The location of BBQ & Baptisms has been moved to DCC’s Building due to forecasted rain for the afternoon and evening!
The weather won’t dampen this party – we will still be grilling out, celebrating baptisms, and enjoying time together as a church family. Bring your blankets and appetites – we will be “picnicking” in the Auditorium!
Parking: We’ve reserved the lots next to the building starting at 5:30pm. Street parking in the area is pay until 8 pm at $1.50/hr. Validation is not available for the Art Institute Garage.
Friends,
It’s hard to believe we’re already knocking on the doors of September, but in just two days we’re going to be celebrating God’s grace to us through our end of summer BBQ and Baptisms event! As I’ve been praying and looking forward to this Thursday, I wanted to send out one last pastoral note and invitation.
Join us
We don’t often get many opportunities to be one church, in one place, all meeting together, but this Thursday at 6:00pm we’re going to have that opportunity as we gather down at Myrtle Edwards Park for our 6th annual BBQ and Baptisms. It is going to be a great night in spite of whatever weather we have (more on that below) and I hope you’ll be there to join in the celebration.
The grills will be hot and we’ll begin serving food at 6pm. There is no need to bring anything other than your friends and your appetite (Unless you’re part of a Cornerstone Community that is bringing food to share). Around 7:00pm I will share a brief gospel word which will be immediately followed by testimonies and baptisms.
Why are baptisms such a big deal?
Each baptism is far more than a person getting wet, but a story, a testimony of a person being united with Christ in His death and resurrection, and being transferred from the kingdom of darkness to the kingdom of Gods beloved son (Col 1:13). So, no matter how long you have followed Jesus do not lose sight of the significance, beauty, and dramatic truth portrayed in baptism. It is a picture of passing through the waters of judgment to safety, through Jesus. It is a picture of leaving behind our old self, our old ways of life and eternity without God, through Jesus. It is a picture of rising to new life, a new family, and a new future with God, through Jesus. It is a picture of having all of our sin, guilt and shame washed away, through Jesus. Every time we get to celebrate a baptism, it’s a reminder that God is at work, saving, redeeming, and sanctifying his children — and that is why baptism is such a big deal, and what we are going to celebrate this Thursday!
Be praying and see you there!
Will you join me in praying for those sharing their testimonies and getting baptized later this week? Join us on Thursday, not only to support those getting baptized, but for the good of your own soul – and those you invite.
A note about the weather
The forecast has fluctuated over the last few days. Currently, they are calling for some showers on Thursday, but as of this morning that chance is now down to 20%. The plan right now is to move forward with our plans at Myrtle Edwards, but in the event it’s looking like more than a brief shower and more of a steady rain, we’ll move our celebration to the church’s building. If you don’t hear any more updates from us, we’ll see you all at the park, otherwise we’ll push out some more communication Thursday morning if it looks like we need to move indoors.
Mark your calendars – our 6th annual celebration of BBQ & Baptisms is less than a month away! You are invited to join us on Thursday, Sept 1st, as we celebrate the redemptive stories of those who will be baptized in the name of Jesus, our Savior and our King! It’s going to be awesome.
On behalf of all the pastors and leaders, I want to personally encourage all of us to make this night the crescendo, the climax, the highlight of our summer! What could Jesus do through literally hundreds of people coming together to celebrate the gospel through physical baptisms and testimonies telling of the immeasurable worth and greatness of our Jesus – all smack-dab in the middle of Seattle’s most heavily-trafficked, stunning waterfront park? We’re praying BIG. Please join us.
WHY DO WE DO BAPTISMS?
The short answer – because Jesus wants all Christians to be baptized (Matt 28:19).
But it’s more than that. Baptism is one of the primary means by which we experience our new life in Christ. In baptism we physically identify with Jesus in his death (being immersed under water) and his resurrection to new life (being brought out of the water) for the forgiveness of sin (Rom 6:1-10; Col 2:12). It is an outward symbolic act that demonstrates the inward reality of what God has accomplished on the cross through His Son. In so doing, we are identifying ourselves with Jesus (Acts 10:48; Rom 6:3; Gal 3:27), the universal church (1 Cor 12:13), and the local church (Acts 2:41). It’s about getting dunked, yes. Following Jesus’ command, yes. But more than that? Oh YES! The gospel realities in play in baptism are almost impossible to overstate.
