In 1989, while seeking God’s face for greater clarity regarding her identity and purpose, the Lord led Lydia Clarke, the founder of Go Free Ministries, to read Isaiah 61:1-4. In this passage of scripture, He revealed what she had been seeking.

It says: The spirit of the Lord God is upon me; because the Lord hath anointed me to preach good tidings unto the meek; he hath sent me to bind up the broken-hearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to them that are bound; to proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord, and the day of vengeance of our God; to comfort all that mourn; to appoint unto them that mourn in Zion, to give them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; that they might be called trees of righteousness, the planting of the Lord, that he might be glorified. And they shall build the old wastes, they shall raise up the former desolations, and they shall repair the waste cities, the desolations of many generations.

God has raised up Lydia for such a time as this. He has deposited within her His Word of Truth, and placed upon her an anointing, both which sets the captives free and heals the broken.

In recent years, identity theft has developed into a serious issue. However, in the spirit realm, identity theft has been a major problem for centuries. Unfortunately, Satan has done his best to rob people of their true, God-given identities. Go Free Ministries is all about freeing and equipping people to boldly walk in the fullness of their God-given identity, potential, purpose and destiny. Lydia fulfills the call through the prophetic teaching of the Word; the prayer, counseling, and deliverance ministries; as well as small group facilitation. One group of people close to Lydia’s heart is women. God has given her a special anointing to deal with issues related to women: especially in the areas of abortion, post-abortion healing, and sexuality. She has written a book entitled, Can’t Keep Silent: A Woman’s 22-Year Journey of Post-Abortion Healing.

The Lord has also anointed Lydia to free people’s minds regarding children. The satanically-inspired world view of children has proven fatal to millions of children who have died as a result of abortion, physical and sexual abuse, and governmental mandates. God sees children as blessings and rewards, not hindrances or inconveniences, and Lydia ministers a powerful word that destroys the yoke of erroneous beliefs concerning children in both Christians and non-Christians alike.

Lydia was born in Illinois and moved to Michigan at age 8. She attended Eastern Michigan University, and while there as a freshman, met three of the most important men in her life: The Lord Jesus, her husband, Tim, and her pastor and spiritual father, Dr. Charles Hawthorne (HawthorneMinistries.org). After graduating with a B.B.A. in Accounting, Lydia worked in the secular workplace while also actively serving in the ministry of her local church, Labor of Love Ministries, COGIC in Ann Arbor, Michigan (LaborofLoveChurch.org). She and her husband of 23 years, Elder Timothy Clarke (who also serves as Labor of Love's Associate Pastor and Minister of Music) were licensed to the ministry in 1992. Currently, Lydia serves on Labor of Love's ministerial staff and as a faculty member in the Labor of Love School of Ministry. In the marketplace, she is an Administrative Assistant at Mitsubishi Motors.

Lydia has been facilitating post-abortion support groups/Bible studies since 1999, and has been the keynote speaker at various worship services, Bible studies, conferences and retreats.

She and her husband and five wonderful children—
Quentin, Justin, Caleb, Christen and Kelley.