BAPTISM STORIES

I have asked the heavenly father to forgive me and lead me many times in my life. It never felt
like He heard me, though. I was very closed minded to think that anything was possible. Thankfully, I found a pastor on YouTube. The pastor taught me that I need to forgive my parents so that the heavenly father can forgive me. As soon as I forgave my parents, a huge weight lifted off me. I injured my shoulder when I was younger and had to go to a chiropractor at least every other week for over 20 years to handle the pain. Since I forgave my mother, the pain is gone. I think that was His way of forgiving me. I still don’t feel him leading me, but that doesn’t mean that He isn’t. Maybe He led me to YouTube so that I could hear that message to forgive my parents. He is the father, the truth, and the answer to everything. Now that He has awakened me, I realize that He has blessed me in many ways. He has allowed me to live a very simple and carefree life. I never appreciated it until now. I have lived my life as a spoiled rotten brat who only lived for himself. Now, I realize it's time to live for Him. I want to follow Him because I realized that I’ve been following the flesh. I’m choosing love and truth by following the heavenly father. For me, being baptized means that I have finally realized I have been selfishly living for myself, and now I am ready to dedicate myself to living for Him.

Before I trusted in Jesus I did not read the Bible or pray but I still went to church when I was a baby. As I grew older, I began reading the Bible and praying to God. Every night, I pray to God and ask Him for forgiveness, and for Him to bless my family and guide us. I want to follow Jesus because He protects us, died for us, and loves us; therefore, I love Him. The people who have helped me take these steps in my life are my parents. My mom and dad have always taken me to church and I just fell in love with God. Since then, I can say that my life has changed. I pray every night, sometimes with my dad. I am excited to get baptized because everyone in my church will know that I believe in God. I am so happy to be part of this church because I have friends here and I feel like I belong to a community.

I was introduced to God at a very young age, and so I always believed that He existed, but despite my belief in God, I lacked knowledge of Him. For years, I had only a basic understanding of God and a superficial understanding of how to live a truly Christian life. Because of my lack of knowledge of God, I developed a lot of bad habits or sins, which caused me to feel guilty a lot of the time. When I understood that God wanted a real relationship with me and provided a way for me to resolve my sin problem; I began setting aside time to read the Bible and pray. I slowly began to grow closer to God. I began to realize how much I need God, how good He is to me, and what it means to be a Christian. I repented for the first time and asked God to accept me into His family.

Before I surrendered my life to Christ, I was a sad, angry, and confused person. I had just come out of a 10-year abusive relationship and, as a 24-year-old single mom, I was trying to heal from deep childhood and teenage trauma. I felt lost and completely alone, carrying the weight of pain I didn’t know how to release.
Everything began to shift when my best friend invited me to Christ Community Church. I didn’t know it then, but that invitation would change my life. For the first time, I felt something real—peace. I started praying, and asking God for forgiveness and instead of feeling distant, God felt close. He wasn’t judgmental but instead, a loving Father who embraced me exactly where I was. Slowly, I began to understand who He is and who I am because of Him.

Since giving my life to Christ, I’ve experienced a peace I never imagined possible. I’m healing, forgiving, and truly happy. My relationship with God has become the most meaningful one in my life. Through joining Rooted at Christ Community Church, I’ve grown deeper in my faith and understanding. My relationships around me have improved, and although life isn’t perfect, I now walk with God. I know I’ll still stumble, but I no longer walk alone. I finally know who I am—and more importantly, whose I am.

I have attended church my whole life growing up, but I used to go as if it were a chore. I used to focus on the uncertainty of the future, and I would put my worth on how the world perceived me.

This changed when Jesus showed himself to me when my uncle became very sick and was dying. I couldn’t do anything to help him so I decided to try to put my trust in Jesus. I continually prayed for Jesus' help and asked Him to hear me. My uncle is now perfectly healthy and I have put my full faith and trust in Jesus Christ. This has made me not worry about the future and trust in his plan.

Now, I have a relationship with Jesus and truly feel his presence. God has shown me my worth through Him. I connect with Him in church and don’t see it as a chore, but rather as a gift. I also am better at forgiving, loving, and acting as Jesus would want me to act. I am able to feel and accept His love for me. Because of this, I continue to work towards being a better follower of Jesus by living through Him and helping others do the same.

Before I put my faith in Jesus I was more focused on putting myself first instead of Jesus. I always knew he was around, but I never put in the effort to get to know him.

I have gone to Christ Community my whole life. One day in third grade at Kids World I realized that Jesus has done so much for me. He died for my sins so I can have eternal life with Him. That’s when I told my parents that I wanted Him to be my Lord and Savior, guiding me through my life.

Now, Jesus has shown me to be more kind, humble, forgiving, and to see the best in people. I feel myself praying a lot more for others and my blessings rather than just praying for myself. Jesus continues to lead me in doing the right thing, even when I fall short sometimes. I know Jesus will forgive me because he loves me. This motivates me to deepen my faith in Jesus.

