Bill Adams

Bill Adams, 69, of Waco, passed away on August 12, 2026, at Baylor Scott & White Medical Center - Hillcrest, after a long battle with frontotemporal dementia.

Visitation will be held from 5:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. on August 27th at Antioch Community Church, 505 N. 20th St., Waco, TX. The celebration service will be held on August 28th at 10:00 a.m. at Antioch Community Church, with Senior Pastor Jimmy Seibert officiating. Burial will follow at Oakwood Cemetery.

Bill was born in Dallas, Texas, to Lindalyn and Reuben Adams, MD. Bill attended Highland Park Schools and Baylor University. At Bradfield Elementary, he loved playing football. During junior high, Bill accepted Christ as his Savior at Pine Cove Camp, which was a life-changing moment for him. He fell in love with running while on the Highland Park Track & Cross Country Teams, where he was captain during both his junior and senior years. He loved running so much that he would set off from home, run to White Rock Lake, around it, and back home several times a week—a trek of about 20 miles! Another joyful activity for Bill was being a part of Young Life and being a member of Highland Park Presbyterian Church.

His love for running continued as he became a freshman walk-on for the Baylor University Track & Cross Country Team in 1975. Four years later, he became the top long-distance runner in school history at the time. During his time at Baylor, he earned varsity letters in '77, '78, and '79. He also recorded the top four 10,000-meter times in school history, including a school record of 29:30.20 at the 1979 Drake Relays, a record which remained for 26 years! Bill became the Bears’ first NCAA qualifier in 1979 and finished his career as a U.S. Track & Field Federation All-American for 10,000 meters.

After graduating from Baylor in 1979, Bill began 18 years of ministry with Athletes in Action (AIA), a part of Campus Crusade for Christ. For the first three years, he worked with AIA Track & Field in Fountain Valley, California. There, he not only served students in the surrounding community but also trained and competed as an athlete for AIA.

Bill returned to Texas in 1982, where he became the Track & Field South Central Regional Director and established AIA in Waco, Texas. He served the Waco community by using sports to reach out to junior high and high school students. Bill and the AIA team spoke in many Central Texas schools, always concluding with the Gospel. He also invested in local students through weekly discipleship groups. After getting approval from the city of Waco, Bill created, established, and ran the Waco Summer Track Program. This lasting legacy is a great asset to the city of Waco and is still going strong today.

In 1992, Bill began leading summer sports camp teams to southern Siberia. This began as a joint outreach with AIA and Highland Baptist Church Missions and continued with Antioch Community Church. Hundreds of youths in Siberia were saved throughout his 20-year involvement with the sports camps. Bill was highly involved at Highland Baptist Church from his Baylor days through the 1990s. He taught, led, and discipled others, doing whatever was needed. He was deeply thankful for the spiritual growth and lasting friendships he made there.

After being single for many years, Bill married the love of his life, Andrea, in 1999. Around the same time, he was part of the original group that started Antioch Community Church. In 2000, his family moved to Russia, where they lived until 2012. Bill served in a support role for the Russian leadership of the newly planted church in Ulan-Ude while also leading a mission training school. The church in Ulan-Ude always held a special place in Bill’s heart. Bill and his family later moved to start a new work in Yekaterinburg, Russia, where he evangelized and discipled many people from Central Asia and Russia.

In 2012, after moving back to Waco, Bill began the Antioch Sports Ministry. Through this ministry, he organized and established the Nick Florence Camps and a variety of other local sports events in Waco. He also led sports teams overseas to Mongolia, South Africa, and Russia, and participated in sports trips to the Dominican Republic.

Bill was a loving husband and devoted father who cherished his family. He treasured his parents, brothers, extended family, and all the wonderful friends he walked with. Above all, Bill loved Jesus and served Him with his whole heart. Bill had the heart of an evangelist and loved to share Jesus with everyone he met.

Bill is survived by his wife, Andrea Adams, and their children: William Adams, Grace Adams, Annaliese Adams, and John Adams of Waco. He is also survived by his brothers, Richard Adams, and Charlie Adams and his wife Alice of Dallas; four nieces, Megan Adams Brooks, MacKenzie Adams Carpenter, Lindsay Adams, and Kristen Adams Thornhill; two nephews, Carlton Adams and Chase Adams; nine grandnieces and grandnephews; as well as many extended family members.