Pastor’s father one of 44 baptized

Courtesy photo

Brooks Braswell (l), pastor of First Baptist Church in Umatilla, baptizes his father, Bobby Braswell.

UMATILLA (FBW)—As the church experiences a surge in attendance, First Baptist Church in Umatilla’s pastor Brooks Braswell baptized 44 in nearby Lake Pearl April 20. Numbered among the newly immersed believers was the pastor’s father, Bobby.

After only four months in Umatilla, 28-year-old Brooks Braswell has already accomplished one of the goals for his first pastorate— seeing his father come to Christ.

“When I was talking with the search committee, I told them that God may send me here just to see my dad baptized,” Braswell said. “Obviously He had more than that in mind.”

The young pastor grew up in the close-by Dona Vista community and graduated from Eustis High School. He returned to Lake County with his family in December from Geneva, Ala., where he was student pastor at First Baptist Church while attending Baptist College of Florida in Graceville. To encourage his son in his new pastorate, Bobby Braswell often attended First Baptist in Umatilla.

A few weeks ago the elder Braswell went to the altar during the invitation, then abruptly turned and left through the back door. According to Brooks Braswell, his father made it to his car in the parking lot before retracing his steps into the church as the congregation sang “Amazing Grace, My Chains are Gone” one more time.

“He bee-lined it from the back of the church and buried his head in my shoulder,” the pastor said.

Bobby Braswell’s profession of faith followed a tumultuous 18 months that began when the 53-year-old and his wife divorced after he “had a relationship outside his marriage,” Brooks Braswell said. After the older man “hit rock bottom,” Braswell said he told his father, “Life is tough and you need to give your life to Jesus.”

“He is a great man, but he just didn’t know Jesus,” Braswell said.

On the day of his baptism, Brooks Braswell said his father told the 300 gathered on the lake shore of a ten-year-old recurring dream he’d had. In his dream he was an old man with white hair who had lived a “miserable life,” but he came to Jesus while his son was preaching. Braswell said his father added, “I’m glad that I didn’t have to wait to be old and gray for this.”

Bobby Braswell is one of 70 whom Brooks Braswell has baptized since January 1, and 12 more new believers are awaiting baptism in May. First Baptist Church attendance has doubled in that time to 550, after the church split about a year ago. Previous to his coming, church services rarely included invitations, Braswell said.

“I told the church when I came that as long as I am preaching, there will be invitations in every service,” he said.

The church is in the north of rural Lake County and news of its explosive growth has spread throughout the area. It has created “a lot of excitement in little ol’ Umatilla,” Braswell said. He said more than 1,000 have visited the church in four months as he has continued the evangelistic thrust that began with his first sermon as pastor, “Salvation: What is Your Story?”

Although he says he feels a little like Joshua who was “called to lead God’s people to the Promised Land,” he takes no credit for the church’s turnaround, as God has “restored what was broken.”

“I attribute all of this to the Lord. It is by His power alone. I am just learning to be surrendered to Him,” Braswell said. “God is doing a work here, and I just keep smiling.”