NASHVILLE (BP) — They occurred in churches, but also at the stadium, city park and school building. Today, several state convention leaders shared various positive reports from Easter and Holy Week services with Baptist Press (BP).

Ohio state executive Jeremy Westbrook passed along several positive reports from churches.

First Baptist in Kettering had a record attendance across two campuses and celebrated 17 baptisms alongside new professions of faith after services.

Living Hope Columbus held its annual pancake breakfast and outdoor Easter service, also seeing the largest attendance in its seven-year history.

Grace Point Fellowship in Middleton commissioned 60 families to start Grace Point Hunter in an adjacent community as well as Grace Point Español. Now one church in two locations with three congregations, Pastor Reagan Wagoner reported 285 people present for the launch of Grace Point Hunter and Grace Point Español. The attendance includes approximately 100 first-time visitors.

Wagoner and his wife, Heather, started Grace Point in 2015 as Send Network church planters. Grace Point Hunter is led by Devin Delgrosso while Adrian Cespedes leads Grace Point Español. Both are planters through the North American Mission Board (NAMB)/Send Network.

H2O Church in Bowling Green baptized 19 college students during April. On Easter, seven more decided to be baptized, reported Northwest Region Catalyst Matt Pardi.

God has continued moving among college athletes. Several members of the Bowling Green State University football team who attend the church planned their own baptism and asked H2O Church to do the sound and worship. A dozen players and coaches are scheduled for baptism at an April 25 service, said Pardi, bringing the total number this month to 38.

“We have received great reports from our small town and rural churches in Southeast Ohio,” Josh Remy, SCBO state catalyst for that region, emailed Westbrook. “Dozens of baptisms in the weeks surrounding Easter and on this last Sunday, many established churches saw the highest attendance … since COVID.

“Reports include a church that held a sunrise service led by their youth with 200 in attendance at 7a.m., several new churches setting attendance records and one church in a town of less than 200 people that reported an Easter attendance of 450! Praise God!”

In the Midwest, Paden Rogers, youth pastor at Cross Fellowship Church in Colorado Springs, Colorado helped organize a student-focused event during Holy Week alongside Heart of the Springs Church and Vista Grande Baptist Church. 

One Big Wednesday occurred on April 16 at UC Health Park, home of the independent minor league baseball team Rocky Mountain Vibes. The citywide youth rally included 29 churches represented, 14 of them Southern Baptist and located in the area. The event also brought nearly 1,400 students spread across 34 schools, 184 leaders and 122 volunteers together. There were 72 recorded salvations and more than 272 responded to a call for discipleship and to reach their friends.

New England Executive Director Terry Dorsett shared that a series of miscommunications put City on a Hill Church in Boston on short notice to secure a place to meet. Things worked out, though, as every chair made available to them at the school where they gathered was filled with some 400 attendees.

Grace Church in Moscow, Vt. also reported a full house, which included many summer workers from Jamaica, Guatemala and several Asian nations arriving for summer work in the Stowe resort area.

“Resurrection Day reminds us of new life in Christ,” said Dorsett, who also serves as associate pastor of First Baptist Church in Marlborough, Mass. “I can’t think of a better way to celebrate that than baptizing new believers. We baptized three in our and I know they were part of over 100 baptisms in churches across New England.”

Down the east coast, numerous churches across the Baptist Resource Network (BRN) of Pennsylvania/South Jersey (PASJ) reported salvations and baptisms, Executive Director Barry Whitworth told BP.

Those include four saved at New Hope International Baptist Church by Pastor Kanmoh Jackson and the same number at LifeWay Baptist Church with Pastor Yaroslav Narovchenko.

Roger Bantawan, pastor of ReNew Bible Church International, shared that 16 made a confession of faith.

Haitian Evangelical Baptist Church in Atlantic City baptized three.

Pittsburg Baptist Church, which averages 73 in attendance, produced an Easter orchestra and witnessed 114 attending on Sunday.

“This year’s Resurrection Sunday (Easter) saw a significant increase in attendance, reflecting a broader trend across BRN churches in PASJ,” Whitworth said.

“Many pastors have reported a notable participation of Gen Z and young millennials in various worship activities throughout Holy Week.”

(EDITOR’S NOTE — Scott Barkley is chief national correspondent for Baptist Press.)