Hope of the Class of 2014: Moving on from the Reynolds High Shooting

As I prepare to release the upcoming posts about our overseas trips, hiking, and climbing, I have a couple of personal blog "shares":

1. My loving wife Kathy wrote a touching Father's Day tribute to me yesterday on her own blog, "The Hamilton 4."  I finally had a chance to read it today, and it's one of the sweetest things anyone has ever written for me!  The link is here: "Our Daddy."
2.  In light of the Reynolds High School shooting on Tuesday, I rewrote last week's sendoff to our Class of 2014 students.  My blurry, embarrassingly bad graduation ceremony pics have been removed.  I copied the words from my other blog and have shared them below:

Tuesday's school shooting at Reynold's High School hit close to home for us in the Portland metro area.  Many of my friends either attended school there or live nearby.  On the heels of the recent shooting at Seattle Pacific University, it was a stark reminder that horrible things like this can happen here in the Pacific Northwest as easily as they can anywhere else in the country.

Reflecting back on my controversial (and subsequently banished to my private blog) blog post on the Newtown school shooting 2 1/2 years ago, it seems my reaction this week has been less spiritually raw but no less distraught.  This time around, I don't feel compelled to be as shockingly candid here about my prayer life in response to tragedy.  But I will say that my prayers are being poured out for the friends and family of shooting victim Emilio Hoffman.  And we can all hope that some good will result from the past week's national discussions about reducing gun violence, the treatment of mental health disorders, and the positive impact that stable marriages and families can have on children.



As with recent tragedies, it is unfortunate that the news media fixates on and publicizes the killer.  Fame has not been implied as a motive for the suspected shooter, who presumably swiped weapons from his single father's collection but was also "highly regarded for his spirituality" by an elder in his Mormon church.  And yet, after being exposed to media coverage of the 74 school shootings which have occurred in this nation since Sandy Hook, it's not a stretch to assume that a would-be shooter may have at least considered the infamous legacy that he or she may leave behind.



But most of us know that horrendous acts should not establish a legacy.  And I applaud media outlets who choose to highlight the personal triumphs and accomplishments of our world's young people.

The legacy which many of us hope to leave behind, in addition to our accomplishments, is to be remembered for our kindness, our character, our ethics, and how well we love and serve others.  These may not be the legacies that make us famous, but they are what matter most.

[Continued below]

Photo credit: Werwin15 on Flickr

The hope of the Class of 2014 is that the future is wide open for them!  Infamous acts by others or even our own personal failures in the past do not overshadow the good that we can accomplish in the future.

As a Christ follower, I believe that God will lovingly and wisely direct those who seek Him.  But even if your beliefs differ from mine, we can still agree that this year's graduates have admirably demonstrated their drive to succeed in this world.  And that's something to celebrate!


For the young people in our lives and student ministry who have graduated this month, Kathy and I are so proud of you:

Congratulations to Anna D, Brett C, Eleanor B, Tamarra B, Whittney M,

and the rest of the Class of 2014!!

E.P.I.C. Class of 2012/ Mexico mission update

From August 1 (New photos and video added August 14!):

First of all, a late congratulation to our Class of 2013 graduates: Allen Buckles and Will Irwin!!  Our church family got a kick out of watching the slideshow prepared in your honor last month.   The video is embedded below:

Crank up the volume, go full-screen, and hit the “play” button above for a fast-paced slideshow of our favorite ministry moments featuring graduates Allen Buckles and Will Irwin!

In other big ministry news, we leave for our Mexico mission trip tomorrow!  We’re heading for Vicente Guerrero to build a house with Welcome Home Outreach Ministries.  Check out our previous E.P.I.C. Student Ministry Update for more details!

Fundraising at the Washington County Fair:

The Mexico mission leadership team and students Patricia and Katie sold soft drinks at the fair to raise money for next year’s trip.  We had about 50 volunteers from AChoG and the preschool working last weekend!

Our two Mexico groups meet at last:

We mixed it up at Godfather’s Pizza with our to-be Mexico mission partners from Tigard Church of God.  We leave together for Vicente Guerrero, Mexico tomorrow!

And here are a few bonus pics from the last few months:

Volunteers Wendy and Sharon organized a couple of after-school dinner outreach events.

A few of us anxiously awaited for neighborhood students to arrive!

Our missionaries from Micronesia, Gary and Gwen Bistritan, stopped by Aloha Church of God to share about the school they founded on the island of Yap.

Too bad I didn’t think about visiting Gary and Gwen (or Ed and Jan Cogar!) when I got stuck in Guam earlier this year.  Yes, my Osaka/Micronesia travelogue will continue here on Garth’s Blog soon!

And finally... An explosive ending to our county fair fundraiser:

I tweeted this pic of fireworks booming in my rear-view mirror as we waited in line to exit the fairgrounds, with the Jeep's soft top down.

