On Saturday, September 5, 170 people were baptized in the sea at Bigbury-on-Sea, South Devon, in the United Kingdom. The channel that started it, BibleLadUK, has about 7,100 subscribers as of September 18, 2026. Those two numbers sit oddly together. I have spent a career on audience and conversion. Reach is not the variable. The ask was.
One post, then a pastor
Merlin Kraft posted a baptism on BibleLadUK. Followers asked if they could be baptised like that. He talked with his pastor at Calvary Chapel Plymouth, then put out an open invitation. June at Jennycliff Beach in Plymouth: 28 people in the water. Then Saturday, September 5, at Bigbury-on-Sea. Premier Christian News, Christian Today, and CBN all reported about 170 baptised, with hundreds looking on. No tickets.
I'm still in disbelief at what I saw at Bigbury Beach at the weekend. God was in it the whole way. All I can say is all glory to God at this point, but what we saw down there was extraordinary.
Merlin Kraft, to Premier Christian News
He told Premier about a couple from Leeds who could only get as far as Kingsbridge, then walked the remaining three hours through fields. CBN named a woman who took a free Bible and later entered the water, a man who came alone from Ireland, an older lady from Fife in Scotland. Kraft is not a pastor. He calls himself a follower of Christ. Local churches met the people on the sand.
The church under the headline
Calvary Chapel Plymouth, with Pastor Kenny, carried the weight. Calvary Chapel Bristol and Ivybridge Baptist helped. There was a free BBQ. More than 100 Bibles. Information for connecting to a church. That is Matthew 28 in wet shoes: baptize, then teach.
Public water is having a year. Baptize America put thousands in coves and counts. Bigbury is smaller and clearer. One church said yes after people asked.
PRO TIP Read Matthew 28 in the KJV in the Bible app inside the WWJD.COM SuperApp, then read it again in the version your church uses. The commission is baptize and teach.
A tiny audience, a costly ask
It is easy to file this under influencer harvest. Kraft has a channel. The beach looked like a scene. Then look at the subscriber count. About 7,100 people. Most ministries with a hundred times that reach never put 170 strangers in the water on a Saturday. Kraft did a great deal with a very small audience. The ask was public, specific, and backed by a church that handed out Bibles the same day.
If you are in Plymouth, that is a local church's week. If you are not, find the person in your city who has been waiting for someone to ask whether they can be baptized like this.
Pray for Kraft, for Pastor Kenny, and for the 170. The other gatherings this season are here.
Go public. Then make disciples.
- Watch the BibleLadUK video, then read Premier Christian News and Christian Today.
- Pray for Calvary Chapel Plymouth and the newly baptized by the cities they came from.
- If you have delayed baptism, talk to a pastor this week.
- Put a Bible and a church invitation in someone's hand.
FAQ
How many people were baptized at Bigbury-on-Sea?
About 170 people were baptized in the sea on Saturday, September 5, 2026, with hundreds watching from the sand.
Who organized it?
Merlin Kraft of BibleLadUK, with Calvary Chapel Plymouth and Pastor Kenny. Calvary Chapel Bristol and Ivybridge Baptist helped.
When and where did it happen?
Saturday, September 5, 2026, at Bigbury-on-Sea, South Devon, United Kingdom. An earlier gathering at Jennycliff, Plymouth, in June baptized 28.
Why did an open invitation on a small channel draw people from three countries?
Followers asked to be baptised after Kraft posted a baptism. He put the invite on BibleLadUK, about 7,100 subscribers as of September 18, 2026. The ask was clear, free, and backed by a church on the sand.
Where can I read the original reporting?
Rachel Huston at Premier Christian News, September 8, 2026, and Christian Today, September 11. CBN's Stephen Little followed on September 17. Kraft's own video is on BibleLadUK.
Sources
- Premier Christian News: 'God was in it': 170 baptised in mass sea baptism in Devon
- Christian Today: 170 baptised at Bigbury-on-Sea (Sept 11, 2026)
- CBN: Social Media Post Sparks Mass Ocean Baptism (Stephen Little, Sept 17, 2026)
- YouTube: Bigbury Baptism 2026, BibleLadUK
- YouTube: CBN News interview, BibleLadUK
- BibleLadUK on YouTube
- WWJD.COM: Worldwide youth awakening
- WWJD.COM: Baptize America
- WWJD.COM: Faith Is Rising
- WWJD.COM: Statement of Faith
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