The BBC reports on Bournemouth’s ‘biggest beach baptism’
The public broadcaster reports how five churches in the southern English city organised a joint service at which nearly 100 people were baptised.
BOURNEMOUTH (UK) · 16 JULY 2025 · 10:23 CET
A joint beach service at which 92 people confessed their faith in Jesus and were baptised in the sea has attracted media attention.
In the coastal town of Bournemouth, five evangelical churches joined together on 13 July, bringing together more than 1,000 people, including church members, family members and others who came out of curiosity to see what was happening.
A BBC South programme recorded a two-minute report on the spot, explaining how those who were being baptised as a sign of their conversion to Christianity “had been waiting for this day for weeks”.
The churches described the outdoors church service to journalists as “a celebration of faith”, something that the public television described as ‘the biggest beach baptism the town has ever seen’.
“I felt fulfilled, it was overwhelming”, said one woman as she wrapped herself in a towel after being baptised. Another new believer testified how coming to know Jesus Christ had been key to overcoming his addiction to alcohol and drugs. “Coming out of the water as a new creation is great”, he later told the BBC.
The pastor of one of the churches, Peter Baker, from Lansdowne Church, said they wanted to “demonstrate that faith in Jesus is not a private thing but for the wider culture, and that faith in Jesus is an active, living thing”.
Baker also added that “this idea that the church is retreating to the margins is not true, at least not here in Bournemouth”.
Many more people going to church
Since Covid-19, the United Kingdom has experienced what one study has described as a ‘quiet revival’, with more conversions and baptisms being reported across the country. Between 2018 and 2025, regular church attendance rose from 3.7 million to 5.8 million, according to a YouGov survey for England and Wales.
Among those commenting on this baptism service in Bournemouth was Gavin Calver, leader of the Evangelical Alliance UK, who said: “The Lord is moving powerfully throughout the UK”.
Absolutely wonderful coverage on the BBC of over 90 baptisms yesterday on Bournemouth beach as local churches came together to celebrate this moment and their unity. The Lord is moving powerfully throughout the UK https://t.co/WF0RIwV6iG— Gavin Calver (@GavCalver) July 14, 2025
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