Coming on next month's E.P.I.C. Student Ministry Update…

Our mission trip to Vicente Guerrero, Mexico!

...And coming up on Garth’s Blog…

Birthday Skydiving!

E.P.I.C. Student Ministry Update- July 2012

DSC_0050_edited-1.JPG, a photo by gkhamilton on Flickr.

From Violetta Guthier’s camera: Brandon graduates from Beaverton’s School of Science and Tech!

International Youth Convention in Denver is right on top of us! Our Aloha Church of God students are excited for the upcoming IYC trip, and we’re thankful for the success that God has blessed us with through our fundraising efforts:
  Our church and neighborhood families turned out in full force as we partnered with Aloha Christian Preschool for our spaghetti dinner night.




Most recently, our students helped welcome and direct visitors at Skyline Memorial Gardens throughout the three day Memorial Day Weekend. We also helped clean up the grounds by picking up flowers, etc. the following Saturday.
During breakfast on Day 3, Will paid Lena a visit with “Porque Pig.”  Bueno!






Earlier this spring, our middle and high schoolers had an opportunity to showcase their hospitality and relational skills with families and young children during our Easter Eggstravaganza community outreach event.


Our students’ involvement in each of these events were all great examples of the unique talents that we regularly see on display in our church, bringing to mind the spiritual gifts that Garth preached about in “Big Church” while Pastor Tim was away on Sabbatical this month.

Garth’s “We Are the Body” sermon series, based on 1 Corinthians 12, highlighted how each member of our church family (including those of you who haven’t even visited yet!) plays a valuable role in the body of Christ. Our diversity makes us stronger. Our passion for Christ gives us unity. And our unique spiritual gifting enables us to boldly serve others in love.



Last, and most definitely not least… we want to send out a larger than life congrats to our graduating high school seniors!   Several young people from the Class of 2012 have been involved in our E.P.I.C. student ministry throughout the years, but we especially want to honor graduates Brandon England from SST and Derek Gade from Aloha High School. Our church family has watched these two young men grow physically (now they’re both taller than Kathy and I!) and spiritually. We are grateful for their deep involvement and commitment to our student ministry over the years.


 To all of our graduating seniors, we scream at the top of our lungs:

CONGRATULATIONS CLASS OF 2012!!!!

Life and Near-Death at the WPC Commencement (Updated)

New photos added on 6/28/12


Here’s a riddle:  On what special occasion would I get an opportunity to both celebrate and help prevent each of two major life events?  Why, being a speaker at Warner Pacific’s commencement ceremony, of course!

Commencement photo from Warner Pacific's Facebook page

Last Saturday, as I waited for my cue to give my Alumni Council President speech to the Class of 2012, I subconsciously noticed that something was wrong with the man sitting next to me.

At first, I thought he had merely dozed off during the first hour of the ceremony.  Now, a week later, I’m still kicking myself for not paying closer attention to how slumped over his posture was gradually becoming.  The man appeared to have stopped breathing.  His adult son, sitting behind him, was speaking quietly but urgently into his ear.  There was no response.

The two of us pulled the man out of his seat and briefly laid him down in the aisle.  “We can’t let his niece see him like this,” the son pleaded to me as we each grabbed one of his arms.  

We both carefully dragged his lifeless body outside the auditorium and gently laid him back down in the hallway.

The man’s son sprang into action, performing chest compressions on his father as we waited for the paramedics to show up.  As I knelt down beside him, I laid my hands on his torso and closed my eyes.  A witness said she heard the man attempting to speak (That would've been an encouraging sign, although I was inches away and never heard a sound.)  I never even caught the man’s name.  [Update: His name is Howard, and his condition stabilized after I went back inside and the paramedics took him away.]

I may never know if my prayers for his resuscitation were answered that morning.  Shortly after the paramedics took over, I slipped back into the auditorium to cheer loudly as my several of my friends received their diplomas.  


As Dr. Cole Dawson introduced me, I shook off my rattled nerves and ran up to the podium to unleash my inspirational (I hope!) WP Alumni Association welcome speech to the graduates. Subdued, soft spoken, and mannered I was not.  Is it a cop out to blame my Braveheart-style delivery on the adrenaline?

Congratulations, Class of 2012!!!  Mike, Dante, Brian... never mind, I won't even try to list all of the people that I was excited to see graduate this year.  Your hard work paid off!


By the way, please join me in prayer for the recovery of my seatmate.  Thanks to the quick response of his son and the paramedics, I feel optimistic that he made it through.

And just for fun…

Here are a few pictures from this year’s 82^nd Avenue of Roses parade, with WPC mascot Knightro riding along in the backseat of my Jeep Wrangler:

Cruisin’ in the Jeep with Katie and Knightro

Micah charms the crowds along the parade route





Thanks for texting me this group shot, Traci!