May 16, 2024
AUGUSTA, Ga. — Dr. Brad Whitt stood waist-deep in a pool Sunday evening, sending out ripples with each new believer he dipped beneath the water’s mirrored surface.
Hundreds of people from Abilene Baptist Church had gathered at Camp Lakeside to see 21 people baptized in the sun-warmed waters.
It’s the latest evidence of a fresh move of God at the nearly 250-year-old church that’s seeing amazing growth, both in attendance and in numbers of people turning to Christ.
“People are really hungry for God,” said Whitt, the church's senior pastor. “They’re really hungry for churches that preach the gospel and that give people an opportunity to respond to the gospel.”
Two Sundays ago, Abilene had 107 salvation decisions on a single day, a day when more than 2,000 people gathered at the church’s two campuses for the annual Day of Champions that pulls together nearly 20 local football teams for a spiritual kickoff to the season.
Former University of Georgia football coach Mark Richt spoke during that service, sharing with the congregation how he came to know Jesus as his Savior.
It had happened during Richt’s tenure as an assistant coach at Florida State University. One of his players had been tragically killed. Richt remembers being grief stricken and confused.
Florida State’s legendary had coach Bobby Bowden, the always unapologetic Christian, pulled the devastated team together and shared the hope that can be found in Christ.
Richt recalled walking into Bowden’s office the next morning and saying the words that changed his life: “I need Jesus.”
Richt told those gathered for Abilene’s Day of Champions that his life was never the same, nor will it be for the 107 new believers who trusted Christ after hearing from Richt.
“It has been the best summer we’ve ever had as far as attendance, Sunday school, baptisms, and salvations,” Whitt said.
It's not unusual for 1,200 to 1,400 people to gather at Abilene’s two campuses on Sunday mornings.
Whitt said the excitement was palpable when the congregation gathered at the lake for the outdoor baptisms Sunday.
“It gave us an opportunity to get everyone from both campuses together,” he said.
One of the men who was baptized had surrendered his life to Christ while serving in Afghanistan but had not been baptized. Whitt gladly took care of that.
In another case, Whitt baptized a man who immediately helped to baptize his wife, also a new believer.
Baptisms are the norm at Abilene. During Whitt’s 11-year-tenure as pastor, the church has routinely baptized from 60 to 100 new believers per year, according to records kept by the Georgia Baptist Mission Board. That an average of one to two baptisms each Sunday since 2012.
“Abilene is one of those churches that gets excited over baptisms,” Whitt said. “It's just God’s blessing at this time.”
