Dr. Henry Clary: An Inspiration to Students
Dr. Henry Clary is one of the most well-known professors at Bluefield University. Students say he is not only someone that represents everything that Bluefield University stands for, but he also guides students into a more meaningful relationship with Jesus Christ. He has always encouraged students to strive for greatness, and he has shown students what passion is all about.
Dr. Clary was born and raised in North Florida on a Navy base in Jacksonville. He grew up in a small town near Jacksonville, called Green Cove Springs. Before his life in Christian ministry, he actually served in the military.
“Overall, my time in the military was positive,” Dr. Clary said. “I served in the Navy from 1987 to 1991 and then for another two years as a reservist while in college. In the military, I was an electronic technician; the work was challenging, and the training was excellent. The Navy taught me self-discipline and how to be thorough and to take pride in my work.”
After the military when he was 26 years old, Dr. Clary became a Christian, but few people know that before he gave his life to Christ he went through a time in which he was an atheist.
“The Lord answered my prayer after a few months of praying about this,” Dr. Clary said about his conversion experience. “In my case, God called me to mission work by frankly speaking to me in my spirit and directing me to become a missionary in Uruguay. Yeah, I thought it was kind of weird at the time. I did not hear a voice but sensed God speaking to me in my mind and soul.”
Dr. Clary said he had prayed selfishly that God would lead him to a better-paying job, but God had other plans in store.
“I had not thought of becoming a missionary or minister,” he said, “but the Lord led Tasha (his wife) and me each step along the way, from seminary to the mission agency that sent us overseas to an eight-and-a-half-year time on the mission field.”
Dr. Clary said he had always been interested in other cultures and languages, and when he became a Christian his interest increased. He and his family decided to listen to God’s call and become international missionaries.
“When we first got to Uruguay, I went through about a year and a half of culture shock and getting used to living, working, and raising a family in a place where we were the foreigners,” Dr. Clary said. “That experience taught me a lot about life, and now I will never look at things the same way as before. I also love teaching, and being invited to teach at the Baptist Seminary in Uruguay (teaching in Spanish) was one of the best jobs I have ever had. I loved it.”
After seven years of living in Uruguay, preaching the gospel and learning a new language, Dr. Clary and his family decided it was time to return to the United States to help their oldest son, who was dealing with a lot of life difficulties. That’s when God called the Clarys off the mission field to Bluefield University and to a local Baptist church in Princeton, West Virginia. In 2016, Dr. Clary became the campus pastor at BU. He has since served students in many other roles.
“I served as the full-time campus pastor and adjunct professor for the first two years here,” he said. “Then in early 2019, I transitioned to full-time faculty in Christian studies specializing in our COR education program. I have served all these years as the director of missions activities and the director of the Vocatio program, which champions the conversation on vocation and calling, viewed through a Christian worldview.”
Students say Dr. Clary is an inspiration for the entire Bluefield community, and it is impossible to go around Bluefield and not stop to have a conversation, lunch or coffee with him. He has a scripture he likes to use for inspiration: “Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind” (Romans 12:2).