CENTRAL, S.C. (courtesy swu.edu) — Celebrating the largest group of commissioned students since 2005, Southern Wesleyan University commissioned 20 religion students on Friday, April 23rd.
Professor Dave Tolan explains the history of SWU’s commissioning services, “We’ve been doing commissioning services since 2005. It started in Historic Freedom’s Hill church. Students were commissioned to Ministry of Christ and His Church in the same setting as were the earliest ministers in the Wesleyan Church in the South. We soon outgrew Freedom’s Hill and began having the commissioning service in the ALIVE chapel. However, to preserve the heritage of Freedom’s Hill Church we brought over the original kneeling bench from the Church so that students still knelt at the same bench that the first ministers from the South knelt at to be commissioned and ordained.”
May Graduates:
Lydia Andrew, Alex Birch, Katharine Bowen, Colby Callaway, Rachel Hester, Kyra Hood, Megan New, Isaac Radonavitch, Hannah Selden, Graham Simmons, Todd Sims, Wesley Tolleson, Hannah Wiggins, and Ben Wyant.
December Graduates:
Teia Carter, Gwendolyn Enszv, Emily Hoyt, Madison Janke, Kristen Potter, and Rebekah Sullivan.
In addition, several awards were presented to exemplary students.
- Achievement in Theological Studies – Lydia Andrew
- Excellence in Biblical Studies – Hannah Selden
- Excellence in Youth and Children’s Ministry – Katharine Bowen
- Bob Black Blue Blazer Award – Hannah Selden