After a Lifetime of Dynamic Youth Ministry, Allyson Clark Invests in the Endowed Fund That Will Underwrite Salaries of Future Youth Leaders
Allyson Clark spent a few moments challenging a recent Quest team.
“The adolescent season of life is spiritually foundational.”
Allyson Clark’s love of baseball is easily equated with her love of youth ministry. Since she was not ready for a Major League Baseball career, she invested over forty-five years in youth ministry, including twenty-five years serving on the Baptist Churches of New England (BCNE) staff.
After retiring in 2023 as BCNE’s Next Generation Ministries-Associate Executive Director, Clark decided to invest in the Baptist Foundation of New England’s (BFNE) endowed “chair of ministry” fund that, when more donors choose to give, will underwrite salaries of future youth leaders.
Investing in BCNE’s “Farm Team”
“Remember this: Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously. Each of you should give what you have decided in your heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. And God is able to bless you abundantly, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work.” —2 Corinthians 9:6-8 (NIV)
“When the foundation began this endowment, it was natural for me to want to contribute. Baseball teams invest in farm teams, and that’s what builds strong major league teams,” said Clark.
She welcomes the BFNE investment in the future of youth ministry, which “will impact teenagers, youth leaders, churches, and ultimately mission fields. My prayer is that investments made will continue to grow and expand the kingdom in New England and globally!”
When the endowment was established, Clark noted, “it was easy for me to see it as a place for me to make an initial investment. As a newly semiretired single, I don’t have a great amount to give, but I do believe in ‘seed money.’ I know that God has a plan when we share our gifts and work together—and that’s what endowments are all about.”
Clark led the BCNE’s youth ministries, coordinating:
CrossWalk, a summer camp for youth;
YEC (Youth Encountering Christ), a winter retreat that is BCNE’s oldest and largest youth-focused event;
Quest, a leadership development and discipleship opportunity for high school juniors; and
CheckPoint, a fall retreat for youth leaders.
Give to a Baptist Foundation of New England
Chair of Ministry Endowment Fund
A donor may invest in a particular “Chair of Ministry” endowment or decide to divide the gift equally between nine chairs.
GIVE TO THE CHAIR OF YOUTH MINISTRY
BCNE invests in the lives of teens and their leaders. Youth ministry offers churches opportunities that equip Christian teens and their unchurched friends to discover and grow in genuine faith, while also training and encouraging adults who serve in church youth ministry.
“It has been the joy of my life to see teenagers explore their faith, come to Christ, and serve in various places around the world. I also saw youth leaders grow in their faith and serve locally and outside the United States,” Clark said.
A Nashville native, Clark served churches in Tennessee and Texas and graduated from Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary before moving to Massachusetts. She worked with what was then called the Greater Boston Baptist Association before joining the staff of First Baptist Church, Sudbury, Massachusetts.
In 1999, the BCNE expanded its staff to include a full-time youth ministry position. Clark helped develop CrossWalk, Quest, CheckPoint, and Journey, with an underlying focus on developing indigenous leadership for ministry.
“Whether a teenager later serves as a Sunday school teacher, a pastor, or a committed church member,” she commented, “the adolescent season of life is spiritually foundational.”
Investing in Future Leadership and Discipleship
When she began serving among eighty-three Boston-area congregations, Clark, now a member of The Church on Seven Hills in Worcester, stated, “my annual budget was $400—but God always makes a way. This endowment is an endless investment in future leadership and ultimately an investment in discipleship. The model that Jesus taught when he walked on earth is the same today.”
Quest, the leadership development experience for high school juniors, now in its twenty-seventh year, “has seen almost 600 students traveling around the world, learning to serve like Jesus. Many of them now serve in churches across New England and others around the world.”
“What began as a small vision has had a significant impact. Endowments like this, even for one position, can have tremendous implications across a region like New England, and I’m a living witness to this,” Clark noted.
“The students in New England are not just receiving; they’ve learned to give. Since 2000, an offering has been received each year at CrossWalk and YEC, and, to date, students and youth leaders have given $211,744.58. It’s amazing when you think about it, a generation has supported mission projects in New England and around the globe,” Clark commented.
When the BCNE invested in the future by adding a youth ministry staff position, she concluded, “God had great plans for New England. And he still does. We have seen growth but so many youth still need to hear the good news.”
Renee Ghobrial, an alumna of every BCNE ministry offered to teens and a member of Arabic Baptist Church, Newton, MA, was appointed in 2023 as BCNE’s Youth Ministry Director.
In semiretirement, Clark is now BCNE’s part-time Property Manager.
This article is part of an ongoing series. Click here to read the other “Chairs of Ministry” fund stories.