Baptism Jun 1, 2025

Baptism Meeting

Items in the bag:

For Tucker and Joseph — you got a REVO Notebook, a book that you and your parents can go through on discipleship, and a packet about discipleship as well

For everyone else — you got a ESV Study bible which will help you understand what you read, a book called Multiply that is designed to be gone through with someone else that will help you grow in your faith, a REVO Notebook, and a packet about serving and rGroups!

When you get baptized here is what you need to know:

Face forward while your story is being read — I’m reading the stories!

Then you are going to copy Christen — turn to your left

Person baptizing them — have them cross their arms and plug their nose, tell them that you baptize them in the Name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, then dunk them

Afterwards you can celebrate in the pool then head out, grab your towel, and go to your changing room!

Before baptism though I want to challenge you with this verse:

Philippians 4:4–9 ESV

4 Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice. 5 Let your reasonableness be known to everyone. The Lord is at hand; 6 do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. 7 And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. 8 Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things. 9 What you have learned and received and heard and seen in me—practice these things, and the God of peace will be with you.

We always say at REVO that baptism is not your last step in your Christian walk — it is one step on a long journey of following God

Here is what I know — when you commit to Jesus Satan is going to attack you.

There will be days that will be hard

It will feel unbearable

In those times of spiritual attack — follow what Paul tells us here!

Rejoice in the Lord — even when it feels hard

Share your anxiety with God believing that He can and will take care of it

Focus your eyes on the things of God

Do what the Lord calls you to do!

Paul tells us that if we do those things the God of Peace will be with us!

So I’m excited to celebrate Jesus!

I’m excited to celebrate what Jesus did in each of your lives!

And I’m excited to see how Jesus continues to move in your lives!

Jaren Starks

Before I surrendered myself to Jesus, I struggled with constant ups and downs and mental battles. I was succumbing to temptation often and constantly feeling like I was missing something, even though I felt I was in the right place and had a good outlook on life. I was trying to be a better person and well-rounded individual, but never felt satisfied. His older brother was always sharing the word with him when we would have conversations, but I never came around. Seemingly out of nowhere, I had the strength to make some life altering decisions that just felt right. In the following days, I would wake up with a feeling of profound gratefulness that brought me to tears. In my heart, I knew it was Jesus reaching for me, but my mind was trying to convince me otherwise. The solidifying piece was meeting Pastor Matthew. Matthew helped me out unexpectedly, but I knew it wasn’t a coincidence, and that brought me to where I am today. My journey with Him is just beginning, but where there used to be doubt and anxiety, there’s now a growing sense of peace. I’m still learning and growing, but I know I'm not battling my thoughts alone anymore.

Lynda Justice

I grew up in California attending Sunday School at a Presbyterian church, but stopped going in my teens when competitive swimming took over my weekends. In college, I attended a Christian school and took religious studies as part of my nursing degree. After graduating, I focused on my career, working many weekends, and eventually began traveling on short-term nursing assignments across the country. I settled in North Carolina in the early ’90s, visited several churches, but never felt at home—often feeling judged as an outsider. Still, I grew in my faith through reading the Bible and talking with hospital chaplains, especially chaplain Jay Foster.

In 2022, after my husband passed away, I retired from nursing. With Sundays now free, I told my kind neighbors, the Humphries, I wanted to attend church. We visited REVO, and from the moment I was greeted by Pastor Matthew and other friendly, non-judgmental members, it felt like home. I’ve been serving in RWorld for over a year and recently joined an RGroup. She said she is excited to take this next step in her faith

Noah Greene

In the pool now we have Noah! He’s a REVO Student! I have always known that a God exists. I have been baptized before but I didn’t know Him. I did it because I found it a cool thing to do but I didn’t know the spiritual meaning behind it. It wasn’t until two years ago that Noah found Jesus and something snapped in him. He was talking to a friend about the pain he was experiencing that day — the friend that is in the pool with him —! And he led Noah to read a verse about healing. I felt something snap in me though and I prayed for God to take me because I couldn’t bear it alone. Now Noah tries to share his story with everyone around him and will even lead FCS at his school.

Kathryn Breeden

Now we have Kathryn, Noahs mom! She said that she was baptized when she was younger, but didn’t understand what it meant. I didn’t have an understanding of what being a Christian meant. After her divorce she got back into church after not attending for many years. Since then she has dedicated her life to Christ.

She said “I live for him daily. I walk with him daily. I am still broken on my own, but God continues to heal me on a daily basis. He is my source of strength! Without him I am nothing!”

Addison Mcglamery

Now we have Addison in the pool! Another REVO Student! She said that she grew up in church and wanted to get baptized as a kid because she just thought it would be cool. Not for really the commitment or Jesus but really just to look the part and go swimming. However as she got older Addison said that she drifted farther away from God, making choices that led me down a difficult path, which caused that desire to follow God to leave. However, when her sister started attending church more frequently, it sparked her curiosity about the faith she had claimed to be a part of but never truly understood. I began attending church and joined a youth group, where I found a sense of community and fulfillment that I had been missing. As I spent more time with my peers and deepened my faith, I felt called to make a commitment. At my first student retreat, Winter Xtreme I accepted Jesus as my Savior and surrendered to His plan for my life.

