We are just 4 days away from the most important day of the Siloam Bible School year: Graduation Day. This Sunday, 3rd March, 14 students will complete their formal training at the Karen Baptist Convention's school, and move into full-time ministry.
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| The 2012 Graduating Class |
This whole weekend will be a busy one - over 300 guests are expected, many of whom will be sleeping in the Bible School buildings. Classrooms and the library are being transformed into makeshift bedrooms. The kitchen is gearing up to produce food for almost 10 times more people than usual.
For the graduating students, this weekend is the culmination of four years of hard work. They have spent the past year in a placement in a local church, returning back to Siloam just 2 weeks ago. It also marks the beginning of a new phase of their ministry: most will now go into pastorates, full-time youth work, women's ministry, or into roles with NGOs and parachurch organisations.
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| 2012 Graduates receiving flowers and gifts |
But this Sunday will also be a time to celebrate - to have fun and enjoy the feeling of having succesfully completed the course. And in Thailand, and especially for the Karen, that means more than just a group of individuals celebrating - it involves the extended family and friends of every graduate. This experience will be truly shared - indeed, it really represents the wider community gathering to celebrate and affirm the achievement of
all expressed through the graduation of these 14 young people.
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| Congratulations to the graduate - but also to the whole family too! |
This is a community facing huge changes and challenges in the years ahead. Please pray that those commissioned into ministry of various forms this weekend would be used by God to meet those challenges. Please pray that the impact of what happens on Sunday here at Siloam Bible School would be felt for years to come across the Karen Baptist Convention - and beyond.
