Four years later: Reflections from the C/O 2024
Meet our C/O 2024 graduates:
C/O 2024 Boston graduates
The whirlwind end of college consists of wrapping up your last finals, packing up the past four years of your life, making arrangements as family flies in for your graduation, clinging onto your last moments with friends. But also in the whirlwind are these precious opportunities to recollect. We were lucky enough to catch a few of our graduates and have them share lessons, defining moments, and advice to the younger ones during Senior Sunday (a church service we dedicate to the graduating class and marker for them as they transition to post-grad life).
Here are some words we captured from Josie (Harvard), Kelsey (BC), Kylie (Berklee), Julian (Berklee), and Aaditya (BU).
Boston seniors sharing on senior panel.
SPIRITUAL MARKERS: SAYING YES TO GOD
Aaditya
The summer before my senior year, my roommate Allen who’s also a senior at BU, introduced me to Christianity. The values and teachings of Christianity resonated deeply with me and long story short, after a few months of investigation and consideration, I wanted a personal relationship with Jesus and decided to become a Christian myself. Afterwards, I really wanted to talk to my college friends about my faith, and so did Allen. So with the help of our mentor Johnny Tu and Wilson, we were able to host a Matthew party at BU where we shared our testimonies and how our lives were changed through Christ. That was really special for me, especially as a new Christian, because lots of our friends are non-Christians who live similar lives as Allen and I did before coming to know God. So it was a very significant spiritual marker for me to be able to share my faith journey with them.
Kelsey
My summer mission trip to Cambodia during my Junior year. It was significant because I got a glimpse into what full-time ministry looks like and there’s something very special and joyful about living whole-heartedly for God, together with my team. During the 14 days of the trip, I also realized that people, including myself, don’t need that many material things to be happy. I was thankful for the opportunity to share the hope of the gospel with many people we met there and I really grew in God’s heart and burden for that land.
Julian
Senior retreat. I actually really didn’t want to go to the retreat initially… I was kind of running away because I was really scared of getting convicted by God. However, I ended up going and I was really convicted.
Surprisingly it wasn’t the typical stuff like “stop doing this or stop doing that” that convicted me. Instead, when we were going through the parable of the Rich Fool, I was convicted that I was living like a fool and I didn’t want to be a fool. And I learned that the way to not live like a fool was to trust God with the thirst of my soul and to not trust that the worldly desires I have will satisfy my soul because only God can, even if it’s not in plain sight or something I can see right away. So I didn’t want to be the fool that I had once been, and my biggest prayer coming out of that retreat was to prioritize God moving forward.
ONE WAY YOU WANT TO CONTINUE LIVING FOR GOD
Julian
Coming out of senior retreat, one concrete thing I did was to say Yes to Acts2 live, which was not super easy, because it took up all of Fridays, some Saturdays, and all of my spring break. But I said yes, and many great things came out of it. And I want to continue making that a pattern in my life: of choosing God and prioritizing him in this next stage of my life by saying Yes to different opportunities God presents to me.
Kelsey
I had the privilege of serving in the children’s ministry this past year where I helped to run a Sunday school program each week with some other volunteers. It was really rewarding and I really enjoyed it. Since I will be staying around Boston for grad school, I want to keep doing that and pour into the next generation kids at our church and maybe help out with ministering to some college students too.
Kylie
After graduation, I'll continue to serve God through my home church back in Korea and share the gospel to my friends. Also, Josie and I are planning to go to SLT in Vietnam in August so I’m very excited about that.
Aaditya
Next year, I will be sticking around Boston, with my roommate Allen as well. I want to continue these Matthew parties and continue to share my testimonies with my friends, family and even just anyone who wants to learn more about God. I also want to do Course 101 with anyone who might need it or find it beneficial to guiding their faith towards God. I definitely don’t want to be a lukewarm Christian when I’m older who just occasionally go to church on Sundays. Instead I really want to reciprocate God’s love and wisdom for others and help them reach the same salvation that Allen helped me reach.
Josie
I’ll also be staying around Boston next year. I want to equip myself to serve at our church and eventually plan to go on a 1-year foreign mission trip in the future like many mentors did this past month.
ADVICE
Kelsey
I think one word of advice for younger ones is definitely the importance of spiritual discipline through God’s word. It’s just good to be rooted and convicted. The truth is, it’s really hard to honor God outside of church when everyone else in the world is chasing after other things. So really encourage you guys to go to God’s word, whether it’s attending bible study, Sunday service, or doing devotions. And what makes it extra meaningful is if you do it with your friends!
Julian
My only advice to the younger ones is to really give God a chance in your life – to say yes. He doesn't disappoint.
Don’t be satisfied with the cheap things you think are expensive. There are plenty of more important things, of more exciting, thrilling and worthy things to be chasing after in Christ. But the only way you’ll know that is if you give a chance to God. Just say yes and see how it goes. You never know how it’ll end up or how you’ll be impacted by it so give it a shot.
To the graduating class:
Congratulations class of 2024! It was no coincidence that we crossed paths with each of you. The RCC community will be praying for all of you as you head into this next chapter. Remember all the ways God has led you and treasure in your hearts these lessons!
