I seriously doubt that anybody in LYN will be achieving enlightenment within this lifetime.

All of us have this thing called "buddha-citta", which is the capability to be enlightened. The 8fold path taught by the Buddha is to help us to arouse this Buddhacitta in us. That is to say, the Dhamma taught by the Buddha opens the way for this natural ability of our mind to arise. It's a good thing, because that means YOU and me all can become enlightened.  In theravada buddhism, anyone who becomes enlightened is called an Arahant.

The highest respect one can accord to the Buddha, according to the Buddha himself, is to practice the Dhamma.