I decided to follow Jesus on February 20, 2024. That night I prayed to God before bed and asked him to forgive my sins. God is the creator of all things, and He sent His son Jesus to forgive us for our sins. God helped me with my taekwondo team, and He helped me win my tournament. He also helped me when our first church shut down and
led us to Christ Community Church.

I want to follow Jesus because I feel like people who don’t have Jesus in their life will just be miserable and don’t understand how the world was made. I want to learn more about eternal life with God and how to follow Jesus. The people who helped me take these steps are my mom and dad.

When people see you are being baptized, they know that you are a Jesus follower and that He is your forever Savior. I know that I will never be alone, and God will help me when I’m in trouble. I can know for sure that when I die, I will go to heaven and I will see God is the creator of all things.

Ever since I was born I’ve always been going to church. I began going to a Christian school when I was in second grade. That is when I really got to know Jesus. I think the person who helped me come to Christ the most was my 2nd grade teacher, Mrs. Soloff. Since I have accepted Christ I have found that even when life is hard, I always know that God is going to guide me through it.

I asked God to forgive me when I was 11 years old. I asked him to forgive me because I had done some things that were not the best idea, and I wanted to get back on the right path, change myself, and be better for myself and my family. I asked him to lead me and show me the right path so that I could improve, so I started attending church and reading the Bible. God to me, is the greatest power over us. He knows what we do and when we do it, but he never stops loving us. Sometimes, he might be a little bit disappointed, but he never stops loving us. He has changed my life for the better. I feel connected to Him when I attend church, read the Bible, or pray. I also feel like I have fewer worries in the world. I want to follow Jesus because I feel like I need Him in my life, and that if He is in my life, it will be a lot better. I will have something to look forward to when I wake up or when I go to sleep. The people who have helped me take this step are my Pastors and my parents. Being baptized means to me that I am making a promise to Jesus that I will be the best I can be and that I am giving my all to him. My life will be different because I will become more happy and I will know that someone is watching over me and loves me.

My parents have been taking me to church since I was born and when I was younger they told me about the Gospel message and I decided to follow Jesus. God is my creator and I know that he loves me. Throughout my life I have seen him provide for me. As a family we would place our prayer requests in a prayer box and pray over them together and God answered them all. I want to follow Jesus because he died on the cross, was buried, and rose on the third day to save me from my sins and give me eternal life.

When I get baptized I will be publicly declaring that I am a follower of Jesus Christ. Because I have placed my trust in Jesus I have the Holy Spirit living in me. Spending time with him helps me to grow in my walk with him and be filled with the fruit of the Spirit.

Before truly accepting Christ, I was a wayward son. I believed in God, but after being baptized as a baby, I thought I could live however I wanted. Over time, I lost friends, distanced from family, and fell deeper into sin. My life was empty without Christ.

On February 24, 2025, everything changed. In a quiet, thirty-minute prayer in my room, I surrendered my life to Jesus. I told him, “My life is Yours.” The first verse I read after that moment was Matthew 11:28-30 — a clear reminder that Jesus would carry my burdens and walk with me.

Since then, I’ve learned that this journey with God will include trials, but I won’t walk through them alone. Psalm 23:4 captures my heart perfectly: “Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil.” I no longer live in fear, exhaustion, or anxiety. I’m excited to be part of the Body of Christ and to live a life that brings others closer to him.

Special thanks to Pastor Daniel Small, Pastor Jorge Cruz, Pastor Jim, and my best friend Zakariah — thank you for walking with me and encouraging me in my faith.

I want to be baptized because I want to show that I am going to follow Jesus forever. In June 2024, I started going to Christ Community and I attended Camp Commotion where my faith and trust in God grew even stronger.

In November of 2024, in Epic, we were studying the book of Matthew and of Psalms and I fell in love with the verse Psalm 9:1, I will give thanks to the Lord, with all my heart, I will tell of all your marvelous works. We also studied Matthew 22:37 that says, Jesus replied, “ love the Lord, your God with all your heart with all your soul, and with all your mind.” These two verses opened my eyes to what it means to fully follow God and I knew right then I needed to be baptized.

I want to thank my Mom and Dad for helping me and bringing me to church to learn about God and also a big thanks to Kim and Nick for teaching me about God and for helping me on this path I have been on.

I am ready to get baptized to show everyone that Jesus is my Lord and Savior and I am following Him as a child of God. I know things can still be scary, but I know that God will always be there and will always protect me.

I started attending church at 5 years old with my family. As I grew up in the church, I attended Awana, youth group, bible studies, Christian camp, and volunteered in the children’s ministry. I accepted Christ as my Savior in 3rd grade at camp, but I never really changed how I lived my life.

Looking back, I never fully surrendered my life to Jesus. In college, I felt like I could do life on my own and didn’t need Jesus. But my life wasn’t going how I wanted it to and I never felt whole. There was always a feeling that something was missing. In December 2024, my best friend, Linh, asked me if we could go to church. We decided to go to Christ Community. I listened to Pastor Jim preach and felt so overwhelmed by the Holy Spirit each weekend service I attended. I realized I never fully put my trust in God and needed help to get my life back on track. I fully surrendered my life to Christ in January 2025.

