 Rocklyn E. Clarke, Founder & Senior Pastor
Pastor
Rocklyn E. Clarke 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 elementery 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 (M.I.T.) in Cambridge, Massachusetts where he would
major in physics.
M.I.T. 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 M.I.T. 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.
His greatest M.I.T. experience was yet to come however.
Prior to college Rocklyn had some scattered experiences with Christianity.
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. While he was in
high school, his sister took the time to write him a letter explaining the good
news about Jesus and how to make him Lord of your life. Although at the time
he rejected her invitation to accept Jesus, the message in her letter never left
him. During his freshman year in college, Rocklyn met a fellow physics student
who became his closest friend and one of the major Christian influences on his
life. The following summer he met B. Courtney McBath, an incoming freshman. Courtney
became another very powerful Christian influence in both Rocklyn's and Eva's
lives. Courtney is now the Bishop and Senior Pastor of Calvary
Revival Church in Norfolk, Virginia.
In the spring of 1979, while sitting alone in his dormitory room, Rocklyn
had an encounter with the Holy Spirit and gave his life to Jesus Christ. He immediately
became an active member of the 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 Pastor Gilbert A. Thompson
Sr. -- the man who would become his mentor and spiritual father.
In 1980 Rocklyn married Eva, the love of his life. He graduated from M.I.T.
in 1983 with an S.B. in Physics and continued working there in the Information
Systems Department. 1981, their son, Rocklyn Jr. was born. When Pastors Gilbert
and Yvonne Thompson left First Church of God to found New Covenant
Christian Center (now known as Jubilee
Christian Church ) in 1982, Rocklyn and Eva joined him along with several
others to become charter members of the new ministry. They were part of the
first group of New
Covenant cell leaders. In 1985, their daughter Sharon was born.
In 1987 Rocklyn and his family joined the Azusa Christian Community under
the ministry of Pastor Eugene F. Rivers III. God used Pastor Rivers to teach
Rocklyn a number of things about Christian community, urban ministry, and social
and political action. In 1994 God called Rocklyn and Eva to return to New Covenant.
By this time New Covenant had renewed its vision for cell ministry 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 districts into which New Covenant's cell ministry had been
organized. Rocklyn 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 M.I.T.
to serve as Administrative Pastor (and effectively Chief Operating Officer) 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.
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.
Pastor Rocklyn is affiliated with the following organizations:
He is a former board member of Axiom
Entertainment Group .
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