he loves me and cares for me. When I wake up at night or feel scared I pray to God and he makes me feel safe. I want to follow Jesus for the rest of my life because he died for me. The Church feels like home and the leaders feel like family. I am thankful God put them in my life because I know they will encourage me when life is hard.

My story starts when I was 4 years old. We were at an apple orchard and I put my faith in Jesus. Now I want to go to the next big step… baptism!

God is this to me: He’s my Heavenly Father because he made me. He’s my warrior because he protects me from sin. He’s my savior because he saved me from the shadows of sin and the weight of guilt on my shoulders. He’s my BFF because I can talk to him about everything.

I have already seen God work in my life. For example, when my baby brother was really sick, God provided food and for our needs.

I want to follow God because he loves everybody and he died on the cross for our sins. The people who helped me with my relationship with Jesus are my mom, my dad, and Christ Community! Being baptized means that I died with Christ and that I rose from the grave with him. My whole life will be so different because I will have somebody by my side my whole life and in my eternal life… Jesus!

Thank you, Three-in-one! (God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit!)

Before I trusted in Jesus, I was making wrong decisions and giving into worldly things and possessions. I was too focused on myself and how I fit into our society. Then I went to college and met a lot of people that put their faith and trust in Jesus, and saw their happiness and sense of belonging which made me start to dive deeper into the word and join a bible study group. I ordered my own Bible and started to get to know and love Jesus and devoted myself to Him. Since then, I have felt that I have a greater purpose and I have a more positive attitude about everything that comes my way. I have such a strong trust in Jesus and know that His plans and His timing are perfect and I do not have to worry (Psalms 27:14). I am stronger, kinder, and a better person because I was led to know Jesus and will continue to grow and tell others the good news of Jesus.

Born into a Christian family, I grew up attending church and Sunday school weekly. Following our church’s tradition, my parents had me baptized as an infant and later confirmed. I grew into adulthood believing that my infant baptism made me a member of the body of Christ and that I was guaranteed salvation as a result.

Bible study taught me what God’s Word says about baptism. Reflecting on what I thought it meant to be a Christian and comparing that to what God’s Word says, I now see my upbringing helped build my faith foundation, however, ultimately the decision to surrender & commit my life to following Jesus was something I had to make for myself. My parents couldn’t choose for me, they could simply lead & guide.

I learned a lot about God in my formative years, though walking through a difficult season led me to begin to truly know God. Attending Christ Community Church, my relationship with God became more personal. Consequently, I began to see and comprehend the consequence of my sin more clearly and to understand Jesus’ saving power for my life. Though I’ll never fully know God, I’m committed to spending my days knowing and serving Him better.

I now understand the importance of baptism:
💧 an act of obedience.
💧 a public declaration of faith in Jesus Christ as my crucified, buried and resurrected savior.
💧 aligning to the death of my sin.
💧 burying my old life.
💧 a renewed walk with Jesus as Lord of my life.

Before putting my full faith in Jesus I felt lost in my own life and struggled to trust him and his plan. I grew up going to church but after my friend Leah and I had been going to youth group regularly, I realized how God was working in my life and it made me realize the changes I need to make to the way I was living my life. I realized I no longer wanted to change my life but surrender it to Jesus. God began working in my life and I realized how much I needed to put my trust in him. In John 13:7 it says “You do not realize now what I am doing, but later you will understand.” I needed to trust God, and once I did, he overwhelmed my life with his love and presence. Baptism is the start of my new relationship and journey with Jesus as my savior.

