Susan LaClear
I began my journey with the Lord in 1992 on a mission trip to Haiti, where my religious upbringing became a real relationship with God through the influence of some Haitian Christians in the community where I was serving. It was their worship that really touched me, and made me see that it must be possible to really know Jesus, not just know about Him.
From that point on, I began the practice of worshiping God throughout my day in whatever I was doing. In the third year I was there, I became very ill with malaria and was unable to get out of bed, which put me in the position to hear from God on one of my biggest issues—works! I had always felt that I had to work hard and sacrifice to please God, but as I lay in bed, unable to work for the first time, God spoke to me in a powerful way about the rest that He has given through the blood of Jesus.
At that point, I felt the Spirit of God flood my being for the first time ever, and it completely changed my life and my worship (and I was healed of the malaria).
Love songs to the Lord began to fill my heart, some of which I wrote down. At that time, I’d never heard anyone sing a love song to God, but I was so filled with gratefulness and love for Him, that those songs poured out of me and wouldn’t stop.
I returned to the States about 6 months after that, and returned to school to finish my Music Education degree at Michigan State University. After 2 more years of studying, the burden for ministry became very strong in me, so much that I dropped my pursuit of Music Education, and enrolled in Mount Hope Bible Training Institute, where I completed a 2-year degree in Music and Media Ministries.
I received a call to Mount Hope Church in Jackson, Michigan that year. I also met my husband at that time, so we both moved to Jackson and ministered in music there together for the next eight years. During that time, I was able to begin sharing the “love song” kind of worship that God had placed in my heart with the congregation, and intimacy with the Lord began to grow in all of our hearts.
During the last year of my call there, our worship team recorded a CD called “Father I Love You” which contained some of the songs that came out of that season of our lives. [Bill Latocki, of PraiseToys, designed the CD packgaing as a ministry unto me. Original cover photo is of our daughter, Lexi, hugging her daddy. We had given it to Bill to use because it represented our heavenly Father’s love so well]
In the spring of 2005, I entered into a new season. I received a call to be the senior pastor at Maranatha Fellowship Christian Reformed Church in Farmington, New Mexico—a small Navajo Indian congregation had been originally started as a result of the missionary efforts of my great-grandfather, L.P. Brink, in 1935. I became ordained in the Christian Reformed Church at that time. My heart is to introduce people to the glorious character of our wonderful God, who is holy and awesome, and yet at the same time gentle and passionate about His relationship with His children.
My husband’s name is Mike, and we have two children, Lexi (5) and Caleb (3, in 2006). Mike has a unique ministry with the youth in our church, and also plays bass on the worship team. He also is an anointed worshiper.
Susan has a self-produced CD that is full of beautiful love songs to Jesus. Email her for details on how to obtain one.
