2011 Bentley Sloane Alumni Award Recipient
Rev. Robert Besser ('88)
Centenary’s Christian Leadership Center proudly announces Robert Besser (’88) as this year’s recipient of the Bentley Sloane Alumni Award. Robert is a native of Conroe, Texas. He attended Sam Houston State University, Huntsville, TX, for two years, completing his bachelor’s degree in Christian Education from Centenary College of Louisiana, Shreveport, LA, 1988. He earned his Master of Divinity Degree in 1992, from Perkins School of Theology at SMU, Dallas, TX.
Rev. Besser has served in ministry with the Texas Annual Conference at: Bridges Chapel and Greenhill United Methodist churches, Mt. Pleasant, TX, while a student at Perkins, 1990-1992; Associate Pastor of First UMC, Pearland, TX, 1992-1995; Pastor of First UMC, Teague, TX, 1995-1998; and Senior Pastor of St. Luke’s UMC, Kilgore, TX, 1998-2006. Since 2006, he has been serving as Senior Pastor of Wesley UMC of Beaumont.
Both Robert and his wife Pam have served on several District and Conference committees and boards and are very community minded. Robert has received the
Denman Evangelism Award, the Eric Anderson Award for Leadership and the Bishop’s Award for Excellence from the Texas Annual Conference.
Robert has always been very active in community activities and programs while serving as pastor to his congregations. He has been honored by receiving the Volunteer of the Year Award for 1997, Region #7, while serving on the Central Texas Council of Child Protection Boards, also serving as president. He has been recognized for his work with: Teague City Chamber of Commerce; the “Lord’s Community Storehouse” food and clothing pantry; the “War-on-Drugs” Task Force; and the Heart of Texas Council of Governments Criminal Justice Advisory Committee.
While serving at St. Luke’s UMC, Kilgore, Rev. Besser has served on: the Board of
Directors of Laird Memorial Hospital, the Lon Morris College Board of Trustees, East Texas Piney Woods Chapter of the American Red Cross; the United Fund of Kilgore; Kilgore City Parks Committee; and the Lions Club. He has mentored scouts in the God and Country, God and Me, and God and Family Programs; has tutored at-risk students for Kilgore ISD schools; mentored individuals in the process of becoming full elders in the UMC.
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About the Bentley Sloane Alumni Award
Named after Dr. Bentley Sloane ('27), this award is presented yearly to an alumnus of the Christian Leadership Center (formerly Church Careers) for professional achievement in a church related vocation. The recipient was honored at the CLC Service of Endorsement in Brown Memorial Chapel on Centenary's campus at 5pm on Friday, May 6.
Previous Recipients include:
John Logan, Mona Logan, Kathy Clark-Dickens, Melissa Wilkins, Douglas Meyer, Clifton Phillip Ford, Stanley R. Copeland, Janice Ann Witt, Terry W. Swan, Kathryn Dauphin, Vincent Isner, David Otto, Russell King, Tim Bruster, Benny Vaughan, Lee McKenzie, Steve Kelly, Betsy Eaves, David Freeman, Ron Myers, Bryan Dauphin, Ramonalynn Bethley, Jayne Trammell-Kelly, Celia Whitler, Pam Crews, Drew Sutton, Charles Gaby, Laura Vaughan, Anita Dinwiddie, Jack O'Dell