The Bartlesville Church Christmas program lasted not one, but two Sabbaths. Eileen S. had been praying for years that her husband Paul would choose to be baptized. They had attended many Adventist Churches in the past, but it wasn’t until they began attending the Bartlesville Seventh-day Adventist Church that Paul began to consider baptism seriously. On December 18, 2021, Paul, along with Cale Schnell, Ariel Schnell, and Mandie Schnell, all from the Ponca City Church, were baptized at the Bartlesville Seventh-day Adventist Church.
With forecasted temperatures as low as 21 degrees and a 40-gallon water heater to heat a 500-gallon baptistry, we knew we would need a miracle to get the water warm for our baptism. Ponca City members drove an hour and a half to the Bartlesville church so that Cale, Ariel, and Mandie could be baptized. Nowata Seventh-day Adventist Church lent their water heater to the Bartlesville church for the baptisms.
On the same Sabbath, along with the four baptisms, there was plenty of music, poems, and a Christmas-themed sermon.
On the very next Sabbath, December 25, the baptistry was filled once again for Norman Barlow and Leah Soderstrom’s baptisms. The church also celebrated the first advent of Jesus with special music by many different church members, as well as a special offering for ADRA and a food drive for a local family. Not a bad way to end the year at all!
By Pastor Dominick Alipoon
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