The Union County High School Class of 2026 will celebrate a major milestone this Friday, May 22, with a graduation ceremony set for 8 p.m. inside Mike Colwell Memorial Stadium.
In preparation for the momentous occasion, dozens of faith-minded seniors participated in a beloved Christian tradition the afternoon of Sunday, May 17, to ensure their next steps are taken with the right spiritual footing.
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The 2026 Baccalaureate Service at First Baptist Blairsville was a beautiful affair featuring Christ-centered messages delivered largely by students wearing purple graduation gowns in anticipation of their big day.
Members of the school’s Fellowship of Christian Athletes sponsored the event, offering prayers and imparting wisdom from hand-selected Bible verses.
From the pews, hundreds of loved ones as well as school faculty, staff, administrators and Board of Education members looked on with pride as the seniors filed in to the “Triumphal March” from Giuseppe Verdi’s opera “Aida.”
Speaking on behalf of the FCA and her graduating class, senior Khloe Ashcraft delivered a heartfelt welcome to attendees and expressed gratitude for the school system, First Baptist Church, friends and family members.
Maddox Patton led the invocation, asking God for protection and guidance for his fellow graduates while thanking the Lord for His many blessings.
Campbell Burnette and Averie Tanner took the stage together to deliver a pair of Old and New Testament readings. Burnette highlighted the importance of trusting God with Isaiah 40:28-31, and Tanner reminded her classmates, with Ephesians 2:8-10, that they had been prepared for “good works” through Christ.
The UCHS Ensemble movingly performed the choral piece “Homeward Bound,” making a promise to return home one day after parting – a message both reassuring to loved ones and symbolic of enduring faith.
Lola Hunter gave the “Prayer of the Class of 2026,” speaking for her classmates to offer God praise “for all You’ve done in our lives and will continue to do.”
“Please grant us Your peace in times of trouble, clarity in times of confusion, and strength in times of weakness,” Hunter prayed in the name of Christ.
Seniors Lane Haney and Breanna Shields undertook the Candlelight Service with juniors Chetley Cox and Addyson Lee, serving to “relinquish responsibilities, tradition and knowledge to the next class” as the Class of 2026 makes ready to embrace its independence.
Mady Adams introduced her father, Theatre Director Chris Adams, as the speaker delivering this year’s Baccalaureate Address.
Chris Adams utilized multiple Bible passages to advise the seniors going forth into newfound freedom, saying they can retain confidence in who they are by basing the context of their lives on Biblical truths while being selective about who and what they allow to influence them.
As they make their way into a world ruled by Satan, Adams told the seniors they will undoubtedly navigate many crises that might shake their faith in the years ahead, but they can always re-establish their confidence in challenging moments “by focusing on Christ.”
“Have the confidence in Christ that no matter what anybody says, you won’t care,” Adams said. “They will belittle you, they will make fun of you, they will try to mock you and make you feel small. That’s why I say, it’s important who you surround yourself with.
“Surround yourself with people that encourage you and lift you up; that study the Word with you; that try to hold your feet to the fire whenever you are not in the correct context. And your life will be in God’s will, and that’s the perfect place for you to be.”
Adams is an accomplished musician, and he performed two piano pieces during the baccalaureate, the first called “Abandoned,” the lyrics of which share the message of Jesus’ absolute love for humanity that caused Him to willingly embrace the cross.
“Jesus abandoned His life for us,” Adams said in introducing the song. “And we just need to abandon ourselves in order to live the richest life that we can have.”
For the second song, he asked his daughter Mady to return to the stage, and they were joined by UCHS Class of 2023 graduate Bailey Adams, another of Chris’ daughters and Mady’s older sister.
As Chris played the piano and harmonized with Bailey on backup vocals, Mady led a powerful praise and worship performance of “Worthy of It All,” which unabashedly gives glory to Jesus as the source of all good things.
Abby Barrett offered the Prayer for the Class of 2026, reiterating the need for God’s guidance in her life and the lives of her fellow graduating seniors.
Caleb Sheffield closed out the ceremony by highlighting the fact that, though he and his classmates are in a “season of change,” they carry the support of their “parents, teachers, friends, and the faith that God continues to guide us even when the road ahead is winding.”
“Thank you all for being here today, and may God bless the Class of 2026,” Sheffield concluded.
In the event of inclement weather, Union County High School will communicate any graduation ceremony updates or changes ahead of time through the school website, social media, text message, email, and an all-call to parents and students.
