Report by Ana Rut Herrera Merlo

On Wednesday 14th May, the College celebrated its annual graduation service, the final evening of the Association Annual Meetings. We were warmly welcomed by the Association President Edwin Ewart, who opened in prayer, reminding us of our purpose in bringing glory to the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Principal Dr. Jonathan McClaughlin gave his report on the college and reflected on the past academic year with thankfulness to God for His sustaining help. He thanked college staff for their service and announced some staffing changes, namely welcoming Mr David Ball, who will be joining the College as the new College Management Director in September and highlighting the Director of Training, Dr Davy Ellison, will take on new duties as Old Testament tutor.

Dr Jonathan McClaughlin also reflected on Dr Sarah Dalrymple’s faithful service to the College, describing her as a servant, an academic, resilient and humble. On behalf of the Irish Baptist College, he thanked her for her service to the College and to our churches over the years. Dr Davy Ellison also thanked Sarah for her example, encouragement and faithfulness during her years at the College.

Registrar Lynette Simpson and Dr Sarah Dalrymple presented the awards to the students graduating from the different College courses. Dr Peter Firth prayed for the graduates, and for the service opportunities they had been given, in different settings. He prayed that God may continue to raise up workers for the advancement of the Gospel and for those who have facilitated and supported these studies, recognising that it is only by His enabling grace that we can do God’s work for Him.

Dr David Luke read from Jeremiah 1:1-19 and Pastor Lee Campbell, who serves on the College Management committee, Pastor of Strandtown Baptist Church, shared from this passage. He brought us two encouragements on how to live faithfully in a culture in decline, recognising that God works through his Word and God works through our weaknesses. He challenged us with the reminder of the ministry of every Christian, as all believers are filled with the Holy Spirit and are commissioned to speak God’s Gospel Word to those around us, when they put their trust in the Lord Jesus Christ. For those in gospel ministry, we ought to remember that when we study, interpret, proclaim, and apply His Word to those God has entrusted into our care, we can be confident that God’s Word will do God’s work.

Before fellowship over a tea and lovely traybakes, Pastor Gareth Bell closed in prayer. We are very thankful to Carrickfergus Baptist Church for hosting, and leading the praise, at the College Graduation service. We left encouraged and reminded of how God works through his Word and how we can be sure that He will do his work, and left confident of the ongoing prayer and support from the members of Association churches to the College.

As this Academic year comes to an end, our hope is that we will continue to pray for the graduates and for those that will go into gospel work, but also that God may raise up new workers from across the island of Ireland.

See more photographs on the College's Facebook and Instagram and read another report in the next edition of Insight.