RICK HALL

This is totally unrelated to the topic of my latest post. However, I must ask…Are you a biSOXual?

Baptisms are such a common ordinance of the church, right? I’d imagine that it’s become routine for many pastors that they don’t even think twice about the dangers of holding a baptism service.

I recently took a class over at North Central University about the Assemblies of God doctrine. I must say, I laughed pretty hard when I read through the materials pertaining to my churches views on the audiences of Baptism and Communion.

Now, it’s not the churches views on baptism and communion that made me laugh. It was the explicit advice that they gave me about holding a baptism ceremony that made me laugh. My study guide advised me in bold letters to hold on to someone if I’m baptizing them in a river. I mean, we don’t want to loose someone to the currents of the water, right?

*serious tone*

However, here’s where my blog gets serious. I came in this morning and saw the following news article about a death at the church that David Crowder from the David Crowder Band attends:

The Rev. Kyle Lake, 33, was stepping into the baptistery as he reached out for the microphone, which produced an electric shock, said University Baptist Church community pastor Ben Dudley.

Lake was pronounced dead at Hillcrest Baptist Medical Center, nursing supervisor Pat Mahl said. The woman being baptized apparently had not stepped into the water and was not seriously injured.

“He was grabbing the microphone so everyone could hear,” she said. “It’s the only way you can be loud enough.”

About 800 people attended the morning service, which was larger than normal because it was homecoming weekend at nearby Baylor University, Dudley said.

Lake had been at the church for nine years, the last seven as pastor. He had a wife, Jennifer, a 5-year-old daughter and two 3-year-old sons.

Isn’t that so sad. That story totally brought me back to when I was baptized. I’m so thankful that nothing happened to Pastor Joel! Gesh! (or as becca would say, Jesh!)

Now, I’m sure churches across the country are going to be thinking twice about their baptism procedures. I’m sure this all would have been avoided if the pastor and was wearing some sort of wireless microphone. If anything fell into the water, it would have been the battery that would have caused a shock. I’m sure all of us know how much pain a 9-volt battery can cause.

Terrible news…