Theoretically, this senior class should represent the profile of a graduating student. However, my past experience with high school and college students did not leave me feeling exactly hopeful. But when this class was over, I left feeling inspired because these students genuinely understood the gospel. They weren’t fluent in “Christian-ese” but displayed a self-awareness of their sins and their need of a Savior. I am not naïve enough to think that every student who graduates from Trinity is guaranteed to become a Christian, but I do feel confident that every student will at least know clearly what the Gospel is and how it is freely offered to them.
Furthermore, I love that the school is not just trying to teach students how to be good people (moralism) but more about who our Creator is, the world he created, and how he sent his Son to redeem his people. I have seen this in the way the school disciplines misbehavior, in chapel times, and how the staff is trained to approach conflict. Where the world keeps reinforcing the idea that our worth is based on our works and accomplishments, Trinity does a great job of teaching the students that their worth is based on how God views them. I am so thankful for what Trinity is trying to accomplish with its students and I can’t wait to see how God will continue to use them.
In Christ,
Pastor John Kim
Campus Minister of RUF at UH, Manoa