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

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.

 

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.