Last Tuesday, the 2021 Graduation Ceremony was held at RTC’s Melbourne Campus. It was a joyful occasion to remember God’s blessings and to celebrate a significant milestone in the lives of our students. A total of 15 awards ranging from certificates to Masters degrees were conferred, some ‘in absentia’. In receiving their awards the RTC Class of 2020 could not only reflect on God’s grace in carrying them through all the hard work required but could also look forward to how He will use what they learned in His service.
Rev. Andrew Dircks, Vicar of Christ Church Hawthorn, delivered the address from Mark 4, which was read by current student Aleesha Bransgrove, on the importance of planting seeds of God’s Word into people’s lives. It was an edifying message, and we thank Andrew for reminding everyone of the power of God’s Word and its relevance to our graduands’ lives. Following the message, David Micallef and Sarah Williams performed a musical item, a rendition of the classic hymn, How Great Thou Art.
“It was a memorable experience to honour the 15 graduates on Tuesday and celebrate their dedication and impressive achievements. We thank God for their abilities and commitment, for knowledge and skill of the lecturers, and the support of staff, parents and friends which made it possible.”
A rather unique and special part of the ceremony was the conferral of the two awards from the Australian College of Theology (ACT). These were given to Reuben Capill who won the Janet West Prize for topping the list of ACT Master of Divinity/Master of Ministry students. He also won the John Foster Memorial Prize for his achievement in advanced Greek Exegesis units. This is a phenomenal accomplishment as it places him first out of 110 ACT students who completed their degrees during 2020. We would like to congratulate Reuben and his family for such a remarkable feat, and we thank him for his past contributions to the community life at RTC.
We give thanks to God for our graduands and their families, and we are grateful to everyone who has prayed for and supported our College over the years.
