Pentecost 2024: Waves of Spirit-Powered Unity Across the Nation

Editor’s note: The events described in this article planned for Baptize California for 2024 took place Pentecost weekend as scheduled; this story was written prior to that time. During a late-night devotional session in late 2021, Pastor Mark Francey of Oceans Church in Orange County, California, stumbled upon a passage that would ignite a movement across California and beyond. It told about the largest water baptism in American history, a monumental event at Pirates Cove in Corona del Mar, California, in August 1990. Around 3,000 people were baptized by 100 pastors, many of them part of the Jesus Movement that started in the 1970s. Inspired, Francey felt a divine whisper stirring, urging him to replicate this historic baptismal gathering. Little did he know this whisper would catalyze a movement reverberating across denominational and geographical borders. As Francey read about the throngs of people descending upon Pirates Cove, his spirit stirred with an unexplained sense of divine urgency. It was as if the very voice of God resounded within him, echoing, “Mark, I’m going to do this again.” With closed eyes and a humble heart, he beheld a vivid and compelling vision of Pirates Cove teeming with boats and people, recognizable faces from his own congregation among them.Like a gentle whisper, came the question that would alter the course of his ministry forever. The Holy Spirit said, “Mark, would you do this for me? Would you organize this event? Would you bring my body together? Would you gather the church of California and help host the largest water baptism in American history to inspire America? If I can do this in California, I can do it in any other state.”

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A Movement Is Born

Thus began the journey of Baptize SoCal in 2023, Baptize California for 2024 and Baptize America in 2025, birthed in the depths of prayer and fueled by a relentless passion to see the church united in the power of Pentecost. It was a vision for a single event, then a revival sweeping across California and farther, igniting hearts and souls with the fire of the Holy Spirit. “When we announced it, everyone was really excited,” says Francey. “We had no idea that a movie for ‘The Jesus Revolution’ would come out six months later, making everyone even more eager to join in. It set the stage for a big campaign, making people want to be baptized at Pirates Cove to be a part of California’s history with God.”

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The inaugural Baptize SoCal event in May of 2023 exceeded all expectations. Over 200 churches participated, with 30 pastors in the ocean baptizing over 4,000 individuals who descended upon Pirates Cove; the revival and unity were profound. People from all walks of life converged to participate in this mass baptism unlike any that had gone before. From entrepreneurs to drug dealers, children to the elderly, the waters of Pirates Cove bore witness to a profound outpouring of unity and faith.  It was a moment of divine significance—a glimpse of Pentecostal power in the 21st century. But the impact of Baptize SoCal extended far past the shores of Pirates Cove. A seismic event sent shockwaves of revival throughout Southern California and beyond as people traveled from across the country to be part of this historic occasion. And as they emerged from the waters of baptism, their faces radiant with joy and newfound faith, it was clear: Something extraordinary was happening—a divine intervention orchestrated by the hand of God.

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