A host of OKWU staff, faculty, and students gathered at the OKWU Lake last Thursday to celebrate with more than thirty OKWU students (and an alumnus or two) who 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 semester began, more than 60 students either dedicated their lives to Christ for the first time, or recommitted to their Christian faith, many 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 as well as OKWU Wrestling Coach, Colby Robinson, one of the leaders of OKWU FCA. Said Coach Robinson, “This is a dream that became reality. God has been preparing this campus…for what happened Thursday.”
“Part of Jesus’ prayer in Matthew is ‘Thy Kingdom come, thy will be done on earth as it in heaven’” shared Associate Vice President of Student Development, Ben Rotz. “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 as well. Our students got a glimpse last week of heaven invading earth as 35 students committed publicly to becoming citizens of the Kingdom of God. 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.”
