From the Fan to the James: Baptisms at the river
“I’m going to get baptized in the James River.” A Monument Avenue mainstay takes members of it’s congregation to a piece of private riverbank property along scenic Riverside Drive, just west of the Huguenot Flatwater. Melissa Scott Sinclair of Style Weekly checks the levels of Christianity at the James: “Welcome to our third annual baptism here […]
“I’m going to get baptized in the James River.” A Monument Avenue mainstay takes members of it’s congregation to a piece of private riverbank property along scenic Riverside Drive, just west of the Huguenot Flatwater.
Melissa Scott Sinclair of Style Weekly checks the levels of Christianity at the James:
“Welcome to our third annual baptism here on the James,” the Rev. Jim Somerville says. A shirtless fisherman drifts past, looking curiously at the assembly. The river is gentle today, running low, slow and clear.
Somerville revived the tradition of James River baptisms three years ago, when he became the senior pastor of First Baptist Church at Monument Avenue and the Boulevard. Founded in 1780, First Baptist was among the first churches in Richmond.
River baptisms have long been part of the church’s 231-year history, says Joyce Chrisman, Somerville’s administrative assistant. On one occasion, according to church lore, a member was swept away in the current. A rider on horseback had to be dispatched to retrieve him. “Talk about being moved by the spirit,” she says.
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