Matthew Lucio
ILC Assistant to the President for Communication
Photos by Laura Lucio and Otniel Tigu
Last May, pastors Jonathan Burnett and Felipe Soares were preaching through the Sermon on the Mount when they encountered Jesus' call to fast. Drawing from Daniel, they invited anyone willing to spend the next 21 days in prayer and fasting, seeking revival in the church.
Those 21 days led to 21 baptisms on November 23, 2024. It is believed to be the most baptisms in one day since Mark Finley held a series of meetings at the church more than ten years ago.
Aside from fasting in prayer, the catalyst for these baptisms came in August, when a young adult named Myriah asked to be baptized on November 23rd. A month later, in "one of my prayer moments," Pastor Burnett reflected, "I felt impressed that we should just let the church know when the next baptism is." An announcement slide invited anyone who wanted to be baptized on November 23 to let the pastors know. Week by week, people added their name to the list of those wanting to be baptized.
Twenty-one baptisms were a blessing, but also a logistical challenge. Given the time it would take to pray over each baptismal candidate and immerse them, nearly the entire service was devoted to the baptisms. A praise team also led the congregation in song. Pastor Felipe worked with the church's leadership team, including the elders, deacons, and Mary Forgue, the church office lead, who all worked to ensure that candidates were organized by having the right baptismal gowns and entering the baptistry at the right time. A rehearsal on Friday night was necessary.
Jesus stories
"Every ministry in our church played a role," Pastor Burnett said. He credits seeds that were planted 10-15 years ago by Adventurers and Pathfinders leaders, sabbath school leaders, and teachers at North Shore Adventist Academy.
Where did those baptized come from? Six are current students at the Academy. (A couple more were past students.) Some came from Adventurers and Pathfinders clubs, while others were children of church members. One of those baptized, Pearle, was a neighbor of one of North Shore's elders, Verna Walker, who gave her Bible studies.
Cherish is a 17 year-old from Nigeria who had been moved to explore baptism after an appeal at the 2023 Chicagoland Youth Rally. She spent the past year studying with Pastor Soares, but wondered if she should put off the baptism for a few years. Baptism is a big decision and she wondered if she needed to study more. "I reminded her," Pastor Soares said, "that Jesus truly is ALL that she needs to know in order to give her heart to Him and be baptized." After praying about the decision, Cherish decided to go forward with the baptism.
In taking her stand for Jesus, Myriah knew she needed Sabbaths off from her job and asked for prayer. Myriah's boss told her that she couldn't have Sabbaths off. In school and needing funds, she nevertheless decided that she would rather be faithful to Jesus, so she quit. She ended up finding a job in the field she was studying. Her new boss had a Jewish background and happily granted her Sabbaths off. Pastor Burnett encouraged her to remember how God blessed when she owns her own business some day and has the opportunity to extend Sabbath to her employees.
next steps
Baptism isn't the end of a story, but the beginning. Studies with the pastors and elders will continue.
After witnessing 21 giving their lives to Jesus, others have expressed interest in getting baptized at the next baptismal Sabbath, February 8, 2025.
If you would like to be baptized, please contact Pastor Jonathan Burnett (burnett@ilcsda.org) or Pastor Felipe Soares fsoares@ilcsda.org. You may also call the church office at 773-561-0282.
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Please send any news items of what God is doing around the Illinois Conference to communication@ilcsda.org.