Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Matthew 28:19 (NIV) 

Jesus Christ, in His divine authority, delegates the power to all his disciples, who are born again. Each person who chooses to be baptized does so as a profound symbol of dying to sin and receiving the Holy Spirit. The word baptism means submerged; it refers to the purification of someone who is submerged in water, transformed by receiving God’s Holy Spirit, reborn, and changed into a new creation.

When we become believers in Christ and are baptized, we must change. In the congregation that God has allowed us to lead, Iglesia Nuevo Amanecer, we give the person an explanation of what is about to happen. Then, on the day of the baptism, we perform a ceremony with everyone from the church present. We pray and sing with joy together with the newly baptized brothers and sisters. 

We baptize in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, and each person is given a certificate with the person’s full name, the date of their rebirth, and their entrance into the family of God. We have baptized many people, and we are thankful to the Lord Jesus, who gives us the authority to make disciples, who make more disciples, who baptize new believers of Jesus to share the gospel with all nations.

 For the past two years, Pastor Ricardo Ordonez has been serving as the lead pastor of Iglesia Nuevo Amanecer in the Evangelical Garifuna Mission District of LMC. The congregation is located in Boston, Massachusetts.