The United Reformed Church (URC) is deeply saddened to hear about the sudden death of the Revd Elizabeth Clark, who served as the National Rural Officer for both the URC and the Methodist churches until her retirement in August last year.
An announcement from The Arthur Rank Centre, the ecumenical charity which resources, trains, and advocates for rural Christians, churches and communities, where the role was based, said: “It is with much sadness that we were told that Elizabeth died unexpectedly this morning. Please hold [her husband] and his family in your thoughts and prayers.”
The Revd Steve Faber, Moderator, West Midlands Synod of the URC and co-chair of the Rural Strategy Group until Elizabeth’s retirement, said: “Elizabeth cared deeply for rural churches and championed them, always seeing their presence as a sign of opportunity to share hospitality and the Gospel.
“That passion was seen regularly in the Rural Strategy Group, which oversaw her work jointly for the United Reformed and Methodist Churches, but countless others of us around the URC will have seen it too in our everyday encounters with her.
“She had a great gift in never letting her commitment and passion becoming overbearing, and so making her unapproachable. Rather, rooted in deep faith, she was someone who looked for ways to make things happen.
“On her retirement we lost a great asset. On her death, she leaves a significant void for many.”
Elizabeth became the National Rural Officer for the Methodist and United Reformed Churches in 2014.
A Methodist Minister, she served in the Sherburn Circuit from 2011 – 2014, as Rural Officer for the York and Hull District of the Methodist Church from 2005 – 2014, and in the Thirsk and Northallerton Circuit from 2006 – 2011.
Training as a nurse after leaving school, Elizabeth worked at Guy’s Hospital from 1976 – 1979. She took an MA in Theology at University College Ripon and York St John in the mid to late 1990s.