Georgetown College’s Student–Run Newspaper
November 30, 2016
Volume CXXXVI Issue 22
Chapel doubles as Baccalaureate service Dr. Greg Earwood gives talk on Tuesday about hope and handling life situations By LAURA CALLIHAN Staff Writer On the Day of Giving, students and faculty, along with their families, gathered in the chapel for the last service of the fall semester. This chapel service was designed to truly give thanks. But this service focused not only on God but also on the students who, this December, will be leaving the close–knit community of Georgetown College. The Baccalaureate service began with an opening prayer from the campus minister, Rev. Dr. Bryan Langlands and an opening hymn led by Ms. Natalie Tilford Kopp. The congregation sang with Kopp. After the presentation of the Good News Bibles, translated by Georgetown alumnus Robert Bracht, our Provost, Dr. Rosemary Allen, and Dr. Tallant presented the academic awards. The recipient of both the European and Asian History award, presented by Dr. Tal-
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lant, and the Dean’s Honor Award, presented by Dr. Allen, were received by Amber Krutcher. Dr. Greg Earwood, the keynote speaker of the service, then gave a riveting sermon on hope. Dr. Earwood is the first President of the Kentucky Baptist Seminary, located on Georgetown’s campus. He has pastored many churches in Kentucky, including Faith Baptist Church here in Georgetown, Kentucky. With a tattered, well–loved bible in one hand and his sermon notes in the other hand, he stepped up to the pulpit, prepared to preach. He begun with a popular t–shirt brand, Life is Good. “Often times,” Dr. Earwood said, “Life is good.” It can be easy to see the glass half–full. In fact, Dr. Earwood added humor to his sermon by telling how the Zaxby’s cups now read, “Half–Full? Half– Empty? Problem Solved! Just Refill!” Dr. Earwood said that, as it is easy to see from current
events such as shootings on college campuses and fires in Tennessee, life is not always good. In fact, sometimes life is really difficult and bad. But Dr. Earwood did not stop there. He set out to not simply give the graduating seniors, and the rest of the congregation, a sermon of wellknown and depressing facts. Dr. Earwood went on to talk about how to handle these life situations. These college graduates have no doubt faced difficult times and will not see the last of. But Dr. Earwood gave them some good advice. “God,” Dr. Earwood said, “has a persistent, compassionate presence.” As a Baptist minister, Dr. Earwood discussed the everlasting promise God gives us by promising to never leave us but stand with us through the most difficult of times. Dr. Earwood called the audience to always keep with them what he called, “relentless hope.” He recognized that life is good but difficult times await us and through our toil and
strife, he repeatedly stressed that relentless hope was the only adequate answer. This hope is that for which we all, according to Dr. Earwood, should be thankful. On this Day of Giving, as we give to our community, we should be thankful that we have something to give, even if it be small. Dr. Earwood concluded with a passage from Isaiah, reading from the Good News translation which is being
given to graduating seniors. The passage read, “For those who relentlessly hope in the Lord, they will be renewed,” (Isaiah 40:31). Freshman Izzy Ransdell said, “Today’s chapel service motivated me to keep a glass– is–half–full outlook on life. Even though life can get tough at times, it’s best to have hope and to know that God is there for you in the tough times and the good times.”
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Source: Baptist Seminary of Kentucky
Dr. Greg Earwood spoke at Tuesday’s chapel service.