FORMER ABC LEADER NAMED ALUM OF YEAR

A 1966 graduate of ABSW’s Covina campus who went on to a distinguished career as an American Baptist denominational leader has been named Alum of the Year.

The Rev. William Cline graduated in 1966. He served on the staff of First Baptist Church of Covina, Calif., then pastored the Conejo Valley Baptist Church in Thousand Oaks, Calif., before heading east to direct Evangelism and Social Concern for the American Baptist Churches of Pennsylvania and Delaware.

Following his 10-year tenure with the region, Cline joined the staff of National Ministries, ABC/USA, in 1983 with responsibilities in new church planting.

Throughout his career, Cline served as a chaplain in the Naval reserve. In 1996 he was named director of chaplaincy for National Ministries, working with more than 600 ABC chaplains and pastoral counselors serving in the U.S. and around the world.

Cline retired in 2000, and his ministry continued at Central Baptist Church of Wayne, Pa., where he served on the Board of Stewardship and encouraged his congregation to address both evangelism and social justice.

“Bill Cline is one of the most genuine, gracious, and warm-hearted individuals I have known,” says the Rev. Gordon C. Bennett, a 1960 graduate of ABSW, former professor at Eastern University in St. Davids, Pa., and fellow member with Cline at Central Baptist Church. “He has a passion for Christ, for evangelism and social justice, and for peace, and he seems to be constantly growing as he keeps looking for more challenges, reading widely and seeking new challenges to broaden his experience.