Growing up I was raised in a Christian home and for as long as I can remember I grew up in church. Every Sunday my family would head out to the 11 am Sunday service at Harvest Bible Chapel. I’ve always loved learning the word of God and taking to heart worship songs and Bible stories. At High Five, on June 29, 2016; I surrendered my life to Jesus Christ. What moved me to give my life to Christ as a little girl was that I knew I wanted a truer, deeper relationship with Jesus, and in order for that to happen I needed to invite him into my heart so he could work through me. I am a daughter of the King. God is my savior and protector, by believing in Him all things are possible. He blesses me every day from my talents to the family and people he intentionally puts in my life. I have been beyond blessed with my parents God gave me, they are both Godly people who have navigated me through my faith, reminding me to live my life pleasing to him and treat others the way Jesus would. As my relationship continues to grow with the Lord, the next step of my surrender is being baptized. Through prayer and time, I felt that I was ready to take this next step of faith and be baptized. Being baptized to me represents my love for Jesus and my promise to follow him for the rest of my life. By putting my trust in Jesus, I place my life in his hands and let his spirit continue to guide me so I can shine for him and his great faithfulness.

I first asked God to forgive me and lead me when I turned 11 years old. A few years back, my sister introduced me and my family to Christ Community Church, and we loved it. I made lots of new friends in Kids World and then went into Remix. It was so fun, but my favorite part was seeing other Christ followers get baptized. Soon, when I went into Remix, I made the decision to put my faith in Jesus and get baptized. I made this decision because I want to follow God because God is a leader to me. For example, God helped me when I struggled in school, when I struggled with friends, and even when there were problems with my family. I prayed to God, and he answered my prayers. I want to follow Jesus because he died for our sins, and helped us connect back with God. A part of the reason why I'm doing this is because my family helped me make the decision along the way. And most importantly, my sister. She would answer the questions I wanted to ask, and she would tell me all about Jesus. She helped me a lot. To me, being baptized means that I'm going to surrender and follow Jesus. My life will be different when I put my trust in Jesus because I won't be scared knowing that my leader is Jesus, who loves me and died on the cross for me.

My mom raised me as a Christian, brought me to church and taught me everything I know now. But then something changed. Once my parents got divorced, I stopped going to church. But then something in my heart told me to get more involved with Christ. This is when the story begins. I decided to go to church again, read the bible, and I even started to worship in front of my Kids World Class. I was so proud of myself! This is when I knew I was ready for baptism. God is King, Savior, love and grace. I want to follow Jesus because I believe he is good in every way. My favorite verse is 1 Corinthians 13:13- The three most important things to have are faith, hope and love. But the greatest of them is love. This verse demonstrates that God forgave me when I stopped going to church and still loves me. I am ready to show our church that I will continue to follow Christ and spread his good news!

I am excited to get baptized at Christ Community Church. Putting my life in God’s hands is the most important to me. For example, when I make a mistake and realize it’s not the right decision, I pray and ask God to forgive me and redirect me to make the better choice next time. To me, God is everything and he is the reason why I am here. He made everything for me and has been a great example and positive leader in my life. I think that getting baptized is the best thing I can do because I am putting my faith and soul in God’s hands. I feel protected and guided by his loving hands in my life. I will always love God and listen to him no matter what because he will always have the best choices for me and he knows what He is doing. He will make sure that I am in the right place and I will pray for him and others. He is the reason why everything is here and I am alive. Putting my faith and trust in God helps me live my best life possible because he is the most important in my life first. I am ready to get baptized and show the church and family I love the Lord and am following him all the days of my life. I am excited and can't wait to put my whole life in God's hands forever.

I grew up in a Christian household, so going to church every Sunday, listening to the messages and singing worship songs was a part of my upbringing.

I thought that I was automatically a Christian and believed that I would already be able to go to heaven because I went to church every Sunday; however, it wasn’t until these past couple of years that I realized what it really means to be a Christian. This past summer was my 4th year going to SBR, and I felt it was time to surrender my life to Jesus Christ. It was even more special because my dad got to be my leader and he was able to help me pray the surrender prayer.

Since then, I feel like I have been trying to live life for Christ. I have started praying every night before I go to sleep and trying to read the Bible often. I have also started to enjoy going to church and listening to the messages and applying them to my life. James 1:12 says “blessed is the man who perseveres under trial, he will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love him.”

