HANGING AROUND THE CHURCH

It's been my privilege to hang around the church and church people most of my life, and I have lots of stories to tell. For those who don't understand the church of Jesus Christ and who don't know that Christians can have lots of fun, this may come as a surprise.




We as Baptists believe in the Biblical command to "baptize" people in water. The Greek word actually means to "dip" people under water. Sprinking is something of a compromise, and we as Baptists are very involved in lots of water. An unchurched man came by our church in Colorado and wanted to know what that thing was up behind the pulpit; he had never seen a baptistry and didn't understand that we filled it with water in order to "dip" people. And, by the way, it is not a secret event. We want everyone to see baptism as a testimony of faith.




There are literally hundreds of funny stories about the disasters that occur when you get that much water . . and that many people . . and the need for warming the water . . and the need for filling up the baptistry with water. Every church that I know has probably had a small flood caused by an overflowing baptistry. I don't really have time to tell all of those, but I encourage you to find a local Baptist pastor who will gladly tell you some of these wild stories. Most of them will let you know how wet a nice suit can be when the pastor's waders begin to leak. One of the best storytellers about baptism is the music evangelist John McKay. He has lots of them.




I remember the day I arrived at a new church where I was to serve as a Youth Pastor, only to find my office completely filled with newspapers. The youth, along with some help from many of the adults, had spent hours of labor in opening up newspapers to fill the office. It was a sight to behold. Welcome Sam.

Reggie Brewer was a sponsor on one of our youth trips, and we took him to the airport for an early return home. Reggie had his guitar, and we all gathered around him and swooned over his supposed popularity. Most of the people watching thought he was someone famous, and they began to gather around and ask for autographs. I believe Reggie rushed onto plane and tried to hide so no one else could find him. He didn't mind being popular, but he just couldn't "complete" the story of who he was and where he was performing next. We still laugh about that one.

There are more stories to come from years of hanging around the church!