A host of Oklahoma Wesleyan University (OKWU) staff, faculty and students gathered at the OKWU Lake on September 28 to celebrate numerous baptisms.
More than 30 OKWU students (and an alumnus or two) chose to be baptized on campus. There were a few tears and lots of celebration as student after student made clear their new commitment to Christ.
In the weeks since the fall semester began, more than 60 students either dedicated their lives to Christ for the first time, or recommitted to their faith in him. Many made this decision at OKWU’s chapter of the Fellowship of Christian Athletes (FCA). On Thursday, 35 of those students participated in the campus-wide baptism service, officiated by Pastor Joe Colaw of Bartlesville First Wesleyan Church and Colby Robinson, OKWU wrestling coach and a leader with OKWU FCA.
“This is a dream that became reality, said Coach Robinson. “God has been preparing this campus … for what happened Thursday.”
“Part of Jesus’ prayer in Matthew 6 is, ‘Thy Kingdom come, thy will be done on earth as it in heaven,’” said Ben Rotz, associate vice president of Student Development. “Our focus this year has been teaching our students that the kingdom of God is not just a future reality but a present one as well. It changes not only the eternal trajectory of lives, but the present one. I was reminded that God’s rescue and redemption are not just an abstract concept but are evident in the lives of those 35 students who were baptized.”