Before I surrendered my life to Jesus, I felt helpless and powerless. I felt incapable of expressing my emotions and feelings; no one would understand if I truly expressed myself as a person.

Jesus gave me the power like the 3-in-1 bodywash! The Father (Shampoo), The Son (Conditioner), and the Holy Spirit (Body wash). All three are used to wash away the sin. I am CLEAN AND HAVE HIS POWER!

I knew when I was in 5th grade, I better start preparing. I asked many questions to Mimi (Ruth Morgano); Papa (John Morgano). They both answered honestly. I started to feel I was in a safe environment. A year later, I started going to youth group and eventually went to SBR. There I learned all about the glory and goodness of God. My small group Leader, (Gabrielle); Coach (Steve) helped pull everything together. I know I’m not perfect, But He is, “I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength “ - Philippians 4:13.

As a six-week-old baby, I was dedicated right here at Christ Community Church. Then, at 18 months old, my parents went through a divorce. During this time, I saw my mom turn to God during the bad times and good times to either thank God or ask God for support. It is also at this time of my life when my grandpa and grandma would read the bible to me every single day after school. We read a chapter or two a day which ended up being the best part of my day. My grandma would always pray with me and on March 29, 2019, we did the sinner's prayer together when I was six years old. I grew up knowing God and Jesus as my Lord and Savior. A Bible verse that showed me God's love and forgiveness was Luke 23:43, but my all time favorite bible verse is Philippians 4:13 telling me that God is always there to help me and love me: "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me."

I grew up in an atheist family but found God on my own in fourth grade. Since then, I lost sight of him many times. In freshman year I struggled with addiction, mental health, and the wrong lifestyle. I found God again because he is someone who would accept me even when I stumbled.

This year at SBR I decided to abandon my lifestyle and give my life to God. My cabin leader, Kayla, led me through that prayer. But Coach prayed for me and made a big impact on my decision. Kaily Martin also pushed me toward having a relationship with God since 5th grade. At SBR, I made the choice because I felt how strong his love was, that feeling I can’t find in any drug.

Since then, I have stumbled but I always felt loved even when I messed up. I have stayed sober and my mental health has improved. Being baptized means publicly committing to obeying God. Obeying God means living how God wants and loving him. Kaily, Damon, Dan, and Coach have all pushed me to this decision. Whether it was through welcoming me to church or taking me here. John 14:27 says, “Peace is what I leave with you, it is my peace I give you.”

Before I accepted Jesus Christ into my life, I felt stuck as if the days kept repeating and they all felt the same. I felt alone without Jesus and had fear of what death would be like. When I barely talked to the Lord, I felt judged by everyone for my clothes, looks, personality, or even how I spoke.

But when I started going to church last year, I felt so much better about myself, so I kept going. Eventually, I said the prayer where I accepted Jesus Christ as my Savior. I felt his presence with me and that made me smile and tear up, and on that day I got my own Bible and the bible app. Everyday, I read a verse and then look into my bible to see what it means.

Now I feel way better, and I thank the Lord every night for that. I feel peace in my heart, more confidence, and happiness. When I am talking to God and Jesus and it gets deep, I start to cry because I feel Him with me the whole time. Every night, before going to bed, I pray and ask for forgiveness. I am so thankful that I started going to church again. It has made me a better person and I am so happy I get to be even closer to the Lord.

Before I gave my full trust to Jesus, I went through many trials. These trials made me put myself down, feel worthless and it crushed my self esteem. Melinda Hunter became a role model for me and she helped me realize that I needed to fully trust Jesus.

As I got introduced to Christ Community Church by Adelyn Varner, I was able to regain my self esteem. As I continued going to church I learned that Jesus is always here for me and that He died for all my sins. This showed me that I will never be perfect, but I will always be forgiven. I prayed to Jesus to be forgiven of all my sins and prayed that he would forever stay by my side.

