Steve and Rochelle met in Tokyo while working with Japanese university students as campus ministry staff of Campus Crusade for Christ.
Steve is originally from southern California, having also lived his junior high and high school years in Colorado Springs, Colorado. Steve attended Southern Methodist University (SMU) in Dallas, Texas, where he majored in Religious Studies (’81 Alum). He was initially sent out on his first mission trip to Guam, Palau, and Japan by Northwest Bible Church. After CCC staff training and international training, Steve returned as campus staff to Japan.
Rochelle is originally from Levittown, Pennsylvania. She attended Pennsylvania State University (PSU), where she majored in Education (’78 Alum). After joining Campus Crusade and working in the headquarters at Arrowhead Springs, near San Bernardino, CA, she joined a summer project to Japan, and later returned to work as a campus staff in Tokyo.
Their missionary home base in California is Richfield Community Church, in Yorba Linda, California. The church first supported Steve when he went to Japan as a single missionary and has continued over 27 years.
The Clarks first met when Steve picked Rochelle up at the airport in Tokyo and brought her back to be his next door neighbor. A little over 2 years later, Steve married the girl next door!
They worked together in the campus ministry in Tokyo for 7 years and Nagoya (Japan’s 3rd largest city) for 5 years. Then Steve was asked to serve as the National Administrator, working for Kazu Kurihara, the National Director of Japan Campus Crusade for Christ, in Tokyo. Soon after that he was also asked to lead the ministry’s Jesus Film projects and church partnerships. Many short term teams came from various Asian countries and the US to help bring the story of Jesus to towns and villages of Japan where there were no churches. His work impacted many other’s lives in these largely unreached areas of Japan. Steve began working with new media and helped develop and produce tools that are still reaching Japanese today.
As the family grew, and Rochelle took on more care for the children, she got involved in leading women’s English Bible studies. She saw many women drawn to hear about Christ through their interest in English.
In 2007 the Clarks finished up their time of service in Japan, and accepted a new role of sending US missionaries to the world from CCC’s World Headquarters in Orlando, FL. Through this new assignment, they are helping prepare 50 to 70 new missionaries for the fields around the world each year. They are blessed to be part of helping fulfill the Great Commission and building spiritual movements everywhere.