Page 8 - Glory & Grace Issue 5: Thresholds

PAGE 8
UNCONDITIONAL LOVE
An interview with Ted Clark
What is your earliest memory of church?
"I was kinda a renegade kid in High School," Ted Clark recalls. "It was the Pastor and his daughter who got me involved in church. One day they said to me, 'Ted, you will sing in the choir now. The choir practices Wednesday at 7. We’ll see you at choir.' So I went."
Talk about crossing a threshold! That was all it took?
"The good LORD works in mysterious ways."
When you and Jane married in 1957, do you remember talking about the hardships you might face?
"Humans have a long history of hiding problems, so I guess I understand why it never came up. However, I do remember that Jane and I attended a series of pre-marital workshops put on by the Billings Ministerial Association who encouraged that 'those who pray together, stay together."
You experienced a significant "threshold moment" with your son, Paul. Tell us more.
"It’s an interesting story about Paul. I always sensed since he was a little boy that there was something slightly off-kilter. He was a fun kid. He became the High School State Champion in Debate, got a degree from the University of Montana and moved out to California to work in accounting. After a concerning phone call from one of Paul's friends in CA, our son Neil went to CA to look for Paul. Shortly after is when we got the phone call from Neil who said, 'Paul is gay.' "
A card the Clarks received after Paul's death
Ted Clark
KINGOFGLORYBILLINGS.COM