Levin Parish Celebrates Two Youth Baptisms
On Pentecost Sunday, Levin Parish was delighted to celebrate 2 baptisms.
We gathered in a combined service of St John’s Ohau and St Aidan’s at Waitārere Surf Club overlooking the sea and with the gorgeous snow-covered Tararuas as a backdrop.
It was a chilly 2 degrees!
Rev Hannah Rowan said it was a wonderful and exhilarating experience!
Before being baptised, Scarlet (year 8) said, “When I was in Year 6, I went to Go Bananas. It was a fun place where we played games and heard stories from the Bible. I went almost every week , either after school or during school , and I really enjoyed it.
After a while, there was a camp coming up, and I decided to go. The camp was super fun, we did lots of activities and talked more about God. At the end of the camp, they were giving out Bibles to anyone who wanted one, and I started reading it from then on.
Since that day, the Bible has helped me grow in my faith and understand more about who God is. Now, I feel like it’s the right time for me to be baptised and take the next step in following Jesus.”
Meg (early 20s) said, “My journey with faith has been a slow unfolding. There have been times when I’ve felt God’s presence so deeply, and other times when I’ve felt lost, afraid and even in pain. But through it all, something has always drawn me back to Him, and I know now he was never far. For me, Jesus was the golden key - but not just to a better life or surface-level peace. He was the key that unlocked the truth: He is the peace, the meaning, and the love I’d been searching for all along. Today, I’m getting baptised as a way of saying yes to Him -yes to His love, His grace, and to becoming the person He created me to be. I’m choosing to follow Jesus, not because I have all the answers, but because I’ve come to the end of trying to carry it all on my own - and I know now: I was never meant to. It’s taken me a while to get here, but I know I’m exactly where I’m meant to be - ready to step into the water, and into a new beginning, held, known and loved beyond measure.”
Bishop’s Warden Doug Rowan had tears of joy in his eyes like many others – it was a very special celebration of Pentecost Sunday!
