It was a beautiful, sunny Sunday afternoon on a busy holiday weekend down at Kailua Beach. It was easy to feel the excitement in the air and to see the hustle and bustle of all the families gathering for a day of fun at the beach! Walking toward the pavilion you could see the balloons swaying, the bouncer set up for the kids to jump in, a potluck meal getting set up, the registration table and all the smiling faces of the volunteers. From the looks of it, this was going to be a party….a real celebration! It was obvious that this was no ordinary day at the beach. This was a very special day for many people from both New Hope Windward (NHW) and New Hope Kailua (NHK).
If you’re wondering what the celebration was all about…..that’s easy! This was the day that 37 people (30 from NHW and 7 from NHK) were going to be water baptized. God commands every Christian to be water baptized and as Pastor Dave explains, “Water Baptism is so important to God that Jesus himself was baptized.” This day was definitely a celebration for those people making a public statement of love and commitment to Christ.
Once all the participants were registered, they all gathered to listen to a brief explanation of the Baptism and then the group was lead down to the ocean shoreline. With the waves gently splashing, each person was prayed for and then submersed under the water. Cheers and joyful shouts were the only sounds heard as these 35 people displayed that they belong to the family of Christ. This act symbolizes dying of the old self and a rebirth to the new self in Christ Jesus.
Once the photo was taken and the lei dispersed, the celebration started with good food, shave ice, worship music, and volleyball games. The kids ran around playing, families and friends were laughing and enjoying each others company and God was rejoicing because the church family is growing!
Congratulations to each one of you!
