BCF President Recognizes Chamberlain and McCall

May 29, 2008
During the spring 2008 graduation ceremony held at The Baptist College of Florida (BCF) in Graceville, two of Florida’s extraordinary men of faith, Peter L. Chamberlain, President of B. R. Chamberlain & Sons, Inc., and James W. McCall, Pastor Emeritus at First Baptist Church Sebring, FL and BCF alum, were presented with Honorary Doctorates of Christian Letters, one of the highest honors granted from an academic institution.
BCF President Thomas A. Kinchen commended both men for their exemplary lives of service and devotion to Jesus Christ. "Pete Chamberlain epitomizes the life of the dedicated Christian businessman," Kinchen stated. "He has set the base of his business in the provision of our Lord; his priorities in the service of our Lord, and his hope in the grace of our Lord. Through service in his church and community Pete has been a channel of our Lord’s blessings for countless persons around the world. I am grateful that Dr. Peter L. Chamberlain is a friend to The Baptist College of Florida and to its President."
According to Kinchen, Jay McCall is his ideal image of a Baptist preacher and pastor. "He has the heart of a kind pastor, the fervor of an ardent evangelist, and the mind of a keen student of the word of our Lord," stated Kinchen. Kinchen told BCF graduates how "McCall is the very finest example of what an alum of The Baptist College of Florida should be. My fondest wish would be that each of the graduates of The Baptist College of Florida would serve our Lord with the boldness, grace and dignity displayed by Jay McCall."
Kinchen was the keynote speaker for the graduation ceremony where sixty-four students received degrees in the college’s Assembly Center, making it one of the largest graduating classes in BCF’s history. Graduates received diplomas in various areas of study to include Associate of Divinity, Associate of Arts in Music, Bachelor of Arts in Biblical Studies, Christian Counseling, Christian Education, Christian Studies, Church Music, Contemporary Worship Ministry, Elementary Education, Leadership, Ministry, Missions, Theology, Music Education and Bachelor of Science in Biblical Studies.