ON SATURDAY, JUNE 28, EBCK HAD WATER BAPTISM

Summertime is a wonderful season for baptisms. That is why in most Ukrainian churches, these joyful occasions take place almost without fail during the summer months. We plan to write about every baptism held within our Convention in our upcoming posts. Today, however, we spoke with Pastor Oleksandr Hrytsayuk of the Evangelical Baptist Church of the city of Kent, and we are happy to share how it all took place there.

"In the past, we held one summer baptism each year, gathering all those who wished to be baptized throughout the year," Oleksandr explains. "But now we have reconsidered our approach and decided to hold baptisms three to four times a year. We understand that each one will have fewer candidates, but we are more confident in the quality of their preparation."

In response to our question, the pastor described how that preparation works. The preparatory classes take place over four months in total. There is a set curriculum covering a range of important topics that anyone wishing to enter into a covenant with God needs to understand. The vast majority of candidates are people who have already been reconciled with the Lord through repentance — though occasionally there are those who simply want to get to know the church and the foundations of God's Word more closely. The church welcomes such people into the preparation process as well. Interestingly, some of them find their way to Christ in the course of the classes.

It was also interesting to learn from Oleksandr about how their interview process works for baptism candidates. They are not asked to recite a Bible verse from memory or answer theoretical questions. All they are asked to do is testify about Christ as if speaking to a non-believer. This practice struck us as quite compelling, as we have more than once encountered people who find this difficult to do even after years of following Christ.

This time around, on Saturday, June 28th, four people made their covenant with God. The following day — Sunday — these individuals joined the entire congregation in taking part in the first Lord's Supper of their lives. In keeping with the long-standing tradition of the EBCK, after the service the whole church continued the celebration in a city park in Auburn, where the church typically holds its festive picnics.

As with all the other churches of the Western Ukrainian Baptist Convention, we sincerely join in the congratulations. We wish the church of Kent every blessing and continued growth.

And we will keep bringing you stories about our other churches — their daily life, celebrations, and traditions.