More than 100 students baptized without permission at Christian school

A baptism is normally a family affair – but parents of more than 100 students at a Fayetteville Christian school said the event happened at school without them or their permission.

WRAL News spoke with Northwood Temple Academy headmaster Renee McLamb to ask how it happened.

Last week was Spiritual Awareness Week at the Northwood Temple Academy, which is a private Christian school connected with Northwood temple Pentecostal Holiness Church in Fayetteville. Student gathered in the chapel for praise and to watch three students who had permission from their parents get baptized.

Three students, however, turned into more than 100 middle and high school students.

"We just weren't expecting the line to just keep growing and growing," said McLamb. "And not just the young ones. We had 17 year olds."

McLamb said letters went out to parents requesting permission to allow their children to be baptized.

Parent Kimberly Lynch received one of those letters.

"We got a permission slip sent home and you had an option to opt out," Lynch said.

Lynch said she opted not to have her child baptized.

Some parents were outraged that their children were baptized without their permission or their presences.

Others were a little more forgiving.

"If the children, the older children, are old enough to understand, then they're coming to a Christian school. It's bound to happen," said Regina Turner, a parent of a student at the school.

WRAL News spoke with several parents who didn't want to go on camera about their concerns. The main complaint was that parents weren't asked for permission.

Some parents were also concern that more than 100 children were baptized in the same tub of water with COVID-19 and monkeypox still very active.

"We still have a policy for COVID and what we're doing for this year," McLamb said. "It's not near as tight as the last couple of years, but that really hadn't crossed my mind about the baptisms."

McLamb admits they school made a mistake and hindsight is 20-20.

"In the spring, we'll have spiritual emphasis again. But we will go through our normal process and get that parent and have them on the campus," McLamb said.

Some religions allow you to be baptized more than once. Others only allow one baptism.

McLamb said she's meeting one-on-one with parents who have concerns. Right now, she said the school is asking for grace and forgiveness in their mistake.