|
 On June 16, 2007 twelve inmates declared their faith in Jesus Christ through baptism at the Ottawa Carleton Detention Centre. Ten of the men had come to faith during the Alpha course at OCDC. Dave Atkins who, along with his wife Carol are Alpha for Prisons Advisors, tells the story:
The Baptism Service today was an awesome sight to behold. We had a Communion Service inside the Chapel with our twenty guests and then, with the blazing sun shining gloriously off the razor wire above our heads, witnessed the baptism outside.
It was the second baptism service in OCDC. The first was held about 4 years ago involving just one Prison Alpha guest. Now twelve inmates were requesting to be baptized by the Chaplain, Reverend Carl Wake, in the exercise yard in front of eight of their peers, a Salvation Army Chaplain, nine volunteers, a number of Detention Centre staff and other onlookers.
After Carl and I helped them into the improvised baptismal tank (a sanitized Rubbermaid laundry tub on wheels), each inmate gave a brief personal testimony before scrunching down for full immersion in the eighteen inch depth of water that was all the officers allowed the team to put into the "tank". There was music and singing and rounds of cheerful applause as each one came up out of the water.
Each man was given a New Living Translation Bible from the Canadian Bible Society with their name on the inscription inside saying "may you be richly blessed in your new life in Christ."
Continue article >>
|
The event was an amazing witness to God's grace and love as each of the twelve men told of his desire to leave his old way of life and live anew with and for Christ.
The first to be baptized was a former driver for a drug dealer. He was so anxious to be baptized that he almost jumped into the tank. Chaplain Wake described the scene this way He begged to be first because his feet were burning on the pavement. He took off his coveralls and, clad in his gym shorts, stepped up onto a milk crate and into the laundry tub.
As he stood there I asked him, What would bring you to stand here? You have officers looking at you. You have your peers looking at you. You're opening yourself up to ridicule and disgrace. Why are you here?' I asked this of each person, and to a man they declared a firm resolve in their faith and with a smile said, I want to serve God.'
Some of the prisoners were tall and covered in tattoos. To see them scrunch down to get covered by eighteen inches of water was a sight to behold. Then to see them come up out of the water all aglow was the highlight of my year.
Alpha has been running at OCDC for five years now and the team has ministered to almost 1,000 inmates.
Today was a huge encouragement to the team. We were all deeply moved by what God has done and have a great sense of expectation that this ceremony marks the start of something even greater that God will be doing at OCDC.
This account was contributed to canadianchristianity.com by our friends at Alpha Canada. www.alphacanada.org
June 26/2008
|
