Centenary welcomes new Director of Church Relations

SHREVEPORT, La. (Centenary News Service) — Reverend Warren Clifton has joined Centenary College as Director of Church Relations June 1, succeeding his friend and mentor, John "Benny" Vaughan.

Reverend Clifton previously served as the Director of Youth Ministries at St. Luke's United Methodist Church and Associate Pastor of Noel Memorial United Methodist Church, both in Shreveport. He is also a licensed local pastor.

Rev. Warren Clifton

He graduated from Centenary College with a degree in business in 1991 and from The University of Texas at Arlington with an MBA in 1994. He is currently pursuing his M.Div. through Iliff School of Theology.

Reverend Clifton is excited about returning to his alma mater as the newest member of the Advancement team. "Those of us who love Centenary College share 185 years of history and an eternity of possibilities."

In his new position as Director of Church Relations, Rev. Clifton will be responsible for nurturing the relationships between the College and the Louisiana Conference of United Methodists, and between the College and individual churches. He also works closely with the Office of Admissions to encourage Methodist students to attend Centenary as well as helping the Director of Financial Aid to track church-related scholarships.

Centenary College makes its Director of Church Relations available to churches as a worship leader, Sunday school teacher, and retreat facilitator, as well as a business process and human resources consultant. The Director can also coordinate teams consisting of students and staff from the College community to provide leadership for local church events ranging from retreats and mission projects to fundraising events.

Warren is married to Annelise Christensen Clifton, a 1992 graduate of Centenary College and a 1995 graduate of Southern Methodist University Dedman School of Law. Her father is Dr. Harold R. Christensen, professor of Economics at Centenary. Annelise works for the Council on Alcoholism/Drug Abuse of Northwest Louisiana as a teacher at The Cavanaugh Center, a structured, supervised, adolescent inpatient treatment facility.

The Clifton's have three school-age children: Sawyer, Ransom, and Harper.

About Centenary College of Louisiana

Centenary College is a private, four-year arts and sciences college affiliated with the United Methodist Church. Founded in 1825, it is the oldest chartered liberal arts college west of the Mississippi River and is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools. Centenary is one of 16 colleges and universities constituting the Associated Colleges of the South and has been recognized as "One of the Best 371 Colleges" by the Princeton Review and one of "America's Best Colleges" and one of "America's Best Private Colleges" by Forbes.com. In 2008 Centenary College celebrated 100 years in Shreveport and Bossier City.