baptism
learn more about getting baptized
thinking about taking the next step on your spiritual journey?
in baptism we identify with Jesus' death, burial, and resurrection and publicly declare our intention to follow Him.
Six Common Questions About Baptism
- Baptism is an outward expression of an inward change. It’s a public declaration of how Jesus is changing your life.
- Being baptized shows that you’ve decided to follow Jesus as your leader and forgiver, and allows others to celebrate this decision with you (Acts 16:31-34).
- Baptism is a picture of the death, burial and resurrection in your life just as Jesus was that first Easter.
- The power that brought Jesus back to life is the same power Jesus uses to change our lives – and that’s worth getting excited about!
- Jesus instructs us to be baptized and set the example by being baptized (Matthew 28:19-20, Mark 1:9).
- Obedience to Jesus shows we believe in and follow Him (1 John 2:3).
- Because Jesus went public about His love for us, we can go public about our love for Him.
- Being baptized shows that we turn away from a life of sin toward Jesus, the only one who can change us (Acts 2:38-41).
- It also seems that God does something unique in us during our baptism. It marks us spiritually in a profound way.
- For everyone who decides to follow Jesus, baptism is the next step.
- Anyone who commits his or her life to following Jesus is ready to be baptized (Acts 8:12).
- We believe baptism is a personal choice that happens upon someone’s confession of faith and they need to be old enough to make that decision themselves. We do offer Child Dedications – an opportunity for the child’s family to make a commitment to raise this child in a godly home. For information about Child Dedications, please go to: eastside.com/dedication/. As parents, we can help point our children to Jesus, but they are the ones to decide if they will commit their lives to Him (Romans 10:9).
- We have a mandatory baptism class for 5th graders and their parent or guardian must attend. This class can aid you in helping your child make the most important decision of their life. Please visit eastside.com/kids for more information and to register.
- Baptisms in the Bible were by immersion.
- The original word for baptism most often referred to being immersed or submerged in water.
- Jesus was baptized by being immersed in the water and rising out of it (Matthew 3:16, Mark 1:10).
- Submersion in the water symbolizes the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus (1 Corinthians 15:3-4).
- Being submerged under water represents our death to sin and old way of life, and being raised out of the water is a picture of how Jesus raised us and gave us a fresh start in life (Romans 6:3-5).
- If you haven’t been baptized by immersion since you decided to follow Jesus, we want to help you take your next step in doing so. Once you’ve taken that step though, there’s no need to be baptized again. The work God does in baptism sticks.
- Even if you fell away from God for a while, the fact that you’re back is a testament to the work that God did in your life and in your baptism.
Hear from others why they chose to take this next step on their spiritual journey
A Baptism Journey For A Mother And Daughter
Made New Together: A Baptism Journey For A mother and daughter For one Eastside family, this past Easter Sunday became more than a celebration of resurrection—it marked a powerful moment of renewal and unity through baptism. Christie (mom) shares, “I started going to Eastside in 2013. Like a lot of ...
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Baja Trip Baptism Story
Baja Ocean Baptism. Liz’s Baptism Story Sometimes, the most life-changing moments begin with a simple “yes.” For Liz Turner, it started with a connection to Eastside Church—one rooted in her husband’s childhood memories of attending Eastside Christian School in Fullerton. That connection planted a seed of curiosity, one that would ...
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A Story of Faith, Family, and Baptism
A New Lease on Life: A Story of Faith Family and Baptism Most stories don’t start with: “And then he lay in a coma for three days.” But sometimes, life gives us wake-up calls we never saw coming. And in the middle of the most terrifying moments, God’s presence becomes ...
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The Courage To Put Pride Aside
Aaron shares his story about finding faith and why he chose to get baptized. I was resistant to accept Jesus because of my pride. I thought I had it all figured out. Like a lot of people, you go through life and you figure stuff out kind of on ...
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What if Christ does not want me?
Here Scott’s story about why he decided to get baptized: My name is Scotty B Giles, and I’ve been going to Eastside since 2016. I grew up in a large family on a big ranch. And what is interesting is that my parents always taught us, if you want to ...
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Thinking about getting baptized?
Thinking about getting baptized Last Easter weekend we saw 321 people decide to get baptized! We are celebrating so many who decided to take this step in showing their love for Christ. One of these people was Emmett Woodward, a junior in our High School Ministry (HSM). Emmett had returned ...
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Stella gets baptized
Stella gets baptized Finding community Here is what Stella had to say about her decision to be baptized: During the pandemic, my family’s spiritual journey took an unexpected turn when my parents discovered Eastside online. What began as simply watching virtual services from home soon became a meaningful connection to ...
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Jorelle decides to get baptized
Jorelle decides to get baptized Taking a Bold Step of Faith “God became truly real to me after my first few visits to Eastside when I finally let go of my hesitations and tore down the walls I had built.” Here is what Jorelle had to say about his decision ...
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I feel like I’m broken
Here is what Robert had to say about his decision to be baptized: I have been been coming with my family to Eastside since Easter in 2018. My wife’s friend from work invited us to Eastside Redlands since it had just opened. I always thought there must be a God, ...
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Why An Invitation Matters
Why an invitation matters Rina decides to get baptized Sometimes it takes more than one invitation “I’ve been blessed with Lilia’s friendship since kindergarten – over 40 years of sharing life together. Throughout those years, she extended countless invitations to church, but I always declined.” Here is what Rina had ...
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SHARE YOUR STORY
We'd love to hear your story! Please take a minute and share why you chose to get baptized.
BAPTISM PHOTOS
Congatulations on your recent baptism! Your photo will be available about 7-10 days after your baptism so make sure to check back here!