Baby Blessings, Baptisms Spark Dupont Park Revival

Story by Christopher C. Thompson

Michael Gray was making a quick run to the store for baby food and diapers. As he got into his car, field representatives from the Breath of Life Ministries approached his house, knocked on his front door and struck up a conversation with his girlfriend, Geraldine Cunningham. A friendship started.

Over the next few weeks, “we became family,” says Cunningham. They talked about faith, the Bible, health and church. So when the Dupont Park church in Washington, D.C., started its revival, the couple happily accepted an invitation from their newfound family.

They attended the revival almost every evening and professed that they not only wanted to live for God themselves, but wanted to ensure that their children would grow to learn the ways of God too.

This effort was the result of a full year of preparations made by Dupont Park, in partnership with the Breath of Life Television Ministries. Carlton P. Byrd, speaker/director of Breath of Life Ministries, preached for two weeks about the central doctrines of the Adventist message. “It’s always a blessing to be involved in evangelism!” he says.

Marcus Harris, Dupont Park pastor, notes multiple ways that the revival preparations helped the church to become more service- and ministry-oriented. One way was that Dupont Park organized a special VBS program that transpired alongside the evangelistic revival, wherein leaders gave community children the opportunity to learn the Advent message right along with their parents.

Gray and Cunningham asked for their children to be dedicated to the Lord on the final day of the revival. After Byrd dedicated their two small daughters (pictured), he baptized both Michael and Geraldine. Along with them, 51 other guests made the same decision and dipped into the water.