Trip in Time

[Larry Clark]

Today my wife and I took a road trip. The reason for the trip was to check out part of the legacy of Seth Gold Clark.

We traveled the roads that my great, great grandfather, Seth Gold Clark, traveled when he visited the churches he was pastor of in Missouri. Our first stop was Hume, MO, then we traveled to Rockville, MO, then to Appleton City, MO which was his home town and we ended our trip at Butler, MO. Below are some photos I took today.

The Presbyterian Church in Appleton City, MO. Rev Clark founded this church and from here he went around the surrounding countryside planting churches and ministring to those in the smaller towns.

He died in Appleton City in 1898 and we went by the cemetery to see his grave site.

See photo of The Presbyterian Church in Butler, MO.

In less than three years he organized churches at Holden in Johnson county: Greenwood in Jackson county; Harrisonville and Austin in Cass county; Butler, Lone Oak and Papinsville in Bates county; Hudson (now Appleton City) in 8t. Clair county, and Lamar in Barton county.

From 1871-76 Mr. Clark was financial agent for Highland University. The last two summers of that time were spent with a missionary tent outfit, furnished by Sunday schools in the East. He traveled through northern Kansas and southern Nebraska, preaching daily to congregations averaging 100 on week nights and from 150 to 300 on Sundays. This was strictly pioneer work in regions beyond ministers and churches. He was everywhere gladly welcomed. This tent work he was accustomed to regard as the most successful work of his life.

During 1877-78 he supplied the churches of Iola and Carlyle, Kans.; 1879-80, Baxter Springs, Galena and Empire, Kans.; 1881-5, Rich Hill, Rockville and Hume, Mo., all three of which he organized. He then spent ten years in southwestern Kansas, where he found nine counties adjoining, in neither of which was an organized church. During those years he organized eight churches, seven of which, in spite of drought and consequent depopulation of large districts, are still on our " Minutes." The year 1895 was spent with the Church of Raymore, Mo., which under his labors was much revived, and built a beautiful house of worship.

No service did he ever shirk as too hard, no field as too unattractive. Always and everywhere he loved to proclaim salvation to the uttermost through Jesus Christ. Like every other true missionary, he recognized no bounds of race or clime, but worked and prayed for the universal spread of the gospel. No wonder Miss Mary Clark, the daughter of such a home missionary, should be found to-day a foreign missionary in distant Persia.

The purpose of today's trip was to check out part of my great, great grandfather's legacy but also to fire up what God is doing through me with the gifts granted to me by the Holy Spirit. I feel that my legacy will be in some way connected to the legacy of Seth Gold Clark.

The purpose of this post was partly to share what I discovered and also to stir in you a desire to move forward on your dreams that will lay the ground work for your legacy. Research your family and I believe you will discover a gift like I did and it will come just at the right time.