More than 7,750 people were baptized in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of Huntington Beach, California, on Saturday, an event organizers say marked the largest single-day baptism in American history.
Hosted by Oceans Church and led by Pastor Mark Francey, the event dubbed “Baptize California” drew approximately 30,000 attendees from more than 300 churches across the state.
Participants of all ages publicly professed their faith through baptisms, either in the ocean or in portable baptisteries positioned along the beach.
Get Our Latest News for FREE
Subscribe to get daily/weekly email with the top stories (plus special offers!) from The Christian Post. Be the first to know.
“You were part of the largest water baptism in American history,” Francey told the crowd. “Who thinks that God could do it in the other states of America?”
The mass baptism, now in its second year, exceeded last year’s turnout of 6,000 and is seen by organizers as a spiritual catalyst for an even larger national event planned for next month. Called “Baptize America,” the initiative aims to unite thousands of churches across the United States in what is described as “the largest synchronized baptism in history.”
The next event will be held on June 8 and falls on Pentecost Sunday, a date that commemorates the descent of the Holy Spirit upon the apostles in the Christian tradition. Organizers believe the timing is symbolic and strategic, pointing to revival and national spiritual renewal.
“We’re going to flood local churches in every single one of our states, and we’re going to see a mass water baptism across our land,” Francey said.
The Baptize America campaign seeks to unite churches from diverse backgrounds around a common theological practice: the public declaration of faith through water baptism. Its website states, “This is not about any single church. It’s about churches across the nation united, pursuing the fulfillment of the Great Commission.”
The event also featured worship performances from prominent Christian artists, including Bethel Music, Kari Jobe and Cody Carnes.
Among those baptized Saturday was a 71-year-old woman named Joanne, who shared with organizers that she had considered baptism for four decades but never followed through. Francey baptized her in the Pacific Ocean, saying, “We pray that you would rise up out of these waters with a new nature and a new life.”
Organizers hope the June event will signal a growing movement of national repentance and unity in the Church, with the website declaring, “If God can do it in California, He can do it in any state. And if He can do it in America, He can do it in any other nation in the world.”
The Baptize America team is recruiting churches across the U.S. to join the June 8 movement.
“Join the movement today,” the site urges. “Our nation and the nations of the earth will bear witness that God is not done with America. It will be saved.”
In a previous interview with The Christian Post, Francey said he hopes to take Baptize California not only across America but around the world.
“I think that when God wants to do something, he kind of creates the right atmosphere and ecosystem for it to happen,” he said.
Francey said he got a vision from God to promote baptism to help the local church about two years ago while praying.
“I don’t know where God wants us to go. But we’re kind of prepared for whatever He wants us to do,” the pastor told CP. “Ultimately, our desire is to make the Day of Pentecost the day that Christendom celebrates water baptism,” he said. “I think it kind of happens organically every once in a while, but the Book of Acts was obviously started with a prayer meeting that led to bold preaching in the public square, that led to a public declaration of faith that 3,000 believed, and then immediately, 3000 were baptized.”
Each person baptized at the events hosted by Baptize California will be provided with resources from an online database to help them connect with a local church of their choice, he added.
“This isn’t like a parachurch organization that’s going to kind of blow in and blow out, just get a crowd and just trying to get them (people) hyped. Our heart was to unite the local church, to work together, to really reach our world, and then to build a kingdom by connecting all of these people that are making a decision to get connected to the local church,” Francey said. “For us, the win isn’t the count of how many got baptized, really, it’s going to be how that translates into how we are getting people connected to the local church.”
Leah M. Klett is a reporter for The Christian Post. She can be reached at: leah.klett@christianpost.com
