PRAISE GOD FROM WHOM ALL BLESSINGS FLOW!

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2 PRAISE GOD FROM WHOM ALL BLESSINGS FLOW! I am so excited that we have the opportunity to celebrate our young people in a public and visible way. It should not be lost on us that there are many young people that may never feel celebrated or appreciated. I challenge each adult today to embrace the vitality, creativity, courage, and energy of our youth, respecting them for who they are and what God can do through them. I also challenge our youth to accept the wisdom, experience, resources, and security that comes with age, respecting the elders for all that God has perfected in them. God has made each of us fearfully and wonderfully and we each fit together in the matrix of God s Kingdom. If we all honor where we are and what God is doing in us with us and through us, it would be inherently clear that all lives matter! Until we get there we will continue to emphasize the fact that #younglivesmatter. Young people, you bring so much to the table and there is room in the kingdom for all that you bring. Don t let anyone discourage you or stop you. Be led by the spirit of God and be persistent in His love, not forsaking one another but lifting each other up and it will not be possible for anyone to neglect or disregard your youth. If you don t feel that you are there yet, then go back to the basics, the foundation of who we are and what we do, what we believe. Trusting in God is a decision, start there. Decide today that you will trust God with your heart, with your life, with your schooling, with your career, with your family, with everything. Trust in Him and lean not to your own understanding. After you have decided to trust him then talk to him. If you want to trust him with your stuff then you have to give him your stuff to see what he can and will do with it and with you. So, talk to him daily, several times a day. It does not have to be formal or pretty, just honest. If you are going to talk to him then you may as well listen to him, he has lots to say to us. Just like our music, sports, and everything else that we do, practice makes perfect so make it a habit, practice talking to him and listening to see what he has to say to you. There are no guarantees in life, except every man born of a woman will surely die. But there are promises from God and you can lean on them: If you openly declare that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. Romans 10:9 No weapon turned against you will succeed. You will silence every voice raised up to accuse you. These benefits are enjoyed by the servants of the LORD; their vindication will come from me. I, the LORD, have spoken. Isaiah 54:17 If you need wisdom, ask our generous God, and he will give it to you. He will not rebuke you for asking. James 1:5 If my people who are called by my name will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sins and restore their land. 2 Chronicles 7:14 The temptations in your life are no different from what others experience. And God is faithful. He will not allow the temptation to be more than you can stand. When you are tempted, he will show you a way out so that you can endure. 1 Corinthians 10:13 #younglivesmatter, Lets act like it! Congratulations Graduate, Now go change the World! 2

3 Cheryl Dawkins Pulliam, an educator for the past 28 years, serves as principal of Oakland Terrace Elementary School in Silver Spring, Maryland. A graduate of Johnson C. Smith University in Charlotte, NC, Mrs. Pulliam earned a Bachelor of Arts in Early Childhood Education. She later earned a Master of Arts in Special Education from George Washington University and received certification in Administration and Supervision from Johns Hopkins University. With experiences in early childhood education, special education, and instructional leadership, Mrs. Pulliam developed a strong foundation for teaching and learning. An instructional leader for the past 18 years, Mrs. Pulliam served as assistant principal of Summit Hall Elementary School for 2 years and principal of Oakland Terrace Elementary School for the past 16 years. She professes a vision of inclusion, in both theory and practice, as a result of both classroom and administrative experiences. As principal of Oakland Terrace, Mrs. Pulliam has been credited with a series of positive changes and educational best practices: including acceleration and enrichment of students in all academic areas, high achievement among all subgroups, and inclusionary programs for special needs and ESOL students. Oakland Terrace has become inclusive under her leadership and partnerships with Towson University and Montgomery College. At the forefront of students achieving at high levels is her strong focus on removing racial and ethnic barriers that lead to eliminating an achievement gap. She has been the recipient of many awards, most notably The Washington Post Distinguished Educational Leadership Award as Principal of the Year. Baptized at the age of 9 at Friendship Baptist Church, Washington, DC, Mrs. Pulliam developed a love for the Lord at an early age. Following her marriage to her husband, Timothy Pulliam in 1997, she joined Mt. Calvary Baptist Church. The marriage was later blessed with the birth of their daughter, Timaya. Above all, Mrs. Pulliam focuses on building respectful and trusting relationships at home, at church, and with her staff and students at school, putting her relationship with God first. She loves and believes in Psalms 91:2, I will say of the Lord, He is my refuge and my fortress: my God; in Him will I trust. 3

