Rocklyn E. Clarke Sr.

Rocklyn E. Clarke Sr.

Senior Pastor & Founder

Check out these podcast episodes

The Good Life With Dr. Danny: Rocklyn E. Clarke Sr. – Life Church Boston

Infinite Corridor Podcast: Rocklyn and Eva Clarke: Disciples Go Where the Pain Is

| Birth and Early Years

Rocklyn was born in New York City and grew up in a loving and nurturing extended family environment. He developed a deep interest in science and mathematics as an elementary school student which led him to The Bronx High School of Science, then one of three math and science oriented exam schools in the New York City public school system. While at Bronx Science, Rocklyn participated in the Columbia University Science Honors Program and attended the Hampshire College Summer Studies in Math (HCSSiM), a program his friends sometimes refer to as “math camp”. After graduating in 1976, Rocklyn left New York to attend the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in Cambridge, Massachusetts where he would major in physics.

| College

MIT was the setting for a number of formative experiences in Rocklyn’s life. In the summer of 1977 he served as a tutor in Project Interphase, a preparatory program for selected incoming students. It was here that he met Eva Louise Gilliam, an incoming freshman and the woman who would eventually become his wife. In 1978 Rocklyn’s growing involvement in minority student activities culminated in his election to the office of Co-Chairman of the MIT Black Student Union. It was this position that gave him the opportunity to begin developing his leadership skills and to work with students, faculty, and senior members of the administration.

| Following Jesus

His greatest MIT experience was yet to come however. Although he did not “grow up in church”,  Rocklyn did have some scattered experiences with Christianity prior to college. He attended Sunday School briefly as a small child and later attended Trinity Parish Boys Camp for several summers as a teenager. His maternal grandmother also spoke often about God’s role in her own life. All of these created in him a basic awareness of spiritual issues, but left him without a solid understanding of the implications of Jesus’ death burial and resurrection. On April 1, 1979, Rocklyn gave his life to Christ.  Somehow the Jesus who suffered the horrors of crucifixion roughly 2000 years ago and then rose from the dead 3 days later made his presence known to him and made it clear that he now had an opportunity to follow Jesus. The Jesus he now follows is the same Jesus who has been given all authority in heaven and earth (Matthew 28:18-20) and who will ultimately judge and rule over all creation (Acts 17:29-31). Read Rocklyn’s Testimony of how it all happened.

Rocklyn immediately became an active member of the MIT Black Christian Fellowship. Shortly thereafter he attended Easter service at the First Church of God in the South End section of Boston. Here he was introduced to the ministry of Dr. Gideon A. Thompson Sr. — the man who would become his mentor and spiritual father.

| Family Life and Ministry

In 1980 Rocklyn married Eva. In 1981, their son, Rocklyn Jr. was born. When Pastors Gilbert (now Gideon) and Yvonne Thompson left First Church of God to found New Covenant Christian Center (now Jubilee Christian Church) in 1982, Rocklyn, Eva, and several others joined them as charter members of the new ministry. They were part of the first group of New Covenant cell leaders. Rocklyn graduated from MIT in 1983 with an S.B. in Physics and continued working there in the Information Systems Department. In 1985, he and Eva welcomed their daughter Sharon into the world.

n 1987 Rocklyn and his family left New Covenant to join another ministry. Although this ultimately proved to be a mistake, he and Eva did form several friendships there that continue to be a blessing to them. In 1994, prompted by God, they returned to New Covenant.

By this time New Covenant had renewed its vision for cell ministry and Rocklyn seized this opportunity to pursue his pastoral calling. He became a cell leader again and was soon asked to serve as a section leader overseeing several cell leaders. At this time he also became very active in coordinating the church’s overall cell ministry. In 1999, Rocklyn and his wife were appointed as Pastors over one of the four cell ministry districts; he eventually authored a number of the materials that were used by the cell ministry participants.

