When Mario Soto was immersed in the water of the church’s outdoor baptismal pool by Pastor Warren on Mar 19, his life changed forever.
Soto, a resident of Aliso Viejo, California, was baptised with around a dozen other adults that day following the congregation’s 11.15 am service.
For the 24-year-old the decision to make a public declaration of his faith in Jesus Christ was important for his new life he is about to embark on with his fiancée Amanda who cheered him on from the side of the baptismal pool following Soto’s proposal the night before.
“I had prayed all my life for her,” he said of Amanda. After she accepted his marriage proposal, he decided to go ahead with the baptism right away. “I realised I needed that foundation to start our family.”
Rick Warren also expressed his delight at taking part in the milestone 20,000th baptism for his church.
“It’s a terrific, wonderful experience,” he said. “I had the privilege of being baptised by my own father who was a pastor, so it was a meaningful time for me. You don’t forget your baptism. It’s an eternal memory.”
From Saddleback’s first ever baptism in 1980 the church has seen huge growth. Until 2004 the church’s average number of baptisms stood at 1,300 a year. The past two years have seen this number increase to an average of more than 2,000 baptisms.
But Warren insists it’s all about the lives.
“I am addicted to changed lives,” he said. “It’s not about the size of the church. The size means nothing. It’s the individual stories –- the family that gets back together, the kid that gets off drugs, the life that’s turned to Christ. The cool thing is the stories behind the 20,000 lives.”
