Welcome to Union Presbyterian Church!

David R. Clark was raised on his family's farm near New Castle, PA. His Christian faith began as an extension of his family's faith. He was baptized as an infant at the Westfield United Presbyterian Church. The church land is literally the 'west field' of the Clark farm that was settled in 1802, and the Clarks were among the charter members of the congregation in 1803.

His family remained very active in the church, and as a child, he went to Sunday School and worship regularly. He joined the church in the seventh grade, and received his first communion. He believed in God and knew that Christ died for his sins. He knew the answers to the Westminster Shorter Catechism. What more could God want of him?

After the death of his mother in 1969 as a result of a brain tumor and a broken engagement in 1974, he realized that all relationships are subject to some type of separation, be it death, divorce, graduation, retirement, job relocation, etc. He began to wonder if there was someone who would never leave him. All of the Sunday School lessons, sermons, and VBS stories began to make their way from his head to his heart. He remembered that Jesus is the one person who would never leave him.

A hunger to read and study God's word and to share it with other's came into his life. He attended a Bible school and then Grove City College, where he earned his B.A. in religious studies. He was ordained as an elder at Westfield (the youngest in the church's history at that time) and taught Sunday School. During that time, he also met Beth Ann Hayes, a nursing student from Bessemer, PA. They married in 1976.

David continued his education at Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary, where he earned his Masters of Divinity. He was ordained in 1983 by the Beaver-Butler Presbytery in Pennsylvania, and was called to serve Buffalo Presbyterian Church in Sarver, PA. In 1990, he was called to serve Fort Burd United Presbyterian Church in Brownsville, PA. In 2004, David received his Doctorate of Ministry from the Pittsburgh Theological Seminary. The focus of his studies was male spirituality in a small group setting.

In 2006, David and Beth moved to Quarryville, PA to fulfill their call to Union Presbyterian Church. Beth is a nurse with the Heart Specialists in Lancaster. They have two grown daughters, who live in the Pittsburgh area.

Relationships continue to be important to David, especially his relationship with Jesus Christ. His two favorite Bible passages are Jeremiah 17:7-8 and Romans 8:38-39. Both are about an ongoing relationship with God that is not severed by external circumstances.