On Easter Sunday, April 1, 2018 in during the services at First Alliance Church, five people were baptized, publicly signifying their identity in Christ and commitment to follow Jesus as a disciple. They are:
Nikki Bladowski
In the summer of 2016, Sofia asked me to go to Bible School. Two college students came and spoke to us about Zacchaeus, who climbed up a tree just to see Jesus because he was too short. He did whatever he could just to see Jesus. Even though nobody liked Zacchaeus, Jesus still loved him. It says to me that what we look like, what we've said or even what we've done, Jesus still loves us! I want to learn more about Jesus like Zacchaeus. So one of the college girls and I went outside at the end of the week to pray, and I asked God for forgiveness.
Now, I accepted Samatha's invitation to go to Youth Group and eventually to Small Groups and then to Sunday School, too, to get closer to Jesus and learn more about Him and what He's done for us.
Isaac Champion
I was at the high school football stadium, and a man was preaching about Jesus. He asked people to come down to the field if they want to get saved. I felt very nervous, and my chest was pounding. My dad asked me if I want t go down, and I said yes. We walked down to the field, and a man prayed with us. I asked Jesus to save me from my sins. I want to be baptized because I want to show every body that I follow Jesus.
Debbie Forsman
I asked Jesus into my heart as a 5 year old and was raised in a Christian home and a small Alliance church. I have followed Christ my whole life and strive to serve Him. I had always seen baptism as a symbolic conversion for someone that was turning from an old sinful life to a new life in Christ. Since I had not been saved in that way, I didn't think baptism for me was necessary.
In the past few years, God has been pressing upon me the importance of the declaration of my faith.
God has blessed us with a new phase of life here in Toccoa and deepened not only my faith but my children's. I am happy to be baptized alongside them as we publicly declare our faith together.
Byrce Forsman
When I was about 5 or 6, I accepted Jesus into my heart. When I was 10, I remember my pastor talking about it, and I decided that I wanted to be baptized, but I never got to it. Currently, I want to be baptized in front of people to show that I am a follower of Christ Jesus.
Skylar Forsman
I grew up in the church like a lot of other kids, but I had never really felt God speak to me or work directly in my life. I've found that devotions have helped me deepen my faith and I can see how much of a difference praying daily makes. Being baptized will become a reminder to myself that He washed away my old ways and I'm now committed to living with Christ instead of living in the world.