May 14, 2007 By Rebekah Sungala 3 min read

WAYNESBURG – The Rev. Dr. Dolphus Weary reminded several hundred Waynesburg College graduates that God has a plan for their lives. With a booming voice that echoed throughout the campus during the 157th commencement ceremony Sunday afternoon, Weary instructed the graduates to find what they are passionate about and do it, despite the obstacles.

“You can’t, but God can,” he said.

Reading scripture from the Bible, Weary told the graduates to rest assure that God knows each of them intimately and understands their individual needs.

“I know the plans I have for you, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future,” Weary read, quoting Jeremiah 29:11.

Growing up poor in Mississippi without a father, Weary said he never thought he would, in 1969, become the first black student to graduate from Los Angeles Baptist College with a Bachelor of Science degree in biology.

“I knew I wanted to attend a Christian liberal arts college, but at that time they weren’t accepting black students. I was turned down from one college to the next until I was finally accepted there,” he said.

However, after receiving his undergraduate degree, Weary went on to further his education and received a Master of Education degree in religious education from the Los Angeles Baptist Seminary and an additional mater’s degree in Educational Administration from the University of Southern Mississippi.

Ordained to the ministry in 1973, Weary received his Doctor of Ministry degree from the Reformed Theological Seminary in Jackson, Miss., in 1997.

When Weary originally left Mississippi to attend college, he said he told God, “Lord, I’m leaving this state and never coming back.”

However, he said God led him back to Mississippi to work with Mendenhall Ministries, a multi-faceted Christian community development ministry.

Currently, Weary is the president of Mission Mississippi, a racial reconciliation movement that encourages unity in the body of Christ across racial and denominational lines.

“You can’t know the future, but God knows. Not only does he have a plan for your life, but he has a plan to carry it out,” Weary said. “Always keep your faith in the hands God.”

Weary encouraged the students to rely on God’s strength to make a difference in the world, instead of looking the other way when problems present themselves.

“There are no problems too big for God,” he said.

Prior to the commencement exercises on the front lawn of Miller Hall, the Rev. Dr. William J. Carl III delivered the baccalaureate sermon titled “You’re Somebody!” to students.

Waynesburg College is a private liberal arts Christian school that offers more than 70 academic concentrations at the undergraduate and graduate levels.

College officials confirmed 602 students graduated Sunday, making it the largest graduating class in history.

The oldest graduate in the college’s history, 71-year-old Marilyn Lobert, also graduated Sunday. Lobert received a Bachelor of Science degree in nursing.