March 7, 2023
Commissioning Service for Paul Cornelius
Welcome
Dr. Monica Mitchell, Chief Governance Officer (Board Chair), President and CEO of MERAssociates, LLC
Explanation of service and Opening Prayer
Mr. José de Dios, Board Member, Executive Vice President for People and Culture with Wycliffe USA
Scripture Reading: Philippians 1: 1-19
Ms. Ericka Otárola, Admissions Counselor
-
“1 Paul and Timothy, servants[a] of Christ Jesus, to all the saints in Christ Jesus who are at Philippi, with the overseers and deacons:
2 Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
3 I thank my God in all my remembrance of you,
4 always in every prayer of mine for you all making my prayer with joy,
5 because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now.
6 And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ.
7 It is right for me to feel this way about you all, because I hold you in my heart, for you are all partakers with me of grace, both in my imprisonment and in the defense and confirmation of the gospel.
8 For God is my witness, how I yearn for you all with the affection of Christ Jesus.
9 And it is my prayer that your love may abound more and more, with knowledge and all discernment,
10 so that you may approve what is excellent, and so be pure and blameless for the day of Christ,
11 filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God.
12 I want you to know, brothers,[e] that what has happened to me has really served to advance the gospel,
13 so that it has become known throughout the whole imperial guard and to all the rest that my imprisonment is for Christ.
14 And most of the brothers, having become confident in the Lord by my imprisonment, are much more bold to speak the word without fear.
15 Some indeed preach Christ from envy and rivalry, but others from good will.
16 The latter do it out of love, knowing that I am put here for the defense of the gospel.
17 The former proclaim Christ out of selfish ambition, not sincerely but thinking to afflict me in my imprisonment.
18 What then? Only that in every way, whether in pretense or in truth, Christ is proclaimed, and in that I rejoice.
Yes, and I will rejoice,
19 for I know that through your prayers and the help of the Spirit of Jesus Christ this will turn out for my deliverance.”
Commission Reflection
Dr. Jacob Cherian, Dean of Faculty for the Center for Global Leadership Development, Bangalore, India
Reflection
Dr. Paul Cornelius, President
Musical Selection: “All the Way My Savior Leads Me”
By Fanny Crosby and Robert Lowry, arrangement by Duane Funderberk, performed by Crystal Rivette
-
All the way my Savior leads me;
What have I to ask beside?
Can I doubt His tender mercy,
Who through life has been my Guide?
Heav’nly peace, divinest comfort,
Here by faith in Him to dwell!
For I know, whate’er befall me,
Jesus doeth all things well,
For I know, whate’er befall me,
Jesus doeth all things well.
All the way my Savior leads me,
Cheers each winding path I tread,
Gives me grace for every trial,
Feeds me with the living bread.
Though my weary steps may falter,
And my soul athirst may be,
Gushing from the Rock before me,
Lo! a spring of joy I see,
Gushing from the Rock before me,
Lo! a spring of joy I see.
All the way my Savior leads me;
Oh, the fullness of His grace!
Perfect rest to me is promised
In my Father’s blest embrace.
When my spirit, clothed immortal,
Wings its flight to realms of day,
This my song through endless ages:
Jesus led me all the way,
This my song through endless ages:
Jesus led me all the way.
Commissioning Prayers
Dr. Richard Gunasekera, Board member, Professor of Biochemistry at Biola University
Dr. Kevin Higgins, General Director, Frontier Ventures, Former WCIU President
Dr. Grace May, Acting Vice President for Academic Affairs, Director of the Women’s Institute
Mr. Mark Garba, MA in Transformational Urban Leadership Student
Dr. Emmanuel Bellon, Vice President of Scholar Leaders International
Benediction and Blessing
Dr. Peter McLallen, Executive Vice President, WCIU