A Conversation with the Rev. Mike Clark

If you are not part of a faith community, you may wonder when you drive past one of Watertown's churches, "What goes on in there, anyway?" It probably wouldn't surprise you to hear that church members gather for worship, nor that ordained ministers meet with members when they are in crisis or need.

But a good bit of "what goes on in there" is part of a larger witness or service to people who aren't church members. At St. John's United Methodist Church on Mt. Auburn Street, that takes the form of serving as the host site for 23 recovery groups. In the course of a year, over 30,000 people cross the threshold of St. John's; the majority of them are people in recovery.

For the Rev. Mike Clark, Minister at St. John's, that's good news, and serving as an intentional ally to people in recovery is good work. For over nine years, he has offered a listening ear to members of the recovery community who just need someone to talk to. "My role is simply to be an ally, not a replacement for a sponsor or a meeting," he explains. 

While he acknowledges that he's been able to help many people, Mike is clear that the work has been a huge blessing to him, too. "People who have recognized that their addictions have ruined their lives and are trying, one day at a time, to wrestle with that are some of the most inspiring people I've met. They know they are really dependent on higher power," Mike explains. "Their ruthless honesty stands out. And in AA, NA, and other groups, they have a community where they can be honest. Our churches could learn from that."

Interested to learn more? Mike encourages individuals to go to on the website of any of the 12-step programs, locate an Open meeting, and here the stories of people in recovery.