WAKE FOREST, N.C. (BP) – Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary and The College at Southeastern celebrated the graduation of 277 students during commencement ceremonies May 10. Graduation is a highly anticipated time at Southeastern as friends and family come together to celebrate the graduates, their academic achievements and God’s sustaining faithfulness in their lives.
During the commencement ceremony, Southeastern recognized and honored the late Adrianne Miles who died May 5 after a difficult battle with cancer. Miles was beloved by her family, friends, students and fellow faculty members. In honor of her years of teaching, her commitment to scholarship, and her investment in students’ lives, Southeastern awarded Miles with The Excellence in Teaching Award. During the ceremony, the award was presented to her husband Scott and her sons Zac and Jake.
In his commencement address, President Danny Akin spoke from 2 Corinthians 5:17-21, expositing the great act of reconciliation that Christ has done between God and man. Acting as the author of reconciliation, God sought sinners in order to restore them to Himself, Akin said, and through the blood of Christ alone, believers are made into a new creation. In this they become not only reconciled to God, but also ambassadors of the same Gospel that saved them.
Appealing to those in the audience who did not know Christ, Akin said: “Today, God wants to be reconciled to you. Will you let Him? Will you turn to Him?”
To the graduates, he gave this challenge: “We have experienced the miracle of reconciliation; we have believed the message of reconciliation; and as you depart today as graduates of Southeastern Seminary or The College at Southeastern, you go as ministers of reconciliation.”
View the graduation ceremony here.
Related posts:
Pace named new SEBTS provost; Whitfield to return to full-time teaching 
Jim Shaddix encourages Southeastern family with message of Gospel hope 
SEBTS Women’s Leadership Breakfast looks at ‘Keeping Jesus at the Center’ 
‘Every square inch of the universe belongs to King Jesus,’ Akin tells graduates 
SEBTS establishes Jim Shaddix Chair of Expository Preaching 
God’s calling is the greatest calling, Akin tells graduates 
FROM THE SEMINARIES: Dockery, at SBTS, sees evangelical/Southern Baptist benefit; SEBTS names 4 new faculty members; MBTS journal looks at ‘Biblical Theology and Missions’ 
FROM THE SEMINARIES: Chang hired as MBTS Spurgeon Library curator; SEBTS offers modified biblical studies Ph.D.
