Lindsey Wilson College Observes Church College Celebration Day
COLUMBIA, KY - The Lindsey Wilson College community celebrated its connection to The United Methodist Church yesterday, September 19th during the annual Church College Celebration Day.
The college - which is affiliated with the Kentucky Annual Conference of The United Methodist Church - held Church Celebration Day in V.P. Henry Auditorium. Church College Celebration Day was started more than 20 years ago by then-LWC Provost and Dean of the Faculty Walter S. Reuling as an expression of the college's relationship with The United Methodist Church, which dates to LWC's founding in 1903.
The ceremony consisted of songs of worship, scripture readings, a college affirmation by Dr. John Hatton Pastor of Columbia United Methodist Church, a church affirmation by LWC President William T. Luckey Jr., and a message by Dean of the Chapel, Dr. Terry Swan.
During his affirmation, Hatton marveled over the “opportunities” offered for students to achieve excellence academically and to grow in their faith.
“Lindsey Wilson College excels in the ethos of providing opportunities for students to learn from mentors and teachers in a rich academic environment.” said Hatton, “This environment is integrated with the opportunity for students to also sit at the feet of Jesus while their faith seeks understanding.”
“On behalf of the United Methodist Church, I affirm the educational ministry of Lindsey Wilson College and I give thanks for Lindsey’s commitment to excellence and higher education.” said Hatton.
Swan, who has been at the college since 1985, encouraged those in the Lindsey Wilson community to pay just as much attention to small kindnesses as we do to big gestures of kindness.
“The little things will change any organization, including our church related college.” said Swan, "It’s what we call doing small things with great love. When we do small things with great love here, it builds bridges in darkened lives and people get transformed as a result.”
Swan also said that in order to truly transform as a society we need to think beyond ourselves.
“We need to stop being so narcissistic and thinking that we’re one in a million and start thinking that we’re one of a million.” said Swan, “Every day we should be sharing the kindnesses that God lavishly offers to us. You can give without loving, but you cannot love without giving. When we all see that and practice it as our mission it changes things and charges the spiritual atmosphere around us.”
“This message for us as a Lindsey Wilson community is so much more than ‘Just go out and be kind for Jesus’s sake’,” said Swan, “It is so much more than that. We have to guard ourselves against thinking that faithfulness in all things is purely just self-generated good works. It is being here, being filled with God’s spirit and it simply overflowing into the lives of others, that is what changes our world.”