Baptism

pastors andrew dinger (left) and teddy workeneh with ephrathah

For Ephrathah Olana and her parents, Olana and Bethlehem, December 18, 2018, was no ordinary day. It was the day that she became a member of God's covenant community, the Church, through Baptism.

Olana and Bethlehem are believers from Ethiopia and were members of Ethiopian Evangelical Church of Mekane Yesus. After coming to St. Louis, they joined the Ethiopian/Eritrean Bible Fellowship, which now has over 30 members and is established as a satellite of Timothy Lutheran Church. The EEBF meets weekly at the Christian Friends of New Americans (CFNA) Peace Center for worship and to learn more about God’s Word.

When they brought their child to be baptized, they were acknowledging that this child—like themselves and all of us—was born in sin and is therefore in need of the love and forgiveness that God offers everyone. Like all believers, Ephrathah’s parents take comfort from God’s promise that “whoever believes and is baptized shall be saved” (Mark 16:16). It was this promise that convinced them to bring Ephrathah to the church to be baptized.

We wish Olana, Bethlehem, and Ephrathah God’s richest blessings! Please join us in praising God for His promise and this miracle, and for the relationship with Him that He has established for each and every one of us.

By Rev. Teddy Workeneh Missionary, Christian Friends of New Americans