8 June 2024
I am truly honored and humbled to represent the class of 2024 in giving God the glory and honour for successfully completing our studies at Tyndale. I thank God for his faithfulness, mercy, goodness, and grace upon each of our lives. As we graduate, our hearts are filled with joy and we sing with the psalmist that “this is the Lord’s doing and it is marvelous in our eyes. This is the day that the Lord has made and we will rejoice and be glad in it.”
When I arrived at Tyndale in 2021, one thing that stood out for me was the number of nationalities that were represented in this small community. The cultural differences were massive but we got to grow together as one family in Christ. We have stood with each other through the good and the bad times. We laughed and we cried together. We encouraged, we corrected, we forgave, and we loved one another as a community.
Class of 2024, each one of us also had our own unique Tyndale experiences. Tyndale has been much more than an intellectual journey. The community duties have taught us to serve one another well as we clean the dishes, the toilets or mow the lawns. At Tyndale, some of us have found new love. For some, we have lost loved ones back home during our time here and it has been a difficult and challenging journey. Yet through it all, God has been our strength, He has been our portion, and his grace has been sufficient.
My fellow classmates, we were known as one of the most vocal classes in Tyndale history. The constant theological and doctrinal debates in class often spills over to our meal and recreational times, forcing us to constantly reexamine our own positions and evaluate it through the lens of Scripture. Our education has also been a wholistic and enriching learning experience that extends beyond the campus, including student trips to places like Germany and Rome. Thanks to our former President Duncan and the SLC (Student Life Committee) for organizing them. As a class, we also had our fair share of fun. All of our rich experiences, we owe to God and we also owe it to the sacrifices of his faithful servants.
Thank you, Tyndale faculty and mentors for exemplifying what wholehearted love and commitment to God and his calling looks like. We see the sacrifices that you and your family made each day to empower us. Thank you for teaching us that relationship with God and character are more important than grades and degrees. Thank you for your patience and kindness when we hijack your classes with our endless arguments; for often forgetting that you work hard, if not harder, than us to teach us. Thank you for bearing with our unreasonable demands and expectations at times. We also thank you for your approachability and for making time for us whenever we needed your help, for challenging us to strive for excellence and never settle for mediocrity. Thank you for the laughter and the tears, for opening your homes to feed us, entertain us, and even to stay over. Thank you for being our professors, pastors, ministry partners, mentors, counsellors, chauffeurs, chefs, gardeners, caregivers, friends, and so much more. May God bless you all on our behalf.
Tyndale staff and volunteers, thank you for your constant labor behind the scenes. Thank you for multitasking to your limits to keep Tyndale running. May God richly reward your faithful service. We will miss your heartfelt laughter reverberating throughout the building, prompting us to pause and smile. It is evident that the joy of the Lord has been your strength.
Tyndale donors, we are immensely grateful to you for investing in us and considering us as ministry partners. Your sacrificial and generous giving has enabled us to complete our study with all the resources we need. Like daily manna, your generosity ensures that we have three meals a day, warm showers, and heated rooms throughout our time at Tyndale. May God bless you abundantly on our behalf.
Dear Tyndale community, donors, family, and friends, this celebration is as much yours as it is ours. We are profoundly grateful for your unwavering support which has enabled us to thrive at Tyndale. After this ceremony, as graduates of 2024, we will step out of this church as Tyndale alumni. As we embark on our respective paths in ministry, we will recognize the continued importance of your support. We humbly ask that you journey alongside us with prayers, encouragement, and accountability so that we may be found faithful when God calls us home or he returns.
And finally, the most important of all: Graduates of 2024, we made it because of the Lord’s great love and mercy! Let us remember all that he has done for us and celebrate his faithfulness. As we step out from this ceremony, may we do so with renewed passion to love the Lord our God with all our heart, soul, and mind. May the Lord increase our faith and desire to worship him in truth and spirit. May the love of Jesus fill our hearts so that we can be conduits of his blessings wherever he leads us. And may the Holy Spirit empower us to make our lives living testimonies of the great God whom we love and serve.
Glory to God the Father, the Son, and The Holy Spirit forever and ever. Amen.
Nibu Yhome MDiv - June 2024
