“I want to get baptised, can you baptise me?”
It was our first night on the streets of Surfer’s Paradise during Schoolies outreach when Chloe approached our team with a bold request: baptism.
Baptism is not something we undertake lightly, but neither do we want to delay it unnecessarily once we’ve seen a young person repent, make a commitment for Jesus, and understand what that means.
I want what happened in his life to happen in my life.
We spoke with Chloe for several hours, walking her through the gospel, explaining what baptism meant and answering her questions.
Chloe shared that her friend Seth had been baptised at Schoolies last year and was continuing to be discipled through our mission partners at PAIS Movement.
“I want what happened in his life to happen in my life,” Chloe declared speaking of the profound transformation she had witnessed in her friend.
That night, Chloe surrendered her life to Jesus and was baptised in front of her friends, declaring publicly her commitment to follow Him.
Throughout the week, we were privileged to baptise six other young people who were also ready to say “no” to the things of the world and “yes” to Jesus.
One of those baptised had recently chosen to follow Jesus and, as he completed his schooling, he decided that declaring his faith and getting baptised in front of his mates was the perfect way to celebrate his Schoolies.
Baptisms make the news
Although baptisms weren’t the main focus of our outreach, they caught the attention of the media with news.com.au reporting on this “surprising new trend… offering a very different kind of transformative experience for school leavers.”
The young people we spoke with had genuine questions about Jesus and what it means to follow Him.
Over the Schoolies week our team were able to have hundreds of meaningful faith conversations with young people and most nights we would have a constant flow of schoolies coming up to us, asking questions and discussing.
The young people we spoke with had genuine questions about Jesus and what it means to follow Him. Some would ask for bibles and we gave out about 500 bibles on request.
One night we noticed a Schoolie sitting alone on a bench and reading a bible. When asked if he understood what he was reading the young man admitted he did not. But as we shared the gospel with him, his face lit up with understanding. He eagerly prayed to receive Christ as his Lord and Saviour.
Excitedly, he introduced us to two of his mates, and we had the privilege of sharing the gospel with them as well. We gathered in a huddle and prayed together in a beautiful moment of transformation as all three received Christ into their hearts.
These stories are part of a larger trend we’ve witnessed in recent times—young people turning to Jesus from all sorts of unexpected journeys. And not just accepting Him, but also embracing the mission to share His hope with others.
Thank you for standing with Youth for Christ to share the life transforming hope of Jesus at Schoolies and across our nation. Your partnership is truly making a difference.
