A North Carolina church has baptised 458 people in a single day.

Biltmore Church, which meets in seven locations across the west of the state, gathered on 13 September for mass baptisms at a lake in Fletcher. 

The event has become an annual tradition, with 389 baptisms having taken place last year and 279 the year before.

In a Facebook post, Pastor Bruce Frank said: “What a privilege & joy to see 458 people professing faith in Jesus today [at] Biltmore Church [through] baptism. Grateful for a God who saves & a church who shares.”

Pastor Devin Goins told the Christian Post that there were “countless amazing stories” from those present, including parents encouraged to be baptised themselves after their children wanted to and wheelchair users who were carried into the lake and immersed with extra assistance. Church staff spoke with each person to ensure they were ready to take the step in their faith. 

He added that seeing the mass baptisms created “an opportunity to celebrate and praise God for being at work in our midst and Jesus dying in our place”, with many guests who are not followers of Jesus seeing what it meant to their friends and family. 

A social media post from Biltmore Church said: “We're continuing to celebrate the 458 people who took their next step through baptism and publicly declared that their old life is gone and they have been made new through Jesus. What an incredible reminder that God is moving, lives are being changed, and that is always worth celebrating! Thank You, Jesus!”