Hundreds of Christ followers are planning to go public with their faith through the waters of Baptism at the annual outdoor Baptism service of Willow Creek Community Church on Sunday, June 27. “Baptism is an important act of obedience in the life of every believer in Jesus,” says Paul Jansen Van Rensburg, Willow’s director of evangelism. “Jesus Himself set this example by being baptized. For Christ followers, Baptism represents the symbolic act of dying to their old life by going into the water, and then rising again—coming up out of the water—to new life in Christ.”
 
Willow Creek holds Baptism services several times throughout the year, most of them indoors in an above-ground pool assembled on the stage of the Main Auditorium. The outdoor Baptism, held in the lake each June on Willow’s South Barrington campus, provides a unique opportunity for the entire congregation to picnic, enjoy the sun, and most importantly, to celebrate with those taking this public step of faith. Last year, more than 700 people were baptized at this service alone, and a total of 1642 were baptized in 2009.