For the third summer in a row, LifeSource Community Church, a new Seventh-day Adventist church plant in Coeur d'Alene, Idaho, held its "Summer Splash," a unique outdoor baptism. This event was part of the church's annual August campout at Farragut State Park on the shores of picturesque Lake Pend Orielle.
Following a relaxed and upbeat morning worship service, the "Summer Splash" baptism was conducted in the afternoon at the park's popular Beaver Bay swimming area. LifeSource members, their families and other invited church guests gathered on the shore and sang praise songs while nearly 100 other swimmers and sunbathers paused to witness five baptisms.
Each person had been invited to write out a brief baptism testimony to be read by a friend before their baptisms by Phil Muthersbaugh, church pastor. After each individual was gently laid back into the water then lifted up, cheering and applause erupted from the many bystanders.
At Lifesource, baptism is all about relationships. We believe that building relationships through small groups is one of the primary means for winning souls. For instance, Kelly had been invited to join a small-group Bible fellowship and was one of the people baptized at Summer Splash. Tanya had been invited to church by a friend. John, whose wife is a long-time Adventist church member, decided to be baptized when his daughter, Tucker, told him she wanted to be baptized. Trista, a friend of Tucker’s, came with some neighbors to LifeSource each week for nearly a year and was baptized this summer as well. Through these positive, healthy relationships, each of them were introduced to a relationship with Jesus Christ and welcomed into the LifeSource Church.
