Baptist Academy Old Students’ Association (BAOSA) at the weekend paid tributes to deceased members of the Baptist community.
Speaking at the Evening of Thanksgiving & Remembrance in Onanikoro, Lagos, BAOSA President, Olumide Ajomale, noted that the lives, service and sacrifices of BAOSA members, classmates, teachers and administrators remain woven in the fabric of their alma mater.
The annual event is a solemn gathering designed to express gratitude for the living and honour the memory of departed alumni and faculty. It had the theme: “A Legacy of Gratitude, A Bond of Remembrance.”
Ajomale said in remembering them, the association reaffirms a bond that transcends, and legacies preserved through gratitude, service and continuity.
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“We gather first in thanksgiving, as an Alumni of Baptist Academy, we are grateful for the solid foundation of learning and character we received, the lifelong friendships forged and the opportunities that have flowed from our shared heritage. Above all, we thank God for sustaining us and for granting us the privilege to give back to the institution that gave us so much,” he said.
Minister of the day, Rt.Rev. Jeremiah Abidemi Shittu,JP, in his exhortation from Psalm 90:1, emphasised the significance of giving thanks to God.
He described gratitude as a service to God and humanity, stressing that gratitude has a feel-good emotion, a tool for personal well-being.
“While these are valid aspects of life, biblical gratitude transcends mere transactional facts. It is an unconditional, proactive, and spiritual posture of acknowledging God’s goodness in all circumstances,” he said.
While commiserating with the families of the deceased, the clergyman noted that God has kept everyone alive for a reason, not because they are better than those who have gone, but to keep their legacy on,and reflect on what they have done in the past.
“I want to say that this bond of remembrance is for peace for our brothers who have passed on. We remember them today. Those who once passed through the familiar corridors of our school, shared lives in the dining hall, bowed their heads in devotion during the school assembly year, and sang in the school anthem and the national anthem, and lived in the borders of our hostels. They were vibrant, full of life, with dreams and aspirations for the future like ours,” he added.
