Heartland Lutheran grads told God has a plan for them

It was a packed Heartland Lutheran High School gym of family and friends Sunday as members of the Class of 2008 received their diplomas, finishing one journey and beginning a new one.

This is Heartland Lutheran High School's sixth commencement class and the Class of 2008 had 21 graduates, the biggest in the school's brief history.

Sunday was not only graduation day for the Heartland Lutheran seniors, but also Mother's Day and Pentecost, the day Christians celebrate the birth of the church.

The fact that it was a day to celebrate many things didn't escape The Rev. Glen Keylon, who was the commencement speaker. He said it was a "very special day." Keylon is pastor at Christ Lutheran Church in Cairo.

Working from the class's Scripture reading of Jeremiah 29:11, Keylon reminded the graduates that Jeremiah faced a lot of problems in carrying out God's message to the people of Judah and restoring the covenant of David.

But all through the trials Jeremiah encountered in carrying out God's command, he knew God had a plan and purpose for him, Keylon said. Jeremiah was "God-equipped," he told the graduates.

Keylon then the told the Class of 2008 that they are also "God-equipped" and that there is someone watching out for them as they start out on a new phase of their life journey.

"God has a plan for you already laid out, just like he had for Jeremiah," Keylon said.

What that plan is may be revealed to some already, but for others it will be revealed later on in their lives, he said.

"The Lord is looking out for you," Keylon said. "He's walking with you and directing your life."

He told the graduates that God's plan is for hope and prosperity for their future.

Valedictorian Jesse Bartels told his fellow classmates that the "day is finally here" and that one journey has ended and another is just beginning.

Being educated in a Christian environment has made all the difference, Bartels said.

"God has a plan for all of us," he said. "God loves us and we should honor him with our minds and our bodies."

One of their obligations as a class, Bartels said, is to teach others about God's love.

"We have grown in faith as a class and closer to God," he said.

Bartels said God will never stop following them as they continue on their journey.

"He will never stop loving us and he will always be with us," he said.

While presenting awards, Jacqulyn Zehendner, the school's counseling director, said the Class of 2008 has set a new bar for future classes by being awarded $103,000 in scholarships.

The salutatory address was given by Melissa Ramsey.

She said as a class, they have reached many milestones and there also have been many hardships, but, in the end, they have grown close as a class and become a family.

"We have accomplished many things and have been allowed to participate in many activities," Ramsey said.