After surrendering my life to Christ, I feel whole. I feel joy and peace that I have never felt before. Now I choose to rely on God and trust that what He has planned for me is even better than I could ever imagine.

When I was a baby, my parents dedicated me to Christ at Willow Creek Church. As our family grew, we relocated and began attending Christ Community Church, which remains our home church.

Reading the Action Bible daily has deepened my faith, teaching me about God through daily engagement with His truth. Jesus has blessed my family throughout my life, guiding me to grow closer to Him. I feel He is calling me to pursue baptism as the next step in strengthening my relationship with Him.

Additionally, A Latere Academy, which is a Christian homeschool education program at Christ Community Church, has been a blessing, with its supportive community and enriching teachings about God. I'm excited to continue my faith journey and share the gospel with others.

Before I trusted in Jesus, I was hanging out with the wrong people, who influenced me in the wrong way. When I was learning more about Jesus, I went to Refuge every Wednesday with my friends at Christ Community. I saw the things that Jesus has done for me, and realized he died for my sins. I prayed and still pray for Jesus to forgive me for my sins and for him to help guide me in my faith and take control of my life.

After putting my faith in Jesus, my life has changed greatly. I started becoming friends with the right group of people. Jesus has shown me signs that he is with me every step I take. I was struggling with a friend one time, and then I went to Refuge the same night. The lesson was exactly what I was struggling with my friend, which was trust. I have no doubt that it was Jesus telling me everything will be okay and he is with me.

The people in my life who have helped me take this big step in my life are my parents and my friends who I go to church with,Taylor, Elle, and Calleigh. Without them, I wouldn’t have gone to church to learn more about Jesus.

Philippians 4:6 says, “Don’t worry about anything, instead pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done”. This verse is important to me because it talks about praying to God about everything instead of worrying.

Before I gave my life to Christ, I didn’t necessarily think I was lost–I was just focused on other things. I believed in God, but He wasn’t at the center of my life. My priorities were mainly around school, soccer, relationships, and just trying to manage everything on my own.

Things started to change when I began having more honest conversations with some of my Christian teammates. I started going to our team Bible study sessions and learning more about Jesus. As I read more and continued those conversations, I began to realize that Jesus wasn’t just a part of life–He is life. I saw that Jesus was offering me grace, love, and fulfillment–not based on my performance or achievements, but on His sacrifice.

Since I surrendered to him, my life has changed for the better. I have a peace that doesn’t depend on my circumstances. I’ve seen God move in my life, in my relationships, and in how I view myself and others.

Hi, my name is Blake. I’m getting baptized today because Jesus is in my heart. “He is a good, good father.” I love to sing to Jesus and worship him with my arms raised up high. Jesus, in heaven, He is my savior and I want to praise the Lord always. “I’m gonna keep on runnin, keep on runnin, keep on running after God.”

I’m excited to get baptized and so nervous but I love Jesus with all my heart.

Even though me and my mom believed in Jesus already. One day, me and my mom decided to go to church, I grew stronger and put my trust in God! Sometimes I don’t say kind things to my family and I ask God to forgive me, I also ask God to lead me at church. God blessed me to have an amazing life. God is my King, Savior, Father and I put my trust in him. My mom and my aunt helped me take this next step in my life. I’m putting my old life behind me and getting a new life and putting all my trust in Jesus and following and becoming more like Christ every day! I don’t have fear, I know God is with me and I am saved!

John 14:6 is my favorite verse because Jesus says “ I am the way the truth and the life, No one comes to the father except through Me!”

I had always grown up in a Christian household and family with plenty of people to encourage me in my faith throughout my life. They baptized me as an infant and even brought me to church. However, I never truly thought deeper into my relationship with God. I knew that he was there and I knew what they said Jesus had done for me, but I very quickly realized once I got into high school how fragile my faith had been.

I found myself with the world I had built up in my head crashing down. That’s when I really begged God to help me. I knew that I hadn’t sought a real relationship with him or followed what he wanted, and it needed to change. With the help of my family, Ms. Jasy, and Ms. Jennie, I slowly started finding myself growing deeper in a relationship with God. For real this time.

I have now surrendered my life to Jesus and I can feel all the ways that he is working in my life. I’ve started reading my bible, volunteering at Cup O’ Joy, and praying more often and it’s brought me closer to Him than I could have ever imagined myself being. One of my favorite verses is “Under His wings you will find refuge” Psalm 91:4 and it was in God that I truly found my refuge and I know that no matter what I can always turn to him.

I was raised in the Catholic faith and church was a regular part of my life through college. In my time away from the church I maintained a strong connection and love for Jesus, albeit there was a brief period when I was mad at God and struggled with my relationship with him. After the birth of my daughter, Hunter (2012), we returned to the Catholic Church, regularly attending mass, and she received her baptism and holy communion. It was like pulling teeth to get to Sunday mass though.

