Monday, May 12, 2008
- NTS News
NTS held its 62nd commencement on Sunday, May 11, at 4:00 pm at Kansas City (MO) First Church of the Nazarene. The Class of 2008 consisted of 67 graduates, receiving degrees as follows: 43 Master of Divinity; 10 M.A. in Christian Education; 7 M.A. in Intercultural Studies; 7 M.A. in Theological Studies; and 2 Doctor of Ministry (two students received two degrees each). This class represented 6 countries including the United States, Canada, Guatemala, Mexico, Moldova and Taiwan (Rep. of China).
Earlier on Sunday morning, also at KC First Church, Rev. Tim Gaines represented his class by preaching the Corlett Senior Sermon. The late Mr. Eric A. Mabes, a prominent Kansas City Realtor, established the Corlett Senior Sermon Award in the interest of developing an incentive for more effective preaching. He sponsored the award from 1945 to 1966. In 1966, Dr. and Mrs. L. T. Corlett assumed the sponsorship of this award as a symbol of their continuing interest in the future ministry of the church. The award is now sponsored by R. Wesley Blachly.
Dr. Paul Cunningham, General Superintendent of the Church of the Nazarene, delivered the commencement address. Dr. Cunningham was chosen for the highest elected office in the church at the 23rd General Assembly at Indianapolis, Indiana, in July 1993, after serving for 30 years as senior pastor of the College Church of the Nazarene in Olathe, Kansas. Dr. Cunningham served as chairman of the Board of Trustees of Nazarene Theological Seminary and was a member of the general church Book Committee for 16 years. He served as secretary of the Board of Trustees at MidAmerica Nazarene University and was a member of the Kansas City District Advisory Board. At the 1985 General Assembly he was elected president of the General Board of the International Church and was re-elected to that post in 1989.
In addition to the commencement ceremony which filled the KC First Church sanctuary to capacity, the weekend was full of various graduation events, including a special graduate chapel on Saturday morning and a senior banquet on Saturday night. Graduates were also inducted into the NTS Alumni Association on Friday afternoon at a special lunch held in their honor. Members of the NTS Classes of 1958, 1983 and 1998 were also honored at a special reunion lunch on Saturday.