Lincoln Christian University 71st Commencement graduates 190 in two ceremonies

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[May 09, 2016]  LINCOLN - On Saturday, May 7, 2016, Lincoln Christian University’s Earl C. Hargrove Chapel was filled with friends and family of graduates for the 71st annual Commencement Ceremonies. At the 10:00 a.m. ceremony, 120 undergraduate degrees were conferred and at the 1:00 p.m. ceremony, 70 graduate degrees were conferred.

Both ceremonies began with a time a worship and a welcome by President Don Green. President Green welcomed friends, family, and alumni from the class of 1966 celebrating their 50th reunion. He asked family members of graduates to stand and be recognized for supporting the graduates.

President Green congratulated the class of 2016 and said, "We are excited to see what God is going to accomplish through you as you leave this campus, one of our offsite campuses, or our online community. What we want you to know is that you are not leaving our community because we are family. The combination that brought us together four, five, six, or more years ago binds us together as we seek to fill God's mission in the world."

President Green talked about the role of colleges in preparing students for life. Quoting from the book "The Idea of a Christian College: a Re-Examination for Today's University," Green said, "If Christian Universities hope to remain more than training grounds for the world's accountants, they must avoid the secular temptation to be satisfied with simply providing disciplinary expertise in a field of study."

President Green said Christian Universities must continue to tell about God's story, the "grand narrative." At Lincoln Christian University the narrative is called a Biblical world view. Green said LCU is "designed to produce graduates who are able to think critically, live creatively, serve compassionately, and lead courageously."

President Green said, "As you leave this transformational community . . . you are equipped to make a better world. We do not send you out to serve and lead in the church and the world knowing all the answers, but we hope you know some of the questions to ask, that you have the will to trust God's wisdom, and the commitment to live your mission faithfully."

President Green introduced keynote speaker, Dr. Alicia Crumpton, a 1983 graduate of LCU. Crumpton also has a Masters of Arts in Information Science from the University of Michigan and a PhD in Leadership Studies from Gonzaga University. Green said Crumpton is "passionate about leadership, especially about developing Christian leaders for the kingdom of God."

President Green said when he was asked to develop LCU's first online degree program, the Master of Arts in Organizational Leadership, he contacted Crumpton to review the curriculum and she was one the first faculty members in the program. She now serves as Director of the Ph.D. in Leadership Studies program at Johnson University and as adjunct faculty in LCU's MA in Organizational Leadership program.

As Dr. Crumpton began her message, she said, "I have been thinking about just how impactful my education here has been on my thinking, my leadership, and who I am as a person."

Dr. Crumpton's message was "Now What? Living a called life." Crumpton said the question "now what" fills some with certainty and others with perhaps more questions than answers.

She said part of the "now what" question is associated with the idea of commencement. Commencement represents a transitional moment to the next stage of life. Some have jobs lined up. Crumpton said for those who do not have jobs lined up, commencement may be approached with trepidation.

Crumpton said for Christians, "now what" may be associated with the question, "what has God called me to do?" She said, "For those who hear a clear call, following is an act of obedience that is something you must do."

Others may be stuck in the "now what?"

Crumpton then shared her story and some lessons she has learned. Crumpton said she came to the school not knowing what she wanted to do, though it was "ordained" that she would go to college.

After Crumpton finished college, Crumpton's mom told her she needed to get a job. Crumpton said her first job out of college was at a music store in Mount Vernon, Illinois. Crumpton said, "It was not what I had imagined, but I had to work."

Crumpton said her next jobs were working at a nuclear power plant and then doing nuclear power consulting. Crumpton found she had a knack for client management and engagement, but said it was still not what she imagined when she was in college.

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In 2004, Crumpton went to Training Christians for Ministry (TCM) International Institute in Austria and ran into Dr. Gary Weedman, a former professor of hers from LCU. Crumpton said Weedman encouraged her to get her doctorate. Getting a Ph.D. was not what she had imagined for her life.

Crumpton said after getting her Ph.D. she was hired in 2010 by Dr. Weedman to help start a doctoral program at Johnson University in Tennessee. She said, "Working in academia was not what I had imagined when I was at Lincoln Christian University."

Crumpton said, "Where I am today has been a journey. . .My 'now what' involves friends and various work opportunities that God gave me to prepare for the next work"

Crumpton asked what it means to have a "called life" and said our "primary call is to follow Christ." Quoting from Colossians 3:17, Crumpton said, "whatever you do," it should "in the name of the Lord Jesus."

Crumpton said, "It is not what you do, but how you do it. In Ephesians 4, we are admonished to walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which [we] have been called." We are God's instruments.

Crumpton said a decision she made in 1979 to attend LCC, and another chance to go in 2004, led to her helping create a Ph.D. program. Even her job at the music store helped her build skills and confidence, preparing her for God's plan.

Crumpton said life with God is often "filled with ambiguity," but life will be beyond imagination when we follow God. God puts us in a place he can use us. The leadership world has a vision of success, but God uses each and every one of us and values the practical aspects.

Crumpton said, "God calls us to every walk of life" and we should avoid comparing ourselves to others. God uses each of us regardless of circumstances. We may have to do work we may not imagine, but God is right there.

Crumpton told graduates, "use your knowledge of God and prayer to sustain you. You have go to the scriptures, build your relationship with God and follow him. In all things, seek God, love God, and follow him."

Crumpton closed her message by wishing the graduates many blessings.

After Crumpton's message, Dr. Silas McCormick, Vice President of Academics, and Dr. Peter Verkrusye, Undergraduate Academic Dean, conferred degrees to each graduate individually. As they handed out diplomas, McCormick and Verkrusye also mentioned each student’s plans and special awards or honors.

As graduates exited the stage, Lynn Laughlin, Special Assistant to the President and Associate Vice President of Alumni Services, presented graduates with an alumni pin, a first year membership card, and a letter from the Alumni Association.

Crumpton's message to the graduate and seminary students in the ceremony was "A Leader's Call to Radical Hospitality." To remind seminary graduates of their call to serve, each graduate is presented with a towel to "to wash the feet of the world." The other graduate students received a bookmark that says, "live your mission," reminding them to live their mission in the world."

The message impressed on the 2016 graduates was to live a called life as they live their mission in the world.

[Angela Reiners]

 

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