This is the most extraordinary graduation yet in the history of SBC. In view of the COVID-19 global pandemic, all of us have to join our society’s efforts in responding to the ongoing threat. The SBC community is no exception. To maintain social distancing and minimize contact, this year’s graduation will be carried out without the usual ceremony.

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Many of our dear family members, pastors and church leaders, and supporters of the graduates, not to mention the faculty and staff of SBC, are sharing a sense of loss, uneasiness, and incompleteness. And while the graduation organizing committee has been working for several months on various contingency plans to address the fluid and ever-changing COVID-19 situation, this outcome must be really hard on them.

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Yet, despite the circumstances, you, our students, are graduating now. Congratulations! Many of those who love and support you in one way or another share your joy in completing this specific stage of learning. Most importantly, you have been equipped and nurtured to be servants of the gospel. As the Apostle Paul testified in 1 Corinthians 9:23, “I do all this for the sake of the gospel, that I may share in its blessings.”

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For the sake of sharing the blessings of the gospel with many, you are free to surrender yourself as a servant to anyone. A servant is flexible, resilient, and versatile in all circumstances. Serving with a spirit of servanthood goes a long way. The new ‘normal’ brought about by COVID-19 demands a servant-like attitude, which means being:

• flexible in dealing with unexpected changes in work schedules or processes;
• resilient in adapting to new approaches of ministries and problem-solving; and versatile in acquiring knowledge and expanding skill sets continuously.

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Our beloved graduates, though you are being sent by SBC at an unusual time in human history, may you embrace throughout your life this humble yet honourable identity—servants of the gospel.