You can't reach God with a high tower

My God is way bigger than Dwight Howard...

Dwight Howard is baptized Sunday in the Atlantic Ocean at Bethune Beach. He was one of a group of congregants from Orlando's Summit Church who took part in the ceremony. (MICHELLE HUGHES, SPECIAL TO THE ORLANDO SENTINEL / October 24, 2010)

Orlando Magic center Dwight Howard can bring an arena full of fans to their feet with one of his powerful dunks.

But on Sunday afternoon, a crowd cheered wildly as the big man got himself dunked — into the chilly ocean waters off Bethune Beach just south of New Smyrna Beach. Howard was baptized, along with dozens of others, as part of a beachside service held by Orlando's Summit Church.

With the sun fading about 5:45 p.m., Howard waded into the cold surf, the last person in a long line of folks to be baptized. He grimaced slightly and tensed up in reaction to the water as he walked toward the pastors. Howard, who is accustomed to double coverage, was flanked by two pastors — who had to back up with him into deeper water to accommodate his 6-11, 265-pound frame. After making a profession of faith in Jesus, Howard was dunked into the Atlantic Ocean. As he emerged from the water, about 500 onlookers on the beach cheered, clapped and snapped pictures with cell phones.

Howard returned to the small group of family and friends that had accompanied him and received congratulations from church members and well-wishers. Out of respect for the religious nature of the event, no one seemed to ask him for autographs or photos and generally respected his privacy.

As he walked from the beach to the parking lot, Howard greeted church members while he toweled himself dry.

"It feels great, man," he said.

Summit Church, which has three locations in Orlando, is an evangelical Christian congregation and has about 2,500 members, according to its website. The church practices full immersion as its rite of baptism, which according to its website, "is a crucial outward act of one's inward confession of faith and acceptance of Christ as savior … It is symbolic of Christ's death and resurrection, and also the washing away of our sins. Likewise, it is a sign to the community of the decision the believer has made."  

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