“It’s not what you know, but who you know,” said Weldon Fallaw in his address to 120 graduates at North Greenville University’s commencement exercises on Dec. 10.
Eric Hammond and his wife Kara pose with Jimmy Epting (left) and T. Walter Brashier.“What you ultimately attain in life, you are working on and becoming right now,” said Fallaw, president of the Baptist Foundation of South Carolina. “If you know the Lord Jesus Christ as your Savior, you have already won much of the battles in life.”
Fallaw has announced his plans to retire effective Dec. 31 after serving the foundation for more than 28 years. At the conclusion of his address, the university awarded Fallaw an honorary doctor of Christian leadership degree.
Eric Hammond of Orlando, Fla., was among those in the T. Walter Brashier Graduate School graduating class. Hammond was displaced while attending New Orleans Baptist Seminary in 2005 when Hurricane Katrina devastated the Gulf coast. After learning of North Greenville’s graduate program from a friend and speaking with the NGU faculty and staff, Hammond relocated to the Taylors area with his wife and two children.
“It has been such a blessing to be associated with the faculty and staff at North Greenville University,” Hammond said. “It was not easy to follow God’s call and make the move to come here. However, I knew this is where God was calling me to be.”
Hammond is serving as a youth intern for Fairview Baptist Church in Greer.