Eva L. Clarke (full bio)
Eva L. Clarke
Pastor & Co-Founder
Children's Church Coordinator
Life Church
Eva Clarke (née Gilliam) was born in San Rafael, California. When she was a young girl, her family relocated first to East Saint Louis, Illinois and then to the neighboring town of Belleville. The experience of living in East Saint Louis during the city's stark decline prompted Eva's initial interest in community and economic development. Eva left Belleville in 1977 to attend the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) where she majored in Urban Studies and Planning and earned an S.B. degree. There were a number of Christian influences in her life growing up including her grandmother, aunts and uncles in Chicago, IL. While a student at MIT, Eva gave her life to Christ. There she also met and married her loving husband Rocklyn E. Clarke Sr.
Eva has enjoyed a fruitful career in the Community Development Arena having worked or served in the following positions:
- Lending Program Officer – Chief Operating Officer of the Boston Community Loan Fund(1991 – 2001)
- Executive Director of the Mattapan Community Development Corporation(2002 – 2005)
- Founder, President, and Chief Executive Officer of Faith Partnership, Inc.(2001 – Present)
Eva is the co-founder of Life Church Ministries in Boston, Massachusetts together with her husband, Rocklyn E. Clarke, the Senor Pastor. She serves as Pastor. Eva was ordained under Church Without Walls International in October 2007 during the annual Covenant Convention of New Covenant Christian Church (now Jubilee Christian Church).
Eva is a Vice President and Asset Manager for Boston Financial Investment Management. She serves on the loan committee of the Boston Community Loan Fund, and she is a former member of the Urban Land Institute. She and her husband live in Dorchester, Massachusetts. They have a son (born in 1981) and a daughter (born in 1985) and three grandchildren.