Celebrating Baccalaureate

I started chairing Baccalaureate in 1998 and I did my first service in 1999. I was appointed by the then president of the Pearland Ministerial Alliance. My first service was wonderful and after the service, no one wanted to go home. People stood in the commons and visited. The Graduates formed a huge "99" and the parents ran to the second floor to take pictures of it.

The next year (2000), I decided that we needed a reception – since people wanted to stand around and visit. Vicki Frame, a friend advised me on how this should happen. Provide the table clothes and use plastic so that they all match. Vicki took charge of the reception that year and she deserves all the credit for it. She did a great job

For 2001, someone asked me what my idea of a perfect Baccalaureate was and I said a reception and giving a gift to the graduates. We handed a graduation key fob to the graduates. It was our first year to have Dave Edwards speak and he did a wonderful job for many graduates and their siblings. I know this because when I play a video of the service or when I showed seniors his picture, many would say – he spoke at my brother's (or sister's) Baccalaureate – he's hilarious!

In 2002, we ask a local graphic and layout artist to design a logo for Baccalaureate. By this time, we realized that we needed a catch phrase to describe Baccalaureate. We came up with "The blessing of the graduates." John Gilmore was wonderful to work with and a blessing to Baccalaureate.

In 2003, we started passing out a t-shirts to the graduates as a gift for attending the service. John Gilmore also laid out our t-shirts and the programs.

2004 to 2005 were years of small changes and constant turmoil with the Pearland Ministerial Alliance. I felt a kinship and a responsibility to the PMA and they always seem to feel like I was acting independent of them. I felt they were family and they seem to regard me as an untrustworthy outsider. The attendance at their meeting was irregular and there were no minutes, so no one (but me) could keep up with the decisions regarding Baccalaureate.

In 2006, our relationship with the school radically changed. We received a list of "suggestions" from administration, including that the service be shortened to 1 hour or less. We were no longer allowed to pass out Baccalaureate information on Campus. We started anticipating our need for 2 services Pearland and Dawson in 2010. I was greeted with high fives at the end of the 2006 service – I had come in at 59 minutes and 23 seconds. I didn't know the service was being timed!

In 2008, Warrick Baker was our first local speaker. The PMA disbanded in November 2008, leaving me and Baccalaureate without an accountability group. I decided that Baccalaureate was important to continue. The Committee supported this decision.

Tom Allen was our speaker in 2009. Tom asked me why I was continuing Baccalaureate. I told him I figured I could either continue it or drop it. He looked at me and said: It's good that you are continuing it. PISD would never let it start again. Tom was a former school board member.

The lost of the PMA affected Baccalaureate deeply. There was no longer a central reporting to a group or time. The progress as far as the churches and attendance was dimensioning. It was difficult to get the word out. I continue to operate as I was accountable to the PMA and considered their input when we made decisions.

January 2010, I was bombarded by youth pastors who felt like I was excluding them from Baccalaureate! I felt like I was begging people to participate – what a strange turn of events. By February, their program, their speaker were all decided. The only thing that we didn't go with was t-shirts for the service - we stayed with cap & gown. By March, the youth pastors were ready to be done with Mike, Vicki and II – the experienced committee members. I had always worked in cooperation for Baccalaureate, but some of the team was now down right hostile. By the day of the services in May, I think they saw that Mike, Vicki and I brought something valuable to the table. I don't think any of them want to take charge of the reception, setting up the school or picking up the t-shirts or pass them out.

During December 2010, I sat down with a group of pastors, youth pastors and several others. The bottom line was the pastors wanted Baccalaureate back and they wanted the chief hostile youth pastor to be in charge of it. He graciously let me know that the youth pastors were eager for me to serve them and I was welcome to be involved. . .

This chapter in my life – and it was a huge chapter is now closed. I still think 13 Baccalaureates is worth celebrating.