On Thursday, May 24th, Lauren Nicholson, a disciple in the Boston Church of Christ campus ministry, received her undergraduate degree from Harvard University. Like thousands of other college students celebrating commencement, it was a day of celebration with family, friends, and a sense of triumph at the completion of an arduous task.
The day was also special because Lauren and her father, Ian Nicholson, were chosen to be highlighted in a special multimedia segment entitled “Letter from a Father to his Daughter.” This segment is a voiceover of Ian reading a letter to Lauren about her journey and his view of her from birth to the present day. One of the highlights of the letter was the emphasis on the principles of loving Jesus, integrity, and a charge on how to conduct her post-college life. Ian and Lauren were followed by a Harvard videographer during Lauren’s commencement. The video concludes as the day did with the Nicholson family in a celebratory embrace at Cabot House at the closing ceremony.
Lauren was baptized as a teenager in the Hartford church in 2013. Ian was appointed to serve as an elder in the Hartford Church of Christ last December. Their faith in God, their character, and their relationship and commitment to His values were on full display.
The video is featured on the Harvard website www. Harvard. edu and online in the Harvard Gazette.
Alexandra Ghoman, women’s ministry leader in the Boston Campus Ministry, added:
Lauren Nicholson came into the Boston Campus Ministry four years ago bright-eyed and full of dreams for her years at Harvard. I remember sitting down with Lauren and her parents during her orientations and answering their many questions about the campus ministry, the lifestyle of a college disciple, and how to make Lauren’s college years the best they could be. I was struck, even then, by the close bond between Lauren and her father. And as the years have gone by, I’ve continued to be amazed by the relationship that Lauren and her dad share. It is a relationship characterized by many long-distance phone calls, practical and spiritual advice, and by a father’s listening ear.
Lauren blossomed in college – using her many talents to serve those in the Harvard community and to enrich our fellowship in the Downtown region of the Boston Church. Lauren and Ian’s relationship reminds me of the unique opportunity that we have as disciples of Jesus to build families that are a light to the world around us and the call to never take for granted the gift of a spiritual foundation.
