First Baptist Church of Orlando baptized more than 100 people Sunday on the shores of a Walt Disney World lake in the latest act of reconciliation between the entertainment giant and evangelical Christians.
Several hundred congregants and their families gathered late in the afternoon to watch believers ages 7 to 88 as they were immersed in the waters in an act symbolizing their faith in Jesus Christ.
During the simple ceremony, marked by an occasional hymn and acoustic guitar, children, couples and even a family of five gathered under trees thick with Spanish moss on the white sands of Disney's Contemporary Resort's North Lake.
Dressed in white robes, they joined a half-dozen ministers in the lake who dunked them backward into the waters after they proclaimed their new faith. Some quietly walked off; others emerged joyfully throwing their hands in the air.
Once the target of a boycott by a coalition of religious conservatives, including the Southern Baptist Convention, Disney has begun moving closer to evangelical groups recently.
For example, in December the company distributed The Chronicles of Narnia movie, based on the C.S. Lewis book that is a longtime favorite of Christians. Christian-oriented marketing companies were hired to promote the films with churches and pastors.
For their part, Southern Baptists last year declared an end to a boycott of Disney.
It was sparked in the 1990s after the Southern Baptist Convention accused then-Disney Chairman Michael Eisner of undermining the company's reputation for traditional values through products and policies sympathetic to homosexuals. Eisner left the company in September and was replaced by Robert Iger.
For First Baptist of Orlando, Sunday's baptisms were just the latest example of cooperation with Walt Disney World.
The congregation's former pastor, the Rev. Jim Henry, opposed the boycott while serving as president of the Southern Baptist Convention. David Uth, his successor, said he also opposed it while in the pulpit at his former church in Louisiana.
By all accounts, the boycott did little to affect Disney's bottom line.
"I thought it was mistake," Uth recalled. "I thought it was wrong; I'm not a big boycott person."
Holding baptisms at Disney seemed divinely inspired to some.
According to the Bible, Jesus Christ himself was baptized in the Jordan River. Uth is a strong supporter of open-air baptisms, because, he said, "An outdoor venue adds that relevance of celebration and excitement."
So he was receptive when one of his staff, the Rev. Randall James, suggested Disney World.
"I'm sure the Lord gave me the idea," said James, a former assistant to three Orlando mayors.
Jerry Guinn, a member of First Baptist and former Presbyterian, waited 13 years for his baptism, a final conversion to the Baptist faith.
Disney didn't sway the hunter and fisherman to profess his faith, but the idea of an outdoor ceremony did appeal to him.
"I've always been a believer," Guinn, 56, said after the ceremony. "It could have been Lake Conway or Lake Butler -- this was just a beautiful way to do it."
James said most of those baptized Sunday were longtime worshipers at the church, and most were converts from other Christian religions.
The turnout was far more than he expected, he said. "Perhaps my faith was not that strong," he said, "but I expected around 50 or so to attend this thing."
That so many appeared just to watch, he said, "is cause for celebration."
With more than 13,000 members, First Baptist is one of the country's largest protestant churches. It is located on 130 acres off John Young Parkway in southwest Orlando.
Sunday's baptism also was a turnaround from 2002, when Walt Disney World officials announced that regular Sunday-morning services for guests and employees would end.
Citing space problems and concerns about fairness to other faiths, they stopped the Catholic and nondenominational Protestant services that had been held at the Polynesian Luau area since 1975.
First Baptist, which has what James called "scores of members" who work for Disney, approached the company about hosting Sunday's ceremony.
James contacted Al Weiss, who as president of worldwide operations for Walt Disney Parks and Resorts oversees Disney World and who also is a Baptist, although not a member of James' congregation.
"He very quickly responded 'yes,' that he'd have a look," said James.
Disney spokeswoman Lissette Campos said Weiss passed on the request to the convention division. Shortly thereafter James and Uth met with staff at Disney's Contemporary Resort, and they decided on a site at a man-made lake next to the hotel, near showers and lockers.
"Walt Disney World Resort is open to all people, all the time," Campos said. "We pride ourselves on the fact that our resort appeals to a broad range of convention groups."
It's not clear who paid for Sunday's event. The church did not ask Disney to donate its services, James said, but neither did anyone discuss whether it was free.
"As far as we know, we were not charged," he said. "If Disney sends us a bill, we will happily pay it."
Uth said that he would like to have more outdoor baptisms and certainly more at Disney, maybe in a year or so, if the company allows them back.
The pastor said he doesn't think the service and ceremony send any message of religious favoritism.
