Thousands of people lined the stony pathways leading to California’s famous Pirates Cove beach. Amongst the crowd was an older man who went down to the water to publicly express his commitment to the Lord.
It was a moment the 85-year-old man’s family thought would never come, but the eternal decision was made during a mass baptism hosted by Pastor Greg Laurie. This event saw 4,500 people submerged in water during a faith-filled day. The event was inspired by “Jesus Revolution,” a hit film depicting events surrounding the Jesus movement of the late 1960s and 1970s, a time of spiritual transformation when young people, tired and desperate from a challenging culture, turned to Christ in droves.
Among other powerful stories, the movie integrates Laurie’s journey from a lost young man experimenting with drugs and trying to find his way to a Christian, husband, and respected preacher. The movie’s global impact continues reverberating, with this mass baptism reportedly drawing people worldwide.
Laurie told CBN’s Faithwire, “At one point, the line really got slowed down because an older couple, the gentleman was 85 years old, was taking longer to get down the stairs. But when we met him, his story was so amazing because he watched the movie at 85 years old and accepted Jesus into his life.”
Laurie said the man wasn’t a believer before seeing the film but accepted Christ afterward and headed to Pirate’s Cove, where Laurie himself was baptized as a young man, to affirm his faith in Jesus publicly. The famed pastor added, “His family said, ‘We never, ever thought he would come to Christ.’” The man is one of many to be ministered to through “Jesus Revolution,” with superb storytelling helping bring him to understand the gospel better.
Laurie noted that the elderly man’s commitment to baptism and faith shows “it’s never too late.” He said, “Never give up on people. Never stop praying for people.” Laurie expected big crowds at the baptism, as 3,800 people had responded. Still, he and his team wondered how many would show up. Ultimately, they saw 20,000 people at Pirate’s Cover, with 4,500 people seeking water baptism.
“It was really overwhelming,” he said. “There was a line of people a half mile long to get into the cove because we have one staircase. So, we have to take people down, baptize them, send them back up and have more people come down, and so it’s logistically really challenging.”
Yet people keep flooding to Pirate’s Cove. Just weeks ago, CBN’s Faithwire reported on what was, at the time, believed to be the most significant baptism in U.S. history, as 4,166 people were immersed at the location. Now, Laurie’s event seems to have topped that record.
The Harvest Crusades founder understands why people want to be baptized at the “picturesque” location, noting the “Jesus Revolution” film has helped spark further intrigue in taking such action. “I never thought we would have the kind of response to this movie that we’ve had, and it’s going all around the world now,” Laurie said.