By Brian Blackwell, Message Staff Writer
COVINGTON – Christy Newell had experienced many high points in life as a young adult – getting married, having a child, accepting Christ and serving in a ministry at her church.
Still, something was missing – publicly declaring her faith in Christ through believer’s baptism.
Her husband encouraged her to join him in being obedient by taking this next step.
Standing beside her husband in the waters and their daughter watching nearby, Newell was baptized Sept. 4.
“Getting baptized that Sunday in the river with my husband was an incredible feeling,” she said. “The whole day unfolded just as it should. It was just the two of us with our little girl and she was so proud. She wanted to take our picture and she cheered from the river bank. Since that day I can feel Jesus working for the good in our marriage.”
Newell and her husband were among 77 baptized on the banks of the Bogue Falaya River in Covington.
Nearly 400 people were present to witness the baptisms.
When the day was over, the church had set its all-time record for baptisms in one year, with 159.
But as exciting as it was to baptize 77 people, Pastor Waylon Bailey said his congregation was even more elated about the changed lives.
“It was a great experience to have a lot of people on the shoreline watching and cheering as each person came out of the water,” Bailey said. “We have a lot of people who want to be baptized and they see it exactly as it is, taking a stand for Christ. They love the authentic nature of the river baptisms and I think that’s why we have such a great response each year.”
Evangelism, discipleship result in record Baptisms
Bailey credits the record number of baptisms to the church’s emphasis on discipleship and evangelism.
Currently, 1,400 people attend Sunday morning classes, creating a need for three different hours for Bible study. Such growth has spurred the need for construction of extra space to reach its community for generations to come.
Renee Strickland (left) smiles as she congratulates her son, Harris, on being baptized Sept. 4. He was one of 77 baptized during a special service in the Bogue Falaya River in Covington.
The new Bible study space will open by August 2017. A worship center seating 2,400 will be completed in mid-2018, nearly doubling its current capacity of 1,250.
When the congregation moved to its current location in 2001, Sunday school attendance averaged around 800.
After much prayer, they implemented a Sunday school model that emphasized starting new class units on a regular basis, identifying and training new Bible study leaders.
They also created new leadership structures within the classes.
First Covington also placed a premium on outreach efforts, including door-to-door evangelism, Upward sports, special needs classes, Celebrate Recovery and Vacation Bible School. Each of these ministries draws a large number of guests First Covington had not reached before.
“People we come in contact with have real needs and we try to connect them with ministries that hopefully will one day lead them to a relationship with Christ,” Bailey said. “When you are meeting their physical and emotional needs, they have a tremendous openness to the Gospel because they recognize the love of Him through us.”
CHRIST-LIKE LOVE
That Christ-like love is what drew Buddy Fetter to the church 40 years ago. He was one of those baptized Sept. 4.
Fetter chose to finally take that step when his grandson accepted Christ during Vacation Bible School and thus wanted his grandson to participate with him.
“It was an event that he will remember and I will remember the rest of our lives,” he said. “It felt like a new beginning.”
Now the event has concluded, the leadership of First Covington has the task of assimilating each newly baptized believer into a discipleship class.
This can include a new member’s class and other small groups for adults and a new believer’s class for children.
The church’s goal, according to Associate Pastor Jay Johnston, is to walk alongside each person who was baptized and help them as they begin this new journey in their Christian faith.
“They begin sharing their faith in Christ with family and friends, and we often meet those they are sharing with because they bring them to Bible Study and worship,” Johnston said. “They get the biblical truth that they are commissioned by God to be a disciple-maker.”
