August 4, 2024 Baptism Sunday

Sunday, August 4, 2024, was a Baptism Sunday at Wildwood Community Church! These Sundays are great celebrations of God’s work in the lives of people in our congregation. We spent the morning worshipping God, hearing testimonies of how He has worked, and celebrating the water baptism of 22 people! See the graphic below for who was baptized in which service. You will also find video from each service to watch or share.

Our next Baptism Sunday will be November 24. If you are interested in being baptized or have questions about baptism, please click here.

To watch online use YouTube:

8:30 Baptisms:

Video here when available.

9:45 Entire Service:

Video goes live at 9:45 am at this link.

11:00 Baptisms:

Video here when available.

March 10, 2024 Baptism Sunday

Sunday, March 10, 2024, was a Baptism Sunday at Wildwood Community Church! These Sundays are great celebrations of God’s work in the lives of people in our congregation. We spent the morning worshipping God, hearing testimonies of how He has worked, and celebrating the water baptism of 17 people! See the graphic below for who was baptized in which service. You will also find video from each service to watch or share.

Our next Baptism Sunday will be August 4. If you are interested in being baptized or have questions about baptism, please click here.

To watch online use YouTube:

8:30 Baptisms:

9:45 Entire Service:

11:00 Baptisms:

March 2024 Baptism Sunday Preview

If you have attended Wildwood over the past 5 Sundays, you may have noticed a difference in the way we have ended our worship services. As a benediction (send off with a blessing) to our services we have stood together and recited the Great Commission of Matthew 28:19-20. We started doing this during our “Task Unfinished” missions emphasis week, so you probably thought it made some sense. But why have we continued it for a few weeks after?

Well, reciting this verse together is very intentional. It is no accident. It is our reminder that we have been commissioned, not just collected by Jesus. It is our declaration that we are a part of a movement of God into the future, not just a museum commemorating the past. As we end our worship services each week, we are not ending our relationship with God “until we meet again.” No, we are continuing to follow Jesus and live for His glory as we walk into the world on mission with Christ. The Church is the Body of Christ … and that Body does not just live in buildings or “sanctuaries.” Stating this together reminds us of this.

This Sunday at Wildwood is a Baptism Sunday. Three times a year, we take a Sunday to hear the stories and witness the water baptisms of our people. Each person being baptized has already been saved by the grace of God, but their water baptism is simply a celebration of what God has done in their lives. It is also a response to the command of Jesus to His followers in the Great Commission. We are to “go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit…” As people begin to follow Jesus, we are to baptize them! And on Sunday, we will do just that. 17 people will be baptized across our 3 morning services (8:30, 9:45, 11:00). As is our custom on Baptism Sunday, we will not have any of our children, student, college, or adult classes meeting, but we will be “all in” the worship services to worship together. Hope to see you Sunday … and bring friends!

Is Baptism for me?

Is baptism for you? This was one of the questions I asked as a part of part 3 of our “Whys of Worship” series at Wildwood this past Sunday (watch online here). I tried to answer that question by surveying the New Testament. In summary asked:

Have you repented of sin and are trusting in Christ as Savior? It begins there! In the heart!
If you are trusting in Jesus, then have you been baptized since placing your faith in Christ? Since we saw in Scripture baptism followed belief, we promote that same pattern today.

Now, I am guessing that some of you who were with us last Sunday or watched the sermon online were challenged by the Scripture (and the Holy Spirit) to consider baptism, but are hesitant to take the next step. This might be for several reasons. You might think:

“I was baptized as an infant (so obviously before trusting in Christ), but don’t want to do anything to dishonor the gift my parents gave me of raising me in a church with a desire to know Jesus.” If this describes you, I totally understand! I really do. I was there! My parents had me baptized according to the teaching and tradition of the church they attended when I was born. I not only was baptized there, I was confirmed as a church member in that congregation about a dozen years later, and ultimately trusted Jesus as my Savior in the basement of that church during a youth event on Easter Sunday 1990. I am forever thankful for the spiritual investment that church and my parents provided for me during my formative years, and thank God for them and that church daily. That said, when (after studying the relevant Scripture passages) my conviction regarding baptism shifted to the “believe and then be baptized” understanding, I knew I needed to obey my understanding of Jesus’ call and be baptized. So I reached out to my parents and thanked them for their spiritual investment in my life, but also shared with them my desire to be baptized based on my understanding of Scripture. If this experience connects for you, I would consider praying about talking with your parents or family about your shifting understanding of what the Bible teaches regarding baptism, and then be baptized.

