‘A Day of Great Joy’: Five GU Students Celebrate Baptism at TWE
Published: June 26, 2026
Author: Liz Dowell
Greenville University’s weekly The Wednesday Experience (TWE) looked a little different on November 19 2025. Instead of gathering in H.J. Long Gymnasium, the campus community packed into Whitlock Recital Hall, filling every seat, aisle, and balcony. Students, faculty, and staff gathered to celebrate something deeply sacred: the public baptism of five students who publicly declared their faith in Jesus Christ.
Rev. Keli Pennington, GU’s campus chaplain, opened the service with a joyful invitation.
“Today is a day of great joy and celebration,” she said as the five baptismal candidates stepped forward. “In baptism, we experience cleansing from sin. We are brought into the story of God. We die and rise with Christ, and we are given new birth through water and the Spirit.”
Assistant Vice President of Student Development Isaac Barber addressed the crowd, smiling as he scanned the full room.
“This is my favorite time of year,” he said. “We love that the chapel is full. We love that you all showed up to celebrate those being baptized today. This is a big deal.”
Five Stories, One Calling
The five students, Kevin Munoz, Logan Rose, Dani (Danielle) Oaks, Margaret Bellew, and Marissa DeLoria, spent the previous month meeting in a small group with Pennington and Barber, studying Scripture, sharing testimonies, and preparing for baptism.
Each student then shared a brief testimony.
For Logan Rose, the moment marked renewal. Though he had been a Christian for years, he had never been baptized.
“This feels like a recommitment,” he said. “After all this time with God, I want to keep being with Him.”
Kevin Munoz shared a story about rescue and transformation.
“In 2022, I was at a really low point. [I was] depressed, anxious, and searching for peace in all the wrong places,” he said. “But in February of 2024, everything changed. God gave me the peace I’d been looking for. I don’t believe I’d be here if it weren’t for Him.”
Dani Oaks reflected on the role of community in her faith journey.
“I didn’t want to do something this monumental without people who actually cared,” she said. “At GU, I’ve found that community. You are the reason I’m up here today.”
Margaret Bellew and Marissa DeLoria both described baptism as a recommitment.
“For me, it’s like being married again in the house of the Lord,” Bellew said.
DeLoria added that although she had been baptized as a baby, this moment was her own declaration of faith after a season of growth.
A Community Promise
Before entering the water, Rev. Pennington led the students through historic baptismal vows. Each responded confidently, “I do.”
She then turned to the congregation, reminding them that faith is not living alone. When asked if they would surround the newly baptized students with love, prayer, and care, the room responded in unison: “We will.”
One by one, each student was baptized and emerged to cheer, applause, and celebration.
“Heaven is singing,” Barber told the crowd.
Smiling as water dripped from her sleeves, Pennington closed the service with prayer, asking that the students would “grow in the grace and power of the Holy Spirit and live as witnesses who bring glory to God’s name.”
