With encouragement to always dream and never give up hope, 欧美视频 celebrated the accomplishments of its newest graduates, the Class of 2025, with a Commencement ceremony Sunday, May 4.
“Never, never abandon your capacity to dream dreams,” said the Rev. Gary R. Henderson ’79, who gave the Commencement address. “While fully embracing the present, always remain open to new possibility … dare to dream beyond what you can see.”
After graduating from Concordia in 1979, Henderson earned a Master of Divinity degree from the Interdenominational Theological Center in Atlanta and a religious studies certificate from the University of Oxford. He spent 21 years as a pastor and served as executive director of the United Methodist Church’s Global Health Initiative — Imagine No Malaria campaign. Partnering with other organizations helped raise more than $75 million for the fight to eliminate malaria. Henderson recently retired as chief relationship officer for Global Partnerships for United Methodist Communications.
Henderson said he could not remember hearing the college’s mission statement as a student, but it combined with his own spiritual DNA regardless and it still holds power for him.
He repeated it for the graduates and their supporters.
“‘The purpose of 欧美视频 is to influence the affairs of the world by sending into society thoughtful and informed men and women dedicated to the Christian life.’ I was sent into society from this place and now so are you,” he said.
That wasn’t the last time he was sent, though. Later, he was sent to grad school and seminary, and then into parish ministry and global health. Later still, he was sent into communication ministry. In the midst of the sending, Henderson said, he traveled to more than 100 countries, became a husband, father, and grandfather, and was reinvented again and again throughout.
“I have been blessed to live out the bold and visionary mission statement of Concordia,” he said, offering words of advice for the new Cobbers on the day of their own sending. “Always hope. Never, never give up hope. Allow hope to live and flourish in you.”
He encouraged them to value difference and always be willing to learn from others, to be thankful, honest, and willing to laugh at themselves and, if able, to love God.
“Today, you are sent forth to influence the affairs of the world. God knows the world needs you!” Henderson added.
The enthusiasm and joy of both the graduates and those celebrating their achievements was undeniable throughout the ceremony, which started with The Concordia Band’s prelude and then the processional, “Crown Imperial,” by William Walton. The Revs. Dave and Kim Adams, campus pastors, gave the invocation, followed by a brief welcome from President Colin Irvine.
Irvine congratulated the students, their parents and families, and the college’s staff, coaches, and faculty members.
“Be well. Enjoy this day. It’s been an honor to share time with you at this remarkable place,” he said. “Know that my prayers are with and for the Class of 2025. Congratulations. Roll Cobbs! Soli Deo Gloria.”
Irvine also introduced student speaker Makayla Anderson ’25, a captain of the women’s basketball team and editor-in-chief of The Concordian student newspaper.
“Today isn’t just the end of our college journey. It is the beginning of everything that comes next. When we cross the stage, we will receive more than a diploma. We will receive proof — proof of the doubts, the late nights, the early mornings, and the moments when quitting seemed easier — proof that we persisted,” Anderson said. “But before we step into the future, I want to take you back to a moment that changed me.”
She recalled her final basketball game as a Cobber, and how the team had lost — how she had cried in a corner, realizing it was over.
“Everyone loves to see success, but losing — losing is quiet when it happens. There are no posts about it, no confetti, no celebration, just silence, just you, wondering if maybe all that effort, all that heart, was not enough,” Anderson said.
After the sadness and the numbness that followed, though, the team gathered again, and after a quiet moment, they all started to laugh.
“We giggled because through the heartbreak, because even in the loss, we knew that what we built and who we became — that is what mattered out there,” Anderson said. “We are going to want the job promotions, the status, the money, the recognition. We will want the tangible, shareable proof of our hard work. But in your heart, remember to enjoy this ride of life. It is not what we earn but who we become that really matters.”
Provost Susan Larson presented the candidates for graduation, and Rachel Horan, instructor of music, and Dr. Robin Griffeath, associate professor of music, read their names as they received their diplomas.
The crowd and students joined together to sing “Hymn to Concordia,” followed by a benediction. The Concordia Band played “Sine Nomine” by Ralph Vaughan Williams as its recessional, and the graduates went to Olin Hill for a ceremonial cap toss.