During Covid we transferred her from public school to Harvest Christian Academy and I watched her love of Jesus blossom. Soon after we started attending Christ Community and a new life was breathed into us all. Today our family rarely misses Sunday services. We serve our community and have brought many friends and family along to hear the good news. Last year my father (80 years old) found Jesus and was baptized at his local church after attending a few Christ Community services when visiting us.

I never realized what I was missing in my earlier years. Now I know that I was missing almost everything there is to know, learn and love about Jesus. I have dived into the Bible and its teachings. I am alive with the Holy Spirit and blessed with his grace and love.

"Truly I tell you, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven" Matthew 18:3

Before I trusted in Jesus, my main focus in life was fitting into society. I focused on myself and did things that would only benefit me. I desperately wanted to fit in with those around me. As challenges arose, I often felt exhausted, frustrated, and alone dealing with them by myself. Then I went to college and met a lot of friends that put their faith in Jesus. I saw how Jesus was their focus and how everything else took a back seat. They trusted in Jesus fully and I saw and felt their happiness and joy with life. Even with challenges, they gave everything to Jesus and I knew I needed a savior like that in my life. I ordered my own Bible, went to FCA, and joined a Bible study group 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 timing are perfect and I do not have to worry (Psalms 27:14). I am stronger, happier, kinder, and a better person because I was led to know Jesus and will continue to grow and tell others the good news about Jesus. Jesus has brought so much joy in my life and has brought so much stillness in this busy life knowing he will always provide and be there for me.

I told God I needed Him in 2020, but when I prayed the sinner's prayer at Care Night in early 2024, my faith ignited. God is my Savior, Redeemer, Healer, Restorer, Rock, and Salvation. He has worked miracles, big and small to reveal His glory to me. I tried my own way long enough, I know that Jesus is the way, the truth, and the life; I must strive to follow him.

Thanks to: My friends John and Gina J., Dave and Gina M., and Sheri L., who demonstrate God’s love; Pastors Whitney and Jorge and the Care Night tech team as well as the men in Jeff Roberts’ group for support and fellowship; Pastor Dwight and Rose, and all the Primetimers for their friendship, prayers, and meaningful discussions; my Rooted brothers who did not run when I revealed my brokenness; Pastors Nikki and Brendan, as well as Noah, John, and everyone on the production and worship teams, where serving heals me, and is key to my restoration; all the weekend pastors for messages that consistently reach me; and last, but not least, the Holy Spirit, who manifested during Rooted and is now winning the battle against the pride of man.

Baptism means declaring publicly my commitment to follow Christ, which will challenge me, and require me to be more accountable. The Holy Spirit is changing me and I want my epitaph to be a three word excerpt from 1 John 4:10, “He loved us.” I expect to reflect that as I surrender more completely to God’s will.

I surrendered my life to the will and care of God in an alcohol treatment facility in October of 2019. One night, I wrote down all of the emotions and memories that I had been hanging on to for 50 years, put them inside a "higher power envelope" that another patient had given me, and prayed as hard as I had ever prayed in my life that God would take these things off of me. I woke up feeling lighter than I had ever felt in my life, and my faith journey had officially begun.

The most impactful thing since turning over all of my life to God is that I have experienced peace that was previously unimaginable. I want to follow Jesus because I recognize that he gave his life so that my sins will be forgiven and I am willing to follow him through his death and mine to live in eternity in the Kingdom of God.

The people that have influenced me are all of the pastors at CCC but especially Eric Ferris. I was fortunate enough to attend a Bible study at his home. He has been a big motivation for me to take this baptism step, but God has been the biggest motivation.

My life has already been different for the last five years since following Jesus. I know that his plan for my life will see itself through and by completely surrendering my life to him, I have lost myself as far as my goals, wishes, dreams etc. to let God guide me in the manner that he wants.

Before knowing Christ, I thought being a good person would get me to heaven. My life hasn't been easy, leaving an abusive relationship, choosing life for my daughter and having a chronic illness since I was 9 years old. I hit rock bottom when I almost allowed my abuser back into my life. I called my friend Gina, and she listened and invited me to her women’s bible study. I joined that evening and the following week attended Christ Community Church. That was almost 5 years ago.

I’m so grateful to Gina and my sister Danielle for always praying for me, being there to ask so many questions and always talking about Jesus with me that lead to where I am today. God put them in place, just like I know God gave me my daughter Brooklyn. He saved my life. I wanted to be slower to anger, forgive the people that have hurt me through the years, have more patience, and be the best mother I could be.

Since finding Christ, my King, my Savior, I can truly say my life has changed since attending church regularly, reading the Bible, attending Bible studies through the years and learning that I’m never alone. God loves us even in our trials and dark seasons. I want to continue to grow at Christ Community Church and get involved in serving at church and see where God continues to lead me. I turn to Psalms 46:1, “God is our refuge and strength, and ever-present help in trouble.”

