I haven't thought about my Baptism day for ages until now. It was so long ago that most of it is a blur but I have snapshots of time and certain moments that are still vivid in my mind.
Picture it....Vancouver Canada....it was the 1974 International Assembly of Jehovah's Witnesses. An idealistic 17 year old blonde fellow with a dark tan and slightly longish sun streaked hair and non-regulation sideburns, sat in the "baptism section" with what seemed like hundreds of strangers of various ages races and genders. (I had just gotten back from 2 weeks in Mexico and hadn't gotten a hair cut) 1975 fever was in full force and all of us were expecting something big to happen within the next year. The young man had been told that if he wasn't baptized by the time Armageddon arrived, that he would be destroyed because he had reached an age of understanding but didn't dedicate his life to Jehovah when I had the chance.
It was pouring rain as he sat sat in the audience listening to the speaker who was only a speck in the distance standing among carefully arranged plants and flowers. His voice echoed across the field and crowds of attendees sitting under umbrellas and sheets of plastic, could hear phrases such as "Momentous times" "Significant events ! ", "Great in-gathering !" and "Never to be repeated work !". After the sunny skies and sandy beaches of Mexico, the grey dismal weather seemed to fit the ominousness of the times.
Despite the grey and drizzle,there was excitement in the air and a sense of camaraderie among the attendees. Many, including this 17 year old had traveled northward from the States to be in attendance. They had all placed Watchtower Magazines or their green Bible's in the back windows of their cars so that they could spot each other on the freeway and wave like overly enthusiastic children to one another. There was a rumor that quickly passed from one to the other that not only was Glen Campbell the Country singer, in attendance, but on top of that was getting baptized. Surely this was a sign that the good news was reaching an audience far and wide. Having someone as noteworthy as Glen Campell was at that time, accept the Truth, made the rest of us all the more legit. Some folks were searching the crowd for him, hoping to have their song books autographed.
The young man sat toward the top of the baptism section and wile listening to this important talk, with a guilty mind, he scanned the crowd of baptismal candidates below, to see if there was anyone there that resembled Glen Campbell. Suddenly the tone of the talk changed and the crowd of people surrounding him, began to rise to their feet. It was time to answer before Jehovah, the two most important questions of our lives. His knees literally began to shake as the enormity of it all began to sink in.
"something something...Do you recognize yourself as a sinner before Jehovah who needs salvation through Jesus Christ and something something....repent of your sins ?"
"Yes."..the crowd replied loudly in unison. It was an impressive and stirring sound and he felt proud to be part of it.
"Do you, something something....dedicate yourself from this day forward to unreservedly do God's will something something...as he reveals through Jesus sand through the Bible and the enlightening power of the Holy Spirit ?".
Again, an enthusiastic "Yes" was their reply and the assembly crowd burst into applause.
It was a relief to have that part of it over with and to be on the bus heading toward a large outdoor Olympic sized public pool at the sports center, across town. He knew no one on the bus and felt alone and a bit shaken by the odd but supposedly important circumstance he had found himself in. He wondered, as the unwieldy buses traveled through the city, if his family would be able to find their way in time to see him being dunked.
Having arrived at the pool, the candidates were instructed to change into their bathing suits and leave their belongings with the Brothers in charge. As they lined up at the locker room door, the young man noticed that the others were wearing white T-shirts and he wondered if he should have one too. He was wearing only a pair of faded orange surfer shorts and the others were wearing their T shirts over actual bating suits. He felt all the more self conscious about walking out in front of the throngs of people who were pressing up against the chain link fence just outside.
As the Candidates walked single file along the edge of the long pool. He scanned the fully dressed crowd of people pressed up against the fence just beyond them, for his family. His father wasn't a JW but his Mom, 2 little sisters and older Brother were. He hoped someone he knew, was there. He heard people calling out from the crowd and taking pictures. He assumed that it was other people's family members but somehow it felt as if people were looking at him oddly. He thought it was because he wasn't wearing a white T-shirt. He felt embarrassed and self conscious but then rationalized to himself that he was one of a huge crowd of strangers and it was likely that no one was even paying attention to him.
It felt like the pool was a mile long as he passed by the crowd. He wondered where his family could be. He saw little kids with lapel badges pinned on their clothes and heard people calling out to their friends and family and the sound of camera shutters capturing their big day on film.
He heard someone say "Is that Glen Campell ??" then someone else say "No.. that's not him !",
"Yes...it's Glen Campell ! " "Where...where's Glen Campell??" He looked around to see where Glen was, he hadn't seen him in the locker room.
"Over there...in the orange shorts!" someone said. "Are you sure that's him??"
He realized that people were thinking he was Glen Campell. He had been mistaken for John Boy Walton at Disneyland one time but there was no way he'd be mistaken for the much older Glen Campbell, yet as he walked along he saw people craning their necks hoping to see someone famous in their midst.
Once he was finally dunked and rose from the pool, he had a new reason to be self conscious as he walked along the fence. His orange sorts were now soaking wet and clinging to him like a second skin and the person holding the towels was a long way away.
Later when he recounted the Glen Campbell incident to his Mother, she scoffed at the notion, told him not to be so ridiculous and told him that people were probably just noticing his suntan. He felt vindicated later when a special part of the program was set aside to scold the audience for spreading rumors and to remind them how improper and worldly it was to seek out the autograph of and entertainer on a book of songs dedicated to Jehovah.
Anyway, that's my memory of my baptism day. The other vivid memory I have of that assembly was they long lines at the restrooms (especially the sisters). There was some sort of plumbing issue going and outside each of the restrooms there was a Brother holding a hand painted sign and for those who couldn't read the sign, he repeatedly shouted it's contents "FLUSH FOR B.M. ONLY !!"..."FLUSH FOR B.M. ONLY !!"
I remember my Brother and I laughing and saying how much we'd hate to be that guy.