George W. Webber (minister)
| George William "Bill" Webber | |
|---|---|
| Religion | Protestant |
| Sect | United Church of Christ |
| Personal | |
| Nationality | American |
| Born | May 2, 1920 Des Moines, Iowa, U.S. |
| Died | July 10, 2010 (aged 90) Maplewood, New Jersey, U.S. |
| Senior posting | |
| Title | Reverend |
| Religious career | |
| Works |
God's Colony in Man's World Congregation in Mission Today's Church |
George William "Bill" Webber (May 2, 1920 – July 10, 2010) was an American Protestant minister, reverend, and social activist who served as president of the New York Theological Seminary from 1969 to 1983. In 1948, Webber opened a string of storefront churches starting with a church in East Harlem and developed a program to teach theology to inmates at Sing Sing.
Webber was born on May 2, 1920, in Des Moines, Iowa, where he attended Theodore Roosevelt High School. He earned his undergraduate degree from Harvard University, attending on a basketball scholarship, and enlisted in the United States Navy in 1942. He had originally planned to become a lawyer, but decided to become a minister after thinking during time on his own during long watches as a gunnery officer aboard the USS Breeman (DE-104). After completing his military service he graduated with a Bachelor of Divinity degree from Union Theological Seminary and was awarded a Ph.D. at Columbia University in philosophy of religion. He was ordained as a minister by the United Church of Christ.
In 1948, together with two graduates of Union Theological Seminary he established the East Harlem Protestant Parish, with the goal of leading social change at the local level and serving the needy. This first church led to the formation of additional storefront churches. While many Protestants were moving to the suburbs, Webber moved his family to a housing project in Harlem. Webber was named as President of the New York Theological Seminary in March 1969, an appointment that his predecessor John Sutherland Bonnell opposed, citing concerns that Webber's plan for "radical experimentation" at the school would lead to placing too much focus on social action rather than on evangelism. During his tenure as president of the seminary from 1969 to 1983, Webber doubled the size of the school's enrollment, reaching out to expand attendance by African American, Hispanic and female students. He was awarded an honorary degree from Yale University in 1981, which recognized him as a "prophet for the cause of justice".
...
Wikipedia