Mass Baptism Fills Surf Line

Thousands of people seeking spiritual purification walked into the sea Friday evening in what local church officials said was the largest baptism in memory.

The converts entered the surging surf, some singly, others holding hands with spouses and children, and were greeted by pastors who asked them if they were ready to accept Jesus Christ in their lives.

As the converts nodded or whispered their affirmation, they were briefly submerged in the water. Most surfaced smiling. Others hugged their pastor or began to weep.

“I feel loved,” said Mark Contreras, 27, who came to the baptism with his girlfriend and two young daughters from Riverside. “It’s just a feeling in your heart. I can’t explain it, but you know it.”

Darlene Reyna, a 31-year-old dental assistant from El Monte, said she accepted Jesus Christ in November. “I was waiting for this (baptism) for a long time,” she said. “Now I won’t feel empty anymore. Now I feel like I have a personal relationship with Jesus. It’s wonderful.”

The mass baptism culminated the weeklong Summer Harvest Crusade at the Pacific Amphitheatre in Costa Mesa--five nights of speeches and Christian rock concerts.

Crusade officials had expected more than 5,000 to show up for the baptisms, which were to be held in the waters off Pirate’s Cove. But so many appeared that the ceremony was moved to a more open section of Corona del Mar State Beach.

An hour after the ceremonies began at 7 p.m., thousands of people still waited their turn on the shore or were stuck in traffic.

Ed Steele, a spokesman for the crusade, said he had no way of estimating how many people actually arrived to be baptized.

The crusade was sponsored by more than 100 Southern California churches, including Calvary Chapel of Costa Mesa, which played a large part in the original Jesus movement of the early 1970s. In fact, many of the spectators were grown-up members of the 1970s movement, attending the crusade with their families and friends.

“Many of the same conditions prevail now which prevailed at the time of the original movement,” including drug use and rebellious attitudes, Steele said.

“We, as Christians, depend on the Holy Spirit to move people, and He has moved people in a big way,” said Jack Acuff, a member of a Christian advertising agency in Orange asked to promote the crusade.

Many of those who watched the event had already been baptized. They said they just wanted to be there to share the joy with people who would become like them.

“It’s a blessing for me to see others accept the faith,” said Lisa Foley, 32, of Lakewood. “The baptism is not how we are saved. It is just a witness to others that we have accepted Jesus into our lives.