Last year, I began attending Christ Communtity & actively started to realize I had been wrong in a lot of aspects within my life and needed change and asked God to forgive me. God is all-providing when it comes to healing, both emotionally and spiritually. I truly believe Jesus set the way for everyone to have eternal life & one truth, and it's up to us to keep
spreading the word.

I'd say my wife and I have helped each other by being consistent with attending church, and actively trying to make a change in our lives & our children's lives. Being baptized to me is a declaration of my intention to follow Jesus and embark on a new beginning. By putting my trust in Jesus, it will be a fresh start and allow me to apply his teachings in my life and spread the good news to others that may not be in the church yet.

I grew up in a Christian family with my parents always encouraging me to go to church. I enjoyed coming, but lacked a deep connection with others in the church and with God himself. As I got older I realized how important having a relationship with God was. It wasn’t until I went up to SBR through church that I felt a strong desire to be more active and involved within our church. I wanted to really get to know God and I wanted others to feel on fire for the Lord.

Around the last year of middle school is when I started attending student ministries and Wednesday nights. I was scared and went there knowing absolutely nobody my age. Now fast forward 2 years, I’m heavily involved in my youth group, I serve in Kidsworld on the weekends, I attend and serve at Silver Birch Ranch, and I have made so many new lifelong friends. If I would have never made that next step, I wouldn’t be here today, giving all the glory to God.

I would like to thank every single volunteer and pastor involved in student ministries, my family, as well as my peers who have challenged me to stay true to God. Trusting in God’s plan can be challenging, but it’s way easier when you surround yourself with people devoted to him.

I grew up in the church ever since I was a kid. I gave my life to Christ when I was around 8 years old and since then have been living for Christ. I’ve had my ups and downs through life but God has always been there for me as someone I can turn to and lean on.

Through every season, God has remained faithful. In times of joy, He’s been my strength. In times of struggle, He’s been my anchor. No matter what I’ve faced, I’ve always found a place of refuge in His presence. I'm blessed to have a strong Christian community around me — family and friends who have encouraged me, prayed for me, and held me accountable. Their love and support have continually pointed me back to Christ and reminded me of the calling He’s placed on my life.

I've realized it’s time to get baptized as it’s something that I’ve been needing to do for a while as I’m long overdue. It’s been tugging on my heart for a while and I thank my family and friends for pushing me to take the next steps!

God is perfect and he has given me a great life, even though I'm not perfect and don’t deserve it. 5 months ago my dad asked me to start going to church with him. I have decided to follow Jesus and ask him to help me make better choices. My dad, my mom, and my grandma Miller have helped me to get closer to Jesus. God has given me a great life, and I know that by following him I will become a better me also. I'm not perfect, but with him I'm getting better every day.

I asked God to forgive me about a year ago at church and every night I ask for forgiveness. God is my savior and he has led me to be the best version of myself. I want to follow Jesus because his way is the right way to live.

My mom has really helped me to grow closer to God along with my cousin, Ava, and my friend, Serena. Baptism means for me that I have publicly said "God is my Savior" and now I have a fresh start. I feel my life will be different now that I am baptized because I now feel even closer to God.

John 3:16 says "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life." This Bible verse is how I feel; by being baptized and putting my faith in him I will lead a good, happy and full life.

Before I truly began following Christ, I believed in Jesus and would turn to Him in times of need, but I didn’t consistently prioritize my relationship with Him.
Being in a different country without my family, I often felt alone and out of place. In the midst of that loneliness, I looked for a church to go to and it became a source of comfort and connection.
Now having a relationship with Jesus and the community at church I know I’m never alone. I’ve also joined the Rooted group and I’m blessed to be surrounded by so much love and an amazing group of women. I’m less anxious about the future and have peace knowing that God is in control and His plans are greater than mine.

Before I re-surrendered to Jesus, I was overwhelmed with anxiety, depression and I felt hopeless. I was trying to do it all on my own and I just felt more and more weighed down by life. I accepted Jesus as my savior when I was a teenager but as I got older I let the ways of the world consume me. I slowly pushed Jesus aside, along with my Bible.

My friend Nicole would often tell me about the peace and joy she felt since going to church, and over time, I watched her grow into a different person. I wanted that for myself, but I was afraid God wouldn’t want me back.

Last year, my 17-year-old son started attending church with his friends and I saw a transformation in him too. I made the commitment to take the entire family and we happened to attend the communion weekend. I broke down in tears and asked God to come back into my life.

In January, I joined Rooted, and I began to feel a deep connection with God. My leaders, Nicole (yes, the same friend!) and Kristi, were incredible. Many of us continued into a Community Group and I can’t wait to see how we grow together. I have so much peace and joy now that I have surrendered to Jesus.

I can’t believe I spent so many years feeling miserable. I am so thankful for God’s love, and like Romans 12:2 says, I truly feel transformed by renewing my mind.

