As 11 young people were being baptized in the St. Vincent Gulf, they noticed an additional guest observing the Dec. 26 ceremony.
As 11 young people were being baptized in the St. Vincent Gulf, they noticed an additional guest observing the Dec. 26 ceremony.
“At first we thought it was a shark, but soon it became obvious that a dolphin joined us. [And] no, we didn’t arrange for that,” one of the participants commented. “It was a pretty nice bonus.”
A baptism at the Polish Seventh-day Adventist Congress was a first for such a gathering in Adelaide, Dec. 25 to 28. Holding these periodic events dates back to 1972, explained Dariusz Kuberek, the congress chairman and chief organizer.
“This was our 15th such event, which we have been holding every two or three years or so. It’s a joyful and spiritual occasion to meet as an ethnic European community living in diaspora. This year we added a baptism service to our gathering,” he said.
In a special video message to the congress, Pastor Jan Paulsen, president of the Adventist world church, commended the group for the “significant contribution the Polish community has made in the life of our church in Australia.”
“Though away from the day-to-day life of Poland, many of you continued to preserve the culture, values and customs of your homeland. Your strong commitment to the message and mission has not wavered but made a valuable contribution to church and the community you adopted,” Paulsen said.
Today the Polish Adventist community is one of many ethnic groups that settled in Australia in recent times. The community has more than 1,000 members, many of whom chose to live abroad during the difficult years in Poland’s recent history. The community meets in 10 Polish or Slavic congregations throughout Australia.
