A Plumber Takes the Plunge

Story by Valerie Morikone

Mountain View Conference's Cumberland (Md.) congregation has been steadily working on their new church building and started to get quotes on reconnecting their baptistry plumbing.

Anthony Watts (pictured, right), who had been out of church for some time, visited one Sabbath. Jim Buchanan (left), Cumberland pastor, became acquainted with Watts and discovered that he was a master licensed plumber. “I asked him what his estimate would be for making the plumbing connections,” shares Buchanan, “and it was basically free. Hallelujah! As Anthony and I worked together, we discussed spiritual things. Anthony shared with me how he wanted to return to God to get his life back on track.”

One day, the members came to the church and wrote various Scriptures with black magic marker on top of the wood platform before the carpet was laid. “We could then say that we are literally standing on the promises!” Buchanan says. Right by the baptistry steps where Watts was installing the plumbing, Buchanan wrote Acts 2:38: “Repent, and be baptized.”

When the plumbing was finished, Watts filled the baptistry to check for leaks. After the baptistry was filled and there were no leaks, Buchanan commented that it was a shame to have all this water in the baptistry and no one to baptize. At that moment, Watts looked the pastor straight in the eye and said, “I want to rededicate my life to the Lord.”

Watts told the church what led him to make the decision for rebaptism. “Every time I looked at the floor next to those steps leading to the baptistry, I saw, ‘Repent, and be baptized.’”