0913 taking a dip

In the afternoon, my church was having its Annual Baptism Celebration at Seaside Lagoon in Redondo Beach. Ed was able to give me a ride from SBCC to the Lagoon, as he wasn’t able to make it to Las Vegas for the Chinchilla Day party.

After picking up Brian, Ed drove to find a Popeye’s Fried Chicken location, based on Brian’s directions. We finally made it, after driving thru a strip mall and not finding one. It was just something for the two of them to take to the potluck, since I made other plans with someone else.

Once we had the chicken, we picked up Sunny and headed off towards the Lagoon. The parking lot was half-empty, but the handicapped spaces were full, so we parked a few aisles away and made our way to the gate.

After going through the entrance, we found the church group in a private party area. Canopies were set up in the area, but one was completely empty, although there were people sitting in the sun around it. We soon found out why. When the wind picked up, the shaded areas were chilly.

The potluck lunch began soon afterwards, followed by Legacy worship, and then a couple of dances by the Hula Team. Joey, our worship leader, led the gathering in a few songs to get them on their feet, which was a good preventative for after-lunch naps.

The baptism candidates were given time on the microphone to tell their stories of what led them to God. There were thirteen of them. When the last of them spoke, the group moved en masse to the water’s edge. There, in the water of the Lagoon, they were each immersed by Pastor Gary.

Soon after that, the group broke up and made their way to the parking lot.