Act of Faith
When Travis and Amy Squyres emerged from Lake Arthur recently, their friends and family rejoiced.
The couple had not been lost — but rising out of the water that day helped them declare they were spiritually saved.
"I guess as a Christian, it was amazing," Amy said, describing the full-immersion baptism held on a sunny Sunday.
"Life is stressful, you know? Whenever I came up out the that water, I just felt amazing and whole and good."
"I guess you kind of feel like you did it like Christ did it in the New Testament," her husband Travis said. "Basically he went into a body of water. He was immersed in the water and came back up.
"Being immersed under water is dying to your old self, and coming back out you are born to your new life."
The Squyreses were among 51 people baptized Aug. 12 by pastors at Grace Community Church, a nondenominational group in Cranberry Township.
Grace is one of many churches in Butler County that baptize through immersion as opposed to aspersion (sprinkling) or affusion (pouring).
Immersions typically are done in churches that baptize in adulthood instead of infancy, when dedication ceremonies are performed instead.
"Different churches have different views of water baptism," said the Rev. George Miller of the Assembly of God church in Franklin Township, which also does immersions.
"I think some churches hold that water baptism does have an effect on a person's salvation. We don't look at it that way."
"It absolutely makes more of statement than sprinkling," said Mike Luty of Cranberry Township, a member Grace Community who was water-baptized last year.
Like many Christians that favor immersion, Luty doesn't disregard other forms of baptism.
"Does it mean that you're not going to Heaven?" he said. "No. No. It doesn't. You're going to go to Heaven as long as Christ is your savior."
"That public testimony, that is huge," said Bob Zonts, family pastor at Grace.
"That is telling a story in itself. And that is a memorable time no matter how it would be done."
Like many congregations, Grace does immersion baptism because it replicates baptisms in biblical times.While some churches, like the Assembly of God Church, have baptismal tanks in the church, others, like Community Life Church that meets at the McQuistion Elementary School in Butler Township, baptize offsite."We do them twice a year," said Steve Ogle, pastor of Community Life. "We love to go to Moraine and water baptize people. That's just our favorite, favorite thing."It's always in August in the summer, and then we'll do it again in January or February at the YMCA."Community Life's most recent ceremony was held Aug. 22 at Moraine, where nine people were baptized.According to Jeremy Rekich, assistant park manager at Moraine State Park, 10 groups have made arrangements this year for baptisms at Lake Arthur. Last year, about a half dozen groups baptized there."A lot of churches will actually have a Saturday or Sunday picnic, and the baptism will happen in the evening," Rekich said. "We do limit it to the beach areas, either the open swim area on the South Shore or the guarded beach on the North Shore."Although Grace Community Church also has a baptismal tank, Zonts said the lake provides a scenic alternative.With a growing congregation, the church now offers multiple services. Using the lake also allows the entire congregation to assemble at one time to share the experience.For Amy Squyres, being baptized among friends enhanced its meaning."It was a beautiful day. It was hot — probably in the 80s," she said."We had a big praise and worship under a big tent. We sang for about an hour ... then Pastor Bob prayed for us, then we went down to the lake. It was a really a neat atmosphere — a really cool mood going on."We definitely left the lake that day feeling so good. You just felt washed clean."Although those being baptized had much to say about the impact that day, Zonts noted his view from the water was also powerful, since more than 600 people descended at once from a picnic canopy near the shore. Zonts likened the view to one Jesus might have seen as followers descended upon him."The three pastors that were baptizing, we went down into the water, and we're seeing this multitude of people, from newborns to elderly and everything in between,"Zonts said.Ogle also described baptism from the pastor's perspective."This is one of my favorite services that I do. I'm so excited about water baptism," he said."It's amazing how spiritual Christianity is. (Sometimes) people see it through religious eyes where it's just ceremony. It's not that at all. It's very, very spiritual."Matt Scott of Butler, who was one of the nine baptized by Ogle, also thought of biblical times."If you read in the Bible, that's how Jesus and John the Baptist did it. They went out to the lakes and streams and that's where people were baptized. That was all full submersion."It was cold when you first started walking in. The water was a little tiny bit nippy. As soon as I came up I was really warm."Travis Squyres shared the sentiment."You just noticed the experience of the moment," he said. "In my mind I'm thinking it was warm, but I don't know if that was necessarily true."
