Pastor electrocuted during baptism [Texas]

Sydney Morning Herald ^ | October 31, 2005 | AP

[aculeus]

A US pastor performing a baptism was electrocuted inside his Texas church when he grabbed a microphone while partially submerged, a church employee said.

The Reverend Kyle Lake, 33, was standing in water up to his shoulder in a baptismal in front of 800 people at University Baptist Church when he was electrocuted yesterday, said Jamie Dudley, a church business administrator.

Doctors in the congregation unsuccessfully performed chest compressions for 40 minutes, Dudley said.

The woman Lake was baptising was not injured, Dudley said.

Pastors at University Baptist Church routinely use a microphone during baptisms, Dudley said.

"He was grabbing the microphone so everyone could hear," Dudley said.

"It's the only way you can be loud enough."

About 800 people attended the morning service, which was larger than normal because it was homecoming weekend at nearby Baylor University, Dudley said.

Lake, who had a wife and three children, had been at the church for nine years, the last seven as pastor, Dudley said.

AP

[Americanwolf]

let me be the first to say.... shocking!!!

(ok I will go hide now... I know that was bad!)

[WinOne4TheGipper]

What to say? Prayers for the family, of course. Just Darn

[Cicero]

I think I'll hold the jokes on this one.

[Vigilanteman]

Next time, the church might consider a wireless headset, battery powered. If it gets submerged, the church would be out about $60 and not out a pastor.

[StarCMC]

It's a very sad story... but my first thought was that this makes a GREAT case for sprinkling. *I'll find another dark corner to hide in.* Seriously though, he's in a better place.

[Richard Kimball]

Already posted, and all the stupid electricity, zot, and Darwin award jokes have already been made.

[CindyDawg]

Did you know a thread about this was pulled awhile ago? A couple of freepers were goofing around.

[WildTurkey]

let me be the first to say.... shocking!!! (ok I will go hide now... I know that was bad!)

The last post of this article lasted about 15 minutes before it was pulled.

[Americanwolf]

I do apologize for my poor taste...

I am sure that this will probably get it pulled... all kidding aside.. it is very sad to see this happen. It though appears to be a case of where common sense was lacking on someones part..

prayers to his family..

[Labyrinthos]

let me be the first to say.... shocking!!! (ok I will go hide now... I know that was bad!)

Ok... But watt the heck happened?

[RichInOC]

For future reference...battery-powered wireless mikes.

[theDentist]

Darwin nominee.

[MCCRon58]

Just goes to show, when its your time to go, its your time to go.

[GrandEagle]

Lake, who had a wife and three children,
I fail to see any humor here. I'm ready to go as far as my relationship with my Savior, however, I would not want to go until my children are grown and I have been able to train them in Gods word.

GE

[WildTurkey]

I do apologize for my poor taste...

No apology needed. But I never did get my question answered on the last one!

[CindyDawg]

I don't think anyone was indifferent to the sad circumstances. Some people just deal with tragedy with humor.

[SIDENET]

I have to ask. What was your question?

[MontanaBeth]

How sad, prayers for the family and the congregation

[netmilsmom]

A pastor baptizing gets electrocuted.

I can almost guarantee he went straight to heaven.

God Bless him!

[Issaquahking]

Any members of the cloth, please heed this! As an electrician of thirty years, I cannot begin to explain how dangerous 110 AC power can be. please buy the battery set-ups, we don't need people here to do the Lord's work, going home early.

[Americanwolf]

"I have to ask. What was your question?"

That is probably what got the post pulled before :)

[netmilsmom]

Love your tagline!

"To Serve Man" right?

[Mr. Mojo]

I think I'll hold the jokes on this one.

I hear ya -- Darwin will just have to sit this one out.

[LibertarianInExile]

I have to tell you that pun is truly wrong. Making fun of the way this poor minister died in this way is about the saddest thing I can imagine. Can you possibly be any more insensitive in your post about this death, punning like that? After all, he had family, and I'm sure they are all freepers. And I'm sure they are all mourning him by coming on FR the day he died and looking around for articles about that death and see your pun. And I'm sure they are hurt and disappointed that a total stranger might look at this death and think that it's absurd that this would happen and crack wise at it with such a lousy pun. Frankly, I would be ashamed if I were you, posting that pun.

