Over 4,000 people were baptized at Pirates Cove Beach in California on May 28, Pentecost Sunday. Brian Houston and his son, Ben, attended the event, which took place at the same site where baptisms of the Jesus People Movement of the 1960s and 1970s occurred, as depicted in the recent movie, “Jesus Revolution.”
“Still in awe of what God did Pentecost Sunday 5-28-23 at Pirates Cove, in Newport Beach California,” said Pastor Mark Francey, who hosted the event, on Instagram. “4166 people baptized. It lasted almost 5 hours with Over 280 Churches unified. We believe another great spiritual awakening has begun. God we ask you to Revive and heal our land. In Jesus Name.”
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Pirates Cove Beach Site of Historic Baptisms
According to a press release from Baptize SoCal, 10,000 to 12,000 people attended the “collaborative baptism event” at which 250 churches were represented. The purpose of Baptize SoCal was to allow people to publicly declare their faith in Jesus through baptism.
Francey, who pastors Oceans Church with his wife, Rachelle, said, “We believed that if we stepped out in obedience, God’s people would rally, and it would become one of the largest water baptisms in American History. Little did we know that a film would come out just a few months after our receiving the vision that celebrated water baptisms at Pirates Cove.”
“Jesus Revolution” (starring Kelsey Grammer, Jonathan Roumie, Joel Courtney, Kimberly Williams-Paisley and Anna Grace Barlow) released in February and dramatizes the events of the historic Jesus People Movement.
The film is based on the book, “Jesus Revolution: How God Transformed an Unlikely Generation and How He Can Do It Again Today” by Greg Laurie and Ellen Vaughn. The movie focuses on the lives of Calvary Chapel pastor Chuck Smith, hippie evangelist Lonnie Frisbee and Pastor Greg Laurie, who now leads Harvest Christian Fellowship in Riverside, California.
Laurie and his wife, Cathe came to faith during the Jesus People Movement and were baptized at Pirates Cove Beach. Laurie has also hosted other baptism events in that location.
Former Hillsong Church pastor Brian Houston attended the event with his granddaughters and his son, Ben Houston. Brian’s wife, Bobbie Houston, posted a video on her Instagram account in which her husband’s voice can be heard. “Kids, 50 years after the Jesus Revolution, here we are at Pirates Cove,” said Brian Houston, panning the scene while observing there was “lots of cheering, lots of rejoicing. Thank God.”
