‘I used social media to invite people to be baptised. 170 people turned up from across the UK’

If you had told me beforehand that 170 people were going to be baptised in the sea at Bigbury, in Devon, I’m not sure I would have believed you.

If I’d had to guess at a number, I probably would have said 30.

The whole thing began after I posted a video of a baptism I had attended on my social media channel, BibleLadUK. I simply filmed what was happening and shared it, not expecting much from it. But then the messages started. Followers asked me: “Can I be baptised like this?”

So, with support from my pastor at Calvary Chapel Plymouth, I arranged a beach baptism at Jennycliff in Plymouth in June, and 28 people were baptised. I filmed that too and shared it online – and afterwards the response was even bigger.

I don’t pretend to know exactly what is happening in Britain, but something definitely is

We decided to organise another event, this time at Bigbury-on-Sea. I put the invitation out through BibleLadUK: if you have put your faith in Jesus Christ as your Lord and Saviour and want to publicly declare that faith through baptism, you are welcome. No tickets. No charge. No booking. Just come.

But despite all the messages, I genuinely had no idea how many people would actually show up. When I got to the beach that morning, hardly anyone was there. Then, slowly, people started to arrive.

Before I knew it, there were hundreds of people. The weather was glorious, and my church, Calvary Chapel Plymouth, were incredible. I couldn’t have done this without Pastor Kenny and the whole church family. A chef from the church ran a free BBQ. A welcome team served food. Gospel tracts and more than 100 Bibles were given away. Information was also prepared to help people get plugged into a local church afterwards.

At 3pm, hundreds of people began moving towards the shoreline. Pastor Kenny shared the gospel. Volunteers from Calvary Chapel Bristol led us in worship. Hearing hundreds of people singing worship songs together on a Devon beach was extraordinary.

Then we entered the water. Pastors from Calvary Chapel Bristol and Ivybridge Baptist Church joined elders from Calvary Chapel Plymouth. Eight men baptised in pairs, forming four lines in the sea. The line just kept coming. I must have been in the water for well over an hour.

More than just numbers

This is the part I don’t want to lose among the headlines about numbers.

One young couple travelled by bus all the way from Leeds. They could only get as far as Kingsbridge and had no transport for the final part of their journey, so they walked for three hours. At one point, they removed their shoes and socks to wade through water. Just because they wanted to reach that beach and be baptised.

An older lady journeyed from Scotland because she particularly wanted to be baptised in the sea.

A quiet, timid man came alone from Ireland. I spotted him, sitting alone on the rocks, and went over to speak with him. He had travelled all that way to be baptised and was heading straight back to Ireland afterwards.

There were families, young people, older people, single men and women. I met people with tattoos, scars, histories of addiction and broken backgrounds. What struck me was how ordinary and real these people were. This wasn’t some polished religious crowd. They were my sort of people.

Many knew exactly why they needed Jesus. They weren’t ashamed of where they had come from, and they were excited to tell me what Christ now meant to them.

168…then came Doncaster

After the baptisms I went back to my van to get changed. Then, together with my cameraman, we started reviewing the footage on his laptop so we could count everybody. We counted my line first – 70 people. I was beyond excited. Eventually we reached the final count: 168 people. Then somebody came running up to the van. A couple had just arrived from Doncaster. They were late – but they’d travelled almost 300 miles to be baptised. So, I put my wet clothes back on and went back down to the sea with one of the pastors.

170 people baptised, in one day, on a beach in Devon.

Back on the beach, the BBQ - enough food for 300 people – was devoured. Not a crumb was left. Every one of the 100-plus Bibles went too. We could have given away more.

I’ve been a Christian for more than 20 years, and I’m careful about throwing around words like ‘revival’. I don’t pretend to know exactly what is happening in Britain, but something definitely is.

One young couple had no transport for the final part of their journey, so they walked for three hours

I’m seeing a groundswell that I haven’t seen before. People are more open to talking about Christianity. Men message me asking which Bible they should buy because they want to follow Jesus. People are searching.

Perhaps in a culture filled with noise and extremes, people are discovering something solid and true in Christianity. Whatever the explanation, there is clearly a hunger for Jesus.

I drove home that night completely exhausted and absolutely buzzing. I fell into bed, and when I woke the following morning my first thought was almost: Did that really happen?

It did. I put the invitation online. God did the rest. And all the glory belongs to Jesus.