Rev. Samuel J. Clark Jr., 75; led congregation

The Rev. Samuel Jones Clark Jr., 75, of Glenside, pastor of Germantown Evangelical Church, died of cancer Sunday, Jan. 30, at Hillcrest Nursing Home in Wyncote.

In 1957, Pastor Clark opened a storefront church on East Ashmead Street in Germantown. At first, he preached only to his wife and mother, and he worked odd jobs to make ends meet, said a son, Stephen. He worked as a hotel doorman, in the shipping department at Strawbridge & Clothier, and later as a postal clerk at the 30th Street Post Office.

In the 1960s and '70s, Pastor Clark moved his growing congregation twice to larger buildings in Germantown, and he was able to quit his post office job in 1971.

In 1985, he moved Germantown Evangelical to a large former synagogue in West Oak Lane. There, he supervised a feed-the-hungry program, a Christian elementary school, and a day-care program, and also ministered to the deaf. His oldest daughter, Patricia Lynne, is hearing-impaired.

Some Sundays, he preached to more than 200 faithful, his son said. "A fiery fundamentalist, he used soaring rhetoric, inspirational stories, and humorous anecdotes to deliver a message of eternal salvation and God's healing power," his son said.

Pastor Clark expanded his ministry through various media, his son said. He preached in prisons and on radio and television. In 1980, he released an album, Soul Water, that featured songs from his choir and one of his sermons. He launched a website in 2000.

Battling cancer, Pastor Clark moved his congregation to a smaller building in Germantown in 2009. In July, he preached his last sermon, reiterating his belief that God is a healer. His final message was, "What he bore, I need not bear," his son said.

Pastor Clark grew up with five siblings in Mississippi. In 1954, he moved to Minneapolis, where he trained with pastors of the Church of God in Christ. He later trained with pastors in Philadelphia and attended Temple University.

In addition to his son and daughter, Pastor Clark is survived by his wife of 55 years, Effie Jones Clark; a son, Samuel; a daughter, Lucille; and nine grandchildren.

A memorial service will be held at 10 a.m. Saturday, Feb. 5, at Rehoboth Temple Church of Christ, 1210 W. Wyoming Ave., Philadelphia. Friends may call at 9 a.m.