May came and went very quickly on the Hyles-Anderson College campus. The month opened with final exams and led to graduation on May 8. Ninety-five graduates received their diplomas this year and were welcomed into the family of Hyles-Anderson College Alumni.

The salutatorian for 2015 was Miss Bethany Ball. Bethany is from the First Baptist Church in Rosemount, Minnesota, where our graduate Dr. Dave Clear is the pastor. Bethany completed her degree with a 3.97 GPA.



This year’s valedictorian was Miss Cindy Cook. Cindy grew up at First Baptist Church of Hammond and finished her degree with a 4.00 GPA.



Each year at graduation, we award the Mr. and Miss Hylander awards. The Hylander award is an effort by the administration, faculty, and staff to identify the young man and young lady who have risen to a status of recognition. They most portray what a Hylander is and should be. They have the delicate blend of zeal and knowledge, honor and majesty, grace and truth, strength and beauty.

This year’s Miss Hylander was Miss Lacey Green. Lacey is the daughter of Thomas and Laura Green of Morrisonville, New York. Lacey came to Hyles-Anderson College from the Bible Baptist Church in Plattsburgh, New York, where Robert Fry is the pastor.



Mr. Hylander for 2015 was Mr. John Calvin Barnes, Jr. John is the son of Pastor and Mrs. John Barnes, Sr., of Portsmouth, New Hampshire. John’s father just recently started the Stateline Baptist Church in Portsmouth, New Hampshire.



Immediately following graduation, we kicked off seven weeks of summer school with a brand-new course entitled Biblical Character Traits. This course was taught by Pastor John Wilkerson and Bro. Keith Cowling. You can view a full schedule of summer school courses by visiting the summer school page on our website.

At the end of the month, we all celebrated the lives of those who serve our country at the annual Memorial Day service at Memory Lane Memorial Park. Hundreds of people gathered to pay respect to those who fought to preserve and protect the freedoms that we enjoy every single day.

June is a month of upgrades and preparation for the new school year. Summer school continues through June 26 while our staff and faculty work to prepare the campus for the new school year.

Daily preparation is underway for Youth Conference 2015.

A group of youth workers met with Dr. Jack Hyles in 1972 to discuss the idea of a brand-new concept.  Pastors’ School had become an annual meeting for pastors and workers since the first meeting in 1964. "Why couldn't we do the same type of meeting in the summer, but for teenagers?"  Youth Conference was born.  There was nothing like it anywhere in the world.  Nobody had ever tried a youth conference before.  Would it work?  Would people come?  How long would it last? 

The first annual Youth Conference was held at First Baptist Church in Hammond in June of 1973. A few hundred teenagers came, and the phenomenon of an annual youth conference began.  Since that summer, hundreds of thousands of teenagers have made the annual trip to Hammond for Youth Conference. Thousands of Christian workers have had their lives changed and are in the ministry today because of a decision they made at Youth Conference in Hammond. 

It has been nick-named the “grand-daddy of them all,” the Youth Conference that started all other youth conferences.  Whether or not that is true, Youth Conference Hammond is still going strong today with the same powerful preaching, soul-stirring music, hilarious skits, and life-changing decisions that started it all over 40 years ago.

This year’s conference will be held at First Baptist Church of Hammond on July 14-16. We are very excited about the lineup of speakers for this year. Delegates will get to hear the following men at #YC2015:

• Pastor John Wilkerson
• Dr. Stuart Mason
• Bro. Sammy Roberson
• Bro. Chris Tefft
• Bro. Freddy DeAnda

• Grace and Truth – West Coast
• Hylander Singing Men – Midwest
• Honor and Majesty – Northeast
• Sons of the Prophets – Southeast

Important events to add to your calendar:

• Youth Conference: July 14-16, 2015
• Opening Day: September 1, 2015
• College Days: September 30 - October 2, 2015