Toddler Joshua Elijah Whittaker And His Sister Liea Baptised On New Year’s Morning
Bishop Kenuton Whittaker and his wife, Evangelist Judith Whittaker, couldn’t have rung in the new year in finer style. In the early hours of January 1, 2024, they witnessed together the baptism of their two children, nine-year-old Liea (Bishop’s stepdaughter) and their son together, Joshua Elijah, who is age three-plus going on forty.
Married in June 2018 and sixty-five years old when Joshua was born in 2020, Bishop was teary-eyed when he saw his son being dipped in the baptismal pool at the Freedom Come tent in Gordon Pen, Spanish Town.
“When Joshua told me last October that he wanted to be baptised,” the bishop explained, “I decided to do a little role play, repeating the baptismal words and pretending to dip him, but he was adamant that that would not work.
“He said, ‘No, no. I want the real thing, Daddy!’ So, I prayed about it and then told my pastor. He thought that Joshua wouldn’t be able to stay up for a baptism at the tent since that’s usually done late in the night, so we agreed that once the date is set, it would be at the sea.”
Neither Bishop nor his wife had prior knowledge that January 1 was going to be the morning that their daughter Liea, the top English student in her class at school, would make up her mind to be baptised, but they weren’t surprised, for they were both committed to raising their children in a home environment where God’s presence abides. And they knew the children were well-acquainted with the gospel message.
Family devotions are held at home every evening, and every morning, Joshua can be heard praying from his room, “Good morning, Daddy Jesus. I thank You for putting me to bed last night and wake me up this morning. I thank You, Lord, for all that You have done for me. In Jesus’ name, amen.” Then he greets each family member with, “Good morning, Daddy. Good morning, Mommy. Good morning, Liea.”
As he skips off to school with his father, he is praying for his teachers and classmates, and once he gets back home, he sighs in peace: “Oh, thank You, Jesus, for taking me home, safe.”
So, knowing the spiritual maturity of their children, Mr. and Mrs. Whittaker were not in doubt about their decision. “What’s more,” his father explained, “Joshua had fallen asleep when Liea decided she wanted to be baptised. His mother was just settling him down in a car so he could be more comfortable, and he woke, asking for his sister. When he heard that she was going to be baptised, sleep vanished, and he was on full alert with his mother, “I want to be baptized like Liea, Mommy. I want the real thing, too.”
Bishop Whittaker confessed that it was when the pastor asked Joshua the last baptismal question, “Do you know the LORD is coming back again, and do you want to go with Him?” that he got really teary-eyed. “It was an overwhelming experience for me,” he acknowledged. “I tried to hold back the tears, but they kept running. I sat there, as a father, deep in my heart, thanking God without opening my mouth. Seeing my son, at this age, saying that he wants to be baptised, I can’t even explain the joy that I felt.
His wife added, “When Joshua Elijah got home, he told everyone that Uncle Pastor Apostle Jeffrey Shuttleworth baptised him. I love God for that because in 2024, I want to set our house in order (our heart) and our physical house in order (our children).
“As a family, we pray together every night. We bury ourselves in Christ; that’s what my family does, coz we know it’s not the water baptism that will get you into heaven; it’s the life that you live.”
The bishop concurred: “I believe that this baptism that happened with Joshua is gonna change people’s lives; Joshua has a way of grabbing people’s attention, so I am praying that when folks realise his age and that he is baptised, they will be convicted and choose the LORD, too.”
