Criswell College held its inaugural homecoming celebration, inviting alumni to celebrate their legacy and witness firsthand the changes happening on campus.
Alumni gathered Saturday morning to attend a special chapel, tour the campus and residence hall, and celebrate newly retired Distinguished Senior Professor H. Leroy Metts.
The morning began with a swag-filled registration and meet-and-greet where alumni could visit over coffee and doughnuts.
Afterward, an alumni-led chapel service took place in Horner Hall, featuring music from the current student worship team and a message from Dr. Jared Wellman ’07, M.A. ’10.
“Criswell College taught me the inerrancy and the infallibility of the Word of God,” Wellman said. “Isaiah 40:8 says, ‘The grass withers and the flowers fall, but the word of our God endures forever.’ So, when I open the Bible on Sunday mornings in church and discipleship meetings, when I share it with the lost, I am standing on something that will last forever. And that makes all the difference.”
Criswell College President Barry Creamer ’94 reassured guests that the school is focused on teaching the inerrancy of Scripture.
“We are 100 percent committed to the inerrancy of Scripture … every single word of it,” Creamer said. “When we say doctrinal integrity is the first of our core values, we really mean that all of our other doctrines come from Scripture, and our commitment to Scripture is to all of it, from beginning to end, for the actual truths that it gives us, and we stay in those truths all the time.”
Creamer also added that he hoped alumni will be encouraged in what the Lord has done and what He continues to do with Criswell College.
During the celebration, the first alumni board meeting was held, with the first meeting including the election of officers. Rev. Brad Patterson ’12 was elected president and will serve as an ex officio member of the Criswell Board of Trustees.
After lunch, guests were offered tours of a replica of Dr. W.A. Criswell’s office in Wallace Library and of the new Mary L.A. Stanton and Lance Ouellette Hall. The homecoming celebration concluded with a special celebration honoring Dr. H. Leroy Metts, who retired in July after 40+ years of service.
