Before walking across the stage and receiving their diplomas, graduating seniors took time out of their busy schedules to take part in the Senior Baccalaureate Service, held on Thursday, June 10.
‘There are a lot of different things you could be doing tonight, but you chose to be here and make this important,? said Kevin Cook, the Grow Champion Pastor at Christ the King Church in Oxford.
Cook told the seniors to remember that in all they do, they should do it all for the glory of God.
‘Do everything readily and cheerfully; no bickering and second-guessing allowed,? said Cook. ‘Go out into the world as a breath of fresh air in this polluted and squalid society and provide people with a glimpse of the good living and the living God.?
Cook challenged the senior girls to be the ladies they were created to be and to not easily be led astray.
‘Be a hard-working woman of excellence who is wise with her finances and strong for the task at hand, a woman who does not procrastinate, but rather is proactive with what is right because she is clothed in dignity,? Cook said.
He then spoke directly to the boys, telling them that they were created to be men of honor, taking the blame for their own mistakes and having reverence and respect for the Lord.
Cook sited Noah, Moses, David and King Josiah as biblical men to model themselves after.
‘Be the man that God created you to be, a man full of the fruits of the spirit and a man who cannot be surmised or compromised by anyone,? he added.
Throughout the evening, the graduating class listened to songs from seniors Kirsten Crouse, Bethan Angel and Natalie Musgrove.
Senior Adam Silorey read the speech ‘Fellowship of the Unashamed?, written by an unknown pastor in Africa before he was persecuted for his faith, while senior Aaron Malinowski thanked the parents.
An inspirational video was also shown and Father Mike Verschaeve of St. Joseph Catholic Church in Lake Orion prayed to close the ceremony.
‘As I look at the class of 2010, you are a blessing and we are blessed for your achievements, dedication and your goodness and everything that has been sung about and spoken about already,? Verschaeve said.
‘All of you are closing the door on this chapter in your life and you are opening the door to the next chapter and you are doing so together,? Cook said. ‘Study the area of your expertise diligently, but do not become so wise in your own eyes that you become numb to the reality of the existence, and the lordship, of Jesus Christ.?