“I am an adult. Most of the time I see baptism experienced by young people – children or students. I guess I missed my chance!” If this describes you, I totally get it. The majority of baptisms are from young people … but you know why? Because “all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” All enter this world in need of trusting in Christ, so young people are the largest demographic of people in the world in need of the Gospel. By God’s grace, many young people place their faith in Christ and are baptized. But this doesn’t mean that only children and students are baptized! At Wildwood over the years it has been our privilege to celebrate baptism with both men AND women, young AND old. Don’t let your age stop you from following Jesus into baptism.

“I have been following Jesus for decades. Wouldn’t it be confusing to be baptized so long since trusting in Christ?” If this describes you, I also get you. It might seem strange … but really it isn’t. As a matter of fact, part of the reason we give people the chance to share their testimonies (via video) before their baptisms is to clarify their spiritual story … both how they came to faith in Christ AND why they are being baptized. We do not believe the water of baptism saves anyone … only Jesus can save, and that at the moment of belief. So baptism is a celebration of salvation, not the creation of salvation … and it is never too late to celebrate what God has done. There is also a chance in the testimony to honor any who God used to lead you to faith in Him – including parents, mentors, disciplers, etc. So, you can help clarify your reasons for being baptized to clear up any confusion that some might have.

“I am a new believer and my parents and friends don’t know Christ. Two questions … 1) shouldn’t I wait until I know everything about God and have ‘cleaned up my life’ to be baptized? … and 2) my family and friends might react poorly to me doing something so religious?” If this is you, I can understand your hesitance. However, Jesus came for us “while we were still sinners” and we are saved “by grace through faith” … “not our works”- so baptism is appropriate for all who are trusting in Jesus as soon as you are able after coming to faith in Christ. And, as for your family and friends, perhaps your baptism will be a catalyst for you to share Christ with those who don’t know Him in your extended network.

So, what’s next? If you are interested in being baptized or have more questions about baptism, go to wildwoodchurch.org/baptism and fill out the form. We will follow up. Also make plans to attend our next baptism class. We actually have those classes this Sunday, January 28, 2024 at Wildwood – at 11AM in the Lodge room of the Children’s Building for those under 12 and at noon in Room 2 for those aged – middle school, high schoool, college, or adults.

Our next baptism services are March 10, 2024, and we would love to have you be a part of it. Follow the process above to be included in this special day!

Whys of Worship (part 3) Sermon Preview

I want to take you back to an event from the distant past … 450AD to be precise. And I want to take you to a place far away … Cashel Rock in Ireland. And, I want to introduce you to a famous person from that era and location – Patrick (yes, THAT Patrick … Saint Patrick!)

There is a story told of Patrick, a missionary to Ireland from his home country of Britain, regarding a very peculiar baptism ceremony he led for King Aengus of Ireland in 450AD. Apparently the King had heard of Patrick’s activities in Ireland and had Patrick personally brought to him at his home in Cashel Rock. Upon arrival, Patrick spent many days preaching the good news of the Gospel to King Aengus, leading to his ultimate conversion to Christianity.

After placing his faith in Christ, the King’s next step was to be baptized, so arrangements were made for an elaborate (and most likely influential) baptism ceremony for the King. Rather than having the baptism occur in front of only a few people in a forest stream, the King wanted his kingdom to know of his new allegiance, so he had his servant build a baptistry inside the palace and all the area’s finest were invited to the worship gathering.

On the day of the ceremony, the King’s friends gathered at the palace around a beautifully and newly dug pool, filled with water and ready for the immersion of the King in Jesus’ name. Before the baptism, Patrick took the opportunity to preach a powerful sermon pointing all in attendance to faith in Christ for the forgiveness of their sins … and Patrick’s colleague Finnean mac Eoran records that many heads were nodding and leaning in as the Gospel was shared. After the sermon, and after asking the King if he had truly placed his trust in Jesus Christ, Patrick went to pray, and all bowed their heads.

While Patrick prayed, he lifted high above his head his staff pronouncing a blessing over the King and all who would trust in Christ. Halfway through his prayer of blessing, Patrick brought his staff down forcefully, striking the ground. When Patrick did this, he inadvertently stabbed King Aengus in the foot, piercing it through! The King and the watching audience, having never seen a baptism before, thought this was simply part of the ceremony!

Patrick completed his prayer, said AMEN, took off his robe and stepped down into the baptistry. The King slipped off his robe also, and began hobbling toward the water, his foot badly bleeding! It was only then that Patrick realized what he had done. Not wanting to disrupt the ceremony further, though, he continued to proceed and baptized the King in front of the watching crowd.

