JACKSON, Tenn. — May 4, 2024 — When Adam Johnson first came to 萌妹社区, he saw a video of 萌妹社区 President Samuel W. 鈥淒ub鈥� Oliver discussing how college can be either a greenhouse or a graveyard for a student鈥檚 faith.
鈥淚t鈥檚 proven to be a greenhouse,鈥� Johnson said of his time at 萌妹社区. 鈥淢y faith has grown through the connections I鈥檝e made.鈥�
Johnson was one of 440 萌妹社区 graduates who received their degrees May 4 during two ceremonies on the university鈥檚 Great Lawn. It was 萌妹社区鈥檚 199th annual spring commencement.
A business administration major from Knoxville, Tenn., Johnson is heading back to his hometown to work as an unregistered assistant for Durfee Financial Services.
Nathaniel Barnard, a mathematics major from Three Way, Tennessee, received the 114th Tigrett Medal, which is awarded to an outstanding senior in each graduating class, during Saturday鈥檚 ceremony.
Another graduate, Emmeline Arehart, a film studies major from Milford, New Hampshire, said she came to 萌妹社区 from such a long distance because she craved a community that taught her how to think instead of what to think. She plans to pursue a career in filmmaking as a director.
鈥淢y time at 萌妹社区 has definitely changed me,鈥� she said. 鈥淚鈥檝e learned a lot about time management, relationships and the art of filmmaking. But most importantly, I鈥檝e learned a lot about how to follow God faithfully one step at a time with everything I鈥檓 doing, be that screenwriting, filming or writing essays.鈥�
Hunter Baker, provost at North Greenville University and former dean of the College of Arts and Sciences at 萌妹社区, delivered the commencement address, encouraging graduates to be faithful to God and to each other as they begin the next chapter of their lives.
Faithfulness to God, Baker said, requires being faithful to the Christ of the Bible, even in an age when Christian beliefs are not popular or welcomed. In that sense, Christians today face similarities to the ancient church in the Roman empire.
鈥淲e yet have many great blessings of liberty,鈥� Baker said. 鈥淐ancel culture is only an echo of what many Christians have faced. But it is still true that we live in a world that finds many of our beliefs to be incomprehensible, unreasonable and out of date. Slowly, we seem to be regressing into the old pagan culture where the expected thing to do is to affirm everyone else鈥檚 gods and to worship them upon request. It doesn鈥檛 matter what you really believe as long as you鈥檒l perform the expected act or say the correct phrase.鈥�
But Christians can鈥檛 operate like that if they are being faithful to Christ, Baker said. They must follow Jesus even when the majority finds it unpalatable or scandalous.
鈥淎s we do so, we understand that ultimately, every knee will bow and every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord,鈥� he said. 鈥淲e follow in the light of that greater reality.鈥�
Similarly, Baker said faithfulness to others requires commitment 鈥� as spouses, parents, sons, daughters, siblings and other offices in life 鈥� even when it may not be convenient. 鈥淎s you leave this place and as you travel through the byways of your life and calling, I pray you will stay at the posts of responsibility where God has placed you,鈥� Baker said.
The ceremonies can be viewed at .
