Last week, Evangel celebrated 651 graduates representing 11 countries, 42 states, and Puerto Rico.
Some classes are remembered for records broken or milestones reached. Others become memorable because of the obstacles they endured together. This graduating class will be remembered for its adaptability.
They arrived on campus as freshmen in 2022 with adaptability high in their playbook. Since then, they have navigated the growth and expansion not only of their minds and hearts, but of a university marked by momentum, with remarkable steadiness.
Throughout their time here, the center of athletics shifted from the historic Ashcroft Center to the state-of-the-art AGFinancial Arena. Residence halls came center stage as renovations created both excitement and temporary relocations, with final touches now being made on a brand-new dorm that will open this fall. A decades old library came down, preparing the way for a future innovation and learning center.
More than once over the past few years, I’ve heard someone jokingly repeat the phrase, “Blessed are the flexible, for they shall not be broken.” While humorous, there is more truth in that statement than we sometimes realize.
Adaptability doesn’t always steal the show. Most of the time, it’s pretty unassuming. It looks like understanding when plans change. It looks like continuing forward when circumstances feel uncertain. It looks like refusing to allow disruption to define your spirit.
This kind of adaptability is a defining characteristic of the Evangel community.
Our alumni know this well.
You who have passed through this institution over the decades have built businesses, planted churches, served communities, raised families, led organizations, and faithfully followed God’s calling in seasons that were not always predictable or easy. Flexibility didn’t weaken you. It strengthened you. Resilience did not make you cynical. It made you steady.
As I watched our graduates receive their diplomas last week, I was reminded that an Evangel education has always been about more than earning a degree. It is about formation. It is about becoming the kind of person who can stand firm without becoming rigid, who can adapt without losing conviction, and who can walk faithfully through change without losing sight of purpose.
That spirit continues to unite generations of Evangel alumni across decades and across the world.
And it remains one of our university’s greatest strengths.