Though the King’s court had previously been intrigued by Patrick’s preaching, Finnean reports the following of their interest in baptism after witnessing what happened to Aengus, “Unfortunately, we received no further requests for baptisms that day. All those previously eager souls were nowhere to be found.”

Ha! I bet!

But Finnean continues, “It wasn’t until many weeks later that I and my fellow clerics, after much quiet convincing, brought half the king’s court down to a forest stream, where Patrick dunked them – with their feet intact.” (NOTE: the details of this account have been adapted from author Mark Fisher’s work which has attempted to reconstruct in narrative form the events around Saint Patrick’s life.)

Now, I tell you that story today not to swear to its authenticity … these events happened a long time ago, and there are certainly events in Saint Patrick’s life that have been exaggerated. My point in sharing this is to allow its humor to ask us an important question: Do we understand what Christian baptism is all about? Do we know what the New Testament teaches about baptism: who it is for, what it symbolizes, and what it accomplishes? If we don’t know what baptism is all about, we might “pierce our foot” with a parallel folly.

This Sunday, January 21, at Wildwood Community Church in our 8:30, 9:45, and 11:00 service, we will be exploring why we baptize in part 3 of our “Whys of Worship” sermon series. We will look at the New Testament testimony concerning baptism to help us understand its significance and role in Christian worship.

See you Sunday … and bring friends!

November 19, 2023 Baptism Sunday

Sunday, November 19, 2023, was a Baptism Sunday at Wildwood Community Church! These Sundays are great celebrations of God’s work in the lives of people in our congregation. We spent the morning worshipping God, hearing testimonies of how He has worked, and celebrating the water baptism of 13 people! See the graphic below for who was baptized in which service. You will also find video from each service to watch or share.

To watch online use YouTube:

8:30 Baptisms:

9:45 Entire Service:

11:00 Baptisms:

November 2023 Baptism Sunday Preview

What is the last thing you really celebrated? I mean what was the last moment that brought you to your feet and compelled you to cheer? Perhaps it was at a friend’s wedding when the Pastor pronounced them “husband and wife.” Maybe it was at a football game when your linebacker tackled their tailback for a loss on fourth and 1. Or it might have been when you got a call from a loved one who reported the biopsy had tested negative for cancer. What do you celebrate?

Well if you are looking for another reason to celebrate, I invite you to Wildwood Community Church this Sunday, November 19 in our 8:30, 9:45, or 11:00 services where we will be celebrating something amazing together … the existence of our great God and His love and faithfulness to us.

The backdrop of this Thanksgiving service will be Psalm 100 (read it this week in preparation!), but added to that will be the water baptism of 13 people who will be telling their story of the Lord’s work in their lives. What. A. Blessing.

As is our norm, on baptism Sundays, we do not offer children’s ministry, student ministry, college ministry, or adult classes on these baptism Sundays … giving us the chance to be “all in” together to stand on our feet and (like the Psalmist) make a joyful noise to the Lord. See you Sunday!

August 6, 2023 Baptism Sunday

Sunday, August 6, 2023, was a Baptism Sunday at Wildwood Community Church! These Sundays are great celebrations of God’s work in the lives of people in our congregation. We spent the morning worshipping God, hearing testimonies of how He has worked, and celebrating the water baptism of 24 people! See the graphic below for who was baptized in which service. You will also find video from each service to watch or share.

To watch online use YouTube:

8:30 Baptisms:

9:45 Entire Service:

11:00 Baptisms:

August 6, 2023 Baptism Sunday Preview

Sunday, August 6, 2023 is a Baptism Sunday at Wildwood Community Church! These Sundays are great celebrations of God’s work in the lives of people in our congregation. We will spend the morning worshipping God, hearing testimonies of how He has worked, and celebrating the water baptism of 24 people! Make plans to join us this Sunday in our 8:30, 9:45, or 11:00 service. See the graphic below for who is being baptized in which service.

NOTE: Our tradition on Baptism Sundays is to create maximum opportunities to all gather for the baptism services, so we do not offer any adult, college, student, or elementary classes on these days … only our early childhood (birth – pre-K) is operating during the 9:45 and 11:00 services. All others will gather with us for worship in the Worship Center at 8:30, 9:45, or 11:00.

Baptism Sunday (March 5, 2023)!

On Sunday, March 5, 2023, at Wildwood Community Church, we celebrated the baptisms of 19 people. Join us in praising God for His work in people’s lives! Below you will find links to the video stream of the 3 worship services (NOTE: the 8:30 and 11:00 services only include the baptism portions, while the 9:45 service has the entire service). You will also find a link to the audio of the sermon (which was only preached at the 8:30 service due to time constraints in the later two hours). Also, you will find a link to only the baptism testimonies.