Massive water baptisms are becoming a marker of how God is moving mightily among churches across the country. Grace Family Church in Tampa, Florida is the latest example as nearly 1,000 men, women and children were baptized at Fort De Soto Beach recently.
It all began on Easter Sunday when the church decided to do something a little bit different to celebrate Christ’s resurrection.
“We didn’t want a traditional Easter service. We wanted something where we could invite Tampa Bay to be a part of the biggest church service people had ever seen,” Daryl Black, Associate Pastor of Grace Family Church, told K-Love.
“We didn’t know what to expect,” he added. “We were praying for God to have a really big move.”
The church had invited more than 30,000 people to Raymond J Stadium where the Tampa Bay Buccaneers play and the place was packed.
“It was amazing to see it happen and be a part of that experience,” Black described.
Legendary former NFL coach Tony Dungy shared a message with the crowd.
“My mom was a Sunday school teacher, so I heard the word about Jesus. I accepted Christ into my life, but I was just living to be an athlete and a student,” he shared.
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“I got to the Steelers. I was 21 years old and there were about 15 guys on the team that said, ‘You can’t just do it this way. You can’t just have a uniform and be on the sidelines. You got to get in the game. You got to play. You got to put God first in your life all the time.’ And that’s when I kind of changed my life around,” Dungy continued.
The church’s lead pastor, Craig Altman, also shared about the true meaning of Easter.
“The greatest comeback was Jesus Christ was crucified and buried and for three days he was dead. They thought all hope was lost, but then God resurrected him from the dead. And that’s symbolic for us, that God can raise us up into a new life and brings a lot of hope,” Altman told local media outlet Fox News 13.
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