By Rose
Admiraal
On Thursday, June 14, I had
the privilege to witness the baptism of 8 men and the profession of faith of 2 more men. Wow!
After a time of fellowship we were welcomed by Pastor Rick in English and Carlos in Spanish. We began singing a rousing song of “How Great
is Our God” followed by a special number written by one of the men professing
his faith. We came to God in confession
and concluded by singing “At the Foot of
the Cross” (the men’s favorite song). Pastor
Rick dedicated our new baptistery/Lord’s Supper table to bring glory to God
within the walls of the Newton facility.
Eight men came forward to say yes to God and were baptized by Pastor
Rick, each praising God as they came up out of the water. Then 2 more men came forward to profess their
faith in front of the body of believers.
The praise team sang “Fill Me Now” as a special number and everyone sang
“You are My All in All”. You could feel
the presence of the Lord in that place!
Pastor Art Van Wolde (from
Calvary CRC, Pella) came up to give the message from Philippians 4:4-7, Rejoice Always? He shared how we can rejoice in the Lord no
matter what circumstances in life that we're facing. It was Pastor Art's last service at the prison before his big move to Zeeland, Michigan.
Pastor Rick and Pastor Art then
served communion to the men and volunteers while Rose and Amy Van Wolde sang a
duet, “Oh Lord You’re Beautiful”. The
congregation joined the praise team in singing the “Revelation Song” at the
conclusion of communion. Brother Larry
played his acoustic guitar while singing a moving rendition of “I Can Only
Imagine”. After Pastor Rick gave the
blessing, the praise team led the congregation in singing “My Redeemer
Lives”. Rose urged the congregation to
sing boldly so the men in the hallway could hear their testimony in song. We praise God for a Spirit filled time of
worship!