Throughout this journey multiple leaders and youth pastors have been big role models for me. They've taught me so much about Christ. They've also helped me open up about my trials. They've shown me that along with Jesus, the church is also here for me and I am never alone in anything I'm going through. I know this is true because in the book of Isaiah it says, "When you pass through the waters, I will be with you" (Isaiah 43:2).

Growing up, I knew about God, but I didn't really understand how to take him seriously. My family and I attended a couple churches, but instead of finding spiritual support, these experiences only caused us pain and drove a wedge between me and God. Because of this, I struggled with anger towards him for a long time. My life was full of depression, anxiety, and other things that kept me trapped in a dark place for many years.

Around four years ago, while scrolling through YouTube, I stumbled upon a channel called Mike Winger. His answers to faith-related questions began to open my eyes to the teachings of Jesus and the Bible. This was a turning point for me. I continued to explore and discovered other strong, faithful men and women in the Christian community who spoke truthfully about Jesus and helped me to think biblically about all aspects of life.

Learning about the Bible helped me make the decision to surrender my life to Jesus. I bought a Bible and committed myself to taking my faith seriously. Thanks to the Lord I stopped cussing, holding grudges, gossiping, judging others unfairly, and in all that I do I try to honor Him. While I still struggle at times, I am confident that God is always with me. Despite the difficulties I encounter, I find comfort in the fact that I can fully trust in him and rely on His support through all of life's challenges.

I grew up in a Christian family, I just said I believed even though I didn't really understand what I said I believed. At about my sixth grade year I had claimed that I gave my life and went to a baptism class, but I never committed to being baptized. Through my sophomore year, I continued going to church and the Wednesday nights for middle and highschoolers. Those nights are where I met some of my best friends and mentors, Addy Varner, Luca LoDolce, Issabel Leppin, Milena Franks, and the person who helped me most, and led me since sixth grade, Dan Cox.

During my freshman year, I felt less included and more of an outcast among my group, and I joined swim. I started using “being too tired from swimming” as an excuse not to go to church. When I would go, I would be distant, and my leaders all noticed. By that time, the Wednesday night services were pretty much over, and high schoolers were preparing to go SBR. The last night of teaching, they let kids go up and pray with their pastors, and to really give their life to Christ. I was in pieces — it felt so good to let go, my addictions, the lies, and all the other sins that I had felt like I had to deal with alone were taken away. All the boys in that group who had been bad had comforted me and they accepted me.

My sister and I have grown up always knowing Jesus. My dad and mom have always prayed with us and talked to me about Jesus. I learned my first Bible verse when I was four and memorized it. It is John 3:16, and still is my favorite verse. I know what Jesus can do in my life and in other people's lives too. I saw Jesus heal my mom and my sister of cancer with a lot of prayer. I want to be baptized to show everyone that I am committed to Jesus, I know he died for my sins, I have accepted him as my Lord and Savior, and I want to be made new in Christ. I also want to bring others closer to Jesus by sharing with my friends and family. Also, if I ever become a famous baseball player, I will share God’s word like Tim Tebow, so everyone knows about Jesus. I will always praise and thank Jesus for all he has done in my life and in my family.

When I was younger my mom worked at the nursery/childcare area in a church.

I don’t remember a time where I didn’t know that Jesus existed, and I always believed. Often Moody radio will be on the radio when we are driving, and I would try and listen and pay attention.

At night, me and my brother say our prayers together. That is when we ask God to forgive us and lead us.

I knew I wanted to follow Jesus because he is the lord. It was some time after I started going to Christ Community Church and I watched a baptism service that I decided I want to get baptized. I don’t know all the miracles he did, but I know he is Christ the son of God and I am excited to learn more.

My life will be better following Jesus because I know he Loves me and will put me on the right path. I also know that I will be saved by following him. I feel safe knowing he is always around. When I get scared, I say Jesus’s name and that makes me feel better.