Academic Convocation 2017-2018

You're going to think this is too many pictures, and it is.  But it was a GREAT day with lots of little stories worth telling, so I will, and you can skip through if you want :)

The board being here has been the very gift we knew it would be.  What a joy to have so many gifts, talents, experiences, personalities, cultures and countries in one place, investing what God's invested in them in Emmaus.  Their meetings and our time with them have been so productive, encouraging and inspiring. 

So it was fitting that we finished our time together with our annual Academic Convocation service, this year beautifully held on our outdoor stage.  

When Matt first introduced the idea of an Academic Convocation a few years ago, I wasn't so sure we needed another service.  We already have graduation, and chapel three days a week, and special holidays and events, but he and our academic team thought it would be meaningful to not only send our students OUT at the end of their time with us, but to hem them in at the beginning.  

Each year it gets a little bigger, and Academic Convocation has truly become one of my favorite days of the year...I'm a major milestones person, and having all our new students stop and verbally and publicly commit themselves to holy living, servant leadership and Gospel growth, and having all our current students and staff commit to living among them and helping them is an awesome thing to be a part of.  

So if you weren't there yesterday, here it was!

Our EBS worship team led most of the music, and it was rather majestic to worship by the mountain, with so many believers from so many places.

These are the new first year students (front three rows) and new Master's students (last three rows) who were being committed. 

Our board and staff came around the new students for a great time of prayer.

Incoming students reading through their vows to holy living, Christian community, dedication to the Gospel, servant leadership...

I love this picture.  I love these first year men and women, love our board backing them up, and loved hearing them sing our school anthem.  I love the men and women God has brought us and surrounded us with.

This singing group came all the way from the airport district and sang a few fantastic a capella pieces.  I especially loved their youngest member :)

Pastor Jerome Lewis of Seeds of Greatness Bible Church in New Castle, DE, praying for a few new students.

Anne-Yolie, EBS's newest staff member, has been a fantastic addition as secretary, and as a full-time weekend student.

Dr. Brent Sleaseman, President of Winebrenner University, and Jim Baker, the board treasurer. 

Dr. Ray Easley, the convocation speaker, has given so much continued education and training time to our stuff!

Carol Folkeringa, our vital CFO.

Dr. Ray preached about what a world-changing person, a world-changing school and a world-changing community looks like...it was such a great address!

Dr. Charles Lake of Growth Ministries praying over our new first year students

Our dean of student life, Claudin Noralus, reading the Scripture.  

Dr. Joyce Thornton is the Dean of Graduate Studies, and came in for this event and to teach next week for our Master's in Eduction program.

This kiddo kept taping the keys of Ramendy's keyboard until he got yelled at, so he moved on to Jean-Williams cymbals :)

The official, "You are now truly EBS" announcement and applause.

It was Matt's job to share the vision of the Seminary, and here was sharing a story of a donkey who fell in a hole.  A weak creature, the owner decided to just bury it there and be done with it, but the donkey had other plans, shaking the dirt thrown on his back off, filling the hole and overcoming.  I never know WHAT Matt is going to speak about, but somehow he took this animated story and turned it into a challenging vision of digging deep in the Lord, decreasing that He might increase, our weakness being made strong in His might, overcoming for His glory.  

Our Academic Dean, FanFan Joseph, giving the charge!

This sweet girlie was out within the first five minutes and slept the whole 2:45 minute service :)

Vern Hendricks, the EBS Board chair of Manhattan, Kansas.

This picture touches me, with Board member and neighbor Dave Graffenberger's hand, founder and director of EBS fifty years ago, and Matt's hand, coming along side men and women for ministry in Haiti STILL.  Grateful.

Praise the Lord.