The Ripple Effect of Faith
With our next baptism event quickly approaching, we wanted to highlight an incredible story from our congregation. Iris Ortiz, a dedicated volunteer at Summit for over a decade, has used her talents as a vocalist in worship and performer in Base Camp Live! and beyond. Most recently, her heart for service has been displayed as she played a key role in launching bilingual worship at Summit. You’ve likely heard her amazing voice leading worship on the Summit Orlando stage, but you may not know the powerful story surrounding her baptism last year!
It all started when Iris and her husband, Chris, were sitting in service with their son Jaiden about a year ago (Fall of 2023), almost to the day. Iris told the story like this, “Jaiden, our son, who was ten years old at the time, sat in the main service and saw one of the promotional baptism videos. Chris and I saw him light up, and I asked Chris what he thought about Jaiden getting baptized. We later asked Jaiden on our way home from church, and he said he would really like that. Since this was a big decision, we called Jaiden’s mom, Keylina, and asked her if she would feel comfortable with Jaiden potentially getting baptized. She said it was great!”
God knows every one of our families is unique, and the circumstances by which our families come together often create the landscape for God to work in unique ways. When Chris and Iris were married in 2022, it was understood that they would parent Jaiden together with Keylina. No one could’ve guessed what God was orchestrating next, though.
Iris said, “Later, Chris and I were talking at home and we both felt like God was calling us to be baptized as a family. Then, the very next day, Jaiden’s mom called Chris and shared that she had been praying and felt like God was telling her it was also time for her to make this declaration of faith. Chris shared that we had discussed getting baptized as a family and she asked if she could get baptized with us. It was a no-brainer! As unconventional as it looked, we were a family, and we knew that God wanted us to do this together. The following Sunday, we all went to church together (I was singing) and my mother-in-law came with us. After the sermon, she decided that she would also get baptized!”
All because ten-year-old Jaiden had a spark in his eye during a random Summit service, now one, two, three, four, five people were inspired to enter the waters of baptism and proclaim their faith! How incredible is that?!
God had been working in each of these people’s lives on an individual and sacred, spiritual level. While Jaiden and Chris might have been new to faith, Iris was baptized before when she was twelve. Seeing Jaiden explore the idea helped her see that when she was young, she might’ve gotten baptized to fulfill an expectation rather than as an outward expression of an inward faith and commitment to Christ.
When Iris reflected on the days leading up to their baptism, she said, “The Why Believe class was a game changer. In my family, I had grown up in the faith, but my husband had not, so I went through the curriculum with Jaiden and to see Jaiden truly understand what God did for us and to see him fall in love with God was the most beautiful thing I have ever witnessed in my life.”
When we see our friends out in the water answering those simple questions of faith, there’s always a feeling in the air that God is working. We clap our hands and cheer, but overlaying it all is this weighty feeling that something bigger is going on. Testimonies give us a window into the work God is doing, chipping away at our hearts. Still, his intimate relationship with each of us can be hard to capture with words. Here, in this family, though, we got a clear picture of how an individual’s faith journey is intertwined and even influences other believers around them in special ways.
Iris said, “My entire extended family showed up, my parents, my brother, nieces and nephews, my brother and sister-in-law, and Jaiden’s grandmother. It was truly a family affair. Everyone was so excited. This was the first time where we were all together as a family and we were all so happy. It was healing for us.”
When asked if and how this experience changed her family in the long term, Iris said, “I think it changed everything for us. The way we co-parent, and communicate, there is a lot more love, grace, and patience in our family. The dynamic between Jaiden’s mother and I is very healthy and positive. We pray for each other and not only are we all aligned regarding Jaiden’s day-to-day, we are aligned in our faith as a family. Jaiden has also grown so much in his walk with Christ. I see the wheels turning and his eagerness to learn all that he can about Jesus and his passion to witness to others. It’s beautiful.”
If Iris’ story inspires you, be sure to show up on October 27th at either Summit Orlando or Summit Lake Mary as we have our baptisms in our 9 and 11 a.m. services. We will be cheering on all of those taking this important step in their faith journey.
If you are thinking about getting baptized or have a child who is interested in getting baptized, know that we would love to come alongside you as you make this very important decision. Feel free to Email us and connect with a Pastor or read about our Why Believe classes on our Events page. We now have options for both K-5th graders as well as our Middle and High School Students!