A Southern California church is spearheading a mission to baptize 30,000 people this Sunday through regional events across the state.
Oceans Church previously baptized 4,166 individuals during its 2023 “Baptize California” event at Pirate’s Cove in Newport Beach. Now, Rev. Mark Francey aims to significantly surpass that record.
The Irvine-based church has engaged over 300 congregations statewide for the upcoming event, with Oceans Church funding 85% of the million-dollar initiative, Francey informed The Washington Times.
Churches in 54 of California’s 56 counties will participate in the mass baptism events, including a major event at Huntington Beach, which could see as many as 10,000 baptisms.
“Our church is excited about revival,” Francey told the publication. “We want to see God awakened. We’re tired of the darkness in California. We believe that God wants people to know about it, and if we put our money where our frustration is, God could do something great.”
External donors will cover the remaining 15% of the baptism costs, which include events at San Francisco’s Golden Gate Park and Los Angeles’s Redondo Beach.
“This year, we could see between 15,000 and 30,000 people baptized in one day, potentially making it the largest synchronized water baptism in history,” Francey said.
“We’re aiming high, praying intensely, and preparing thoroughly,” he added. “We’ll leave the results to God, but we’re doing our best on our end.”
Francey aspires to eventually expand the project nationwide with a “Baptize America” event slated for June 2025.
“What God’s doing in California won’t stop here,” the pastor said. “It’s going to spread across America. Just like the ‘Jesus People’ movement, we believe that if God can do 30,000 baptisms in California, it can happen all over America, and we’re not stopping there.”
