'He cannot be replaced': Mt. Zion's Rev. George Clark remembered as faith, community leader

The Rev. George Clark was a pillar in the community, not just in Austin but across the nation. He was a humble man of honor and wisdom in and outside of his church, and those who knew him best say “he cannot be replaced.”

Clark, who served as pastor at Mt. Zion Baptist Church in East Austin for more than 50 years, died April 21. He was 92.

He is remembered for his time in the church community, but Clark was also a leading voice in the fight for civil rights across the country, and he never forgot what he was called to do in helping guide his students, young pastors and the community.

“Pastor Clark loved people,” said the Rev. Daryl Horton. “He was the most compassionate and giving person I ever met in my life. It was never uncommon to see him giving away his own personal possessions or go into his own pocket to help someone.”

But, Horton said, most people knew him as someone they could talk to, and turn to, for wisdom and guidance on whatever issues or obstacles they were facing.

Clark graduated from Huston-Tillotson University in East Austin in 1958 after a tour of duty in the military. He earned a master of divinity degree from the Episcopal Theological Seminary of the Southwest.

Through the years, Clark worked as a teacher; a Texas Rehabilitation Commission program specialist for alcoholism, chemical abuse and mental health programs; an equal opportunity coordinator for the Rehabilitation Commission; and served as director for the commission's civil rights office, according to his online biography.

He then turned his efforts to the church, where he worked as pastor at St. Mary’s Baptist Church in Pflugerville and Sweet Home Baptist Church in Round Rock.

Clark joined Mt. Zion Baptist Church in March 1970, and helped lead the congregation through growth: from the move to its current East 13th Street location to the construction of the Family Life Center, which when completed will be a place where parishioners and community members can gather for education, worship and support services.

After 51 years of service, Clark retired and was named pastor emeritus in June 2021. He was also involved in local and national organizations, including the NAACP, Boy Scouts of America and Big Brothers Big Sisters.

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Nelson Linder, who knew Clark for more than 20 years, said that because of Clark's passion for people and the work he did, his influence is now everywhere.

The young pastors he guided along the way and the thousands of lives he touched through church ministries, schools and community organizations are proof, he said.

“Rev. Clark is a man you will never forget based on his position and also the way he conducted himself," Linder said. "He set a very high standard in terms of community support, involvement, and being a scholar and pastor as well.”

As a voice for the church and the Black community, it was not uncommon, Horton said, to hear Clark speak on civil rights and social justice issues, which he continued to do through the Black Lives Matter protests in 2020.

“He was a man who would stand up for the things he thought were right, and he never changed his ideas,” Horton said. “He was consistent, and I think that is why people appreciated him. The lives he touched were innumerable, not just in Austin but across the state and the nation.”

Community members and leaders remembered Clark through shared condolences on social media and moments of silence.

“Heartbreaking,” Councilmember Natasha Harper-Madison said in a tweet. “We have lost a great leader, a tremendous teacher, a faithful friend, and an irreplaceable link to East Austin's past. I join his family, his flock, and our entire community in mourning his passing.”

Mayor Steve Adler also shared sentiments on social media, saying Clark was a “pastor, teacher, and mentor to an entire city.”

“I was blessed to participate in dozens of services at Mount Zion Baptist Church, and as much as a person of another faith can, I considered him my pastor,” Adler said.

Horton said Mt. Zion will continue with the leadership currently in place, and hopes “to honor the foundation that Pastor Clark created in his 51 years of service.”

“He was about helping and loving people, and he helped to establish Mt. Zion to be one of the best churches in Austin and in the state,” Horton said. “Our desire is to move forward standing on that foundation. He will be missed and he can never be replaced, and we will continue to honor him the best we can.”

Community members will have a few chances to honor Clark on Friday and Saturday:

• 1-6 p.m. Friday: A public viewing at Mt. Zion Bastrop Church, 2938 E. 13th St.

• 6:51 p.m. Friday: A national, state and local celebration service at St. James Missionary Baptist Church, 3417 E. Martin Luther King Jr Blvd. A livestream will be available.

• 11 a.m. Saturday: A celebration of life service at Mt. Zion. Burial will follow at Cook Walden Capital Parks Cemetery in Pflugerville. A livestream of the service will be available.

This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: Mt. Zion's Rev. George Clark remembered as leader in faith, community