The impassioned cry, “Take me to the water,” by parishioner Alecia Washington, accompanied by bells, reverberated throughout St. Francis of Assisi Catholic Church on a recent Saturday afternoon, marking the opening of the latest installment of “Men and Women of the Bible.”

“Take Me to the Water to Be Baptized,” sponsored by the Ladies of the Altar Rosary Sodality of St. Francis, featured parishioners taking on the very human roles of men and women of the Bible, imparting a glimpse of the lives they led as people of faith.

Following a warm welcome from Sodality member Saragene Pippen Bell, the Mistress of Ceremonies Debra Pippen Johnson explained how water can signify different things to different people, such as “renewal, baptism or cleansing.”

“To slaves, water represented freedom,” Johnson told the audience, noting that the Biblical characters depicted in the program “experienced change through water.” She read a Bible passage prior to each reenactment, beginning with God’s covenant with Noah (Gen. 6:8-9) to build an ark in preparation for the flood. Noah was portrayed by Stuart Dysart. Men of the Bible also included Simon (Kelvin Wilson), Jonah (David Cruz), John the Baptist (Sammie Bibb III), and Moses (James “Mike” Bell).

Praise dancers Amie Morgan and John Barry entertained the audience with uplifting performances at the annual event. Sodality member Mary Holiness-Bibb directed and produced the program with the parish’s music minister, Jonathan Braxton, providing musical accompaniment. The St. Francis Children’s Choir, under the direction of Edith Aguillard, demonstrated a spiritual cleansing ritual.          

Women of the Bible included Mary (Sodality member Shawna Lockhart), Lady at the well (Niambi Bibb), Miriam (Alecia Washington), and Mary, sister of Lazarus (Christine Washington).

The final speaker, Angela Belcher Wilson, reminded the audience of the “pledge of new life” through baptism.

“Step into the water, go beneath it,” she said, “and turn away from sin. ‘Do not be afraid,’ as Jesus told Peter, for Christ the Lord is with you.”

“Let Christ be the center of everything you do,” she continued. “Through baptism, I am born again. I am a new creation. I am a child of God.”

Other members of the Altar Rosary Sodality include Linda Ward Sunday and Lymbra Smith Key. Sunday, in her closing remarks at the celebration, invited attendees to return to St. Francis of Assisi on Sunday to celebrate Mass.