“I am really happy my father got baptized today,” said his daughter, Peggy. Curry admired the fact that he now has a church home and a pastor.
By JAMES W. WADE III
Staff Reporter
Among our Lord’s last words to his disciples was the charge to preach the saving gospel to all men. In Matthew Chapter 28, verse 19, he said, “Go you therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost.” The question before us is what was and is the action of that baptism commanded by Christ and his apostles. The Bible clearly describes the action of Christian baptism as a burial in water, for baptism is a likeness to the death, burial, and resurrection of Christ.
This past weekend 102-year-old Sam Curry followed that scripture and was baptized by the Rev Dwayne Simmons Pastor of the Mt.Pleasant Baptist Church located on Kinsman.
Curry was born on December 26, 1910, in Lake Commons, Mississippi and worked in a foundry for all his life, Curry moved to Cleveland in 1943 and continued to work for foundries, making a living.
Curry has always believed in God and has read his bible, but it’s his daughter, Peggy Ross, who’s love for her father compelled her to make sure he was saved. Curry realized we are not saved by our own goodness, but by the goodness, the love, and the favor of God. We are not saved by our own merit, but by the blood of Jesus Christ.
Ross has been a member of Mt. Pleasant Baptist Church for seven years, and she loves her pastor and felt her father would be a good fit. “Rev Simmons has always been a down-to-earth pastor and is a down-to-earth man,” said Ross.
Rev. Simmons and two Deacons, Duane Prinkleton and Gregory Freeman, assisted with baptizing Curry in his home. Curry, who is in his right mind, shared how happy he was to see the first Black President be elected twice. “I just want him to do a good job and wish Congress and the Republicans would work better with him,” said Curry.
Curry, who spends most of his day watching CNN and keeping up with current affairs, also realized his baptism was a story he wanted to tell. As he leaned back in his comfortable chair, he kept me laughing about the trials of his life.
“I am really happy my father got baptized today,” said his daughter, Peggy. Curry admired the fact that he now has a church home and a pastor. Jesus shed his precious blood in his death and as penitent believers in Christ, this past weekend Curry became a true witness.
“I have really enjoyed listening to my father’s stories all these years; he can make a negative situation into something positive. I am proud of him and I love my dad,” said Peggy.
Mt.Pleasant Baptist Church has grown over the years, with Rev. Simmons as the pastor, out-growing their present location, at13009 Kinsman Road, and has recently been holding church inJohnAdamsHigh School,3817 Martin Luther King Jr. Drive.
In the New Testament, the significance of baptism is seen more clearly. John the Baptist was sent by God to spread the news of the coming Messiah, Jesus Christ. John was directed by God (John 1:33) to baptize those who accepted his message. John’s baptizing is called “a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins.” Mark 1:4 (NIV). Those baptized by John acknowledged their sins and professed their faith that, through the coming Messiah, they would be forgiven. Baptism, then, is significant in that it represents the forgiveness and cleansing from sin that comes through faith in the Lord, Jesus Christ.
Christian denominations differ widely on their teachings about baptism. Some believe baptism accomplishes the washing away of sin. Others consider baptism a form of exorcism from evil spirits. Still others teach that baptism is an important step of obedience in the believer’s life, yet only an acknowledgment of the salvation experience already accomplished - baptism itself has no power to cleanse or save from sin.
No matter which one you believe, it is clear that 102-year-old Curry now is baptized and is a member of the Mt.Pleasant Baptist Church.
