Campbell University Divinity School ushered in its 30th year with a commissioning service on Tuesday, welcoming 27 students and two new staff members. The ceremony was both a celebration of the school’s past and an affirmation of its bright future.
“It is our conviction at Campbell University Divinity School that enrolling in theological education is a strong commitment to follow God’s call, and that responding to God’s call is something that should be affirmed and celebrated,” said Dean Dr. Barry Jones. “And for that reason, we say that this is a ‘high and holy day.’ For our newest students, this service is our official welcome to you and a rededication to our mission to help you prepare for your calling.”
Jones said Tuesday’s service comes 30 years after its first commissioning, when founding dean, the late Dr. Mike Cogdill, and Associate Dean Dr. Bruce Powers envisioned a school “where students, faculty and staff would be bound together by our shared experience of calling.”
“Your presence is a visible testimony that the Divinity School stands on the strong foundation of the Christian mission of Campbell University,” Jones said.
Dr. Glenn Jonas, whose history with Campbell predates the Divinity School (he began teaching courses in church history in 1994), served as the keynote speaker for the ceremony. The associate dean of the College of Arts & Sciences and Charles Howard Professor of Religion also spoke of that inaugural event, which was marred by Hurricane Fran five days earlier.
That first service was moved to Memorial Baptist Church, as much of Campbell’s campus was without power. And Jonas, his wife and their 4-month-old child were without electricity at their home in Coats, so Cogdill and his family invited his to stay with them through the storm’s aftermath.
“The ability to remember the past is one of the greatest gifts that God gave us. Remembering allows us to learn from the past. Remembering allows us to celebrate the good things from the past and hopefully avoid reliving the bad,” Jonas said.
In his speech, Jonas drew a parallel between “the monument of stones by the Jordan River that Joshua erected thousands of years ago” and the decision by President Norman A. Wiggins, Cogdill and Powers 30-plus years ago to launch the Divinity School.
“The decision to establish the Divinity School was truly ‘a high and holy day’ — a phrase coined by Dr. Cogdill that has permeated the school for 30 years.”
Jonas called the students, alumni and faculty of the Divinity School “a living monument that serves as a reminder of God’s good work in the past.”
“When Joshua directed that the 12 stones from the Jordan River were to be stacked into a monument, he imagined that someday in the future, their children, grandchildren or great grandchildren might visit that spot and might wonder, ‘What is this pile of rocks by the river?’ he said. “Joshua told the people that when that happens, tell the story again. Tell the next generation and all the future generations about the miracle that happened here that day.”
“Remind them that the God we follow is a God who takes care of us, who provides for our needs, who protects us in challenging times and rejoices with us in the good times, and who provides forgiveness of sin and salvation for all eternity. Use this pile of rocks by the river as a reminder, forever in the future about the goodness of God.”
To end the ceremony, the Divinity School welcomed nine students seeking a Master of Arts in Faith and Leadership degree, 17 students seeking a Master of Divinity and Master of Arts in Christian Ministry degree, and one student seeking a Doctor of Ministry degree.