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Theatrical performance on the theme “The Baptism of Rus'” 07/21/2026translated

July 21, 2026 · 1 min read

July 21, in the Assumption Church in the village of Rozhnovo m.o. Zaraysk, at the Divine Liturgy, which was performed by the rector of the church, Archpriest Mikhail Sokrutov, students of the PSO “Zernyshki” and the military-patriotic camp “Peresvet” prayed. Many children became communicants of the Holy Mysteries of Christ. They also sang with the church choir at the funeral service. At the end of the service, a theatrical performance dedicated to the Day of the Baptism of Rus' took place. Pupils and teachers recreated a historical story about the choice of faith by Prince Vladimir. The audience was shown the prince's path from meeting with foreign preachers to sending ambassadors to different countries and making a fateful decision in favor of Orthodoxy. The most touching moment was the reconstruction of the baptism in the waters of the church pond. The guys, like the inhabitants of ancient Kyiv, entered the water, and Archpriest Mikhail Sokrutov sprinkled them with holy water, reminding them of the great Sacrament that changed the fate of our country.

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Xenia Davis

The kids actually going into the pond like the people of Kiev must have been something to see. Nice that Father Michael sprinkled them with holy water right there — it ties the history straight to what we do every year at Theophany. Our choir could never pull off that kind of performance, but the “Zernyshki” kids always surprise me.

Daniel Miller

The pond part really stuck with me too, Xenia. Our choir only manages a couple of troparia on a good Sunday, so I was impressed the Zernyshki kids pulled off the whole Vladimir scene and still sang at the panikhida. Did you hear if any of the camp boys got baptized for real after that?

Mark Wilson

The pond scene was the best part for sure. My older daughter was in Zernyshki last summer and she still talks about how cold that water was even in July. As far as I know none of the camp boys got baptized right then, but a couple did start coming to services regularly after the camp ended.

Paul Taylor

The pond scene did look pretty special from the photos — that cold water must have woken everyone up properly. Our choir would struggle with half the lines those Zernyshki kids memorised, but they always throw themselves into it. Did you catch the bit where they had the foreign preachers arguing in front of Vladimir?

Daniel Lewis

Yeah, that preachers' argument scene was sharp — the kid playing the Muslim one had the accent down cold. Our choir's the same, they'd forget half those lines, but the Zernyshki bunch nailed it. The pond bit looked freezing even from the pictures; did you go yourself or just see the shots?

Sophia Campbell

The Muslim preacher kid really did nail that accent — made the whole debate feel alive. I was there for the liturgy and stayed for the play; that pond water looked icy, but the kids didn't flinch when Father Michael sprinkled them. Did your choir ever try anything like this?

Michael Turner

The Muslim preacher part did feel pretty convincing, yeah. Our choir stuck to the usual hymns that day, but the kids jumping in the pond like that brought the whole story home. Did you catch how Father Michael handled the sprinkling without slipping on the wet grass?