Saturday, June 05, 2010

Spirits soar as Baptists welcome new members

A TALLAGHT woman took her place in an unusual christening ceremony in Dublin recently when she joined the Baptist faith.

Mary Richmond (25) and Paul Shum (24) from Huntstown were formally welcomed into the Blanchardstown Baptist Church after they were immersed, fully-clothed, in the Coolmine Sports Centre swimming pool.

The congregation sang hymns at the poolside and listened to a brief Biblical explanation of the event as the new believers were dunked in the water.

Local Pastor Derry O’Sullivan, who carried out the ceremony, said people who wanted to become a Baptist were encouraged to wait until adulthood.

“We think it should be a conscious decision for individuals to choose their faith, so it’s better to wait until at least one’s teenage years,” he said.

Mary, who has been attending the Blanchardstown Baptist Church for the last year and a half, said there was tremendous excitement at the poolside during her christening ceremony.

“I’d been looking forward to the day for a long time,” she revealed. “It was amazing to have the support of my family and friends who were there at the service.”
Mary explained that the immersion in the pool symbolises three key elements of the Baptist faith.

“When you go into the pool, that represents entering life,” she said. “When you put your head under the water it depicts death and then when you come back up it symbolises the resurrection.”

Brought up as a practicing Roman Catholic, Mary was drawn to the Baptist faith by their particular emphasis on the teachings of the Bible.

“I never knew what it meant to be a Catholic growing up, and I had never read the Bible,” she added.

“But I have learnt so much since joining the Baptists. It’s been a 100 per cent life-changing experience.”

Pastor O’Sullivan has noticed a gradual increase of the numbers in people interested in joining the Blanchardstown Baptist Church over the last few years.

“We’re getting a lot of feedback from people saying they’re disillusioned with the Catholic Church, particularly because of the recent clerical child sex abuse scandals,” he said.

“People are looking for a Christian alternative because they sense that they have a spiritual dimension they need to fill. And I have a feeling the recession is helping people realise that material things don’t have all the answers either.”

Between 60 and 70 people attend Blanchardstown Baptist Church each week, and there are 20 Baptist Churches across Dublin.

The Baptists have had a presence in Ireland since 1650.

SIC: NP