Church leaders are celebrating God’s movement after over 4,000 people were baptized at a Southern California Beach, made famous by baptisms that occurred during the “Jesus Movement” 50 years ago. The event, called “Baptize SoCal,” occurred on Pentecost Sunday and involved around 300 churches hosting the event at Pirates Cove Beach. Pastor Mark Francey, a lead pastor at Oceans Church and organizer of the event, stated he had a vision for the event last May. Four thousand one hundred sixty-six people were baptized at the event, with over 8,000 spectators witnessing the baptisms. Daniel Mamora, a worship leader at Calvary South OC, called the event “incredible.” “It just shows them … that people know a true living God [who] loves, saves, heals, and delivers, and that wants to be your friend. It was so incredible, just seeing all these people come together.” He added that he had been thinking about leaving California, but the Lord had led him to stay. “I just felt the spirit of the Lord telling me I need to stay.”
Pirates Cove is portrayed in the surprise hit Christian film, “The Jesus Revolution,” with the success of that film encouraging pastors to repeat the spiritual awakening of that time. “In our times of cultural darkness, there was a bright light shining throughout the event on Pentecost Sunday,” said RJ McCauley, student ministries pastor at Magnolia Church of Riverside. “There was live worship, prayer, and thousands of people cheering on those who were getting baptized. We want a Jesus Revolution to truly happen in our state and among the youth, so this is a beautiful event that helps accomplish that goal.” Francey states he plans to return to repeat the event next year.
This will not be the end of baptisms at the beach. Chuck Laurie plans to host a “Jesus Revolution Beach Baptism” on July 9th. Laurie was baptized during the “Jesus Movement” led by Chuck Smith and now leads Harvest Church. “We are returning to Pirates Cove, the same beach that witnessed the powerful baptisms of thousands of believers during the Jesus Revolution. This iconic location holds a special place in our hearts and our history, making it the perfect setting for our next church-wide baptism event!” the church shared on its website. “This is where I was baptized 50 years ago,” Laurie announced in a video. “This is where my wife Cathe was baptized. This is where thousands of other people were also baptized, and you saw it in the ‘Jesus Revolution’ film. Guess what? We’re doing a ‘Jesus Revolution’ baptism right here at Pirates Cove on July 9th!”