Event spurred on by Palatka High student’s death
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Photo submitted by Ricky Bybee – People gather at the Palatka riverfront Sunday to either cheer on the 160 people getting baptized or prepare to be baptized themselves.
Thirty pastors baptized more than 100 people Sunday at the Palatka riverfront as people began or resumed their walk of faith.
The Community Baptism brought Christians of all denominations to the St. Johns River for an afternoon of worship, prayer and, for some, rebirth.
Ricky Bybee, the associate pastor of Trinity Baptist Church in Palatka, said it was a humbling experience. People sang worship songs on a stage at the riverfront while 160 people were baptized in either the river or troughs along the riverfront grass, he said.
He stood on stage Sunday and could view a sea of people accepting Jesus Christ as their first lord and savior. He estimated children as young as 8 and adults as old as 80 got baptized Sunday.
“There was young and old people from all denominations and churches,” Bybee said. “There was a football team, you know, and high school folks to support them. Teachers were there.”
The Community Baptism came on the heels of Palatka Junior-Senior High School student Baylee Holbrook’s death. The 16-year-old high school junior died at the end of September after she was struck by lightning while hunting with her father.
She was a member of Trinity Baptist Church and was active in the church’s youth group. Holbrook was known across Palatka High and in the community for gathering friends, family and anyone she could to attend church, whether for a youth group or regular Sunday service.
Pastors and attendees said they felt Holbrook’s impact Sunday.
“She’s left a footprint,” Bybee said. “For 16 years old, she let her light shine so brightly on this world.”
Trinity Baptist member Amylie Watts said Holbrook’s death deeply affected her. She said the first service without Holbrook was like a wake-up call from God.
She said she had gotten away from God for a short time, but she returned because she felt God told her it was time to do work.
Trinity Baptist Pastor Willie McKinnon III baptized Watts in the St. Johns River on Sunday. And Watts got to share the experience with her friends.
“I’ve been wanting to do that for a long time,” she said. “I just felt like I was reborn. We all got back into church. We all needed this.”
Steve Burkowske, the pastor of Open Door Church of God in Palatka, said Holbrook’s father, Matthew Holbrook, was baptizing people in the river, too. Burkowske said he was amazed to see how many community members accepted the invitation to be baptized.
“There’s a personal connection (to the event) there, but we’re all there together just supporting each other,” he said.
The Palatka City Commission approved the event permit for the Community Baptism on Thursday, and Bybee saw the quick approval as a sign of unity. He said communities in other states have also picked up on large-scale baptism events because of Palatka’s event.
It was humbling to see God working in this community, Bybee said, noting he’s never seen anything of such a magnitude.
“It’s a movement,” he said of Sunday’s event. “The Holy Spirit was moving in this community.”
