Casteel Family
“As parents, we recognized something special in Casey,” Tanya Casteel said of her son. “He had demonstrated his faith and had asked to be baptized on several occasions. The three
of us attended the Starting Point for Kids class. This was not only a confirmation that Casey was ready to be baptized but a confirmation for us as well.”
“While I was baptized as a child, it was not until recent years that I had grown and realized God’s presence in my life and that of our family. Being baptized was an expression of my love for the Lord and my desire to obediently follow him all of my days.”
Casey said, “I wanted to be baptized because I wanted to show others Jesus. I want to tell others about Jesus’ love and how he is there to protect us even when we don’t think he is there.
I want to help others and care for the poor.”
Casey’s dad, Jade, said, “I felt that my first baptism was a routine religious practice and not at a time in my life where I was truly following the Lord. This baptism was something I desired deeply and one step to outwardly express my relationship with Jesus.”
“Our family baptism was meaningful and powerful,” Tanya continued. “We were excited to share it with everyone.”
Kimberly Mogck
Calvary requests that people baptized as infants choose baptism for themselves before becoming a member of this church. This baptism is an act of obedience to the Lord’s command in Matthew 28:19-20.
“I was baptized as an infant and raised to believe that baptism, along with a commitment to believe in Jesus, was the way to heaven. I’ve learned since - ages ago - that baptism has nothing to do with salvation; however, I didn’t see the need to redo a perfectly good baptism.”
“Doug and I have attended Calvary church for 15 years, but after attending two membership classes, I still made no commitment to join Calvary Church. The baptism issue was a stronghold that I was not ready to relinquish. The pride in my heart was secure! My heels were dug in deep not to be obedient to God.”
“This spring the Holy Spirit was working overtime on my heart. I first asked Pastor Steve about the baptism schedule, but I didn’t follow through. Then I asked Pastor Jon Nitta about the baptism schedule on Good
Friday. This time the schedule was tight, but I followed through with the process and made a commitment. The pride issue was slowly becoming a thing of the past. The stronghold that Satan had on me was gone. I was ready to shout out to the congregation that I was all in for Jesus. So I did.”
“My husband was unavoidably detained and he almost missed the whole thing. God had other plans and he made sure Doug was there in the nick of time to celebrate my love and commitment for Jesus as my Lord and Savior along with the whole congregation.”
Wade Breitzke
Wade was baptized by his friend Gabe Johannes and Pastor Steve Buchelt.
“God has big plans for me. One of which was to have me baptized at 32 years old. Even though I’ve always believed in God, attended church, did all the church-y things my entire life, I never took the plunge.”
“I’m not sure what all got in my way, but if I had to guess, I’d probably say pride. You see, I’ve leaned heavily on my own ambitions to get me through life. I failed (and failed and failed) to let FAITH do its work. And then I realized that, DUDE, he wants me to win! Every time a new trial or opposition presented itself, I thought it was on me to resolve. Me, not God.”
“What I came to realize was that God wasn’t only in my corner but was also GIFTING me these trials, these oppositions, these opponents to prepare me for the blessings on the other side! My baptism, to me, is an outward reflection of my commitment to seek him, lean on him, and return to him. And bonus, I was baptized by a human that I look up to (both physically and spiritually). God makes no small plans! Someone get me a towel, a giant man just dropped me in and pulled me outta some holy water! God’s got some major ambition for my life. I no longer lean on me, but his grace, his love, and his plan.”
Jessica Corral
“For me, baptism was a decision of the heart, not the head.”
“I was pulled to God in a multitude of ways, and quite honestly, because of the light shone to me by strangers. I keep this truth in my heart when I speak to others about God’s presence because I realize just how powerful our own words can be to ANYONE. With my current understanding of
God’s faithful pursuit, I can look back and see how clearly he sought my heart so lovingly and patiently. The right people and resources were put in place in a magnificent orchestration that could have only been created by him. He wanted me to believe this fact so that I would wholeheartedly devote myself to his will.”
“Baptism then became the way for me to open up my heart further, giving all I could to the One who has provided so much for me during a seemingly impossible season. Baptism was not simply a ‘next step’ for me, it was ‘THE step’. I wanted to devote my heart entirely by choice because I realize just how important action steps of conviction are.”