Before I started coming to church, everyone’s opinion mattered so much to me. Then my friends Lucy and Savannah introduced me to Refuge. Refuge led me to creating an amazing relationship with God, and gave me something to look forward to. I learned so many messages here. I would say going to church and Refuge significantly changed my life. As I kept coming I realized it was time for my next step, getting baptized.

Growing up, my parents were Buddhist, while my grandparents were Christians. During the week, I learned Buddhist teachings, but Sundays were reserved for church, mainly to please my grandparents. My world was turned upside down in November 2007 when my grandfather passed away from stage 4 esophageal cancer. I was devastated and angry, questioning how God could take someone so devoted to helping others out of this world. This grief led to 18 years of anger, anxiety, depression, and even suicidal thoughts/attempts.

In November 2024, my grandmother passed away, leaving me feeling utterly broken once again. Soon after, I heard a clear, audible voice saying, “You need to go to church.” Shaken, I asked my best friend Ashley to come with me. We visited Christ Community Church in December 2024, and during worship, I felt God embracing me. I broke down in tears as I was overwhelmed by his love.

Though unsure of what to think afterward, I felt an inexplicable sense of home. I began reading the Bible daily, searching for answers. One afternoon, overwhelmed by God’s presence, I fell to my knees and surrendered my life to Jesus, accepting him as my Lord and Savior. Since then, my life has been filled with a profound peace and joy I never knew existed. I now long to live in obedience, honoring God’s kingdom, and sharing his love with others.

As a kid I was taken to church regularly and attended church events. I was a churchgoer, but I was still unaware of who Jesus was and his teachings while he was on earth. I thought Jesus was an urban legend and that he didn’t exist. This led me to become an atheist/agnostic.

Around senior year of high school I would marvel at the creation of the universe, order of the universe, consciousness, and other mysteries. I couldn’t find the answers except in God. This slowly led me back into the faith, only by logic. I would say I believed in Jesus, but I wouldn’t live in accordance with his teaching. I was ignorant to the truth. Then a friend at my job shared the gospel and what it means to be a follower of Christ with me. This led me to ask hard questions: Why do we believe? How are people so confident in Jesus’ existence? I researched historical documents from both Christian and non-Christian sources. They prove that Jesus did exist and get crucified, and people did see him alive after being crucified. This solidified my faith.

Another friend got me a Bible and opened it with me. They showed me how Jesus wants me to live, and how Jesus wants a relationship with us. Since then I have been given a passion to learn more about God and to grow close to Him. Jesus told us to get baptized in Matthew 28:19, and I would like to live in accordance with his word.

I was raised believing that Jesus is my Savior, the son of God who died and rose for my sins, but my family was not a “get up for the 9 am church service” family. But, after spending a week at Silver Birch Ranch and forming relationships with my cabin mates, I felt like I had found a sense of peace and belonging. I tearfully said to my youth pastor Josh Haight, “I have never been the church going type, but after this trip I want to be.” Josh had a conversation with me about faith and how to begin this journey.

Since then, God has truly shown up in my life. I began attending church after SBR, and then began serving in KidsWorld and on the Remix team. I spend my Wednesday nights at Refuge, and my summers in an SBR cabin, my favorite place in the world. I’m also working at Camp Commotion. These experiences have deepened my belief in a real and loving God who works in our lives every day. I love spreading the gospel and constantly learning more about my savior. I wouldn’t be here today if it weren't for the guidance of many friends and leaders like Josh Ross, Dan Cox, Don Li, Pastor Bryce, Pastor Makenzie, Coach, Harper, Drew, Kaily, Grace, James, David, and many more.

Publicly declaring my faith through baptism is living out the command Jesus gave in Matthew 28:19-20. Jesus has changed my life, and there’s no doubt in my mind that a loving and caring God is working on my behalf every day.

I grew up in a Christian home and because of my parents and church, I knew about Jesus since I was 2 years old. Even though my parents were already living for Jesus, I knew I needed to make my own decision to follow Him, so one night laying in bed in Texas, I asked Jesus to forgive my sins and become the Lord of my life. Now, I want to live for Him and tell others the good news so they can have eternal life in Heaven with me too and be forgiven of their sins too. My favorite verse right now is Psalm 40:5 (Many, Lord my God, are the wonders you have done, the things you planned for us. None can compare with you; were I to speak and tell of your deeds, they would be too many to declare.) because it reminds me of all of the good things God has for me.

Before I truly trusted in Jesus, there was more emptiness, more despair, more anxiety. Giving yourself to Jesus relieves many emotional and physical maladies. Having faith in Jesus has a way of setting you free.

My daughter came home from her Christian school one day and asked my wife and me about attending church, so we started attending CCC. I thought I was really becoming close to Jesus and the church in the past couple of years but then, I got cancer. I truly started searching my soul, I opened my heart and asked him to enter and that’s when it happened. Even though I was facing a huge uphill battle with cancer, I found peace. The more I prayed, the more others prayed for me, the more I felt connected.