Heres what she said: “Now, feeling the Lord's call to be baptized, I'm seeking a life of purpose and salvation through this sacrament and ready to be held accountable publicly"

Tucker Sloan

In the pool now is Tucker being baptized by his father Travis! One of our rWorld kids! Tucker said that he wants to get baptized to show people that he’s following God. Growing up we have always gone to church. But last year my parents moved us to Calvary and just learning about the Bible and actually understanding it brought me to a whole new level of knowing what Jesus did for us.

Alaska Hall

In the pool now we have Alaska being baptized by her fiance Matt! Alasksa said I grew up as a Jehovah’s Witness, with a skewed understanding of what Christianity was. She carried a lot of guilt from how I was raised, and when I ultimately decided to no longer participate as a Jehovah’s Witness when I was in middle school, my dad cut all contact with me. I blamed God for what had happened and claimed myself as atheist. My life plummeted. I was extremely depressed, dealing with a lot of pain from many different places in my life. When I felt I had nowhere to turn, I tried to take my own life. One of my closest friends reached out to me when I had gotten out of the hospital, and told me that what I had grown up with was not God. I had it on my mind, read some of the actual Bible, but felt this wasn’t for me. A year later, I attempted to take my life again. This time it was different. The Lord reached out and brought me to understand this was not what my life was meant to be.

When I got home from the hospital, I called out to God for forgiveness and to save me. The relief I felt was immediate. I immediately began a Bible study with the same person who had reached out to me. My life has been changed in the best way possible. I was released from my self hatred, and have so much fulfillment in my life.

Joseph Lomeli

In the pool now is Joseph who is being baptized by his mom Mayra! Joseph has been raised in a Christian home with his two brothers. His brothers Jonah and Josiah got baptized in March at Walkertown, which caused Joseph to become even more curious about Jesus. He’s now ready to get baptized and make his decision to follow Jesus publicly.

Jessie Erdheim

In the pool now is Jessie, being baptized by Mayra! She said she grew up as an American Jew who loved tradition and community, but wasn’t very religious. I often felt torn—never quite enough to be more devout, but still not fully at peace anywhere else. Over the years, I explored many religions and practices, but none truly moved me. Then, almost four years ago, my son started playing soccer. His coach, a strong believer, prayed with the kids before and after games. One day, my son came home saying how much he loved it and asked me about Jesus. I didn’t have answers.

Curious, I asked the coach about their prayers. He shared Matthew 11:28, and something inside me shifted. I wanted to know more. His wife gave me a Bible and began studying with me. She patiently answered all my questions and introduced me to Jesus and His love. I dove into everything I could—books, movies, Scripture—and instantly believed. For the first time, I felt truly connected and not alone. I fell deeply in love with Jesus and began worshiping and studying daily.

Still, I was scared to go to church. I didn’t know where to go or if I even belonged. I started sharing my belief with a few trusted people, but faced pushback from family and friends. I felt guilty, like I was betraying my roots, so I stayed quiet. I kept my faith mostly private, still holding onto fear. Over the next few years, I had highs and lows in my walk, even questioning it at times—but Jesus never left my heart.

Eventually, after a series of painful and traumatic experiences, I hit rock bottom. Jesus kept calling to me, and finally, I listened. I reached a breaking point and said, “I’m ready.” Ready to walk with God, ready to stop hiding, and ready to live fully in Christ. For me, baptism is the moment I leave behind my old life—fear, anxiety, and struggle—and embrace the love and truth of Jesus. I can’t wait to show Him how much I love Him and that I am His, completely.

Adi Doub

Now in the pool with me is Adi! Growing up, I went to church every other Sunday with my Grammy and Papaw. I loved being with them, but I didn’t understand what it meant to be “saved.” With divorced parents and very different home lives, it was hard to find stability. At twelve, I moved in with my dad full-time, and church faded from my life. I began to question God and why things were happening to me.

Even then, Jesus never stopped watching over me. He brought my mom into my life when I was just two, and she loved me like her own. She stood by me through every hard moment. In December 2020, she officially adopted me, and I’ll always be thankful to Jesus for that gift.

Last year, around February, I felt drawn back to church but didn’t know where to start—until a coworker invited me to youth group. That turned into attending Sunday services regularly. I met people who now feel like family, and I’m forever grateful.

Then, on May 27th, 2024, everything stopped—my cousin Nathan passed away at just twenty-two. Nathan was a bold follower of Jesus, unafraid to share his faith. His loss made me question God again: “Why him?” But in time, I realized the answer. Jesus works in mysterious ways. Even when we drift, He waits with open arms. He heals in ways we can’t always understand and uses pain for purpose.

Losing Nathan is still one of the hardest things I’ve faced, but I know he’s in Heaven, watching over us. I’ve come to see that everything I’ve been through had a reason. I wouldn’t have the support I do, the accomplishments I’ve made, or the deep love I’ve found in Jesus. I’m not perfect, but every day I see more clearly how much I have to be thankful for in Jesus.