A Weekend of Celebration, Song, and Sending Forth
Christian Theological Seminary’s 2025 Commencement Weekend was a joyful culmination of reflection, gratitude, and celebration—marking not only the academic achievements of our graduates but also the enduring legacy of the seminary as we continue to honor our 100th anniversary.
The festivities began Thursday, May 15 with a meaningful gathering at our annual Graduate Dinner. Stories were shared, blessings offered, and accomplishments celebrated. This special tradition continues to nurture the strong bonds between CTS alumni and the emerging leaders formed in our classrooms.
On Friday afternoon, the seminary community gathered for Baccalaureate, a service of worship and thanksgiving. This year’s Baccalaureate held particular significance as we introduced a newly commissioned hymn composed in honor of CTS’s centennial year by CTS honorary degree recipient Mark A. Miller. Miller is a composer, performer, and professor whose music inspires justice and healing. The lyrics reflect a powerful, ongoing vision of God’s redemptive dream—rooted in love, justice, and liberation—carried forward by faithful generations. The lyrics that follow can be heard in the video montage below.
Our Story Started As a Dream
David Bjorlin & Mark A. Miller, 2025
Our story started as a dream you placed within your people’s heart,
With love its everlasting theme and justice its unchanging art:
Where you would split a sea to set the captives free;
Surrender your own Son to see our death undone;
And breakdown every wall to prove your grace for all.
We give you thanks and boldly pray to live your ancient dream today.The dream our ancestors received and labored bravely to engage,
Is taken up and reconceived by faithful saints in every age:
Where all your children seek the welfare of the weak;
Endeavor to increase the common cause of peace;
and strive to recreate the lives destroyed by hate.
We give you thanks and boldly pray to live your present dream today.And though this dream is unfulfilled and clouded by our grief and pain,
We pledge to use this time to build from blue-prints of your coming reign:
Where nations shore to shore will study war no more;
The roles of last and first will surely be reversed;
And your reviving breath will liven even death;
We give you thanks and boldly pray to live your future dream today.
The weekend culminated on Saturday with the 2025 Commencement Ceremony, a tribute to the hard work, growth, and perseverance of our graduates. The keynote address was delivered by honorary degree recipient Rev. Dr. Cynthia L. Hale, a national leader in preaching and pastoral leadership. Also honored were two extraordinary individuals whose lives and work reflect the mission and values of CTS: Pastor Rob Fuquay, a gifted communicator and advocate for ecumenical ministry who servse as Pastor of St. Luke’s United Methodist Church here in Indianapolis, and Mark A. Miller, whose music and witness continue to inspire justice and hope. Each was awarded the degree of Doctor of Divinity.
CTS President David M. Mellott presented the Presidential Award of Excellence to Don Knebel, a long-serving trustee and cherished supporter of CTS, for his remarkable commitment to the seminary’s mission and students.
Together, these events embodied the heart of CTS: a place where scholarship meets spiritual formation, where leaders are called and equipped, and where celebration deepens our shared commitment to the Church and the world. As our graduates go forth, they carry with them the legacy of a century of theological education and the promise of faithful innovation for generations to come.
We invite you to enjoy this photo montage capturing the joy, gratitude, and meaningful moments of the weekend.
