International church in Kyiv celebrates its first baptisms

By G.K. in Kyiv, Ukraine

First times are always special – your first kiss, a child’s first steps, the first time you ride a bike. In the past year, Lighthouse International, a multinational church plant in Kyiv, has celebrated many firsts in growth and development. It’s been an incredible journey!

We now rent a space to meet in, rather than cramming into our apartment. We’ve grown large enough that we need to use microphones and audio equipment, and we have started celebrating the Lord’s Supper together.

We've also celebrated a very special first — our church’s first baptisms. Our 14-year-old son took this step along with a graduate student who grew up in a Muslim family, but who has been attending Lighthouse International and related ministries for the past few years. Both were eager to express their commitment to Christ in front of friends, family and others.

SEND’s Ken Guenther joined in the celebration. “It was the first time I had ever witnessed the baptism of someone from a Muslim background,” he said. “The clarity of the young woman’s testimony, her confidence and joy in taking this step of faith, and much evidence of many close relationships within the family of God really spoke of the reality of this decision for her.”

It was a mixed audience of about 60 students and families – many of whom don’t know Christ personally.

“I was particularly impressed that a number of the young woman’s fellow students, not yet believers themselves, decided to come and witness this event,” Ken said. They witnessed something very special that day – two young people expressing their faith and commitment to Christ in a new church plant focused on reaching the nations.

“I was impressed with the commitment of the young man who was baptized – he gave his whole testimony in Russian, even though most of the audience could have understood English – and with his evident desire to be a part of this church plant,” Ken said. “During the worship time, he and his dad played the trumpet together. Even though he hadn’t played the instrument for 25 years, his dad stepped in after his son’s trumpet teacher backed out at the last minute. Together they gave a powerful testimony of their commitment to serve God together as father and son.”