Dundrum Methodist Church
southern DISTRICT
Baptisms at Killiney Beach
Killiney in South County Dublin, not far from Dundrum, has a magnificent shingle beach, which was the site of an exciting and eventful day in September, as four men, all new converts to Christianity, were baptized and publicly professed their faith in Jesus Christ as Lord and Saviour.
It all began (as far as Dundrum Methodist Church (DMC) was concerned) just a few weeks earlier when two men independently contacted the church through the contact form on our website, and another just turned up at church one Sunday morning with his wife and asked to speak to me after the service.
All three, none of whom knew the others, wanted to know more about joining the church, and asked about baptism.
When meeting with each of them over a coffee, I heard their stories of how they had come to faith in Jesus, one in his home town in China, having heard the Gospel from a neighbour during a time of crisis and experiencing God’s peace; another, also from China, who heard the Gospel after he came to Ireland earlier this year. The third grew up as a Muslim in Turkey and also heard the Gospel after coming to Ireland.
The fourth man, Robbie, joined DMC nearly 2 years ago and has been a regular attender with his family ever since, although he often goes back to his home in China on business. He encountered the good news about Jesus while living briefly in Canada, and then attended a church in England before coming to live in Ireland where he contacted me directly to ask about joining the church.
Over the following weeks, Robbie would invite several of his friends to attend church with him. One Sunday, we were planning an international meal to celebrate the many different nationalities that attend DMC, and some of the Chinese community cooked food to share at the meal. A few of our new friends struggled with English, so we set up a new mid-week meeting for the Chinese families where we could study the Gospel of Luke together and where they could help each other out with the language, often assisted by Google Translate in conversation mode!
Last year two of the men were baptized on Killiney Beach in idyllic conditions with the sea like a millpond. Robbie was not one of them – he could not attend the baptism because of an extended trip back to China.
As I began to speak with the three new members of our church community about the meaning of faith and discipleship and the significance of baptism, Robbie came to join us, and we agreed a date when all four could be baptized. The date was set at 27th September, the day before out Harvest Thanksgiving.
While steady rain was forecast, the rain held off. However, the waves were bigger than I have ever seen them on Killiney Beach. Thirty or so gathered to witness the baptism and heard the testimonies of each of the four men. We led them one by one into the water to baptize them in the Name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. The moment we stepped away from the shore, we were tumbled into the surf and struggled to keep our footing. But we persevered, and all four were successfully baptized! As we came up from the water after the last person was baptized, a wave hit us from behind, knocking us off our feet and tumbling us up the beach. Thankfully, no harm was done! The pastor from the Chinese Gospel Church in Ireland was one of the witnesses, and I invited him to say the closing prayer in Chinese and in English.
Afterwards, we gathered in Fitzpatrick’s Hotel for coffee. Over the last three Sundays, three of the men have shared their testimonies in church.
This has been a remarkable story about reaping where we did not sow. As much as we would love to reach people and lead them to Christ, we had no part in bringing these folk to faith in Jesus. They quite literally walked in off the street having experienced the grace of God in miraculous ways through dreams, through study and seeking truth and through the simple witness of friends. It makes me think of what has been described as the Quiet Revival* by the Bible Society in England which has seen a significant and unexpected rise in the numbers of young men attending church in England, not led by large scale rallies or evangelistic efforts, but a gentle move of the Spirit drawing many to the church. And it reminds me how the good news is perhaps most effectively shared from friend to friend.
* Bible Society (2025). The Quiet Revival: The Church Is in a Period of Rapid Growth, Driven by Young Adults and in Particular Young Men.
[The names of the 4 baptized: Robbie, Volkan, Gary and Felix. David Percy and Stephen Taylor conducted the baptism]
Written by Rev Stephen Taylor, Dundrum Methodist Church