Two years ago, Cyralene Waterman was a very active woman, enjoying the hectic life as a travel consultant.
That all came to a screeching halt when she suffered a stroke, paralysing her to such an extent that she ended up in a wheelchair.
But drawing on a growing faith that she would one day walk again, the 51-year-old took another major step in her recovery on Saturday morning. She joined 81 other converts in taking the plunge for Christ at the Wesleyan Holiness Church’s quarterly baptism ceremony at Brandons Beach, St Michael.
Shortly after being lifted into and out of the water after being baptised by Reverends Carlos Brathwaite and Virgil Parris, the teary-eyed but “so happy” Waterman, supported by fellow church members, could hardly find words to express her relief at finding the Lord.
The mother of two said she strongly believed she would walk again after joining the Dunamis Outreach church in St David’s, Christ Church. She has now moved from the wheelchair to walking with a cane.
“I know I got to serve God . . . ,” she said, as words failed her.
Waterman was among the candidates, their family, friends and church supporters who had earlier heard from Assistant District Superintendent
Rev. Mitchie Nurse that their presence was a testimony “that God’s Word is still powerful” to transform lives.
With the Cave Hill church leading the way with 27 new members among the 38 Wesleyan churches across the island, the converts were told by Nurse not to allow the devil “to hold you in the prison of your past . . . . God forgives us of our sins and buries them in the depths of the sea”.
He declared they were now siding with the “King of kings”, and that all they had done before had been wiped away by the blood of Jesus and they were now made new by the power of God.
“I, like you, have a new name written down in Glory. Men gave me two weeks but God gave me eternity,” declared Nurse.
“The past is the past; you are a new creature as God has pardoned you from sin. God restores us and receives us back into His Family. But, you are not coming into the church as a spectator but as a participant.”
In giving testimonies of their new direction, the men stood out. Transport Board driver Adrian Babb, of Speightstown Wesleyan in St Peter, promised he would never, ever go back to where he came from; while 52-year-old Charles Rollins, of Dunamis, who was greeted with loud cheers, broke into song to confess his love for the Lord and how much He had done for him.
With converts from as young as six years as well as five married couples and twins, there was hardly any room at the water’s edge as scores of supporters pressed forward to capture the moment of their loved ones, many with cameras, tablets and other gadgets.
Six-year-old Kezia Scott had to be consoled over her fears of the rolling waves which hardly bothered her twin brothers, eight-year-old Tirese and Tyler Fraser.
Nine-year-old Kennedy Dunne, of Messiah’s House in St John, when asked why she wanted to be baptised, simply said: “It is something I really wanted to do . . . before it is too late.”
Dr Beverley Lashley and Norman Belgrave were the other ministers conducting the baptisms. (KB/BW)