A Service of Ordination to the Gospel Ministry
Sunday, August 31, at 10:30 AM

Dear Church Family,

The congregation of West Side Baptist Church of Topeka, Kansas, joyfully invites you to celebrate the Service of Ordination to the Christian Ministry for Deacon Traci Ulbright Brown on Sunday, August 31, 2025, at 10:30 AM in the Sanctuary. The Church Council voted unanimously to ordain Deacon Traci Brown to the Gospel ministry and set the date for this sacred service on Sunday morning during our regular worship service. This Worship Service will affirm God’s call on Traci’s life and commission her for ordained ministry in the Church of Jesus Christ.

The service will follow the American Baptist “A Manual of Worship,” which states that “Ordination should be set within a full worship service, which includes the Lord’s Supper. The act of ordination takes place as part of the offertory, at which time the ordinand offers himself to be set apart for the ministry of the gospel. While the service is primarily that of the local church, it is customary to invite representatives from the association of churches to participate” [Adapted from the American Baptist “A Manual of Worship” By John E. Skoglund, Judson Press: Valley Forge, PA., 1968 (pp. 256-265)].

This worship service will glorify God as Traci and the Church offer her to the Spirit’s sacred calling, and will include special guests and important ancient | modern traditions, such as:

• Presentation of the Ordinand by Deacon Sonia Roling, Moderator
• Ecclesiastical Letters of Support by The Reverend Doctor Gregg Hemmen, ABCCR Executive Minister
• Ordination Examination and Vows led by The Reverend Doctor Ivan E. Greuter
• The Anointing with Holy Oil and the Laying on of Hands by the Congregation
• The Ordination Prayer by the Reverend DoctorGregg Hemmen  
• Charge to the Ordinand by Ms. Tabbitha Clayton
• Charge to the Congregation by the The Reverend Doctor Gregg Hemmen  
• Presentation of the Church’s Gifts to the Newly Ordained – preaching robe, ministerial stole, cross, preaching Bible, and Certificate of Ordination

We warmly welcome our Topeka Neighbors, members of area churches, colleagues in ministry, and friends from the American Baptist Churches of the Central Region (ABCCR) Northeast Area to join us in prayer, thanksgiving, and celebration.

Come share in this milestone moment as we glorify God together!

Respectfully,
The Reverend Ivan E. Greuter, D.Min.
Senior Minister at West Side Baptist Church
1008 SW 4th St., Topeka, Kansas 66606
Church Office: (785) 233-4241