Daughter Overjoyed by Surprise Baptism

Story by Natalie Lilly, Communication Intern

Rachel Ondimu and her family prayed for years that her stepfather, Courtney Cuffie, would accept Jesus and attend church with them.

“I’ve grown up with my stepfather since I was very little, and he’s always been a kind and gentle man. He would drop my mom off at church every Sabbath, but we were always hopeful he would give his heart to the Lord,” says Ondimu.

She, her mother, and two of her children, Obed and Ruhamah, recently attended an evangelistic series at the Allentown church, where the children decided they wanted to study for baptism.

As the family deepened their relationship with Jesus together, they prayed for Cuffie to accept Christ too. Regular interactions allowed the children to share scriptures and read Bible stories with their grandfather almost every day. The Holy Spirit quietly worked, and Cuffie’s heart began to change.

Obed and Ruhamah were ready for baptism by the final Sabbath of the evangelistic series. That morning, Ondimu approached Carlyle Wildman, pastor of Allentown, to ensure everything was ready for her children. She asked how many were to be baptized that day. The list contained three names: Obed, Ruhamah and Courtney—her stepfather had decided to surprise his family that day. 

“I was shocked and thrilled that we would celebrate my dad also giving his life to Jesus,” Ondimu shares. “We prayed for him tirelessly, but it was God who really brought my father to Jesus and changed his heart.”

Thirteen people were baptized as a result of the Allentown church’s evangelistic series and eight more are continuing to prepare and study with volunteers. To learn more about opportunities for evangelism in your local church, visit paconference.org/ evangelism.