Jeffery Kyle Lake was born on June 12, 1972, in
Tyler, Texas, to David and Shirley Lake. He attended Andy Woods Elementary and graduated from Robert E. Lee High School in 1990 where he was co-captain of the state runner-up Lee Soccer Team. On May 30, 1998, he married Jennifer Gornto of
Clear Lake, Texas. Lake earned a bachelor's degree in Speech Communications and Religion from
Baylor University in 1994 before receiving a
Master of Divinity degree from
George W. Truett Theological Seminary in 1997.
Ministry Kyle Lake was pastor of
University Baptist Church, founded in 1995 by
Chris Seay and Christian recording artist
David Crowder. Ben Dudley, community pastor at University Baptist, told the
Waco Tribune-Herald that, "At first, there was definitely confusion just because everyone was trying to figure out what was going on" and that "Everyone just immediately started praying." The 800 people attending the baptism event was larger than usual because of homecoming activities at nearby
Baylor University. Doctors in the congregation rushed to Lake when he collapsed; he was transported to
Hillcrest Baptist Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead. The woman Lake was preparing to baptize was also taken to the hospital, but she was not seriously injured; it is believed that she had not yet stepped into the water when the electrocution happened. At a remembrance attended by about 1,000 people that night at First Baptist Church Waco, Dudley told the UBC congregation that they would move forward as a church. "I don't know how, when, why, where or what's going to happen, but we will continue as a church in the community because that is what Kyle would have wanted." ==Movie==