The following is the message given by our ASB (Student Body) President at the Back-to-School Night assembly on Thursday, Sept. 1, 2011.
Good evening. My name is Cameron Wegener, and I am honored to serve as Student Body President this year.
Last spring, the Class of 2012 selected as this year’s theme verse, Joshua 1:9, which says: “Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed. For the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.”
This is a verse of both encouragement and comfort. It encourages us to be strong -- in mind, body and spirit; and, to have courage in the face of adversity. It is also a verse of comfort, telling us not to be frightened or dismayed.
Believe it or not, teens do pay attention to the news. What we see is not just frightening… it can be terrifying.
Protracted wars, where people -- some not much older than we are -- are dying. Devastating hurricanes. Rioting in the streets. And economic uncertainty in the stock market, the housing market, and the job market.
But these conditions aren’t new. Throughout history, there have been wars, natural disasters and uncertainty.
The one constant? That “the Lord our God is with us wherever we go.”
That is the difference that you see here at OLU… It is a place where students find comfort, hope, and joy in that promise.
You can see it in the classrooms and hallways, on the fields and courts, and at the Nechita center.
Comfort in the fact that even though events may seem frightening and we are living with a lot of uncertainty, our Lord is there with us.
Hope in the future, because we know that it is in God’s hands.
And joy in the fact that because of His sacrifice our sins are forgiven, and we will be with Him in heaven one day.
Some of you may not know that at 1,300 students, our school is one of the five largest Lutheran schools in the nation. At the other 90 Lutheran high schools, the average enrollment is just 187 students.
But large or small, our schools are part of a long and rich tradition of Lutheran education going back almost 500 years.
In the 16th century, Martin Luther and others enacted educational reforms in Germany, stressing the importance of subjects like language, history, poetry and math. They also emphasized the value of moral and natural philosophy.
Why? Because all of these subjects lead students to a greater understanding of God’s creation and God’s law.
This in turn helps students develop a greater insight into the condition of man, which leads to the Gospel.
Lutheran education today still makes that connection between faith and learning. The mission of Lutheran education the 21st century is the same as it was in the 16th: to help students develop mind, body and spirit for service to Christ.
You see that service to Christ exhibited by our students: mission trips, services days on campus, and countless hours of service volunteered in the community. All performed with the goal of pointing others to Christ.
We are richly blessed here at OLU. We have beautiful facilities and the latest technology. We have amazing faculty, coaches and staff who do their best to make sure that we have every opportunity to excel.
And we have a family of like-minded parents and supporters, united in one purpose: to provide a quality Christ-centered education.
The people of OLU come from very different walks of life, with different opinions and world-views.
Some of you attended Lutheran schools yourselves, and recognize the value of a Christian education; my parents did, and their parents before them.
Others are here tonight because you simply recognize that our school is unique: a place where each student is a valued member of God’s family.
On behalf of the student body, thank you.
Thank you for the sacrifices that you make to send us here.
Thank you for keeping the faith with generations of other parents who have provided their children with a Christian education, recognizing that, “the fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom.”
And thank you for sending us to a school where we find comfort, and hope, and joy.