Since Jesus has entered my life, I am closer to my daughter and my wife Christie, and we are a better family. My wife has been so patient with me; it took me 57 years and she never made me feel bad about my journey. Perhaps she knew I’d figure out that I am not the driver of my life, instead Jesus is. Battling cancer was extraordinarily difficult, and I couldn’t have done it without the strength that my faith provided.

I look at the crucifix tattooed on my arm with John 3:16 inscribed next to it, and I remember, “For God so loved the word that he gave his one and only son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.” I am not alone in life, or in death.

I don't really remember the first time my parents told me the Gospel message because I was quite young. Although I don't remember the exact day, I do remember putting my trust in Jesus at a young age. I see God as my creator and provider. I have decided to follow Jesus because of what he did for me–he loves me and made the ultimate sacrifice by giving his life just for me.

My parents, Natalya and Joshua, are the main reason I am where I am in my faith journey today. The reason I am getting baptized is because Jesus did it and I want to follow in his footsteps. Also, because I owe it all to him for what he did for me–paying the price on the cross for my sins. Since I've decided to become a follower of Jesus the fruit of my life is different. I stand firm in my decision to abide in Christ daily so that I can produce good fruit in order to be a light and lead other people to Jesus.

Before I put my faith in Jesus, I was following the world. I cared only about a job, money, proving myself to others and being better as an individual. It had affected me to where I was irritated with others, myself, and with the world. Anger would come around occasionally, I felt like I was not doing enough and I sought others' approval.

I knew of Jesus when I was a kid from my grandpa before I went after my own life, but what got me back into having faith and surrendering to Jesus was Michelle Honz from work because she talked to me about Jesus when I thought about following Jesus. Others who helped me make the decision are Emilio Gonzalez Jr and Colin.

After making the choice to follow Jesus, I’m more at peace with myself, and I’ve started to see things in a good light within the world God has created. I’m not worried or scared by life. I’m content with what I have and want to share Jesus with others. I know there’s still a long way to go in my life but I’m comfortable with it. Matthew 24:13 says, “But the one who endures to the end will be saved.” And Matthew 28:20 says “And know that I am with you always, to the end of the age.” These verses give me hope and the desire to keep moving forward with Jesus.

Despite growing up in a Christian home, I fell away from God's Word in my senior year of highschool. He followed me through college and into my second relationship, around when I dropped out to work in tech. The Lord began to work on my girlfriend (now wife), transforming her into a woman of God. In 2023, the Lord took away our jobs and took a year to bring us closer to Him. I've been led to rely entirely on Him, renouncing my pride and my strength.

Now, though I'm still searching for work, my wife and I are enjoying a relationship with Him. We've seen Him transform each other and even our friends.

I always had faith in my “own way” outside of church. My daughter became interested in Bible study with her friends and started to attend youth group as well. Through her journey, I realized I didn’t really have a path to Jesus without church and I needed the weekly messages of the services.

Attending services regularly with my daughter this winter/spring made me realize I was where I was supposed to be. The messages speak to me. Watching the baptisms a few months ago made me emotional, and I knew I was ready to feel that connection through my proclamation of faith and trust in Jesus.

Now that my relationship with Jesus involves weekly church services and daily devotional readings, I feel that it is so much deeper. I make it a priority to attend services and open the Bible because I’m called to it, and I feel full of love as a result. I want to be in the Bible and keep that love with me every day.

I’ve grown up going to church, but it wasn’t until middle school that I started to realize that God’s way is better than mine. I now realize that following Jesus is more about the relationship, not rules. I also started going to SBR, and it opened my eyes in so many new ways and helped me want to fully trust God with my life. I don’t want to just know about God, I want to know God deeply and build my relationship with him. It feels like baptism is my next step in my walk with Jesus, and I want others to know God too.

I was raised as a child to believe in Jesus Christ. My relationship with Jesus became distant as I let doubt and the influence of others change what I knew to be true. As I grew into my teens then 20's and now into my 30's, my life was a mess. I carried the attitude of "I can take care of it myself." I had no direction, things I experienced as a kid haunted me and my life began to spiral. I couldn’t see it at the time, but looking back, the foundation I had built my life on was so unstable. I consistently felt the urge to return to church. I attended a service at Christ Community Church in the fall of 2024 and my life has forever been changed.

All of my doubt and shame has been turned into joy and purpose. I’ve received so much support from my husband. Attending Rooted and ReEngage has impacted my life for the better. My life in Jesus has been restored! I will pursue him and speak of his goodness all of my days!

Before I knew Christ, I didn’t have a clear purpose. I cared about sports and friends, but nothing really pushed me to grow. I struggled with resentment and felt distant from God. Arguments at home left me feeling hopeless, and I had no real direction or strength in my faith.

