October 1st

Baptisms Spark Joy for Altona Bergthaler

Mark Tiessen-Dyck, lead pastor at Altona Bergthaler Mennonite Church (ABC), never imagined he would be baptizing five young people in an inflatable pool on the church lawn. But he can now add that to his list of unexpected pastoral experiences.

“It was an amazing day,” he says. “The weather was great—even though the water was too warm! An industrial-strength water heater will do that.” 

Three of the young people began talking with Mark and fellow pastor Terrell Wiebe about being baptized, after a significant spiritual experience at a local youth event. They were soon joined by a fourth.

After talking with these four, it became clear to Mark and Terrell that a conventional approach to baptism and baptismal classes would not work in this situation. “We worked hard as pastors to facilitate a process that would be encouraging for them and their walk with Christ,” says Mark.

Instead of regular baptismal classes, Mark and Terrell took the four on a weekend retreat at Camp Assiniboia. There they talked about theology, Scripture, and the meaning of baptism. They also practiced some spiritual disciplines together. After the retreat, a fifth person who had previously participated in baptismal classes joined the group.

Another unusual twist: the original three expressed a strong interest in immersion, which has not been ABC’s practice. The pastors took the request to the Spiritual Advisory Committee, who gave the go-ahead. After checking out various options in the area—and practising some immersion baptisms in the Altona pool—the pastors decided on the inflatable pool, allowing them to do the baptisms on site.

Esme Ginter, one of those who was baptized, says, “My baptism was so wonderful! As soon as I emerged out of the water, I immediately started crying and was filled with the Holy Spirit. I’m so happy and it’s so cool that we were the first immersion baptism of this church!”
Another baptized young person, Abby Rempel, adds: “To me my baptism means another step closer to God. It’s a fresh start to live how God intended me to, and I couldn’t be happier!”

The baptism was followed by a potluck, with church members and visiting guests enjoying the beautiful day together.

What are some of your church’s recent baptism stories—solemn, humorous, or otherwise? Feel free to share those with the MCM office and perhaps they can be shared in a future MCM Monthly. Let’s pray for all those among us who have been baptized in the past year, that they would continue “grow[ing] in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ” (2 Pet 3:18). Pray also for those contemplating baptism in the coming year as they consider this important step in their journey with Jesus.