Since his retirement Bishop Ives has remained an active member of The United Methodist Council of Bishops, participating in activities of the church at-large.
PORTLAND, ME, March 11, 2020 /24-7PressRelease/ -- Marquis Who's Who, the world's premier publisher of biographical profiles, is proud to present the Rev. Dr. S. Clifton Ives with the Albert Nelson Marquis Lifetime Achievement Award. An accomplished listee, Bishop Ives celebrates many years of dedication and service and has been noted for achievements, leadership qualities, and successes he has experienced as a leader in the faith community. As in all Marquis Who's Who biographical volumes, individuals profiled are selected on the basis of current reference value. Factors such as position, noteworthy accomplishments, visibility, and prominence in a field are all taken into account during the selection process.
Having tended to the spiritual needs of 1300 United Methodist churches within the West Virginia Episcopal Area from 1992-2004, Bishop Ives retired and returned to Portland, Maine. Prior to his election as a bishop, Rev. Ives served as Superintendent of the Southern District of the UMC in Maine from 1986 to 1992. Prior to that he was senior pastor of United Methodist churches in Cape Elizabeth, Bangor, and Waterville, Maine. From 1973-1977 he was Director of the Council of Ministries with responsibilities for United Methodist Churches throughout Maine.
Following retirement in 2004, Bishop Ives served as the interim pastor in five Maine communities, helped a closed urban inner-city church reestablish itself as a vital congregation, and gave leadership, along with his daughter Bonnie Marden, to the successful United Methodist campaign which raised $70 to end malaria in Africa.
As a pastor in the 1960's he advocated for opportunities for lay persons and clergy to serve as volunteers in mission, a movement which became popular in the last quarter of the 20th century. As a pastor he went with lay volunteers from Maine to Haiti and from West Virginia to Africa, Russia, Israel/Palestine, Alaska and Argentine. Those experiences, along with responsibilities for the Council of Bishops, The World Methodist Council, and The General Board of Church and Society took him to five continents.
Throughout his lifetime in the church, opportunities to provide executive leadership emerged: first as State President of Maine Methodist Youth in 1955 and later as the first elected clergy delegate from Maine to five world-wide meetings of Methodist General Conferences between 1972-1992. As a Bishop, Ives presided at twelve state conferences in West Virginia and three international General Conferences. While a bishop, Ives was honored to be elected President of the General Commission on Religion and Race (1996-2000) and the General Board of Church and Society (2000-2004). He was elected Chair of the Appalachian Development Committee and served on the executive committees of Councils of Churches in Maine and West Virginia. In retirement, due to his commitment to world peace, justice for all persons, and the elimination of racism, the Methodist Federation for Social Action invited him to serve as their 34th National President from 2006-2010.
Since his retirement Bishop Ives has remained an active member of The United Methodist Council of Bishops, participating in activities of the church at-large. Bishop Ives has successfully facilitated the resolution of complaints and charges against clergy persons and garnered a lauded reputation as a presiding officer of church trials in cases involving disobedience of the official Book of Discipline of the United Methodist Church.
Bishop Ives recently proved to be of service in one such controversy in the case of a complaint and charge against Rev. Anna Blaedel for being a self-avowed practicing homosexual. The case, originally destined for trial, was instead brought to a "just resolution" through his facilitation. As a result, parties involved received some measure of justice short of Rev. Blaedel being excluded from the church.
Related to his ministry of mediation and healing relationships, Rev. Ives has remained involved in the Association for Couples in Marriage Enrichment (now Better Marriages) alongside his wife, Jane Petherbridge Ives, since 1979. Together, they have trained leadership for the aforementioned association and jointly authored a pastor's manual for working with couples. Better Marriages has been a particularly long-abiding passion for Mrs. Ives, who has written several books on the subject of marriage.
A native of Maine, Rev. Ives initially pursued an education at the University of Maine, earning a Bachelor of Arts in 1960. Following that, he continued his studies at Boston University School of Theology with a Master of Divinity in 1963 and a Doctor of Ministry degree in 1983. Rev. Ives also received an honorary doctorate from West Virginia Wesleyan College in 2004.
The son of a Methodist pastor, Rev. Ives found himself deeply involved in various youth programs and other church activities. Though he initially resisted the call which had led his father into pastoral ministry, attending and working at a church camp and working with the protestant campus chaplain at the University of Maine influenced his eventual response to the call to ordained pastoral ministry. Today, he is immeasurably proud that his own three children have themselves exceeded him in their pursuit of justice, love and peace. Through them, Rev. Ives is likewise hopeful that the pursuit of faith and integrity will extend to his seven grandchildren as well as to generations beyond.
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