4 HISTORY OF MT. CALVARY BAPTIST CHURCH BACCALAUREATE SERVICE The annual Baccalaureate Service, held the second Sunday in June (the original Children s Day) was birthed in the early 1980 s as a result of two Sunday School Teaching Staff, Rev. Hiawatha Fountain and Trustee Brenda Shelton, reminiscing about days of yore as they related to the significance of High School Graduation Festivities in the Black Schools. Both being from the South, Alabama and Texas, respectively, they discussed concern for the loss of cultural traditions and the need to resurrect some of those traditions held dear to the heart. Recognizing that many of our students were unfamiliar with the Baccalaureate, Rev. Fountain and Trustee Shelton agreed to pursue including the Baccalaureate as the culminating event for Mt. Calvary s Annual Youth Day. With the blessings of the Pastor, Rev. Houston G. Brooks, and the Sunday School, official sponsor, Deacon Audrey Hankinson Superintendent, the Baccalaureate Service became a reality. The Baccalaureate was the religious/spiritual service that preceded the Commencement Service and was viewed by many as more critical to the graduates. The Baccalaureate generally involved the school, the church, the family and the community. It was an inspirational service that was used to help launch the graduates into new horizons with blessings from all the institutions that had thus far helped to chart their paths through High School and influence the future direction of those paths. It did not matters if students would go to college, trade schools, the military, begin work careers, or get married, these institutions believed that the students needed spiritual guidance to see them through. They were adults, now responsible for managing their own time, making decisions about their social lives, the whole gamut associated with new found freedoms that could make or break them. Mt. Calvary has been instrumental in launching its High School Graduates into uncharted territory with its blessings for about 30 years. The initial service was focused on High School Graduates, but was later expanded to include College Graduates. Although Mt. Calvary hosted the Baccalaureate, it was open to other high School Graduates who wished to become a part of this experience. For several years, the Macedonia Baptist Church (Rev. Sterling King) High School Graduates and several students from the community, who were non-mt. Calvary members, participated in the Service. The program content was determined by Rev. Fountain and Trustee Shelton, Program Coordinators, with approval by the Pastor and Sunday School Superintendent, with a reception hosted by the Youth Ministry, Youth Director, Jennie Fleming. The Service was always inspirational and the Program Coordinators continually sought ways to improve the program content. For example, initially, the Service did not include Words of Wisdom from college students who had successfully completed at least the freshman year, or the Corporate Prayer for the Graduates and their Families. Our focus was on speakers who would address the need for spiritual guidance to help students when the going gets tough dealing with various issues associated with life away from the watchful eyes of the family, church, and community. This Service was not just for the College Bound. Our concern was not with the academics, as this was sure to be addressed during the Commencement. The Baccalaureate Service is currently sponsored by the Youth Ministry with considerable involvement from the Board of Christian Education and the Scholarship Committee. The focus is now on Mt. Calvary High School, College, and Post-Graduates. The important thing is that a tradition that was dear to the hearts of our forebears, Black High School Graduates, the Black School, the Church, and the Community continue to live on through the young people and ministries of Mt. Calvary Baptist Church. Mrs. Brenda Shelton Rev. Hiawatha B. Fountain, Ed. 4

5 Baccalaureate Service Call to Worship June 11 3:00 p.m. Processional Pomp and Circumstance 2017 Graduates Congregational Hymn Scripture Prayer Zipporah Bright Quince Orchard High School Jared Hammond Damascus High School Welcome Presentation of Graduates Drew Byrd Richard Montgomery High School Master s Degree, Undergraduate Degree, and High School Graduates Voice of Experience GRADUATES GIFT OF TALENT INTRODUCTION OF GUEST PREACHER Musical Selection Message to Graduates Chair BOCE, YMLT Grace Gabriel Hampton University Senior Song Rev. Barry Moultrie Mrs. Cheryl Pulliam Scholarship and Gift Presentations Garland Davis Deacon Wilhelmina Bell-Taylor Strive Scholarship Madden/McAbee Kristin Ethel King Memorial Jonathan LaMar Boone Retirement Connection Scholarship Mt. Calvary Sunday School Scholarship Music Award Mt. Calvary Baptist Church Prayer for Graduates & Their Families Benediction Mr. and Mrs. LeCount Davis Ms. Michelle Taylor Mr. and Mrs. James McAbee Minister Aaron King Mr. and Mrs. John Boone Mr. Henry Williams Ms. Allison McKie Mrs. Elsie Fleming BOCE Chair Clergy Clergy Please join us for a reception in the LGFLC-Multipurpose Room Immediately following the service. 5

6 Listening to the Message Listen to the message from God's word. Use this sheet to make some personal notes. Go back over them during the coming week. Let God crystallize His truths in your life Mrs. Cheryl Pulliam Sunday, June 11, 2017 Message: Biblical Text: Main Ideas of the Sermon: Illustrations I Want to Remember: What Should I Do as a Result of Hearing this Sermon? 6

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