Thursday, June 21, 2007

New United Methodist pastor expected July 1 in VF

by Davis Publications staff

Valley Falls and Coal Creek United Methodist churches will have a new pastor as of July 1.

The Rev. Robert Clark and his family will move into the Valley Falls parsonage June 26.

The new pastor and his wife, Ann, have two children, Joshua, 12, and Hailey, 6.

They are moving here from Hiawatha where he served a church for f ive years. While there he was active in the ministerial alliance, Boy Scouts, children’s soccer, community theater, and was treasurer of the Brown County chapter of the Salvation Army.

Clark is an ordained elder with the Kansas East Conference. He graduated from St. Paul Seminary in Kansas City, Mo., while associate pastor and youth director of Lenexa UMC.

He made a living as a stage hand from 1975 to 1995 working in the Kansas City area. He is still a journeyman member of IATSE No. 31, but has not worked since July 1, 2005, when he was injured in an automobile accident.

Highlights of his first career include working as head of the sound department at Starlight Theater, where he met his wife. He worked for CBS during the 1976 Republican convention at Kemper Arena, where he was lighting technician in the CBS newsroom for Walter Cronkite, Eric Sevareid, and Bill Moyers. He has worked hundreds of concerts from Bill Cosby to the Rolling Stones. His expertise was rigging, sound and audio-visual presentations.

His grandmother was a lifelong missionary to the Caribbean. He is also an ecumenical Christian—his wife is a Catholic.

He has organized and led almost a dozen mission trips in the United States and is hoping to start a group at Valley Falls. Last year he took a group of youth and adults to the Gulf Coast to assist with helping others recover from Hurricane Katrina.

He is also hoping to start a Bible study group and to do at least one book study a year.

Pastor Dean and Norma Thompson are leaving to serve the Trinity United Methodist Church in Concordia.