WHAT CAN WE DO TO MAKE THIS NIGHT AMAZING?
#1 We need to pray. For baptisms, for relational encounters, for providential conversations, for spiritual fruitfulness. For there to be an over-abundance of food, laughter, and fun. Jesus reminds us that “we do not have, because we do not ask” (Matt 7:7, Ja 4:2). Let’s ask him for everything that would make this night special and memorable.
#2 If you have not been baptized, this night is for you! Believe me, it’s awesome. And your step of faith will bring joy and fruit in ways you can’t even anticipate – in your life, in the life of our church, and the city that we love. Join us for the class this Sunday to learn more about getting baptized (more info below).
#3 If you would like to serve the church by helping with set up, tear down, or grilling for this event please sign up for a role here! Use your time or resources to serve Jesus and the church in this way, and make it something especially delicious and fun, just because you can. And just because Jesus is that good.
#4 Invite friends, coworkers, neighbors, carpool buddies, everyone you can think of! Spread the word, and let people know something’s really going down at Myrtle Edwards on Sept 1. The website is updated with the most current information, so you can direct people there as you’re extending the invitation to others.
#5 Finally, come worshipful and anticipating a spiritual and physical feast together. We are a family, and God is our Father. He loves to give good gifts to his kids (Matt 7:11). Let’s come anticipating a feast of his goodness together – in truth, in grace, in friendship. And lots and lots of ground beef and hotdogs. It’s grace upon grace, my friends.
WHAT IF I WANT TO BE BAPTIZED (OR LEARN MORE)?
We will be holding a Baptism Class this Sunday between the first and second gatherings (10:30-11:15am). If you have not been baptized as a follower of Jesus, please come and attend, learn more, and consider this step of faith and obedience to Jesus in your life. We’ll meet in the MPR room downstairs. This class is required for anyone who would like to be baptized at BBQ & Baptisms on Sept 1st.
[Update] If you are interested in being baptized or learning more, you can read more and sign up here! And as always, please feel free to email us at if you need any additional information or have any questions.
HERE WE GO!!
Sept 1st. Myrtle Edwards Park. It’s happening. Let’s come ready to enjoy one another, enjoy Jesus’ grace, and enjoy this beautiful city that he’s given to us. See you at BBQ & Baptisms, friends!
This month, we launched a fourth community in Queen Anne! Garrett McGuire will be leading the new community, so we asked him to answer a few questions about Queen Anne West:
Our hope for Queen Anne West is that it’s a place the Lord meets with us each week and we get a lot of Jesus. We want to do life really deeply with each other; to do relationships in a way that is constantly encouraging each other in our sanctification and taking our holiness really seriously. We would love prayer for God’s favor on us. For His favor in our relationships with each other growing in depth, and also taking those roots and growing in our missional relationships. Whitney and I would also love prayer that community has favor on us in our shortcomings, especially in these early days. If you’re interested in joining us on Wednesday evenings, reach out to !
About Cornerstone Communities:
Downtown Cornerstone is a community of communities scattered throughout the city, declaring and displaying the gospel of Jesus Christ in relationship to each other and the city. These are communities of diverse, imperfect people that are committed to living out the implications of the gospel in every sphere of life. These are communities of radical grace, sacrificial service, and joy. These area communities that eat together, pray together, laugh together, and study the Bible together – in essence, share life. These are communities that build up the church by encouraging people to faith in Jesus Christ and build up the city through deeds of justice and mercy. These are communities where you can be who God created you to be, yourself. It’s our hope and prayer that everyone who calls Downtown Cornerstone home will find a community like this.
If you are not currently participating with a DCC Community and would like to be involved with Queen Anne West or another community, email .
