Food, Fun, and Faith: Church Set for Baptism at Long Valley Lake

Who says faith can’t be fun?

That’s exactly what it should be, according to Mendham Hills Community Church Pastor John Isemann, especially when a follower of Christ is taking part in his or her holiest moment.

For more than a dozen years running, the Chester Township church has spent a June Sunday at a lake in Long Valley giving the opportunity to those who believe in Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior to publically profess that faith by being baptized.

The celebration has grown so much, Isemann said, that 2015 is shaping up to be the most-attended session with more than 350 registered for the June 14 event. By comparison, about 235 attendees registered in 2014.

But why such a grand event for such a personal situation?

It’s about the community, and about sharing what the church truly stands for, Isemann said.

“Someone once asked me, ‘If your church went away, would anyone care?’” Isemann said. “If we want to share our message and show people what we’re truly about, we need to go to the community, not just wait for them to come to us.”

While the morning-long celebration is fun for all ages, with music, food, bounce houses and other backyard barbecue-style festivities, there’s no sugar-coating the real reason behind the baptism.

“We want the community to see that we’re not a bunch of finger-waving moralists,” the pastor said. “We’re here to do things Jesus told us to do. (Baptism) is the first thing followers of Christ are supposed to do.

“People are tired of religious hypocrites,” he continued. “We’re trying to witness to the community, to love radically. We’re saying to the community that we want to identify with Jesus.”

Those who choose to publicly profess their faith in Jesus Christ will stand in the shallow end of the property’s lake and be dipped in by Isemann and youth pastor Steve Fischer.

The event, which will be held on the property owned by the late Jack Borgenicht, a longtime Long Valley resident, begins at 9 a.m. Sunday, June 14. It is open and free to the public, for church-goers and the religiously unaffiliated alike. The property is located at 392 Fairview Avenue in Long Valley.