Wellspring for KC

I’d like my first post to describe the beginning of the roller coaster in Tennessee. My wife and I were married very young and she has been instrumental in my growth as a follower of Jesus. When we were dating we started going to church and bible study at her baptist church Sunday and Wednesday nights as our work and college schedule would allow. I really enjoyed the fact that the people there actually wanted me to come back, expected participation, and put people to work in various departments. I thought I would show my wife the same at my home church across town at the methodist congregation. My parents, my siblings and I had been custodians of this church for many years. The average Sunday morning worship was 75, so everyone knew each other very well. With this in mind I thought we’d try some stuff out at my church too. The very first Sunday made my mind up for both of us. When we arrived at church nobody spoke to us nor where excited that I was bringing my girlfriend to church. I hadn’t been in awhile so I’d forgotten how the teaching from the pulpit had been. A finally, I brought Christy to the front of the church to meet the pastor after the service and he introduced himself to both of us!! I’d known the man for years and he didn’t have a clue who I was! I was so embarrassed! I’d been in his office vacuuming, had cleaned his toilet, and dusted his bookshelves and he didn’t even recognize me. That did it for me. I began attending the weekly gathering at the baptist church where people were excited to see me there and asked how my week was and knew when I was missing.

Shortly after we were married and I came to the realization that I had not been baptized by immersion as the pastor had taught. I studied the scripture the best I knew how and saw that this was the biblical model. So, scared to death in front of about 200 people, my brother in law and I reaffirmed our commitment to Christ and were publicly baptized by immersion. I knew it at the time, but didn’t think to question it, that in the Southern and I suppose Southern Baptist culture, once you “walk the isle and are baptized by immersion” in an SBC church you become a member. Thus, I became a baptist. It wasn’t until we tried to use the same church I was baptized in to baptize our daughter did this pose a problem. I’ll share more about this later, as this post is one of the positive ones.

More later….

Toby