Annual Parish Fish Fry Becomes Setting for 7 Baptisms

At the 56th annual Diocesan Convention of the Episcopal Diocese of Central Florida in January, the Rt. Rev. Dr. Justin S. Holcomb designated 2025 as a “year of baptisms.” St. Barnabas, DeLand, has taken this mission to heart, a commitment that made an annual church event even more special for the parish this year.

Once again hosted by the Underhill family, longtime church members, the annual St. Barnabas Parish Fish Fry not only brought the church community together as it has for the past 27 years, but it also allowed the church the opportunity to celebrate the baptisms of seven people. Those baptisms accentuated Bishop Holcomb’s overarching vision for members of the diocese to spread the gospel of Jesus to the world.

Approximately 300 people attended the event at the Underhills’ property in DeLand on Sunday, Nov. 2. It was the third consecutive year where baptisms were performed at the fish fry.

“It was pretty powerful,” said Mr. Vann Underhill, whose parents, Frank and Jean, initiated the church fish fry in the late 1990s. “It was a God moment. It was something my dad always looked forward to every year until he passed away four years ago. It’s quite transformational, and you can’t miss the fact that God is in it. The food and the fun things we do are tremendous, but it has become more than just a fish fry. Because it is open to all members of the community, it is a chance for our church to cast a wide net and to bring more people in. The baptisms just take it to another level.”

The Rev. Audrey Sutton, rector at St. Barnabas since May 2024, enjoyed the November fish fry, her second at the church. For years, Sutton has baptized individuals in a more traditional setting; the fish fry allows her to take the rite beyond the four walls of the church to the Underhills’ lake.

“I come from Texas, which has a lot of small lakes and large ponds with lily pads and reeds,” Sutton said. “I tried to stay as far away from that as possible. Last year, I joked that I would never get into water like that, but one of the parishioners asked if I would baptize her son there. I said I would do it, and it wasn’t bad at all. This year at church we’ve had sporadic baptisms, but nothing like we had at the fish fry. We had the highest attendance we’ve ever had, and the greatest number of baptisms we’ve ever had. Indeed, this was a God moment.”

The baptism celebration became a joyous event for the Thompson family. Sutton baptized not only Mr. Brandon Thompson, who said he has “inconsistently” attended St. Barnabas for several years, but also three of his children: Grady, 16; Reed, 13; and Indie, 9.

Only within the last six months has he attended the church on a regular basis and with more zeal, Thompson said. His baptism at the fish fry seemed like a natural progression, becoming even more special when his children decided to join him. His wife, Chelsea, had been baptized as a child.

“I’ve always believed in God, and I had gone to church occasionally,” he said. “But he had never really been a priority in my life. To do this with my kids, well, it was a rather emotional experience. We all need God in our lives, and this was a chance for us to show more dedication to him and to do right by him every day.”

The Rev. Nancy Wade Kline, longtime deacon at the church, presented the newly baptized with their baptismal candles. The Rev. Comforted Keen, 80, who has been at St. Barnabas for 13 years as retired assistant priest, helped Sutton with the baptisms. He said, “Through the years, total immersion baptisms have been uniquely life-altering moments for members of the congregation.”

“We’re offering it to folks who really want to change their lives in Christ,” he explained. “They want total immersion. I’ve done a lot of baptisms over the years – in streams, swimming pools and the ocean – and it’s so cool to see people who are so hungry for God that they want to take the next step and be baptized, especially at an event like this.”

The Underhills’ willingness to host the fish fry and baptisms serves as an extension of Frank Underhill’s benevolence and vision to bring people to the saving knowledge of Christ.

“Frank was a missionary, and he was well-known and loved in the community and the county,” Keen said. “You could always see Frank and Jean’s hearts of gratitude and appreciation for the church and God. For everyone who is involved with the fish fry –  the church staff and the families – it’s such a beautiful thing to see their willingness to volunteer and to support those who wish to be baptized. It’s a very special event.”