Winning Ways -- Hillcrest Baptist Church

Be Part of Our Baptism Celebration!
by Tom Goodman
August 25, 2010

"Pastor Greg, would you baptize me?"

Not an unusual request of a pastor. Except this one was made on the edge of a water hazard while four men played golf. I read the story in a church leadership journal.

Just before his move to another church, Pastor Greg Asimakoupoulos accepted an invitation to play golf with his friend Marty. Seven years earlier, Marty had been a reluctant visitor to Greg's church. The young father had been turned off by institutional religion in his youth, and regarded the golf course as the best place to spend his Sunday mornings.

That first Sunday in church, Marty noticed an announcement for the annual men's golf tournament. He signed up for the outing, won handily, and showed up in church the next Sunday for the award presentation.

He and his wife continued to attend due to the friendships built with other young adults, and they eventually committed their lives to Christ. The young man threw himself into church life, but as the years passed he never followed his commitment to Christ with baptism. That changed in that last round of golf before his pastor's departure:

As we approached the ninth tee, with a meandering brook and a cascading waterfall, Marty surprised me with a question: "Pastor Greg, would you baptize me?" I thought he was joking and reached for my driver. Marty reached in his golf bag and retrieved the Bible I'd given him the day he became a Christian. "I'm serious," he said. "You know I've never been baptized. And, well, here's water. What's standing in the way?"

The pastor grinned and nodded at the parallel to the Ethiopian official in Acts 8:26-40. They removed shoes and socks, stepped into the water hazard, and Greg baptized his friend. "I welcomed my brother with a bear hug as he stepped out of the water," the pastor recounted. "A water hazard on the ninth hole had become holy ground."

If you're ready to follow Christ in baptism, I'll joyfully baptize you just about anywhere -- even a water hazard. But this Sunday, we're going to have a Baptism Celebration in our auditorium during the 10 a.m. service. Contact me right away if you want to be a part of the Celebration!

--Tom

Weblog: Check out my blog, "Get Anchored," with its Links to Your World -- interesting and informative links, posted every Tuesday.

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Be Part of Our Baptism Celebration! by Tom Goodman August 25, 2010 "Pastor Greg, would you baptize me?" Not an unusual request of a pastor. Except this one was made on the edge of a water hazard while four men played golf. I read the story in a church leadership journal. Just before his move to another church, Pastor Greg Asimakoupoulos accepted an invitation to play golf with his friend Marty. Seven years earlier, Marty had been a reluctant visitor to Greg's church. The young father had been turned off by institutional religion in his youth, and regarded the golf course as the best place to spend his Sunday mornings. That first Sunday in church, Marty noticed an announcement for the annual men's golf tournament. He signed up for the outing, won handily, and showed up in church the next Sunday for the award presentation. He and his wife continued to attend due to the friendships built with other young adults, and they eventually committed their lives to Christ. The young man threw himself into church life, but as the years passed he never followed his commitment to Christ with baptism. That changed in that last round of golf before his pastor's departure: As we approached the ninth tee, with a meandering brook and a cascading waterfall, Marty surprised me with a question: "Pastor Greg, would you baptize me?" I thought he was joking and reached for my driver. Marty reached in his golf bag and retrieved the Bible I'd given him the day he became a Christian. "I'm serious," he said. "You know I've never been baptized. And, well, here's water. What's standing in the way?" The pastor grinned and nodded at the parallel to the Ethiopian official in Acts 8:26-40. They removed shoes and socks, stepped into the water hazard, and Greg baptized his friend. "I welcomed my brother with a bear hug as he stepped out of the water," the pastor recounted. "A water hazard on the ninth hole had become holy ground." If you're ready to follow Christ in baptism, I'll joyfully baptize you just about anywhere -- even a water hazard. But this Sunday, we're going to have a Baptism Celebration in our auditorium during the 10 a.m. service. Contact me right away if you want to be a part of the Celebration! --Tom Weblog: Check out my blog, "Get Anchored," with its Links to Your World -- interesting and informative links, posted every Tuesday. Do you know friends who would appreciate Winning Ways? Just forward this e-mail to them! Have you subscribed to Winning Ways? You can subscribe by clicking here and following the instructions. Your e-mail address will not be sold or given away to anyone, and you can automatically change your subscription or drop it by following the easy steps provided with each e-mail. FRESH NEWS AT HILLCREST UPDATED WEEKLY: www.hillcrestaustin.org LISTEN TO RECENT SERMONS: Click here. MANAGE YOUR SUBSCRIPTIONS TO OUR EMAIL NEWSLETTERS: Click here. If you do not have access to the web, please send a note to newsmaster@hbcaustin.org to tell us of any changes you would like to make.