‘Time to start anew.’ Miami church leads Easter baptism on Virginia Key beach
For the religious, Easter Sunday is a time to celebrate rebirth, salvation and second chances.
While many Floridians awoke Sunday morning to prepare for Easter Mass, followed by egg hunts and festive dinners, a few dozen congregants from a Liberty City church headed to the beach for an early morning baptism.
As onlookers walked their dogs on the nearby public beach, members of the Jesus Christ True Church of the Apostolic Faith stood on shore dressed in all white to symbolize purity, preparing themselves for a spiritual refresh.
The small group of parishioners sang hymns as each person walked back, their bodies drenched in ocean water: “I’ve been baptized in Jesus’ name. I don’t care what the world says about it, I’ve been baptized in Jesus’ name.”
“That’s the song we used to sing back in the day,” said Bettye Hardy, a Miami native and longtime member of Jesus Christ True Church.
Though the water was a bit chilly in the early morning, Hardy said the experience was “rejuvenating.” She said baptisms are also a way for community members and her church to “come together with one another showing unity and love.”
Hardy, who is a deaconess and camp coordinator for the church, was one of about 35 people who chose to be baptized on Easter Sunday. Many were church members who wanted to recommit their faith. A few were locals who found the event online.
“You feel new. ... It’s like you left the old and now it’s just time to start anew,” said Latocia Parker, a longtime church member. “You actually feel refreshed.”
Most of those who were baptized Sunday were adults who were baptized as a child, but chose the path back to the church after going through trials of life. For Parker, that meant the loss of her mother, her uncle, then her father two days later.
She said getting baptized on Easter Sunday was especially fitting because the Christian holiday commemorates the biblical story of Jesus’ crucifixion and resurrection.
“He rose so you lay down your burdens and you rise anew,” Parker said as she huddled in a towel with her family.
Christ True Church and the Virginia Beach baptisms
Small and family-oriented, Jesus Christ True Church, 2145 NW 50th St., is a nondenominational church that’s a part of the Apostolic faith, which means it’s rooted in Pentecostal beliefs. Apostolic churches believe in modern day apostles and prophets, or those who claim to communicate directly with God and receive gifts of the Holy Spirit. They believe in living life according to the Bible. Baptisms, which are done in the name of Jesus Christ and not the Holy Trinity, are vital to the faith.
The location of the baptism, Hobie Beach on Virginia Key, was intentional to mimic the location of baptisms in the Bible, said church leader Apostle Leon Everett.
“When Jesus did his baptisms he always baptized in the Jordan river,” Everett said, noting the fishing boats in the background of the event which were like the scenes of fisherman described in the Bible.
Everett’s family has been leading the church since it was established in 1995, according to state Sunbiz records. He said community outreach is important to the church, which hosted a food drive just a day earlier. In the summer, the church hosts a summer camp that also serves breakfast and lunch “for anyone that is hungry,” Everett said.
“It’s always been a big family-oriented church. We sort of look at the disenfranchised. ... We reach outside of the community,” he said, noting that the church welcomes everyone, including those who have been affected by drug and alcohol addiction.
Church as ‘comfort’
Longtime member Kylah Everett said the church feels like “a comfort” in her life.
“Even if you don’t know anybody there, everyone makes you feel welcome,” she said.
Her cousin, Victoria Everett who is active in the church’s outreach ministries, said she had been preparing and talking about the baptism for a long time and that she felt excited that it was finally here.
“It’s a renewal, a cleansing of the spirit,” said Everett who is receiving her master’s in theology. “This is like a new start for me.”
Associate Pastor Jarrett Durden, who helped lead the baptism candidates to the water, said the baptism, though a shedding of the past, also signifies a starting point for those who are prepared to live a more spiritual life.
“Now this is the actual work beginning,” Durden said. “You’re gonna go down old and come up brand new.”
This story was produced with financial support from Trish and Dan Bell and from donors comprising the South Florida Jewish and Muslim Communities, in partnership with Journalism Funding Partners. The Miami Herald maintains full editorial control of this work.
This story was originally published April 20, 2025 at 2:58 PM.
