donor spotlight
Peter and Linda Cline: Bricks and
Mortar and Spiritual Vibrancy
P
eter and Linda Cline are partners, advocates,
and great friends of Christian Union. Most re-
cently, the Clines have helped to facilitate a generous
$700,000 matching gift through the BridgeHead
Foundation, where Peter serves as a trustee. This gift
is supporting the ministry’s campaign to acquire a
permanent ministry center at Columbia University
The Cline Family
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in the heart of New York City. The BridgeHead
Foundation exists “to assist Christian organizations
in fulfilling the redemptive mission of the Gospel
in bringing restoration of life to people and their
communities through the thoughtful and strategic
application of Christian values.”
The missions of these organizations align beau-
tifully. “At the BridgeHead Foundation, we are
looking to support organizations that are facilitating
holistic transformation, strategic effectiveness,
thoughtful leadership, and responsible stewardship,”
Peter Cline said. “Christian Union reflects these
values through its ministry and services by helping
students and professionals discover and strengthen
the intellectual validity of their Christian faith, and
develop practical skills that will enable them to make
a significant cultural impact for the common good.
To this end, both Christian Union and BridgeHead
share a common desire to enable Christians to im-
pact the leading cultural centers of influence.”
The Clines developed a heart for Christian Union
after direct experience with the ministry. “Having
had a son as a student and athlete at Columbia, we
experienced firsthand the value of Christian Union’s
program. We also saw the difficulty of not having a
physical location affecting the consistency with which
the ministry could impact students. This has been
heightened as the university’s free meeting spaces
seem to be at capacity.”
To Peter and Linda, a bricks and mortar campaign
has deep significance. “This building is a genera-
tional change opportunity for Christian Union at
Columbia. The mission of Christian Union—to
provide Christian worldview training at such an
influential campus in arguably one of the most im-
portant cities in the world—would have a forever
presence. A permanent ministry center would be a
foundational cornerstone for building the network
of Christian leaders in the city as they are equipped
and encouraged in the practical application of their
faith to change the world.” They go on to explain
that having this building “sends an important signal
that the Christian faith is vital and relevant to student
life in a time when the academic community has
largely relegated the Christian faith community to
the margins.”
Christian Union at Columbia
Launched in 2011, Christian Union at Columbia
has grown to 199 students (as of Spring 2017) and
is growing at a faster rate than the ministry’s flagship
ministry at Princeton, which is the largest student
organization on campus, religious or otherwise.
During the recent freshman welcoming campaign,
ministry faculty at Columbia have brought in over
77 new students to participate in Bible courses. The