"It's more a community gesture," he said, "rather than one to a particular church. There's always a possibility of reading something into it, and trying extrapolate hidden agendas. But I think at the core of this is the willingness of Disney to be a part of the local community."
http://www.orlandosentinel.com/busi...ism2206may22,0,7945124.story?page=2&track=rss
Several hundred congregants and their families gathered late in the afternoon to watch believers ages 7 to 88 as they were immersed in the waters in an act symbolizing their faith in Jesus Christ.
During the simple ceremony, marked by an occasional hymn and acoustic guitar, children, couples and even a family of five gathered under trees thick with Spanish moss on the white sands of Disney's Contemporary Resort's North Lake.
Dressed in white robes, they joined a half-dozen ministers in the lake who dunked them backward into the waters after they proclaimed their new faith. Some quietly walked off; others emerged joyfully throwing their hands in the air.
Once the target of a boycott by a coalition of religious conservatives, including the Southern Baptist Convention, Disney has begun moving closer to evangelical groups recently.
For example, in December the company distributed The Chronicles of Narnia movie, based on the C.S. Lewis book that is a longtime favorite of Christians. Christian-oriented marketing companies were hired to promote the films with churches and pastors.
For their part, Southern Baptists last year declared an end to a boycott of Disney.
It was sparked in the 1990s after the Southern Baptist Convention accused then-Disney Chairman Michael Eisner of undermining the company's reputation for traditional values through products and policies sympathetic to homosexuals. Eisner left the company in September and was replaced by Robert Iger.
For First Baptist of Orlando, Sunday's baptisms were just the latest example of cooperation with Walt Disney World.
The congregation's former pastor, the Rev. Jim Henry, opposed the boycott while serving as president of the Southern Baptist Convention. David Uth, his successor, said he also opposed it while in the pulpit at his former church in Louisiana.
By all accounts, the boycott did little to affect Disney's bottom line.
"I thought it was mistake," Uth recalled. "I thought it was wrong; I'm not a big boycott person."
Holding baptisms at Disney seemed divinely inspired to some.
According to the Bible, Jesus Christ himself was baptized in the Jordan River. Uth is a strong supporter of open-air baptisms, because, he said, "An outdoor venue adds that relevance of celebration and excitement."
So he was receptive when one of his staff, the Rev. Randall James, suggested Disney World.
"I'm sure the Lord gave me the idea," said James, a former assistant to three Orlando mayors.
Jerry Guinn, a member of First Baptist and former Presbyterian, waited 13 years for his baptism, a final conversion to the Baptist faith.
Disney didn't sway the hunter and fisherman to profess his faith, but the idea of an outdoor ceremony did appeal to him.
"I've always been a believer," Guinn, 56, said after the ceremony. "It could have been Lake Conway or Lake Butler -- this was just a beautiful way to do it."
James said most of those baptized Sunday were longtime worshipers at the church, and most were converts from other Christian religions.
The turnout was far more than he expected, he said. "Perhaps my faith was not that strong," he said, "but I expected around 50 or so to attend this thing."
That so many appeared just to watch, he said, "is cause for celebration."
With more than 13,000 members, First Baptist is one of the country's largest protestant churches. It is located on 130 acres off John Young Parkway in southwest Orlando.
Sunday's baptism also was a turnaround from 2002, when Walt Disney World officials announced that regular Sunday-morning services for guests and employees would end.
Citing space problems and concerns about fairness to other faiths, they stopped the Catholic and nondenominational Protestant services that had been held at the Polynesian Luau area since 1975.
First Baptist, which has what James called "scores of members" who work for Disney, approached the company about hosting Sunday's ceremony.
James contacted Al Weiss, who as president of worldwide operations for Walt Disney Parks and Resorts oversees Disney World and who also is a Baptist, although not a member of James' congregation.
"He very quickly responded 'yes,' that he'd have a look," said James.
Disney spokeswoman Lissette Campos said Weiss passed on the request to the convention division. Shortly thereafter James and Uth met with staff at Disney's Contemporary Resort, and they decided on a site at a man-made lake next to the hotel, near showers and lockers.
"Walt Disney World Resort is open to all people, all the time," Campos said. "We pride ourselves on the fact that our resort appeals to a broad range of convention groups."
It's not clear who paid for Sunday's event. The church did not ask Disney to donate its services, James said, but neither did anyone discuss whether it was free.
"As far as we know, we were not charged," he said. "If Disney sends us a bill, we will happily pay it."
Uth said that he would like to have more outdoor baptisms and certainly more at Disney, maybe in a year or so, if the company allows them back.
The pastor said he doesn't think the service and ceremony send any message of religious favoritism.
"It's more a community gesture," he said, "rather than one to a particular church. There's always a possibility of reading something into it, and trying extrapolate hidden agendas. But I think at the core of this is the willingness of Disney to be a part of the local community."
http://www.orlandosentinel.com/busi...ism2206may22,0,7945124.story?page=2&track=rss
