Label
Council Members Morris, Hobbs and McPherson
Title
Recognizing Pastor Larry Clark for his 35 years of dedicated ministry to the Toledo community and for his calling to "feed the poor, clothe the naked and advocate for social justice.
Summary
WHEREAS, as a teenager, Larry Clark would see footage of the Vietnam War on the nightly news, his Christian denomination was engaged in social justice activities, and social change was on the rise; and
WHEREAS, all his church assignments - in Toledo, Columbus, and Cincinnati - were urban churches, with the exception of Sylvania First UMC, where he served between 2006 and 2015, and he knew he wanted to be an urban pastor, he said, and later into his ministry pursued a doctorate in sociology from Bowling Green State University to better help his work in these churches; and
WHEREAS, Pastor Clark believes that, "If your mission is to follow Jesus, you're supposed to feed the poor, clothe the naked, you're supposed to be involved in social justice . . . . Those are the things Jesus called us to do;" and
WHEREAS, in addition to serving five local congregations he has been a community leader, done interfaith work, worked with the Toledo City Council, and more; and
WHEREAS, Pastor Clark, 68, is set to retire from full-time ministry Jan. 1 after serving as a pastor in the West Ohio Conference of the United Methodist Church for 44 years and he has ministered at Monroe Street UMC since 2015; and
WHEREAS, living in Toledo for 35 years, Pastor Clark has seen the city change but sees potential ways for the city to move forward - such as capitalizing on its waterways and funding community centers; and
WHEREAS, it has been said of Pastor Clark that he "has been deeply dedicated to the well-being of the people of Toledo most of his life, . . . and there are so many examples of ways that he has served the city really faithfully in his role as a pastor and as a community organizer and a...
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