Judge Alberto Gonzales and Reverend Wayne Miracle will challenge the 2015 Welch College graduating class May 7 and 8, according to President Matt Pinson.
Wayne Miracle, Pastor of New Life Fellowship Free Will Baptist Church in Statesboro, Georgia, since 1998, will deliver the 2015 Baccalaureate address Thursday, May 7, at 7:00 p.m. Reverend Miracle earned his Bachelor of Arts Degree in Biblical Studies and Pastoral Training from Welch College in 1990. Since then, he pastored Pine Level Free Will Baptist Church in Alma, Georgia, before going to New Life Fellowship in 1998. He has served in several leadership positions on the local, state, and national levels of the denomination, including Moderator of the Georgia State Association and member of the Executive Committee of the National Association of Free Will Baptists.
Judge Alberto Gonzales, former U.S. Attorney General, will address the Welch College class of 2015 on Friday, May 8, at 10:00 a.m. Judge Gonzales grew up in Houston, Texas. He joined the Air Force after high school and attended the U.S. Air Force Academy. He later attended Rice University, completing his bachelor’s degree in political science in 1979, and Harvard Law School, where he earned his J.D. in 1982. After practicing law in Houston as a partner at a major firm, Judge Gonzales served in several key positions in state government, including Associate Justice of the Texas Supreme Court and Secretary of the State of Texas. He was appointed to the position of U.S. Attorney General by former President George W. Bush and was sworn into office on February 3, 2005, serving until September 2007. Judge Gonzales currently serves as dean of the Belmont University College of Law, a position he began in June of 2014.
President Pinson said, “Commencement week is an important occasion for the entire college family and especially for graduating seniors. The college family comes together to honor them for their years of academic rigor. This special time always brings us face-to-face with our mission as a college—to educate leaders to serve Christ, His Church, and His world through biblical thought and life. We hope you will join us as we celebrate with our 2015 graduating class.”