By Alicia Jones
Buli: origin - hungarian; meaning - party
Saturday is always a good day for a party, but it is a great day for a huge celebration of new life in Christ! This Saturday I went with four bus loads of Roma friends plus a few car loads of Hungarian friends down to the river. It was one of their bi-annual baptisms. New Life Roma Church takes seriously a person's commitment to follow Chirst. After coming forward to confess Christ in a church service, candidates for baptism are discipled and taught what it means to follow Christ, after one to eight months of preparation the day of baptism and celebration finally arrives. And I must say the Roma know how to celebrate!
The day began with young boys and girls darting for the warm pool that was dug and lined with tarps adjacent to the river. As they splashed in the water, the youth put their feet in the cool river water and the church ladies prepared sandwiches and drinks for everyone. After lunch, the reason for the party began. All the candidates got dressed in white clothes. There were approximately 50 of them.
The beautiful group entered the water and stood waiting to be baptized. The lead pastor and his good friend, the leader of Hungarian Baptist Aid, performed the baptism. I watched with great joy. A handful of youth from the church were in the group baptized; evidence of their new life in Christ is already clear as they have been meeting at the church in the morning daily for a time of prayer and worship. After each new life came forth from the waters of baptism their was an explosion of clapping and celebration. The service continued with heartfelt worship amplified for all to hear and prayer over each of the new believers. The time was so sweet and many shed tears of joy. The Roma then broke out in dancing!
The afternoon hours were filled with swimming in the river, singing, playing guitar, and eating traditional soups, one made of fish and the other of pig feet. There was plenty of joy, food, water, laughter and song to go around. It was a memorable day for all, especially for those who made their new life in Christ public.
"Therefore we were buried with Him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, so we too may walk in a new way of life." Romans 6:4