Baptisms – October 27, 2024

November 2, 2024 | KSC News

Below are the testimonies for those who were being baptized on Sunday, October 27, 2024. We celebrate with them as they take this step in their journey with Christ.

 

9:30 Baker

Ellianna Rife

Hello. My name is Ellianna Rife and I am 16 years old. I grew up in a Christian home and attended Shalom Christian Academy in elementary school. I became a Christian after learning about it in school. My mom prayed with me and I became saved when I was 6. When I was first saved I didn’t really understand what it meant. I went to school and learned about various Bible stories and I then heard those same stories at church on Sunday. I was a Christian but I never really read the Bible on my own or let being a Christian affect the way I lived my life.

When I was in sixth grade I switched to Chambersburg and attended CAMS North. I knew very few people who attended that school and for the first few months I had a lot of trouble making friends. I was really shy and I was exposed to a lot of things I had not been exposed to at Shalom. All of these circumstances led to me feeling very alone causing it to be some of the worst months of my life. Instead of turning to God I tried to handle things on my own. I was able to make some small friendships, but nothing that was substantial. After handling my struggles on my own I gave it to God and he blessed me with many Christian friends which I still am friends with today. Shoutout to Becca, Allison, and Lydia!

During this time I still was not actively reading the Bible, but I was always active in the church. I was a Christian, but didn’t really know the depth of the title. Rhodes Grove Camp has always been an important part of my life. I had gone there every year since 4th grade, but the summer of 2021 (before 8th grade) was different. I had an amazing cabin and an even better leader. Throughout the week I had many deep discussions with my cabin leader and she directed me on how to grow in my faith. She really cared about me and my relationship with God and it left a lasting impact on my life. By the end of the week I rededicated my life to Christ with her, and since then I’ve been striving to have a more genuine relationship with Christ.

I’ve really seen God in my life through the way I view myself. When I had just started middle school I had never truly felt like I could be myself freely and not feel judged. Through prayer and reading my Bible I have really been able to be myself all the time. God has given me all the self-confidence I need and He uses that gift to share the gospel with others. I have had so many amazing church leaders and friends pour into me throughout my life to help my relationship with God be where it is now. This past summer while away at summer sneak with our youth group I really felt called to getting baptized. I kept flipping through my Bible and I found myself continually reading passages that had to do with baptism. I want to get baptized today to show everyone that I intend to live for Christ for the rest of my life.

 

Kimberly McWilliams

Before meeting Jesus, my life was filled with a deep sense of emptiness, a constant struggle with addiction, and a lack of direction; I felt lost, alone, and without hope.

What made me love Christ wasn’t that all of a sudden, I started figuring out how to do life. What made me love Christ is that when I was at my worst, when I absolutely could not clean myself up and there was nothing anybody could do with me or for me. right at that moment Christ said, “I’ll take that one, that’s the one I want.”

I know that the heavenly Father lives and that He loves me, I know that Jesus Christ is heavenly Father’s Son, my Savior, and my redeemer.

 

9:30 Sanctuary

Bethany Snyder

I was saved when I was 5 years old. I went to a Christian school and grew up in the church, so I was very familiar with the Bible. It wasn’t until I got to high school and college that I started to realize I wasn’t living like a Christian. I was living like nothing had changed. I didn’t read my Bible {Bethany Snyder continued} and I didn’t have a personal relationship with Jesus. I was in college when I really started to make my faith my own and started changing my life. I started reading my Bible more, participating in Bible studies. joining Christian groups, and making an effort to build a relationship with Jesus. Since changing how I live my life, I have had a lot more peace in my life. I know that God is in control and I can trust his plan for my life even through the difficult times.

Adam Snyder

My name is Adam Snyder. Growing up in a Christian household, we went to church regularly. I attended a Christian school from preschool until I graduated. I accepted Jesus as my savior in church when I was 8 years old after realizing the importance of Jesus’s sacrifice for me. Growing up going to a Christian school, in a way, numbed me in terms of faith. I had to memorize Bible verses and was tested on lessons from the Bible every week. My faith and understanding of Jesus were almost purely academic. That changed in my junior and senior years of high school, as my Bible classes were focused on the studying and understanding of the Bible and discussions regarding other world views and religions. This was a turning point in my life, as it planted the seed for making my faith my own.

After graduating high school and starting college, my perspective began to change, as going from a Christian school to a public university was an eye-opening experience. I realized the importance of a strongly rooted faith in Jesus, because there were temptations at every glance and a newfound sense of freedom on a college campus. I decided it was time to make my faith my own, and I started going to the Porch and a Christian fellowship group on campus as a result. My journey has been long but is far from over as I continue my walk with Jesus.

 

11:00 Sanctuary

Laila McBride

I’ve been attending King Street Church since I was in nursery. I have always known that I needed Jesus in my life. Two years ago I asked Jesus in my heart with Jeanie Helman at Bible Release. My whole life God has protected me at school, traveling for sports, and while on family vacations. I want to be baptized to show my family and the world that I am a Christian.

Kaiden Ankerbrand

My name is Kaiden. I first accepted Christ when I was very young. And for the first few years as a Christian, I didn’t really understand what it meant to be a Christian and so very little changed in my life. When I started attending youth group in 6th grade, I really started reading my Bible more which allowed me to grow closer to the Lord. And recently I’ve been feeling called to be baptized today. For me, being baptized is an opportunity to publicly declare my faith and commitment to Christ. Romans 6:4, “We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life

 

 

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