Because there are much better puns. For example, you should start by making mention of the fact that this is posted in the wrong place. After all, this story deals with current events.

[neodad]

Why is this considered news in Sydney Australia? I'm assuming that this was in Waco at University Baptist.

[Americanwolfsbrother]

Does this mean he zotted himself?AWB

[Americanwolf]

Best work up to an excellent pun ever!!!!!!! :)

That was indeed good!

[SIDENET]

"To Serve Man" right?

Yes it is. It's my favorite Twilight Zone episode.

:-)

[WildTurkey]

That is probably what got the post pulled before :)

Someone ranted on the original poster (who made no comments, only posted the story) and then a party un-named really let loose against the ranter with his own rant.

[WildTurkey]

</sarcasm>

[GnuHere]

3 kids = no Darwin award, jerk.

[Drago]

Musician electrical safety:

http://www.guitarnuts.com/technical/electrical/safety/index.php

[The Ghost of FReepers Past]

I have watched pastors do this myself. How sad. Prayers for the family and the church.

[auggy]

Lack of common sense is the cause. No way would I ever grab hold of a metal object that was plugged into the wall, while I am standing in shoulder deep water.

It's sad for his family.

[DJ Taylor]

"Seriously though, he's in a better place."

A better place than Texas? No way!

[Dr. Scarpetta]

This is unbelievable.

[McLynnan]

Yes, there's a University Baptist Church near the Baylor campus in Waco.

[manwiththehands]

"Some people just deal with tragedy with humor."

It's normal. It's called "gallows humor" and some of us are OK with it.

[Revolting cat!]

Ah, the dangers of show business!

[jaime1959]

The Lord works in mysterious ways.

[LibertarianInExile]

ROFLMAO.

Love your synopsis of the last thread, btw. I'm still waiting for the holy rolling to start here. There are always some bluehairs who have no sense of humor about this kind of thing. As if God wants us all to sit around wailing about how awful it is people die all the time.

In fact, I hope my death at a ripe old age is in as absurd and entertaining a fashion as possible. It's not like there is such a thing as a death you WANT to die (heroic sacrifice and death in the saddle and all that wishful thinking notwithstanding), so they're all bad in that sense, anyway. It is my fervent prayer that God lets me bring a smile to people on my way out.

One of my extended family actually had brain cancer and used humor to keep her family from crying about it as she died. I'll never forget the story about her losing bladder control and having to wear Depends, and gradually lost her faculty for speech, then as a son lovingly changed her, she surpised everyone by blurting out the words "SUPER COLON BLOW!"

A friend of mine insists that he wakes up every morning and immediately says "BRAINS!" so that when he dies, his body will be trained to rise from the grave, or at least reflexively scare the pants off a mortician in a final practical joke.

If you can't laugh at death you probably can't laugh at life, either.

[Americanwolf]

It's normal. It's called "gallows humor" and some of us are OK with it.

I like it, that's why I HANG around

[SIDENET]

A friend of mine insists that he wakes up every morning and immediately says "BRAINS!" so that when he dies, his body will be trained to rise from the grave, or at least reflexively scare the pants off a mortician in a final practical joke.

And I thought I was the only one.

[Paul_B]

The sad thing is that although we can assume he didn't mind going home, his desire probably was that his death would glorify the Lord. This seems a terribly senseless way to go. I didn't even know input circuits could handle enough power to kill (though I've had some unpleasant lip-zaps from microphones).

But the Lord can, and will, work good out of anything, so prayers to that end and for comfort for the young family.

p.

[southernnorthcarolina]

I don't see anything wrong with joking about this. I mean, it's not as if the Big Guy's gonna notice, and zot you with a bolt of lig

[newzjunkey]

Why chest compressions for 40 minutes? Was there no EMT service available? No defibrillator?

[DJ Taylor]

"Lack of common sense is the cause."

Maybe, and maybe not.

I'm sure that this was not the first baptism of this sort performed in this church, and I would even go so far as to bet that the electrical system in this church was designed with Ground Fault Interrupters (GFI) to handle this type of use.

So what went wrong with the wiring to cause the GFIs to fail to trip? Has the possibility of homicide been considered? There is more to this story than is in this newspaper article.

[WildTurkey]

I like it, that's why I HANG around

Your tastes have definitely been short-circuited.

[52d Troop Command]

Sounds like good nominee for the Darwin Award.