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community of disciples on mission. He saw Bruce Yocum, one of those involved in the that those who were involved in Christian beginnings of community, noted: activities together grew in faith and holiness “We wanted something more that could while those who only attended church focus on our own relationships with one on Sunday seemed to struggle with their another in Ann Arbor. So we started a faith and often left the Church during their Monday night meeting in addition to the college years. Thursday meeting. God began to lead us After graduating from Yale in 1962, Steve into something deeper. In the summer spent a year studying philosophy and of 1969 we began to receive prophecies learning German on a Fulbright Scholarship about ‘covenant.’ We didn’t understand at the University of Freiburg in Germany. In this very well, so we started doing a The founder of The Servants of the Word, the autumn of 1963 he returned to the United Scripture study on ‘covenant’ which led Stephen B. Clark, was honored by leaders of States and began to pursue a doctorate at the pretty quickly to the idea of Christian The Sword of the Spirit during the Interna- University of Notre Dame. community. By the beginning of 1970, tional Coordinators Meeting held in Santo we were talking about establishing a Domingo, Dominican Republic, in May At Notre Dame Steve connected immedi-immedi- community by making significant com- 2008. The following brief overview of Steve’s ately with the Cursillo Movement, a retreat- mitments to one another. Among these role in the development of covenant commu- based renewal movement he had previously commitments were those made by the nity is adapted from a presentation given at encountered as a summer missionary in men living single for the Lord as Ser- the main session in which he was honored. Latin America. Cursillo seemed like it might be a vehicle for forming mission communi- vants of the Word. Steve was founding ties with an evangelical focus. At that time a brotherhood of celibate men as part Steve was born on June 1, 1940, in New Cursillo was only beginning in the United of his vision for building a bulwark of York City. He attended Bellerose Public States and according Cursillo’s rules, Steve communities.” School on Long Island and then received a was still too young to attend or lead a retreat. From his time at the Morehouse Catholic scholarship to attend Peddie Boys School in Chaplaincy at Yale, to his involvement Hightstown, New Jersey. Nonetheless, he attended one in East Chi- cago, Indiana. Two months later he helped in Cursillo, and during the early days of In 1958 Steve began his university studies at put on the first Cursillo retreat in South the charismatic renewal, Steve had been Yale University in New Haven, Connecticut, Bend. In less than two years he was asked developing his thoughts and vision for intending to major in history. It was there, to give the opening address at the National Christian community. They provided the in 1960, that he came to a more personal Cursillo Convention in Kansas City and basis for the book Building Christian faith as he looked to ground his life in the asked to serve on the National Secretariat in Communities. truth. Reading about Christianity convinced East Lansing. Steve began writing Man and Woman in his intellect, but it was two books about Christ in the 1970s at the time when femi- Francis of Assisi – The Little Flowers of Steve and the other young leaders of Cursillo nism was front-page news, but this book is Saint Francis and The Mirror of Perfection were also curious about the apparent spiritu- about much more than the roles of men and – that were key in bringing him to a personal al power found in Pentecostalism. They de- women. It also gives an assessment of the faith. In reading these books he saw that cided to read The Cross and the Switchblade contemporary state of the Christian people as being a Christian involved a living, personal and They Speak with Other Tongues, and so well as a vision for what it could be and the relationship with Jesus Christ: there was were prepared by the Lord for what he was means to make it happen. Steve completed more to faith than intellectual assent. Like about to do pouring out his Spirit anew. Man and Woman in Christ in 1980, and it Francis, Steve quickly decided even more Early in 1967 the charismatic renewal was selected by Christianity Today as one of was needed. Francis of Assisi had made erupted in the Catholic Church. Steve was the significant books of the year in 1981. a decision to live as a radical disciple of among those first to be “baptized in the Holy Christ. This call to radical discipleship Spirit.” He became one of renewal’s leading In his forty years of leadership in the com- provided the vision for Steve to decide to spokesmen and authors, writing Baptized in munities movement, Steve has written more live single for the Lord and to call others to the Spirit and Spiritual Gifts, Finding New than twenty books and several hundred ar- serious personal discipleship. Life in the Spirit, Growing in Faith, and ticles – and most importantly, he has taught and discipled the main leaders of what is While at Yale, Steve was also involved with Knowing God’s Will. today The Sword of the Spirit. It is his origi- the Morehouse Catholic Chaplaincy. He In the autumn of 1967 Steve, together with nal vision for evangelistic communities that studied Catholicism in depth and decided to Ralph Martin, Gerry Rauch, and Jim Cavnar, continues to form and shape the work today. be baptized. When Steve presented himself moved to Ann Arbor. It was there that for baptism, the priest quickly discovered the first charismatic covenant community Steve Clark’s term as President of The there was no need to teach him the catechism emerged. These four began a charismatic Sword of the Spirit will end in May 2009. – Steve had already studied it extensively. prayer meeting that met on Thursday night His leadership, we hope and pray, will con- The Catholic chaplaincy at Yale had what with a dozen people in an apartment above tinue many years thereafter. they called a community, and it was, in part, Campus Corner Drug Store. – Michael Shaughnessy this attempt at community that began to form the basis of Steve’s vision for building a WE APPRECIATE YOUR HELP The Servants of the Word gets its support through the financial earnings of the brothers as well as by do- nations from our benefactors. Many of our brothers work for sacrificial wages or for no pay at all. Please consider if you can become a financial sponsor of The Servants of the Word. Your prayers and support are appreci- ated in our work with young people and our community development work. THE SERVANTS OF THE WORD P.O. Box 7087 • Ann Arbor, Michigan 48107 • U.S.A. • Tel: (734) 475-3550 www.servantsoftheword.org ALL DONATIONS TO THE SERVANTS OF THE WORD ARE TAX-DEDUCTIBLE IN THE UNITED STATES AND MAY BE GIFT-AIDED IN THE UNITED KINGDOM..

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