Wayland residents, Chuck and Elena Dresser, and their daughters, Holly and Emelia, were welcomed as members of the congregation on Sunday, November 27, 2022. The Dresser family, including their dog Max, came to Peace for the first time in 2021 for the blessing of the animals.

Elena’s Baptism in Finland

Elena Dresser was born Elena Serova in 1987, in Petrozavodsk, Karelia, Russia, the ninth of ten children born to Galina Serova (1954-2007) and Vasily Serov (1950- 1992).

When her father died, Elena was taken to a children’s home (orphanage). There she was selected to visit the Lutheran camps in Finland on summer, fall, and winter vacations.

On a summer visit in 1999 Elena was baptized by Pastor Pauli Pakerninen in Lake So-Melkutin. She remains in contact with members of the Lutheran camp community in Finland.

In 2004 Elena was adopted by an American family in Wayland.