Stories of Life Change: Open BAPTISM 2024

During Open Baptism 2024, we got to experience many stories of how God has been at work in the lives of our church. Some highlights from Open Baptism included the testimonies of Victoria Syracusa, Caleb Parker, and Emma Stone.

Victoria had a lonely life before Christ. She felt anxious and as if she had no one to talk to, which was a struggle in college. This past year, she was hospitalized a second time, and it left her wondering what was next for her future. When she prayed, she felt God saying it was going to be okay, and this is when she felt she was ready to place her faith in Him. Since that day, her friendships have blossomed, and God has brought wonderful people into her life. Victoria got baptized to proclaim her faith and share her story.

Caleb grew up in a Christian home and gave his life to Christ at five, but it was a growing process afterwards. He went to a OneThing conference in Kansas City with some friends, and it was there that he experienced a relationship with the Lord that was truly his, not merely his parents’. This has impacted how he pours into the life of his children as he raises them to fear the Lord and walk boldly in righteousness. At the beginning of the year, he felt God put it on his heart to get baptized.

Emma accepted Jesus into her heart when she was young, but in January 2017 she lost a close friend in a car accident, which led to some mental health issues. This led to her trying to take a lot of control and turn to worldly things. She eventually hit a breaking point and knew that she needed to take her faith more seriously and ended up surrendering everything to Him. This gave her a peace that lifted a weight off of her shoulders and removed the exhaustion and anxiety she had been feeling. Emma can now see God moving in so many moments of her life. She may want to be invisible at times, but she recognizes that her story is important to share to proclaim her faith for all to hear.