Apr 30, 2014 By Kimmi Baston staff Writer 4 min read

On Sunday, May 18, graduating Waynesburg University students will be honored during a baccalaureate service at 11 a.m. in Roberts Chapel, prior to commencement.

Inspiring the students at the baccalaureate service will be the Rev. Thomas M. Hall II, senior pastor of the First Presbyterian Church of Pittsburgh.

Hall became a part of this church in 2009 after earning his masters degree in divinity from Pittsburgh Theological Seminary in 2008. Prior to this, Hall retired in 2004 from a 30-year career as an Air Force colonel.

Hall’s sermon at the service is titled, “Where have All the Heroes Gone?”

”We live in kind of a self-centered age where people are called heroes by being themselves, and that’s who we hold up as heroes,” said Hall. “But we actually believe in a God who gave up being God and he stepped into our world.”

Hall believes we as a society have lost sight of what being a hero truly means.

”We’ve kind of turned the idea of hero inside out and upside down,” said Hall. “It used to mean someone who gives away what they have for other people.”

As part of a church that has been sending out missionaries for over 200 years, Hall sees giving to others as an essential part of Christian life. He oversees missions at the First Presbyterian Church of Pittsburgh, and he also participates in service himself. 

So far, Hall has completed mission trips to Southeast Asia, Palestine and the West Bank and Turkey. 

”I’ve been on several mission trips; its part of the ethos of Pittsburgh [Theological] Seminary,” said Hall. “They try to give students a short term mission experience to give them a heart for missions.”

Because of his deep involvement with missions, Waynesburg University will be presenting Hall with an honorary degree, a Doctor of Humane letters, which Hall said is “very humbling.”

Although Hall has never had a connection to the university before, he does have a friendship with Dr. Larry Stratton, director of the Stover Center for Constitutional Studies and Moral Leadership. Both of them are graduates of Leaders of Pittsburgh, a ten-month program that brings together 60 leaders from different areas to meet with one another and delve into the problems facing the region.

From this program, Hall learned that many American Christians are told they are supposed to hide their faith from the public.

”It’s a few people saying it, but the voices are loud,” said Hall.

This is one reason why Hall said he admires Waynesburg University and its mission of incorporating faith into the classroom and the careers beyond.

Hall therefore hopes he can build a lasting relationship with Waynesburg and its people during his visit.

”I hope I can learn more about Waynesburg and build some new relationships and friendships,” said Hall. “And I hope to meet new colleagues who love God and country and who want to encourage people to live out their faith in the public square.”