January 25 th, 2015 more than 30 church members and ministers from Gethsemane, Lviv, took a bus trip to Chervonograd (north of Lviv region) to serve their brothers and sisters in the local Gethsemane church. That day the church was to celebrate a special Sunday service with the baptism of two new brothers. One of them, Mykhailo Shubert, did a sentence in prison and struggled with alcohol addiction, and the other, Viktor Dyevkin, determined to step into the covenant with God being but advanced in years.

Brother Bogdan Maridko encouraged the assembly and led it in worshipping the Lord, while the choir members from both Lviv and Chervonograd praised God together in one spirit. The head pastor Valeriy Marchenko led the congregation to prayer and gave an introductory message on baptism that was about to be held in the pool. Following the prayer and worship time everyone present at the service went up one floor to the pool, where the baptism service continued. The attendees grouped on the balcony, where they could see well the whole ceremony beneath.

The head pastor Valeriy Marchenko was the first to step into the baptism pool water to pray for God’s blessing on file baptism ceremony and on those, who were about to be baptized, and accentuated the importance of baptism.

Songs of praise to God were accompanying this joyful time, as Viltor Dyevkin followed the pastor into the pool. He found it difficult to get into the pool at his respectable age, yet, having overcome all fears, he did do the will of God and enter into the covenant with the Lord. Likewise, bother Mykhailo Shubert made the most important decision in his life to render himself into the hands of God. be it a thorny journey that preceded that.

After the baptism, a number of church ministry members shared their testimonies. Sister Victoria Bilyovska talked on getting over fears before baptism and great joy that came afterwards. She likewise mentioned going through trials following the baptism and making new friends. Deaconess Marianna Petrova thanked the Lord for helping her realize her sinfulness at the age of 19 and be baptized young, so she could start a new and true kind of life with God still being a youth.

In his main message of the sendee Pastor Valeriy Marchenko accentuated the possibility of trials on one’s way to being baptized. However, if a person is determined about doing God’s will fully whatever it takes, God will be there to grant enough strength, patience and health to fulfil it. Pastor mentioned churches of Ukraine kneeling before God and praying earnestly for our land during this difficult time, and that we should all keep our country in our special prayers on a daily basis. At the end of the sendee, pastor gave an altar call and 5 people responded in coming forward and asking God to enter their lives and change them.

Prior to his first communion, brother Mykhailo Shubert shared his testimony on God’s delivering him from alcohol addiction. Brother Viktor had a double holiday – that day being his both spiritual and physical birthday. The church was sure to celebrate them both.

The church likewise greeted sister Vira Kolomiyets, as he had had her birthday earlier that week. As the church blessed the new converts, the head pastor along with the ritual ministry leader deacon Igor Khilyutich prayed for God’s anointing on the lives of the two new brothers.

The two new brothers in the Lord partook in their first holy communion as a remembrance of Jesus’ suffering and death. The service finished off with praying for God’s blessing on deaconess Nataliya Sergeyeva as the head minister of Gethsemane church in Chervonograd as well as for everyone present.