La Sierra baptism celebrates 11 commitments to Christ

 

RIVERSIDE, Calif. -- On a cool Friday evening in June, 11 La Sierra University students made public commitments to follow Christ through the Seventh-day Adventist faith during an outdoor baptism.

Eleven La Sierra University students, some entering the Seventh-day Adventist faith for the first time, were baptized on June 9. Their photos and names were displayed on a lighted board for the outdoor baptismal service. (Photos: Natan Vigna)
Eleven La Sierra University students, some entering the Seventh-day Adventist faith for the first time, were baptized on June 9. Their photos and names were displayed on a lighted board for the outdoor baptismal service. (Photos: Natan Vigna)
A student praise team leads the audience in worship songs during the June 9 baptism on La Sierra University's Founders' Green.
A student praise team leads the audience in worship songs during the June 9 baptism on La Sierra University's Founders' Green.
Family, friends, university faculty members and staff sit on blankets and chairs on the grassy campus mall called Founders' Green for a June baptism.
Family, friends, university faculty members and staff sit on blankets and chairs on the grassy campus mall called Founders' Green for a June baptism.
Campus Chaplain Sam Leonor addresses the baptismal service audience and baptismal candidates on June 9.
Campus Chaplain Sam Leonor addresses the baptismal service audience and baptismal candidates on June 9.
La Sierra University Vice President for Student Life Yami Bazan, right, just after baptizing student Johannah Macy on June 9.
La Sierra University Vice President for Student Life Yami Bazan, right, just after baptizing student Johannah Macy on June 9.
Assistant Chaplain Martin Corona baptizes student Gabriel Najera.
Assistant Chaplain Martin Corona baptizes student Gabriel Najera.
Campus Chaplain Sam Leonor, known as Pastor Sam, just after baptizing student Maisie Franklin.
Campus Chaplain Sam Leonor, known as Pastor Sam, just after baptizing student Maisie Franklin.
Assistant Chaplain Linda Biswas hugs student Eric Marquez after baptizing him on June 9 during La Sierra University's annual spring baptism.
Assistant Chaplain Linda Biswas hugs student Eric Marquez after baptizing him on June 9 during La Sierra University's annual spring baptism.
Student and baptismal candidate Ivan Vegar who was among 11 students baptized on June 9.
Student and baptismal candidate Ivan Vegar who was among 11 students baptized on June 9.

The service was held on an outdoor stage and baptistery on Founder’s Green with family members, friends, faculty and staff seated on blankets and chairs in the gathering dusk. A music team and talks by Campus Chaplain Sam Leonor and Assistant Chaplain Donovan Childs commenced the evening. Baptismal candidates lined up, arrayed in white robes, along the lighted stage and were introduced by Leonor, Assistant Chaplain Martin Corona, Assistant Chaplain Linda Biswas, and Vice President for Student Life Yami Bazan who each baptized their students in a moving service that followed.

“It meant the world to me,” said baptismal candidate Ivan Vegar, a biological health sciences and pre-med major when asked about the personal impact of the experience. He will be a senior this coming school year and aims to one day serve his community as an emergency room physician. “The event filled me with immense joy and happiness, knowing that myself and many other La Sierra students were going through an amazing experience. There’s more to it than the physical act of baptism that must be experienced to truly understand the spiritual impact it has in our lives,” Vegar said.

Vegar was raised in the Pentecostal faith and is the first in his family to be baptized into the Seventh-day Adventist Church. His mother, aunt, uncle and cousins from Yucaipa attended the June 9 service which also included the baptism of his best friend. “I couldn't be more blessed,” Vegar said.

He continued, “God has always been good in my life, and in retrospect I couldn't be where I am without Him guiding me through thick and thin. What I'm doing in life and what I plan to do is my attempt to reflect the love that He’s given me, so whether it was a hard decision or not, it was definitely the right decision to make.”

He added, “sometimes, we can be unsure of our futures, our plans, and our endeavors in life, but we have to learn to put our faith and trust in God and understand that whatever happens will be good.”

The June baptism concluded with a special performance by men’s chorus "His Voice" directed by Mike Naluaii. The ensemble included La Sierra baptismal candidate Gabriel Najera. It was one of two baptisms that occurred during La Sierra University’s 2016-17 school year with one other taking place at the end of winter quarter. In all, 15 students committed their lives to Christ through baptism during the academic year.

For Leonor, the baptisms are cherished events and highlights of the year’s activities. “I love our baptismal nights. Watching students make these commitments to God are what some of us live for,” he said. “On one hand, I think of it as the culmination of our community’s work. It means that we have demonstrated a life devoted to Jesus in such a way that a student has found it compelling enough to choose it. On the other hand, I like to tell students that baptism is not a destination but a start. It is the day they choose to start life with Jesus. No one arrives at the baptismal pool knowing everything, with a fully formed faith, or having life figured out. Everyone arrives there ready to start life anew, devoted to God.”

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