On May 16, Luther Rice Seminary graduates assembled for the 52nd annual commencement ceremony in the main worship center at First Baptist Church Atlanta. There were 299 students in the graduating class of 2014, representing 37 different states and 10 foreign countries, including the United Kingdom, Austria, Belgium, Ghana, and China. Many of them traveled to Atlanta to participate in the graduation week festivities. They, along with their families and supporters, deserve sincere congratulations for their accomplishment.
Many of our graduates work in full-time and part-time ministry around the world. They juggle family responsibilities, work and ministry duties, and their studies—no matter if they reside in Atlanta, Alaska, or the Aleutian Islands. They are spreading the good news of God’s love and plan of salvation through Jesus Christ for all mankind. There are over 7,000 graduates of Luther Rice, and the majority of them are in some type of ministry work, either vocationally or as a volunteer. That outreach is being expanded daily as people obey God and reach out to their neighbors.
I experienced an example of this multiplying effect just today. Running into a couple of Luther Rice graduates while at lunch, one of them told me about a mission trip he was taking in a couple of days. He was going to Kosovo (yes, that war-torn country is apparently now safe for American travel) where he would be holding baseball training camps for students. He told me there were already 350 students registered for the camps. He had been introduced to the mission trip by other Luther Rice graduates that work in Austria as international school administrators. One of the students from that school was from Kosovo, and the trip was arranged through that student’s family. It is a prime example of how God’s work in the world continues—lives are being touched and souls are being saved.
Luther Rice is proud of all its graduates and the work they do in the United States and around the world.
Dr. Gerald Harris, Editor and President of the Georgia Baptist Convention’s state paper, The Christian Index, served as this year’s commencement speaker. He has served as Editor since May of 2003. Before coming to The Christian Index, Harris served as a pastor for several churches throughout the southeastern states. He encouraged the graduates to follow God’s call on their lives and reach out to others with God’s message of salvation. Harris earned his Doctor of Ministry degree from Luther Rice in 1977 and received the Alumnus of the Year award from Luther Rice in 2008.
A couple of faculty members also graduated with their doctorates this year. We would like to congratulate:
Dr. Sharon Atkins
Assistant Professor of Biblical Counseling
Doctor of Ministry in Marriage and Family Therapy (Gordon Conwell Theological Seminary)
Dissertation: “The Impact of the Absent Father on Females and Their Journey Toward Healing as They Learn the Importance of Choosing to Forgive”
Dr. Joshua Stewart
Assistant Professor of Old Testament and Hebrew
Doctor of Philosophy in Hebrew and Old Testament (New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary)
Dissertation: “The Frequency and Distribution of the X-finite Verb Clause in the Second Book of the Psalter”
Again, we give our heartfelt congratulations to all our graduates. Now, having achieved this significant milestone in their lives, they will spread out across the United States and the world to fulfill the Great Commission mandate and share the love of God with a hurting world.
The Luther Rice Blog 
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