Graduation 2008

First Row: Emily Whittaker, Shannon Ames, Rebekah LeBlanc, Jennifer Munn, Casey Losee, Randy Losee, Nelson Maldonado, Kaloyan Zhekov, Mark Periman

Second Row: Olaf Fredriksen, Chris Frye, Anthony Mazzrillo, Mary Unoh, Charlotte vanEttinger, Freddy Munsie, Tim Bolton, Pie Kwigize

Not Pictured: Matthew Schindlbeck

The 2007-2008 school year concluded with a graduation ceremony on May 10 as eleven Biblical Studies and seven Advanced Biblical Studies graduates welcomed friends and family to celebrate their achievement. 

Leading up to graduation, faculty members and guest ministers prayed over each graduate during the Week of Prayer, from May 5-9. Visiting ministry included Michael Smith, Amos Kim, Michael Pak, Angela Lee, and Jack Buskey. Other graduation events included a bonfire on Thursday evening and the Graduation Banquet at the Little Falls Best Western Friday evening.

The graduation ceremony opened with worship, led by Second Year graduate Olaf Fredriksen, with Rebekah LeBlanc, Tim Bolton, and Chris Tringali. Casey Losee presented a picture slideshow highlighting the previous year, and Joanne Picataggi introduced the class speakers, who had been selected by the faculty. Jack Picataggi gave the graduation message, which was followed by the presentation of diplomas.

Second Year class speaker Casey Losee shared about God’s sovereign control of every situation. “Remember as we go out that the same God who loves us, who we have offered everything to, is the One who is in control of everything,” he said. “We can still have faith in Him, no matter what happens.”

Shannon Ames, also a Second Year graduate, addressed her classmates: “We aren’t really graduating,” she explained, “because we’ve been in a school that’s been teaching us God-likeness, that’s been teaching us a relationship with God—not even teaching us so much as immersing us in and growing us in. And we’re never going to graduate from that—we’re never going to be done with that. We’re just stepping into a different phase.” 

Third Year class speaker Charlotte vanEttinger shared three things that Pinecrest meant to her during her time as a student: freedom, family, and fire. “There’s a freedom here that I’ve never experienced anywhere else before,” she said. “There’s a freedom to praise God the way the Spirit moves upon you.” In speaking of family, Charlotte said, “I look out at this body, and I have more brothers and sisters now than I ever thought to have—and I came from a big family!” She concluded by sharing about God’s fire: “God tells us to buy that gold that is tried by fire, and that’s what we’ve been praying here at Pinecrest—that God’s fire would come, and that it would burn up everything that’s not of Him.”

Third Year graduate Pie Kwigize expressed his thankfulness for his time at Pinecrest. As he prepares to return to pastor a church in Burundi, he said, “Now I feel I have more strength to go and do the work in Burundi that God called me for.”

Jack Picataggi shared on Hebrews 12:18-24. He encouraged the graduates, “You’re called to the church of the firstborn. It’s not in arrogance that you face that, but it’s in reality that you realize what you’ve been called to—not the law, but to Christ. Jesus is our answer, and when all these other things come your way—ups and downs, the new beginnings and the endings of old times—Christ remains constant. He’s a sure thing; He’s a sure person who will always be there to lead you and to answer the questions you’re going to have.”

The 2008-2009 school year will begin with Registration on August 25.