Dear Rose Park,
As many of you know, I was on the swim team at Hope College. I swam with our very own Aaron & Anna Welsch and we swam just a few years after our own Jake Taber (who is the current head coach). I spent hundreds of hours at the Dow Center pool over my college years and couldn’t even begin to count how many yards I swam. But this past week, I saw something occur at the Dow that I’ve never seen before.
I went to the Dow pool on Thursday over my lunch break to swim. I’m currently training for Ironman Madison in September and needed to get in a quick workout. The pool deck was empty except for the lifeguard. I was almost done swimming when I noticed an enormous group of students arrive on the deck. I was still swimming laps so I couldn’t hear what they were saying and didn’t necessarily notice what they were doing. The group was growing in size; it had to have been near 70 or so. As I did another turn I noticed one student and what appeared to be an adult get into the water. I finally finished my set and stopped at the wall when I heard, “I baptize you in the name of the Father, Son, & Holy Spirit. Amen.”
I then remembered, Hope College was hosting a Christ In Youth (CIY) camp. This student was so moved by what he heard and experienced in the good news of the Gospel, he had to be baptized that very day in the Dow Center pool. When this student came up from the water his friends, community, and even a local pastor who happened to be swimming were cheering and clapping to affirm his decision in pursuing Jesus. The logistics of the baptism don’t necessarily jive with our reformed theological tradition, but the truth still remains: the Gospel of Jesus is alive and well, it is still changing lives, and the community of God continues to build up and support one another in righteousness.
I was blessed to witness this baptism. I was blessed in the reminder that ministry can not only occur and thrive but it can also be supported across denominational and theological lines. If we only desire to do ministry and advance the Gospel with people who look and think exactly like us, our community will never grow and it will never imitate the Kingdom of God.
So, to the young man who was baptized in the Dow Center pool last Thursday over lunch: praise be to God for His love and claim on your life. May you continue to grow in righteousness as a part of your faith community so that others might be blessed and the glory of Jesus proclaimed everywhere you go.
Grace & Peace,
