By late morning, the Houston heat was already pressing down like a heavy hand. Sweat beaded on brows, backpacks clung to backs and the air shimmered above the asphalt.
Yet, at the Community of Faith Church’s first-ever outdoor baptism for the homeless, “Alive by Faith,” a long line wound toward the portable baptismal pools, where one by one, men and women stepped forward, some barefoot, some still clutching their few possessions, ready to be submerged in water that promised more than just a short-lived relief from the scorching sun.
Keith James, 70, stood near the front, a white towel draped across his shoulders. Just weeks earlier, he had lost his apartment, ending up on the streets.
“I was close to God once before and I felt like I needed to get rebaptized again,” James said.
When he emerged from the pool, water streaming down his face, Keith said he felt renewed, like he had closed a distance that had grown over time between himself and his faith.
James hopes he is not lost within the statistics.
In 2023, over 23,000 people in Harris, Fort Bend and Montgomery counties accessed a homeless service, which rises to 52,000 people when clothing or food assistance is included, according to the Coalition for the Homeless of Houston/Harris County. The 2024 Homeless Count & Survey shows that we can expect to see 3,280 people experiencing homelessness at any given moment in the Houston region.
But organizers said this was a day for second chances. Over 170 people were fed hot meals, and more than 300 T-shirts and towels, donated by the nonprofit Hoodies 4 Healing, were handed out. For the first time, the church’s baptism service extended beyond its walls to meet people where they were, at a corner of Houston where homelessness is visible in every direction.
“Today is the day of new beginnings,” said Bishop James Dixon II, the pastor of the Community of Faith Church. “Pray for us as we baptise God’s homeless sons and daughters.”
Rosemary Tucker, founder of Hoodies 4 Healing, echoed his sentiments about organizing a baptism for the “hurting, homeless and hungry.”
“Everybody is looking for a way to renew their faith with Jesus,” she said. “We’re going to celebrate God’s goodness and grace for all his children.”
Some came for the food and left with more than they expected. Tony Bursie, 38, has been in Houston since March, fleeing domestic abuse in Detroit. In the sprawling city he landed in, Bursie is still looking for a job.
“Once I get a job, I’ll be all right,” he assured himself, the sun beating down on his shirtless back and unkempt hair. “I get by by the grace of God. If it wasn’t for him, I don’t know where I would be…If you know what God does, then you know He’s got a funny way of doing things. He sends you through battles. He wanna see what you’re going to do. This is a test, that’s all it is.”
Others, like Chlae Carroll, 27, said they were drawn by the chance to reach the younger generation.
“We need awareness,” she said. “I know that I can reach the young. If they see me, they can say, ‘Oh, you’re young. I can do it too.’”
Minister Jerri Thomas, who has been with the Community of Faith for years, said the event was designed to be both spiritual and practical. She said showing up for people in need encourages them to fight all odds.
For some, the odds are heavily stacked against them.
Comlisa [last name withheld], experiencing homelessness for the first time, described how difficult it is to simply find a restroom or a safe place to rest. With no job and a gnawing hunger accompanying her every move, she smiles when she says, “Maybe I’m just behind…it’s okay. As long as you’re not taking from anybody, the Lord will provide for you.”
Her words blended into the hum of praise music and the soft splash of baptismal water.
Dixon said the outreach was born from a simple truth: people need to be reminded of their worth.
By the time the last person stepped out of the pool, the sun was high and unforgiving. But under the shade tents, volunteers kept serving plates, handing out water bottles and wrapping towels around dripping shoulders.
