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 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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