In May 2002 Rocklyn left his position as a Senior Project Manager at MIT to serve as Administrative Pastor at New Covenant. This position gave him the opportunity to further develop New Covenant’s infrastructure and to learn important lessons about church organization. It was during this period of his life that God began to rekindle in him the dream of founding a new ministry — Life Church. Life Church would continue many of the spiritual traditions of New Covenant, but would be launched as a cell church from the very beginning.

| Life Church

On Sunday October 26, 2003 Bishop Thompson and the pastoral staff of New Covenant laid hands on Rocklyn and Eva to commission them in the launching of Life Church.

Rocklyn and Eva live in the Dorchester neighborhood of Boston, Massachusetts. They have a son, a daughter, and five grandchildren.

| Testimony

April Fools’ Day is special for me! It was on that day in 1979 that I began following Jesus! I was sitting in my MIT dormitory room in MacGregor House G Entry 4th floor looking out at the Charles River on a beautiful spring day. I was not in any sort of crisis – there was nothing wrong in my life that I was aware of. I wasn’t upset about anything. Somehow the Jesus who suffered the horrors of crucifixion roughly 2000 years ago and then rose from the dead 3 days later made his presence known to me and made it clear that I now had an opportunity to follow him. The Jesus I now follow is the same Jesus who has been given all authority in heaven and earth (Matthew 28:18-20) and who will ultimately judge and rule over all creation (Acts 17:29-31).

I didn’t grow up in church. My mother took me to Sunday School for a brief period when I was perhaps 5 or 6, but I don’t think that period in my life lasted more than a few months. I did attend Trinity Parish Boys Camp (run by Trinity Church in Manhattan) during the summers of 1971 – 1974 but, although I was curious about the church services, the priests who ran the camp made no effort to “close the sale”, so I re-focused my attention elsewhere.

My ideas about God had largely been formed by watching the Lutheran claymation show “Davey & Goliath” on television (a wonderful show) as a young child. When I was 16, my sister Renée wrote me a letter about how to make Jesus Lord of my life, but by then I found the idea that I needed Jesus in my life offensive and I tore up the letter and threw it away.

When I arrived at MIT in 1976, I met Michael Harrison, who would become my best friend (and eventually the best man at my wedding). He was already a Christian and encouraged me to become one. The following year I met Courtney McBath, who would also strongly encourage me to become a Christian. Despite their influence I felt strongly that following Jesus was something I just wouldn’t be able to do. I might be able to start out OK, but I just didn’t believe that it would ultimately work. I would tell them: “Maybe I’ll get saved when I’m 30”.

On Sunday April 1, 1979 however, in my MacGregor dorm room, Jesus somehow made it clear to me that if I decided to follow him then, it would work. I felt free to accept him and confident that I could actually be a Christian. I also felt free to say no to Jesus, but I also had a nagging worry: I didn’t know when I would ever again feel that same freedom to follow Jesus!

I decided to follow Jesus and to attend the Black Christian Fellowship Bible study that Friday. As it turns out, Eva had, quite independently, decided to follow Jesus herself that same week (we were no longer a couple at that point). I wasn’t planning to attend church because my mother had told me that churches were full of hypocrites. I went to the Bible study that Friday because I knew the members and trusted that they were genuine. When they invited people to share testimonies I told them that I had asked Jesus to be lord of my life and that I believed he had saved me. Word eventually went out on campus that the unthinkable had happened – Rocklyn had gotten saved. I didn’t go to church that Sunday, but the following Sunday was Easter and I figured I would go to church for Easter. I went to First Church of God (now Shawmut Community Church of God) in the South End and met Bishop Gideon A. Thompson, (he was Pastor Thompson then) who answered my questions, opened his library to me, and mentored me in ministry. He created safe space for me to ask questions and he saw to it that I got answers. Under his ministry I was NEVER made to feel bad for wanting to understand God, Jesus, the Bible, etc. By the way, “Eva had already begun attending the same church and, as you can guess, we didn’t stay broken up for long.

Yes – God saved me on April Fools Day! Now here I am many years later, still following Jesus. To God be the glory!

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