On Wednesday, July 2, on the feast day of Saint John of Shanghai, in a solemn and prayerful atmosphere in the crypt of the Temple of Saint Sava in Belgrade, two Turkish citizens received Holy Baptism. Vasilije (formerly Orhan), a tour guide from Chalcedon, and Jelena (formerly Hana) from Istanbul, after a lot of soul-searching and studying the Christian faith, decided to join the Church of Christ.
The baptism was performed by Priest Ivan Štrbački, aided by the Missionary Department of the Archdiocese of Belgrade and Karlovci. Dr. Sandra Knežević, a permanent expert associate of the Department helped choose their new Christian names. Their godparents were respectable Serbian citizens—Vasilije’s godfather was the renowned Belgrade attorney Milan Carić, while Jelena’s godfather was Master of Economics Stevan Dželetović.
Their grew to love Orthodoxy gradually through conversations, journeys, association with Serbs, and profound reflection upon the truths of the faith. As they themselves emphasized, it was their hearts that led them along the path of Christ’s teaching, which they recognized in the Orthodox Church as the fullness of truth.
After the Holy Mystery of Baptism, Sandra Knežević, as a representative of the Missionary Department of the Archdiocese of Belgrade and Karlovci, presented the newly baptized with appropriate gifts, wishing them spiritual growth and expressing the hope that during their next visit to Serbia they would enter into a Christian marriage within the Church.
This baptism represents a joyful and significant event, both for the newly enlightened members of the Church and for all those engaged in missionary work, as a testimony that the Lord calls people from all nations to enter His Church.
