Phil Clark

“Latino families like the ones in our community are very set in their church, sometimes going back generations. It can be hard to introduce them to a new place to worship,” says Phil Clark. “But I want everyone in Perth Amboy to know what The Salvation Army is doing here.”

On some days, Phil Clark’s volunteer work at The Salvation Army’s Perth Amboy, N.J., Corps starts before the building’s doors open.

“I have keys to the supplies at the corps, so if they need me to cut the grass, I’ll come early to get it done,” says Phil, a retired postal worker. “Then I’ll trim the bushes around the corps, if I see them getting too big. No one needs to ask me to do it.”

Born in Brooklyn, N.Y., Phil was introduced to The Salvation Army in New York through friends who attended. They always invited him, and he occasionally went along.

“But I didn’t want to be pushed to do so,” says Phil, who had been raised in the Catholic Church. “I felt that when it was the right time for me, I would find my own way.”

Phil says he enjoyed the practices of the Catholic Church, like the prayers and lighting the candles for those they prayed for.

“That’s where I first got good with the Lord in my life. I still pray every day,” he says. “But it always felt like church sermons were going over my head, and I needed to have built-in knowledge of the Bible to really apply the lessons in my life. Even worse, on some days folks were more worried about how I was dressed. I could feel eyes staring at me.”

Three years ago, Phil and his wife, Beverly, who’s from Puerto Rico, attended their first Spanish-language service at the Perth Amboy Salvation Army. He felt welcomed in a way he hadn’t felt at any church before, despite not speaking Spanish.

“It was a smaller congregation, which I liked, and both of us were accepted in like family,” says Phil.

He started attending the church’s adult Sunday school. Corps Sergeant Major Ernest William, whom Phil had known for years, was the teacher. During the lessons, “Brother Will,” as he is known at the corps, broke everything down to the basics, which made Phil finally feel more engaged.

“Will shares the Word in a way that’s accessible for me. It tapped into the curiosity I’ve had for years. The Bible’s messages of family, unity, patience, and treating your neighbor as yourself all spoke to me, because that’s how I’ve tried to live my life too.”

Phil has become a devoted volunteer at The Salvation Army. Aside from helping maintain the corps’ grounds, he also helps during food deliveries and pantry days and can even do repairs in the building. He always knows someone to reach out to for bigger jobs.

“Sometimes the pastors here are surprised when they see that I know the mayor, people from other churches, and the faces that come to our food pantry, all from being a mailman.”

Phil, who has coached youth baseball and basketball in the city, says, “I always tell the Perth Amboy officers to let me know if they ever need a coach for a sports program. I’m ready to volunteer for that too. Retirees like me have a lot of downtime. My wife and I like to take cruises and visit her family in Puerto Rico. But we obviously can’t do that every day of the year. That’s why I enjoy giving my time and volunteering at the church.

“Just like when I decided to start coming to The Salvation Army, I don’t ever need to be pushed to volunteer. When it’s my time to help, I do anything I can.”

photo by Michael Paras Photography