Students lead sending service

About eight students at Jamestown High School have been spending one lunch hour a week together working on an upcoming church service.

The baccalaureate service — a nondenominational Christian sending service for graduating students — will be at 7 p.m. May 20 in the theater at Jamestown High School.

“It really is a student-run affair,” said Troy Gunderson, executive director of James Valley Youth for Christ, who is helping the students arrange the hour-long service.

The Jamestown Ministerial Association traditionally sponsors the service, which has no costs apart from printing bulletins, Gunderson said after meeting with the students Wednesday.

Gunderson expects about 100 graduating seniors of the 170-student class and their families to attend.

This year, the student organizers decided to include special music by local band Redeemed, which will play “Amazing Love,” “I’m Trading My Sorrows” and “Lord I Lift Your Name on High.”

They also chose the speakers — Dave McDowell, a popular math teacher at JHS, and Tom Eckstein, a pastor at Concordia Lutheran.

Their theme will be the class motto: “Behind us are the memories, beside us are friends, before us are dreams that will never end.”

Students Riley Spenningsby, Elizabeth Entzel, Abby Wenzel and Kayla Thoele will offer brief reflections of their experiences with their class.

All the students involved and all those organizing the service are volunteers. Even the bulletin will be designed by a student — Josh Eckstein.

“This is their opportunity to give the messages they want to give to fellow classmates, parents, teachers, other students,” said Elizabeth Sherfy, director of children’s and youth ministry at United Presbyterian Church in Jamestown, who is also helping students design their service. “… we just keep the minutes.”

All seniors are encouraged to attend the service, and should arrive in their gowns — but not hats — at 6:45 p.m.

Sun reporter Kari Lucin can be reached at 701-952-8453 or

by email at

klucin@jamestownsun.com

Tags: life, religion