The Rev. Ted Clarkson has special ties to the Church of the Good Shepherd.
“I grew up in Augusta,” said Clarkson, who took over as interim rector at Good Shepherd in January and will serve there until June 2024. The Rev. Robert Fain retired from the church in the fall after 37 years there. Fain was the assistant rector for 10 years and the rector for 27 years.
Not only did Clarkson grow up in Augusta, but he attended Church of the Good Shepherd, where his father, Allen, also served as rector for 37 years. He also went to school at Episcopal Day School (EDS).
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Going into the ministry only crossed his mind once as a child.
“I went to my dad and asked him about the call,” he said. “He said if you’re called to the ministry, you’re not called to anything else.”
At 13, Clarkson crossed ministry off of his list of occupations and decided to focus on what interested him – law. He graduated from Wofford College and then the University of Georgia School of Law.
After a year working with a federal judge, he took a position at the Augusta firm of Knox and Zacks, which later merged with Kilpatrick Stockton.
Twenty years into his law career, one of the rectors at Good Shepherd mentioned to Clarkson’s wife, Allison, that Clarkson would make a good rector.
“I’d stayed active at the church. I was in the vestry at Good Shepherd,” he said.
He also had dealings with EDS and understood the relationship between the overseeing church and the school.
When his wife relayed that comment, he contemplated it.
“I was intrigued,” he said.
That December the family attended the Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols at Sewanee, The University of the South in Sewanee, Tenn., his father’s alma mater.
“I heard a call,” he said.
It was the only way to describe what happened during that event. There wasn’t a specific song or reading that provoked it; he just knew he needed to prayerfully consider the words someone else had spoken.
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In the Episcopal Church, a candidate must go through several committees who determine the validity of the call. He and his wife also talked about his career plans.
“This is a joint journey with my spouse. She’s every bit as involved,” he said.
They all agreed, and in August 2003, Clarkson went to seminary just as his son, Ted. Jr. went to his first year of college at Southern Methodist University.
After three years at Sewanee, they moved to Darien, Ga., where he served at St. Andrew’s Episcopal Church and at St. Cyprian’s Episcopal Church.
He said they loved Darien but had always planned to retire to Augusta.
“We’re thrilled to be here,” he said.
Clarkson is hopeful for a return to church activities soon. He said Good Shepherd has a congregation that is concerned about Augusta and has always been involved in a lot of outreach to the community.
Although he doesn’t know exactly what the one rector saw in him, Clarkson said he’s always been concerned about people. In college, he worked in the brickyards with most people who couldn’t even read.
As a lawyer, he often tried to work as a peacemaker, attempting to mediate before a case went to court.
In his religious life, he worked in a county with a high poverty level, serving around people who struggled financially, and he wants to help. He has his eye on several projects, but they will have to wait until it’s safe.
“I want to see greater hands-on activity,” he said.
The Church of the Good Shepherd is located at 2230 Walton Way.
Charmain Z. Brackett is the Features Editor for The Augusta Press. Reach her at charmain@theaugustapress.com
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