On May 24, 2014 Redeemer University College celebrated the Twenty-ninth Convocation for the Conferring of Degrees. 251 graduates joined the Redeemer Alumni Association, the alumni body which now numbers more than 4,600. The grad class included several more “legacy” graduates – sons and daughters of Redeemer alumni. This is a reminder of God’s faithfulness to Redeemer for more than 30 years. There was a great feeling of celebration in the auditorium as the smiling grads filed in and as family and friends declared their support during the conferring of degrees. Guest speaker Mr. Dave Toycen, President and CEO of World Vision Canada, acknowledged that the words he was about to speak might not be remembered by the grads. (Does anyone remember the speaker comments from their grad?) Still, did offer one thought that he hoped the grads would hold onto: “Here’s the most important piece of counsel I can give – you have to make Christ your own for your generation.” Mr. Toycen went on to say that our graduates are fortunate to be able to respond or address some of the greatest opportunities in the history of the world. He outlined a few of them and offered suggestions on how to respond to them. We have the opportunity to: Reduce poverty: But to do so, we will need to be risk-takers; Live and share the faith: Recognize that we are appointed by Jesus and we’re on a mission to bear fruit; Address the crisis in leadership we are facing: We can so by giving a little of ourselves to make things work; it will set an example of tolerance for the other. Toycen invited the graduates to develop their leadership capabilities and left them with this thought – “Whatever you do, you are a steward of all God’s gifts. If you accept this, God will take you places you never imagined. The devil is in the background saying, ‘Your life doesn’t matter.’ Jesus says, ‘Come and follow me; we can change the world together’.”