1997 Commencement Program

Welcome to the Co1D01ence01ent of the Class of 1997 Today is the celebration of the 101st Commencement of Cedarville College,. There were five graduates in the first graduating class: John Bickett, Raymond Gorbold, Homer McMillen, Calvin Morton, and John Orr. In 1887, five godly men were led to found Cedarville College. They envisioned the need to train preachers and lay people for the work of God at home and abroad. Today, their purpose lives on at Cedarville. Our theme for this year has been "Building a Foundation for the Future." There is no better foundation than the Word of God and the living Word, Jesus Christ. Our 548 graduates are committed to building on this foundation for a lifetime. The hand of God has been on this institution. Cedarville has achieved a balance that is distinctive-quality academics in harmony with a strong spiritual emphasis. The heartbeat of every Christian school is what happens in chapel. As the Jeremiah Chapel is the center of our campus, so God is central in all that transpires here. We intend to maintain this focus on the centrality of chapel for decades to come. This graduating class has the distinction of being the first to graduate in the new Ministry Center. It is our prayer that you might have the joy of knowing Jesus Christ as your personal Savior. Consider what the Bible says. "But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us." "...for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God...." "For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord." "Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God.... "* This is a day of beginnings. Our graduates are beginning a new phase of their lives, and you can begin your new life in Christ. If you do not know our Lord, won't you consider the claims of Christ and make a commitment to Hirn today? You too can make a difference for Jesus Christ! President Cedarville College *Romans 5:8; Romans 3:23; Romans 6:23; John 1:12 New International Version