LCU commencement ceremonies Saturday

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[May 13, 2013]  Lincoln Christian University will have commencement ceremonies Saturday in the Earl C Hargrove Chapel on the LCU campus. Undergraduate ceremonies will be at 10 a.m., and graduate degrees will be conferred in a 1 p.m. service.

A total of 185 graduates will participate from the three schools: Undergraduate Studies, Adult & Graduate Studies, and Seminary.

The special guest speaker for the ceremonies will be Boli Zhang.

Zhang worked as a journalist after graduating from a college in Heilongjiang Province, China. In 1989, he began a program at Beijing University and became involved in the Tiananmen Square student protest movement. Later, he was introduced to Christ by a peasant Christian woman. His life's journey includes suffering in a Taiwan hospital with the diagnosis of terminal cancer. He has been healed and saved by God's amazing grace and is reaching hundreds of Chinese with the Gospel message. He is a dynamic evangelist and speaker for the worldwide Chinese churches.

He graduated with a Master of Divinity from Logos Evangelical Seminary in Los Angeles, Calif., and is currently pursuing his Doctor of Ministry from Singapore Seminary. He has written a book, "Escape from China," which has been translated into English. His story is being pursued by several production companies in an attempt to win hundreds more people around the world for Christ.

Zhang is currently serving as the president of the North America Mainland Chinese Mission. He resides in the Washington, D.C., area with his wife and is pastor of the Harvest Chinese Christian Church in Fairfax, Va.

Interpreting for Zhang will be Jian Zhu.

Zhu has served as senior pastor at the Albuquerque Chinese Christian Church, Albuquerque, N.M., for the last 20 years. He was born in China and grew up in a Christian family. While committed to the mission of the "Red Guard" in the 1960s to propagate communist ideology during his youth, he experienced total disillusionment and became severely depressed and addicted to tobacco and alcohol. Zhu was introduced to Jesus in 1979 and experienced a dramatic turnaround after he accepted Christ. With total surrender, he has committed himself to a lifetime of service to God.

Zhu holds a master's degree and has completed all but his dissertation for a Ph.D. from the University of New Mexico. He served on the faculty at the University of New Mexico for 10 years. During that time he also served as founding pastor of the local Chinese church.

Later, Zhu went into full-time ministry, devoting his efforts to networking churches and organizations across China and North America to unify efforts in Chinese mission work. During the last 12 years, Zhu has helped found numerous Chinese mission ministries in arts, business, culture and education. For the last decade, he has also served as the executive vice president of North America Mainland Chinese Mission. This past year, Zhu partnered with Lincoln Christian University to serve as director of the China Institute at LCU.

Providing special music for the ceremonies will be Chang Guo, pastor and international award-winning violinist; Yin Shi, pianist; and Hao-Fang Chuang, soprano.

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A virtuoso violinist, Chang Guo was born in Nanjing, China. He won the first prize in the Yehudi Menuhin International Violin Competition at the age of 14 and proceeded to win many other prestigious international awards, including major prizes from the international competitions of Carl Flesch in Britain, Ludwig Spohr in Germany, Rodolfo Lipizer in Italy and Yfrah Neaman in Germany. In 1986, he was the first classical musician to perform in the live televised annual "Chinese New Year Celebration," with viewers numbering more than 500 million.

Chang has performed as a soloist and recitalist in numerous countries in Europe, Asia, and North and South America, performing as soloist with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra of London and the Central Symphony Orchestra of China. His performances have been broadcast in China, the United Kingdom and Germany. He became a Christian in 1995 and co-founded Proclaim Evangelistic Music Ministry in 2000.

Internationally known pianist Yin Shi has won many competitions, including the Penson Young Artist Award in 1993, the Fort Wayne Young Artist Competition in 1994 and the Irene Tintner International Competition in 1995. He has appeared in concert throughout the United States as well as in China, Japan, Brazil and Germany. A native of China, he graduated with honors from the prestigious Central Conservatory of Music in Beijing. In 1990, he was a featured soloist at the opening concert celebrating his alma mater's 40th anniversary.

Soprano vocalist Hao-Fang Chuang (Haofang) studied under D'Anna Fortunato and Phyllis Gomda Hsi. She has been recognized with awards from several nationwide competitions and has earned scholarships, such as from the National Association of Teachers of Singing, German Lieder Competition, Association of Vocal Artists New Voices, Presbyterian Church Taiwan Music Contest and Nan-Hai Rotary Club Art Talented Scholarship.

Haofang's voice affects the audience with great expression, especially singing art songs and sacred songs. She was invited to sing several premieres of Chinese poems by Murong Hsi, Nanchang Chien. She also performed at concerts such as "Messiah" and "Night of Opera Aria Duets."

She was raised in a Christian family at Taiwan. She confirmed her faith in Christ in 2000 and devoted her voice to God since then.

Among the many graduates of the LCU Class of 2013 are Lucianno and Andreia Rodrigues. This husband and wife came to LCU from Belo Horizonte, Brazil, with their two children, Gabby, 13, and Junior, 10.

After serving as missionaries in Guinea-Bissau, West Africa, for five years, they felt called by God to go back to school to be better equipped to serve God's kingdom. After arriving in the United States with no previous knowledge of the English language (they speak Portuguese), "by God's grace," both are graduating this spring.

With their education goals completed, Andreia and Luciano are planning to return to Guinea-Bissau to establish a Christian school and Bible institute as a way to evangelize and plant churches.

[Text from file received]

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