Church Hosts Mass Baptism Service
A multisite church, including a campus in Lithuania, Journey Church is seeing an incredible move of God.
On August 17, the congregation gathered at Lake Andrea in Pleasant Prairie, Wisconsin, for a historic baptism event following its Sunday morning services.
"On that day, 279 people were baptized, with more than 60 others already registered to be baptized in the weeks following," explains Darren Lee, an executive pastor at Journey Church. "To put this in perspective, that one day represents more baptisms than we would typically see in an entire year."
This day was part of a broader trend as baptisms at Journey have grown by over 60 percent for three consecutive years, Lee notes. Among those baptized at Lake Andrea were more than 50 kids from third grade and older, as well as adults of every age.
"The Lake Andrea event was marked by worship, celebration and a clear sense of the Spirit’s presence," says Lee, noting that the church still has about 60 people who were registered to be baptized that day but will be baptized in the near future. “One powerful example was while our volunteers were setting up on the beach, a gentleman who was simply at the lake asked what was happening. After a conversation with one of our team members, he gave his life to Jesus right there on the shore and just an hour later, he was baptized alongside the 279 others."
Claire B. Rosenberg, 27, an EMT first responder who attends the church's Burlington campus, notes that a coworker invited her to Journey three years ago.
“From my very first Christmas Eve service, I felt Jesus so strongly that I couldn’t hold back tears of joy,” she recalls. “Since then, every service has impacted me deeply. God has given me peace, changed the way I see life and helped me become far more forgiving. On baptism day, I knew I had to do it. I wanted to be made new, to release my worries and start fresh with Jesus. It truly was one of the best days of my life.”
Rosalyn Schumacher, 16, who also attends Journey's Burlington campus, grew up regularly attending church, but never felt a true personal connection with God. Last year, one of her closest friends invited her to the church's youth group and that opened the door for her to experience real community.
"Through that, I grew so much in my relationship with Christ and it eventually led me to a powerful encounter with God,” she says. “He spoke to me clearly and placed it on my heart to commit to a mission trip to Honduras. Taking that step was a huge leap of faith for me. Just a week after returning home from the trip, I heard about the upcoming baptism event. I immediately knew it was my time. God is the one who set me free, and I am beyond grateful to proclaim that Jesus is my Savior.”
Zachary B. Stanley, 34, an accounting manager and veteran who also attends Journey's Burlington campus, was raised in church, but walked away from his faith during high school and college. But then his wife brought him to Journey when they were dating, and the couple were married at the church.
"Over the last year, I felt the call as a father, husband, brother and man to be baptized," says Stanley, who has four children. "I knew it was time to make a public declaration of my faith—not only for myself and my family, but also because I feel called to be a leader in faith for those around me. Being baptized was a milestone that represents God’s faithfulness and the beginning of a new chapter where I hope to encourage others, especially men, to put their faith in God, and see how their lives can be changed by Him.”
Sly Marinca, 46, a board member who is part of Journey Church with his wife, Jaimee, called the mass baptism a supernatural event.
“What we witnessed at Lake Andrea could only be described as an act of God,” he says. “Hundreds of lives were transformed by the power of the Holy Spirit. Besides the 250-plus people who had already signed up, numerous others decided that day to give their lives to Jesus and be baptized right there on the spot.
"Seeing that many people take the step of discipleship through water baptism is clear evidence that God is working through Journey Church,” Marinca adds. “Along with all those who were baptized, there were so many church family and friends there to support these beautiful public proclamations of faith. To see all the joy and tears made it feel like one big family reunion—a small glimpse of what heaven will be like one day.”
Lead Pastors Kevin and Joelene Taylor point out that God is moving at Journey "not only on Sundays", but in many different ways across its five campuses, which host an average weekly attendance of around 2,500 people and another 150 at the Vilnius, Lithuania, location.
"God has also opened doors for ministry inside Racine Correctional Institution and Ellsworth Correctional Center, where dozens of men and women are giving their lives to Jesus and being baptized,” the couple says. “In the past year alone, we’ve seen more than 1,000 salvations across our campuses, and baptism has been the natural next step of discipleship and obedience."
