Catharina Siraa is the Operations Advisor at the Baptist National Support Centre and is a member of Royal Oak Baptist Church.
I visited Immersion Baptist Church.
It may be the most unique church yet seen in New Zealand Baptist history. At first glance you might wonder at the unusual dress code, but this is all due to the unlikely place where Immersion Baptist Church meets… underwater.
I visited one of their Sunday morning services to see behind the scenes, or you could say, under the seas. Upon arrival I received a friendly greeting and was assisted to don a wetsuit and fit my scuba breathing mask. I was invited to ease into the immersive service experience by participating in the ‘pre-service’ warm up dive.
I didn’t know what to expect going into this, but I soon found out that all the usual elements of a service are included, with worship, prayer, and even a message. When the Scripture was opened waterproof Bibles were even passed around for people to use. Following the service, and some more scuba exploration, the congregation enjoys a beach side BBQ in lieu of tea and coffee!
So how does underwater worship work? Pastor John told me “When we first started the church, we actually did the service part up on the beach, but the young ones encouraged us to find a way to do it all underwater. That was how we first got involved in learning New Zealand Sign Language.” And what if someone visiting doesn’t know NZSL? “We share the message again on the beach afterwards for those who aren’t fluent yet, but we also offer sign language classes throughout the week for people to learn.”
When I asked John how the idea for Immersion Baptist came about, he told me, “Jesus walked on water. We figured we’d take it a step further.” All jokes aside, Immersion Baptist has identified their people and place, ministering amongst scuba divers, ocean goers, and also the Deaf community (thanks to the use of sign language). A new youth programme gives scuba diving lessons to vulnerable young people, while building their confidence and teaching life skills. Immersion Baptist even has a ‘marine chaplain’ who supports people through a variety of local beach clubs, from surf lifesavers to the sailing club, and of course, amongst scuba divers.
As John says, “Scuba divers need Jesus as much as anyone else. Many of our congregation members were struggling to find time to balance their love for the ocean with their work commitments and faith. People work all week and the only time they can go diving is the weekend. We thought, how can we meet them where they are at, and the answer was to go where they are, not just to hold a service at a different time.”
I spoke with Anna, who has been attending Immersion Baptist for two years now and was recently baptised. Anna shared that “Immersion Baptist gives me a way to integrate my faith with my love for the ocean. It really shows that God is present anywhere I go.”
Adam, another member shared that “It is a lot easier to invite a scuba mate to church underwater than to ask them to give up a dive day for an on-land service. People also see us worshipping here and are curious. I find myself sharing my faith more.”
I had one more question for John. How do you tell the difference between a baptism service and just another Sunday? He laughed. “Our baptisms are actually done closer to the surface, from the beach. We want friends and family to be witnesses to this decision, and not everyone is comfortable with the idea of a dive mask and scuba tank!”
All I can say is that Immersion Baptist Church certainly has the best auditorium view out of any church I’ve ever been to!
Does your church have a community initiative designed to meet the unique needs of people in your context? Maybe it’s similar to Immersion Baptist’s scuba diving youth lessons? April Fool’s aside - in the last 18 months, 25 Baptist trusts and churches have received grants of $3,000 - $15,000 for initiatives they are running to support whānau in their local communities. The next round of applications closes on June 30, so start thinking about your next project now. More information can be found here.
Image: A group of people swimming in the ocean by Karl Callwood from UnSplash
