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Baptist Leader Jim Futral Keynotes Mississippi College Commencement


Jim Futral

A longtime Baptist leader who’s preached around the globe, Jim Futral will share his insights with Mississippi College’s Class of 2016.

Speaking to hundreds of undergraduates at the university’s May 7 commencement at the A.E. Wood Coliseum, Futral remains a familiar face on the Clinton campus.

The executive director-treasurer of the Mississippi Baptist Convention Board since 1998, Futral delivered the keynote speech at MC’s Founder’s Day program.

Celebrating MC’s 190th anniversary in January, Futral touched on the school’s birth as Hampstead Academy in 1826, its survival amid Civil War strife and the institution’s rapid growth in recent decades. America’s second oldest Baptist college, MC today enrolls nearly 5,200 students.

Futral’s Mississippi College roots run deep. His father, Rev. Guy Futral was a 1951 MC graduate who became a well-traveled preacher. Jim’s son, Rob Futral, senior pastor at Broadmoor Baptist Church in Madison, is among several other proud MC alums in the family.

Two years ago, Mississippi College leaders awarded Jim Futral an honorary doctorate in divinity. At the Spring 2014 commencement, Futral challenges graduates to make a difference, set high standards and follow the teachings of Jesus. “You need to have integrity about your life.”

The Fort Smith, Arkansas native began preaching at age 18. He earned his bachelor’s degree at Blue Mountain College in north Mississippi along with his master’s and doctorate in divinity at New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary. He’s served as a pastor at Mississippi churches stretching from south of Memphis to the Gulf Coast.

A total of 718 men and women are expected to be awarded diplomas at a series of MC commencements this spring. The total includes 365 undergraduates, 227 graduate students and 126 others at the MC School of Law.

Futral’s remarks to separate undergraduate ceremonies that Saturday will occur at 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. at the Christian university’s basketball arena.

On May 6, MC School of Education Dean Don Locke will serve as guest speaker at Graduate School ceremonies at 7 p.m. at the A.E. Wood Coliseum.

Earlier that Friday at 2 p.m., School of Nursing Dean Kimberly Sharp will speak to three dozen nursing graduates, family members and friends at spring commencement at Swor Auditorium.

The MC Law School graduation is set for Friday May 13 at First Baptist Church Jackson. The guest speaker will be Michael T. Parker, Magistrate Judge of the U.S. District Court of Southern Mississippi. Parker earned his bachelor’s degree at MC in 1983. The Mississippian is a 1986 graduate of MC Law in Jackson. His daughter, Alex Parker, is part of the MC Law Class of 2016.