November 17, 2009
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Balloons fall as the worship team plays.
Pastor Jonathan Herron at a tailgating tent.
They called it Baptismapalooza. On November 15, Colwood UB (Caro, Mich.) baptized 40 people. And since baptism is a big deal–you’re publicly identifying with Christ–the church made it a very big deal.
Like the tailgating party. Pastor Jonathan Herron mentioned how we get excited about football and basketball games. Shouldn’t we get just as excited about somebody who gets raised from the dead? Maybe do tailgating for Jesus, too?
But that’s as far as he took it. The church office did nothing further–just planted the idea. What resulted was purely a grassroots thing. People arrived Saturday night to put up campers and tents. And all Sunday morning, out in the church parking lot, people were serving up food, including a truckload of bacon.
A powerful sound system was erected, too. Hunters three miles away said they could hear the music. Somebody even created a Facebook page just for the event. All grassroots-driven. People took the idea and ran with it. Ran far.
“Do the Oreo” appeared on signs and t-shirts made just for the event. That was a way Pastor Herron illustrated baptism–we dunk, immerse, Oreo cookies in milk. As opposed to just sprinkling on some milk. During the sermon series which led up to Baptismapalooza, he told how, as a Presbyterian preacher’s kid, he was sprinkled as an infant. But in 2005, he realized that baptism was supposed to be for believers. Infant baptism may be memorable and significant for the parents, but not for the infant. So, as a pastor, he was immersed before his own congregation.
Jonathan Herron prepared to baptize Clara, age 88.
His story resonated with some other people at Colwood. Like Clara, age 88. She was among the 40 believers who were baptized that day. “When an 88-year-old gets baptized, you better believe everyone was crying,” Pastor Herron says.
Baptismapalooza was designed as an outreach event, something you bring friends and relatives to. “We want to blow away the expectations of the unchurched and dechurched,” Pastor Herron says. “We wanted them to come to a party atmosphere.” Balloons dropped while the worship team played. Everyone who came received a printed invitation to the next outreach event, during the Christmas season. And when people come to that event, they’ll receive information about the next event, so that each outreach event builds on the next.
Ten people were baptized during the 9:45 service, with 287 people watching. The other 30 were baptized during the 11:15 service in front of 575 people. They videotaped testimonies of every person and edited them down. Show a video testimony, baptize that person. Show another video, baptize. There was no need for any other sermon that day.
Amber Herron, Jonathan’s wife, wrote on her blog, “I was so encouraged to see people have the same level of enthusiasm for lives changed by Jesus as they have for a favorite sports team….Not only were there tailgaters galore, but people brought cow bells and bull horns to cheer on those getting baptized. Totally unforgettable!”
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Junior high and senior high students from UB churches are invited to attend WinterSlam 2010, a winter retreat in the mountains of western Pennsylvania, near Pittsburgh. This annual retreat has existed for the past 20 years.
Stuart Johns has been named senior pastor of Idaville UB (Idaville, Pa.) effective November 1. He and his wife, Judy, moved from Marietta, Calif. Stuart is currently an ordained minister with another church. He spent ten years, 1995-2005, as a Child Evangelism Fellowship director. Most recently, he was Director of Development Systems for Every Generation Ministries.