What led me to surrender my life to Christ started with Jake, my counselor at SBR. He showed me what it looks like to be a man of God. Then, through House Group, I was surrounded by mentors like Emily and Jeff, Mike, and Pastor Pete along with friends who encouraged me. That strong foundation helped me choose Christ in college, where I stood firm in my faith. I eventually knew I wanted to be baptized at Christ Community.

Now that I have a relationship with Christ, I no longer feel without purpose. I see the gifts God’s given me and want to use them to lead others to Him. I’m more patient, less discouraged, and trust God with my struggles. He’s helped me become a spiritual leader and surround myself with people who strengthen my faith. I have deeper relationships, and I’m more intentional in shaping my choices to reflect Christ.

One verse I love is Ecclesiastes 3:12: “I know that there is nothing better for people than to be happy and to do good while they live.” That reminds me to live each day with joy and purpose, walking as a follower of Christ.

As a child, I knew of Jesus. He was always there, but I never explored faith. Shortly after the pandemic we started attending Christ Community Church and it turned out many of my friends went there as well. Church became a priority and my Grandma Cindy would offer to bring me each week.

Baptism for me has been in the works for over a year now. It has been a long time coming and the time has finally come! I remember on a random Sunday, in a random service and in a random prayer I gave myself to the Lord. I felt a connection between me and the Lord. I knew baptism was the next step. Specifically, my great aunt and Godmother Penny encouraged me by leading and promoting prayer.

Since I gave my life to Christ, I am a much more faithful person. A Bible verse that stuck with me is Psalms 46:5 “God is within her, she will not fail.” This verse became the most meaningful after I surrendered because I became more reliant on the Lord.

Prior to and post my baptism I will make Bible study regular and continue attending church. I express gratitude and appreciation for Christ Community Church, my Godparents (Joel, Allison and Penny) and my grandparents (Ken, Thelma and Cindy) for supporting this big step. Finally, thanks to my mom and dad for everything they have done for me on my path to Christ.

I started going to Christ Community when I was about 5 years old. Since then, I have been attending church every week. Growing up, I never understood the true importance of it, and I only went because I was forced to go.

However, during middle school, I began to understand the importance of attending church. I attended the Refuge every Wednesday, as well as the Sunday service. In contrast to before, I started to enjoy going to church every week, especially on Wednesday nights. In my 7th-grade year, I attended SBR, and it was great. The feeling of being so close to God every day was amazing, and it was during the afternoon chapel service when I really felt his presence; that’s when I made the decision to surrender to Christ.

Now, after pushing it off, I have decided to get baptized. I am extremely grateful for the people who have encouraged me to follow Jesus, especially my parents and my youth group leader, Scott. Moving forward, I will take the next steps to get more involved with the church. Embracing Jesus' empowerment in my life guarantees that he will stand with me through every challenge that lies ahead.

I’ve been a Christ follower my whole life, I was born into it and that’s all I ever knew. I never really had a chance to really think about my own relationship with God. But then, after my first year of Silver Birch Ranch, I knew that I wanted to be a person who could rely and trust in Jesus. I wanted to be able to share with people the impact Jesus has on our lives.

I’ve been trying to keep that relationship strong, saying I’ll get baptized whenever it came up in service. But something has been pulling me away or excuses came up, such as “I’m not ready” or “we’ll be too busy that weekend.” Despite all of the opportunities, I never was fully ready to give my life to Christ. Even if I knew I could trust in him and he would be able to forgive me, I always felt stopped or got nervous like I would let him down after I was baptized.

Now I’ve come to figure out that since I surrendered my life to Christ, everything has fallen in order because he is my Savior. Proverbs 3:5 says, “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not in your own understanding”. This verse gives me the comfort that God knows all and knows what’s best for me and what path he wants me to take in life. Being baptized and surrendering my life to Christ is the path I want to take. I want God to lead me because I know the Lord will provide.

I grew up in church but often felt disconnected from the deeper meaning of faith. I never stopped believing, but I didn’t fully grasp what a relationship with Jesus could truly offer. Still, even in my wandering, God gently kept drawing me back, reminding me He was always there.

When my husband and I were expecting our first child, we knew we wanted to raise our family with a strong foundation in faith, love, and purpose. But we weren’t sure where to begin. Then, in a way only God could arrange, I met a pastor at my gym. That simple connection led us to a new church community where everything finally clicked—the messages, the people, the presence of God.

Two years ago, my husband was baptized. I celebrated with him, but I held back—afraid of being submerged in water. But today, I’m ready. I want my children to see that faith isn’t just something we talk about—it’s something we live. I want them to know that even when we’re uncertain or afraid, God is faithful.

God is the leader of my life, He has saved me and forgiven me for my sins. He has blessed me with the ability to achieve so much in my swimming career. I became interested in baptism after my sister Grace was baptized, and when my mom and dad started talking more about baptism as well.

I want to follow Jesus because I feel that I am a better person when I go to Refuge and Sunday services regularly. To me, baptism means surrendering my life to Jesus and allowing him to have full control of my life. Because I have put my trust in Jesus, I have been a happier person, and have been more patient with people.