Congratulations Patrick, Mr. & Mrs. Ching and others ...

We had the opportunity to attend an Easter baptism service at CCCC this past Sunday. Because CCCC is currently under a building expansion, the church has been meeting at a lecture hall in Simon Fraser University lately. Well, SFU doesn't have any baptism tanks (except perhaps the pond...). So, the church met at Coquitlam Chinese Evangelical Free Church this past Sunday at 2:30pm. CCEFC does have a baptismal tank... sort of.

In a twist of irony, it turns out that a recent leak in CCEFC tank prevented it from being used. It was too late to postpone the service however, so the five baptismal candidates had to be baptized ceremonially instead by sprinkling. (This is not a general practice at CCCC for any able bodied person, but permitted under rare circumstances.) I later jokingly suggested to the pastor's wife that they really ought to come use the Bridge's baptismal tank next time. It never leaks, never needs refilling and doesn't require cleaning. (This is the advantage of going to a church next to a beach!)

Plumbing leaks aside, it was nevertheless great to hear the testimonies of the candidates. It was particularly touching to see Patrick (who attends the English congregation and is the lead singer in the band "One Arm Bear") give his testimony and get baptized. It was also deeply moving to see how God had touched the lives of a couple (Mr. and Mrs. Ching). Karen and I had the privilege of teaching their daughter Jolli while we were at CCCC, so their public confession of faith in Christ had that much more of an impact on us.

Congratulations all. May God continue to bless you as you take this step of obedience in faith.