"Baptizing Them in the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit"—A Baptismal Event at the Abakan Church

On April 9, at the Seventh-day Adventist Church in Abakan, a wonderful baptismal event was held. Four sisters and a brother decided to connect their lives with the Lord.

In honor of the upcoming event, a solemn morning service was held. The future disciples of Christ, in a solemn atmosphere in front of the church, made a promise to live in accordance with the divine commandments, serve people, and prayerfully study the Scriptures. After that, Pavel Kashlev, pastor of the Abakan church, like John the Baptist, immersed everyone in the water, "baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit" (Matthew 28:19, NKJV).

“I am very pleased with how the service and the ceremony itself went today. Baptism is a great holiday for the community. I am doubly happy that my daughter was baptized today. For our family, this is a serious event. I would like to say two sincere words: Thank God!” exclaimed Pastor Kashlev.

Not only church members were in the hall. In the mind's eye, one could see and feel the presence of heavenly angels who have accompanied the new believers all their lives up to this important moment and, undoubtedly, will continue to do so. They saw victories, were witnesses when people warmly thanked God, as well as when they fell, breaking from pain and praying for help. The Lord Himself stood in the middle of the church, taking everyone into His arms, like a father who embraces a child after a long separation. At that moment of baptism, all heaven rejoiced together with those beloved by Christ.

At the end of the baptism, the brothers and sisters heartily congratulated the new members of the church. Many remembered their main promise as they furtively wiped away tears:

“Feeling of euphoria, as if you yourself are being baptized. Very happy about you! Awe, joy, delight!” expressed Svetlana.

“Glory to God for the love for us, for this decision, for salvation!” exclaimed Lydia.

“Solemnly, it moved me to tears. She was delighted. Now I want to study the Bible more,” said Galina.

In the evening, the last meeting with the family of Moses Iosifovich and Nina Petrovna Ostrovsky took place, at the program titled “Prayer Moves by the Almighty Hand of God”, which transpired throughout the week, inspiring attendees to pray more and trust God with their lives. It culminated in the solemn conclusion of the covenant with God. The preachers analyzed the Word of God and shared their personal experiences and revelations. At the end, they warmly said goodbye to the Abakan community:

“I want to thank your pastor; it was very nice to meet you. When I listen to him, I understand that you are fed with spiritual bread. Thanks to his wife and kids and to the workers involved in the equipment for tolerating my remarks [and laughs]. This … church and baptism will remain in our hearts. May the Lord bless you all!” Moses exclaimed.

Pastor Kashlev also summed up the past prayer program: “Thanks to the workers of technical lighting [and] participants in the music ministry. It warms the soul when the name of God is glorified. Many thanks to Moses Iosifovich and Nina Petrovna for your testimonies, experiences of faith, and prayer. You hear and understand the Living God. I admire your hard work and perseverance. May God renew your strength, and your hands will never get tired!”

In conclusion, we can say that the Abakan church has experienced a lot: participated in a prayer program and conducted a baptism. However, most of the treasures were found by the new disciples of Christ. It seems they have not yet fully realized how important an event this was in their lives, but they clearly felt it. Plunging into the waters of the baptismal tank, it was as if they returned to the oppressive chaos of memories, traumas, and disturbing ghosts of the past, and then, rising to the light, they found new life and opportunities.

Let the scars remain; the main thing is that life goes on—a new life with completely new opportunities. And since, dear reader, this is my event, too, I want to express the hope that we will become worthy followers of the Lord and find the strength to serve in faith and love.

This article was originally published on the Euro-Asia Division’s news site