by David Melton
Forty of us from Boston Baptist College just returned from our study trip to Italy. Study trips lead up to the culmination of a great year of study. It’s hard to top the ruins of ancient Rome for understanding the life and work of Paul. Our study trips sure aren’t glamorous and are not vacations, but they are pretty much the gold standard for innovative Biblical education. And they are the standard expectation for us in Boston.
I’ve made lots of jokes about the souvenirs I buy on study trips. I’m not much of a shopper, and long ago I got past the urge to buy t-shirts or key chains. But, on our last day, I found a shop that makes Latin plaques, so I splurged and spent about $20 for the college lobby. To remember the 2015 trip, the words Ad Maiora now greet anybody walking in the door.
I know full well that the Jesuits include that Latin remark in their official motto. But, in case your high school Latin is a little rusty, Ad Maiora simply means “toward greater things.” That has to be a great reminder for a college like ours! I want thinking like that to catch the eye everywhere you look here.
Many people talk today about ROI and college studies: that is, return on investment. Normally, it is used in the context of wage earning, figuring out the statistical likelihood of increased earnings for a college graduate as opposed to other scenarios. That conversation has its place, but around here, we are framing our thoughts quite differently — toward greater things. Our students hear it constantly. I’m glad to hang one more reminder for them to see. It goes along well with the inscribed marker on the front lawn … William Carey’s famous line, “Expect great things from God, attempt great things for God.”
I like study and learning, but they are not an end to anything. For Christians, they are merely a tool for worship and service. They are roads toward greater things, if you will. Just a few weeks ago I got a letter from a Boston alum who pastors in North Dakota — doing a bang-up job by all accounts. Great. Then earlier this week I got a letter from another alum who is off to Rwanda. Great.
Students will finish up this semester and head off to new positions of church service, summer jobs at camps, and internships. This is the kind of “greater things” we talk about. Almost immediately after graduation I will get to be a part of ordaining two remarkable young pastors who both studied here. Justin Johnson is doing a great job with Clayton Moorman at Newark Baptist Church in Maryland. Michael Woodward is serving Ocean State Baptist Church in Rhode Island with real distinction. Great things. It’s why we work together and pour our lives into this. Ad Maiora.