Mississippi Church Sees 59 Baptized After August Revival

First Baptist Poplarville, a small-town church in Mississippi, baptized 59 people after its August revival, according to The Baptist Paper and Baptist Press, both drawing on reporting from Mississippi's The Baptist Record. The final night was held at the Brownstone Theater on the campus of Pearl River Community College, where 52 people were baptized in concrete troughs set up in the parking lot. Six more had been baptized the night before, during the Tuesday service at the church.

The story began almost 10 years ago, when Pastor Kipp Smith came to First Baptist Poplarville after serving in student ministry in Nebraska, Louisiana and several places in Mississippi. The church was in decline, with about 80 members and no vision forward, The Baptist Paper reports. Smith said God gave him a vision of the church holding an event at the Brownstone, which "makes no sense whatsoever when you looked at the size of our church at the time," since the theater seats about 850-900 people and is one of the best in South Mississippi.

The church started holding revivals anyway. In the early years, held in the church building, attendance was small and decisions were few, though Smith said the meetings were still helpful in the life of the church. Almost six years in, the church asked the college about renting the Brownstone and learned it could get a lower price as a nonprofit. Three years ago, Smith looked around a theater full of students, church members and neighbors as at least 100 people answered the altar call. He called it a holy moment that looked exactly like what God had shown him.

This August marked the third year in a row that the revival ended at the Brownstone. Before the meetings, members signed up for one-hour slots in a 24-hour prayer commitment. Smith was not sure the college would allow baptisms on campus, but Dr. Adam Breerwood, president of Pearl River Community College, approved the plan. With help from the school's Christian coaches, two 12-foot concrete troughs arrived on a flatbed, and the Poplarville fire department filled them with water. Smith said the church had no idea whether anyone would respond that night. You present the message, he said, and the rest is not in your control.

When the night was over, children, whole families, football players, basketball players, volleyball players and college students had given their lives to the Lord and were baptized one after another. Smith credited Breerwood, along with coaches Michael Avalon and Seth Smith, active members of the church, for bringing their teams, many of whom were saved. Since the revivals began, the church has seen around 250-300 salvations, most of them after the final night moved off site. "We know the Lord is working all over, but it sure is fun to see it," Smith said.

Prayer came first, and God filled the room. Thank Him today for the 59 who went under the water in Poplarville, and ask Him to root each one in His Word and in a church family. Pray too for your own congregation, that it would seek the Lord with the same simple trust, whatever its size.