First Lady Lisa M. Clark, a native of Auburn, NY, was born to Willadean and the late Delbert Simmons. She is the fifth child of eight children and enjoys reading, sewing, cooking, and vacationing with the family.

At the age of twenty, she received the gift of the Holy Ghost at the Rehoboth Temple Church, under the leadership of the late Bishop Kenneth L. Bligen. As God provided a solid spiritual foundation for her, measure has been added to her life over the years.

With the spirit of faithfulness and dedication, First Lady Lisa Clark is the wife of Pastor Dane Clark. Lady Clark was the first to receive the call to salvation. As she yielded to the Lord, God used her as a vehicle to bring her husband, now Pastor Clark, to salvation. Operating in the various areas God has called her to, serving as First Lady of Bethel Temple, she stands beside her husband as they lead the flock God has given them charge over. Providing spiritually creative resources stemming from the word of God, together they take an active role in imparting the gospel of Christ into the lives of this generation.

God has expanded her ministry to encompass many areas. Lady Clark is dedicated to her Christian walk and leading others to Christ. Her various duties involved at Bethel are a Trustee Board member, head of the Women's ministry, Director of Vacation Bible School, she is Pastor Clark's personal Secretary, has been a Sunday School teacher for over 22 years, assistant director (Stir Up the Gift Choir), and is over the Toys for Kids during the Christmas Holiday. She also will be involved with the Bethel feeding Program during the Holidays. Lady Clark teams up with Pastor Clark to conduct Marriage Enrichment Workshops, visit the sick and shut-in, works with organizing funerals and weddings, and counsels the flock. She also writes ministry articles for local newspapers and is a song writer. Moreover, Lady Clark is known for effectively delivering the rhema word as prompted by the Lord. Widely regarded as a humble Woman of Excellence, Lady Clark has a way of encouraging others through the spirit that not only makes her a pastor's wife in title, but in deed.

“My desire is to see the manifestation of God fulfilled in the earth for the body of Christ, and to see souls enter into the Kingdom.”

While this has always been her desire, she was not always physically able to carry this out. In her early years her body was afflicted with Crohns disease, causing her to repeatedly enter the hospital and even sit at death’s door, but God said, “Not so.” Through His divine order, God mended, restored and brought into order those things in her body which were hindering her from fulfilling her heart’s desire. While many scriptures are close to her heart, through this experience two have become her favorite – Psalm 91:16 and 118:17.

“With long life will I satisfy him, and show him my salvation.”
- Psalm 91:16

“I shall not die, but live, and declare the works of the Lord.”
- Psalm 118:17

With heartfelt passion, Lady Clark gives freely of herself as she seeks direction so others may access to the kingdom. In 2002, God added another component to the ministry in which she governs, the Women’s Ministry of Bethel Temple. This ministry concentrates on the spiritual, physical and emotional empowerment of women. Providing workshops, fellowship functions, ministry sessions and intercessory prayer, this ministry is pressing in so lives may be changed.

As God has joined them together, Lady Clark is the second half of the complete leadership God has ordained for Bethel Temple. The Clarks are the proud parents of three children: Dana, Troy and Jelisa, and proud grandparents of four grandchildren.

With love in her heart and God as head of her life, First Lady Lisa Clark is determined to advance the kingdom of God and bring glory and honor to the father.

The Word of God

The Word of God must be as close to you as it is to the men and women of God you’re hearing it preached from. Our lives must be a reflection of the Word of God. The bible says it is, "a lamp unto our feet a light unto our path." - Psalm 119:105. We must breath it, eat it, feel it in our spirit and wake up with it on our mind. The bible also says, “Oh taste and see that the Lord is good: blessed is the man that trusteth in Him" - Psalm 34:8. You never know how good something is until you try it. We must not starve ourselves from the Word of God. The Word is God speaking to us. It brings nourishment to our soul’s life and healing to our bodies. Think of it as eating three balanced meals daily to receive all the nutrients we need to survive. We need it to reach maturity in the Lord.

The bible says it must be close to your heart, ever before your eyes and to have an ear to hear what the spirit is saying. God speaks through His Spirit as well, and our spirit must be sensitive to hearing His Word. It may be through reading or praying, meditating, etc. It may be that still quiet voice in the middle of the night. The Word is essential to our very being. We eat everything else but the Word of God. We want sweets, all kinds of junk food that's not healthy for us physically. We need the veggies, fruits that will build us up and give us the energy to keep going - so it is with the Word of God.

We don't need the entertainment of the world and other things to distract us away from God's Word. It will bring us into a relationship with God because it will reveal who He is and how much He loves us and what He wants to do for us. But more importantly, what we can do for Him.

Matthew 4:4 says, “It is written Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God.” Matthew 24:35 says, “Heaven and earth shall pass away, but My words shall not pass away.” Psalm 119 says, “Thy Word have I hid in my heart, that I might not sin against thee.”

Remember Gods Word is the only sure guide for living a pure life. It helps us stay pure and grow in our faith. It will be a deterrent to sin. It must be a vital guide to everything we do by keeping it at work daily in our lives. The bible says if a young man wants to cleanse his ways, he must take heed thereto according to the Word (Psalm 119:9).

Our prayer is that God will open His Word to the hearts of His people, that eyes will be opened and wondrous revelation will unfold through His Word. So remember my dear friend that as you look into the Word of God, it will reveal the reality of God for your life by giving you value, showing how much He loves you (enough to create you in His image), and by sending His only begotten Son into the earth to die for you. So let God's Word quicken you, inspire you, encourage you, save you, revive you and bring total victory and truth to your life. – by Sis. Lisa M. Clark, March 1, 2007