141 Baptized at Cocoa Beach in special ceremony

COCOA BEACH (FBW)—More than 1,000 people showed up at Cocoa Beach as First Baptist Church in Orlando, in a special ceremony, baptized 141 people clad in special blue shirts featuring the church's logo.

Sixteen of those baptized in the Atlantic Ocean May 20 were children. In all, 15 pastors participated in the event, which included a time of singing beforehand and ended with an emotional rendition of "Amazing Grace."

Among those baptized was Ken Chalk, who said the day was memorable.

"[It's] a day I will never forget. When I came out of the water, I felt absolutely great," said the 64-year-old who had been attending First Orlando on and off for about 10 years.

For Chalk, the baptism capped a life-changing period of his life.

"I always went to church, but never gave my life to the Lord. But when my fiancée, Lisa, died three weeks ago, I knew it was time to turn my life around," Chalk said.

Which he did. And when he discovered that First Orlando would be having outdoor baptisms, Chalk said he knew he had to be a part of it. After all, he had recently given his life to Christ; it was now time to take the next step. The fact that the baptism was at the beach was an added bonus.

"Lisa always loved the beach," Chalk recalled. "It made me feel closer to her. It was a wonderful experience. I felt like a brand new person. I had a lot of peace."

This was the second year of beach baptisms and the numbers showed a significant spike in both participants and attendees. In the initial Oct. 8, 2006, event, about 150 people showed up to witness 38 total baptisms. That ceremony was a follow-up to a May 21, 2006, baptism event at Walt Disney World.

Outdoor baptisms are relatively new to First Baptist Orlando, but not to Pastor Uth, who conducted them at his former church, First Baptist Church in West Monroe, La.

With the success of the Cocoa Beach baptism celebration, Pastor Uth said he would like to see the ceremony become a yearly tradition.

"Baptism is a special event in the lives of all believers, and here at First Orlando, we want to honor and celebrate that event," Uth said.

Randall James, one of First Baptist Orlando's associate pastors, said outdoor baptisms are not only meaningful in the lives of believers, but they also send a very important message.

"An outdoor baptism is a tremendous way to bring attention to the importance of baptism," James said. "Sometimes when we do it at church, it becomes a matter-of-fact activity. Doing it outdoors is a great witness."

More than anything, however, Pastor James said, outdoor baptisms minister to all who attend. They are "a wonderful worship opportunity," he concluded.