Republican senator Ben Sasse, from Nebraska, spoke at the May 28, 2016, commencement service of Westminster Seminary California. His topic was “Never Again Will Jerusalem Grieve.”

Mark MacVey, Vice-President for Enrollment Management, said about the speech, “Senator Sasse reflected on his experience in the U.S. Senate and provided observations regarding the unique cultural challenges that our country is facing at this time, drawing some parallels to the plight of Israel. He encouraged the graduates, especially those that will be pastors, to understand these challenges and the effect they have on the everyday lives of the people in our congregations. Concluding that, ultimately, these are not problems that can be solved by government, but our trust and hope is in the Lord Jesus Christ and the kingdom that is to come.”

This year’s graduating class was the largest in WSC’s history. Of the 55 graduates, 26 received the Master of Divinity (M.Div.) degree, while 29 received the Master of Arts (M.A.) degree. Graduates plan to serve as pastors, teachers, missionaries, scholars, and leaders in the PCA, OPC, URCNA, KAPC, CRC, or ARBCA. Students came from 15 states and eight foreign countries: Brazil, Germany, New Zealand, Turkey, South Korea (3), Romania, Malaysia, and Scotland.

About 750 people attended this 35^th Commencement, which took place at 10:00 AM at Emmanuel Faith Community Church in Escondido, CA. A graduation reception was held in the WSC chapel at 7:00 PM on May 27.

The above article by Glenda Mathes appeared on page 10 of the July 6, 2016, issue of Christian Renewal.