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HOUSTON – When members of The Walk Church set up the baptistery for an outdoor service, they were excited by the prospect of celebrating what God had done in changing the lives of three people.

It turns out they were setting up to celebrate much more. Those three people were simply where God started.

Following the baptism of the three people who were scheduled to go through the ordinance, Pastor Jesse Shelton shared the gospel with the crowd that had gathered to see what was happening. A person came forward asking to be baptized as well. Then another. And another. And another.

Sometimes they came alone, sometimes in groups of two and three. But they kept coming. Each one confessed Christ as Lord. And each was baptized in His name.

“It just kept going and going and going,” Shelton said.

The procession of people seeking Christ simply continued, Shelton said. People wanted a relationship with God. In the end, so many people were baptized that the church ran out of the 40 certificates it brought to give to those who were baptized.

“People just started coming,” Shelton said. “And they wouldn’t stop coming. We were out there until 11 p.m.”

The outpouring of people dedicating themselves to following Christ is the result of God moving in one of Houston’s toughest neighborhoods, Shelton said. Known as “The Hole” because “when you go in you never leave,” the area leads the city in violent crime rate, high school drop-out rate and teen pregnancy rate.

Believers began trying to start The Walk Church about one year ago, going door-to-door sharing the gospel, Shelton said. It was tough work as many people were not initially open to the gospel, but Shelton and other Christians continued trying to minister in the area. People became used to their presence and began opening up to them. In the process, relationships were built and the gospel was shared.

When they had a core group, the Christians started The Walk Church with the aid of Texas Baptists. Texas Baptists facilitate church starts with the help of funding through the Cooperative Program – the primary giving channel for Texas Baptists – and gifts through the Mary Hill Davis Offering for Texas Missions.

Lives were changing, Shelton said. Drug dealers were no longer selling. They committed themselves to Christ. When their neighbors saw the changes, they became interested in hearing the gospel. Those living testimonies were carrying the hope of Christ throughout the neighborhood.

“That’s the biggest sermon,” Shelton said. “That’s more powerful than any words we can share.”

When Shelton stood next to the baptistery and gave people an opportunity to be baptized, individuals were overjoyed to take advantage of the opportunity. So they came forward. All 40-something of them.

“It’s really been beautiful,” Shelton said. “People are being changed through repentance.”