Baccalaureate Service held for class of 2024

By BRITTANY FHOLER

Cove Leader-Press

The Copperas Cove Ministerial Alliance welcomed more than a dozen Copperas Cove High School Class of 2024 graduating seniors to the annual Baccalaureate Service held Sunday afternoon at the Lea Ledger Auditorium.

Pastor Mark Kemp, of the First Baptist Church of Copperas Cove, opened the service with a welcoming message to the seniors and their families, quoting Psalm 21:18-24, “This is the day that the Lord has made. Let us rejoice and be glad in it.’

Following worship songs, led by Trenton West, Tristan Brown and Devan Tribby, two seniors shared their favorite bible verses with the audience.

“As we're all graduating, I chose this verse because whether you're going to college, you're staying here, you're working- we're going to be faced with trials and tribulations, but we have to remember that if we keep our eye on God, and we stay in contact with Him, then we're going to be fine,” Niya Thompson said.

Thompson read Deuteronomy 31:6, which says, “Be strong and courageous. Don't be terrified or afraid of them. For the Lord your God is the one who will go with you. He will not leave you or abandon you.”

Devan Tribby shared Philippians 4:13, which says, “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.”

“This verse impacted me a lot in my everyday life, especially through this year. I have been overly stressed. There's been so much like packed on me with, ‘What do you want to do when you grow up? What do you want to do after high school?’ And it's just been so much, but my mom actually implemented this mindset that I've had this whole entire year and it's, ‘I can do hard things.’ Because you can. You can do hard things through Christ who strengthens you. You can do all through Christ who strengthens you.”

This year’s guest speaker was Pastor Brent Sanders, of Northpointe Church. Saunders brought on stage with him a mini-trampoline to emphasize his message that high school might have seemed like the landing pad at first, but it was now the launch pad for the graduating students.

“I want you to think about high school as that trampoline,” Sanders said. “When you came into this high school, a lot of you thought it was a landing pad, and you landed here for like four years, two years, three years. Some of you might be leaving, not just with a high school diploma might be a college associate’s degree or college credits. What I want you to think about this is not a landing pad, but this high school is a launching pad. It's going to launch you to somewhere that God has for you.”

Sanders added that in order to be launched and to land where God plans, the students need to have core values/core strengths.

“Some of you are going to get launched into college,” Sanders said. “Some are in the workforce. Some might be in the military. Some of you might get launched straight onto your face, but the Bible says, ‘Though I fall, I shall arise.’”

He went on to share a message spelling out COVE, starting with Confidence.

Sanders again quoted Philippians 4:13 and shared the story of when Peter saw Jesus walking on water from the boat. Peter called out to Jesus and asked Jesus to prove that it was him by telling Peter to come. Jesus said, ‘Come,’ and Peter walked on water towards Jesus.

“Boy, that's some confidence right there,” Sanders said. He added that Peter didn’t walk on water but rather the Word of God.

“Jesus said, ‘Come,’ and Jesus is never going to leave you or forsake you and he's never going to mistreat you,” Sanders said.

“Take that confidence knowing that you know what God said to you, what God directed you and take this as an opportunity,” Sanders added.

The O in COVE stands for Opportunity.

Sanders quoted Ecclesiastes 3:1 which says there is a time for everything and a season for everything. He encouraged the students to seize the opportunities that come their way as this season makes way for a new one.

The V in COVE stands for Vision. He said that the graduates needed to keep the vision to avoid certain predicaments, whether it is spending too much at the grocery store or other things in life.

He encouraged the graduates to write down their vision and make it plain and clear.

“Keep the vision,” Sanders said. “Some of the y'all, this last four years was really, really slow. Some of y'all, it went really, really fast. But the key is understand, keep the vision, write the vision, know where you’re going, know what you’re going to be doing.”

The E in COVE is for Empowerment.

“There's an empowerment, not a selfish pride, not a selfish empowerment, but an empowerment that God has empowered you to do all things through Christ who strengthens you,” Sanders said. “But at the same time 2 Timothy 1:7 says ‘For God hasn’t given you a spirit of fear, but love, power and a sound mind.’”

Sanders stressed that the seniors should not have a ‘Try’ mentality but rather a ‘Do’ mentality.

“You're a winner. You're victorious. You're graduating. You're getting launched,” Sanders said. “I can do it. I'm not just going to try it. Have confidence in yourself. Know that you have the power, the love and the sound mind to do it.”

Superintendent Dr. Joe Burns addressed the group of seniors before giving the blessing of the graduates.

“This is always an emotional week for me because I look at all the promise and potential in the faces of new graduates, and I think about the opportunities that lie ahead and then think of the challenges that you'll face, and I'm concerned for you,” Burns said. “I'm concerned for you as a dad and as a superintendent because this world is very different than it was 30-some odd years ago when I graduated high school, but I know within you lies the power of the Holy Spirit, within you, if you're a believer, our Savior Jesus Christ is there interceding on your behalf and that you will make you'll succeed in whatever you do.”

Burns encouraged the seniors to remember that God has a plan and purpose for each of them and that the way to figure that plan out is to spend time in the Word of God but also by spending time with people who are also focused on their journey as Christians, in church, in congregations, in worship, and more.

“It's been my privilege to be your superintendent. It's been my privilege to be your cheerleader,” Burns said. “We have some athletes out here. We have scholars out here. We have HOSA, DECA, every group in the world. We have volleyballers. We have cheerleaders, Copperettes, band members. We have every kid from every walk of life. That same plan is unique for each of you, but it's there for the free taking.”

Pastor Will Jackson, of Bible Way Missionary Baptist Church, gave the benediction, before the graduates were invited to receive a bible as a gift from the Cove Ministerial Alliance at the end of the service.