Called to Serve: The CLC Journey of Liz Patten

Posted on 31.10.2025
Called to Serve: The CLC Journey of Liz Patten
LizPatten-Colleagues-Africa-Caribbean-Council-2016

Liz & colleagues from Africa and the Caribbean during an International Council

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L to R: Petra, Abel, Liz & Johane before the CLC Maputo bookshop opening.

When Liz Patten reflects on her journey with CLC International, it’s clear that books and Bibles were never just ink and paper to her. They are lifelines—tools God uses to reach hearts and change lives. For more than 30 years, Liz has given herself to this mission. But her story started long before CLC. 
 
A New Testament and a New Life 
At 14, Liz received a small New Testament from the Gideons International (now ‘Good News for Everyone’). She read it daily, captivated by the truth inside. One verse in particular gripped her: Everyone who calls upon the Name of the LORD shall be saved (Romans 10:13). “Eventually,” Liz says, “that was exactly what happened!” 
That moment of faith set the course of her life, eventually leading her to say “Yes!” to God’s call to missions while at a youth conference in France. Her surrender was deepened during a short-term trip to West Africa and, later, by two years of service in Cameroon with the Full Gospel Mission. After returning from Cameroon, Liz pursued Portuguese language studies in Coimbra, Portugal, with plans to serve in Angola. It was there that she discovered CLC—not as a concept, but as a living, breathing ministry. 
“I was a regular visitor to the CLC bookshop in Avenida Emidio Navarro,” Liz recalls. “My friendship with the missionary couple who ran it grew into a sense that God was directing me to join CLC.” 
Rita, one of the missionaries, handed Liz copies of CLC World magazine and invited her to prayer meetings focused on Angola and Mozambique. Liz’s heart stirred. She realized God was weaving together her love for books and her call to Africa with CLC’s mission. 
 
A Passion Aligned with a Purpose 
Liz had always been a reader. “My mum taught me to read when I was four, and I never looked back,” she says. Saturdays were often spent with her dad at the junior library. As a new believer, she devoured Christian books. 
So when she sensed God calling her to join CLC, it felt natural. “It was no real surprise that this passion for reading was transformed into a calling to spread the Gospel through literature,” she explains. There were challenges, but Liz’s conviction was clear: “I wanted to be a missionary.”  For Liz, ministry has never been about titles or positions. What drives her daily is “A genuine desire to serve God and to do something with my life that will have an eternal impact.” That passion has taken her across continents: two years in Angola, seven in Mozambique, two more in Portugal, and countless visits to CLC ministries in Africa. 
 
Projects like the Low-Cost Bible Project for Mozambique, which has distributed over 30,000 Bibles so far, stand as fruit of her faithful service. 
But just as important as the projects are the people. “Encouraging my colleagues, many of whom work in very challenging conditions, has been one of my greatest joys,” she says. 
 
A Day in the Life 
These days, Liz’s role looks a little different. Her mornings begin with strong tea, Bible reading, and prayer. Much of her work is now digital—Zoom calls, emails, and WhatsApp messages with colleagues in Mozambique, Sierra Leone, and beyond. She also prepares material for the Prayer Focus calendar and coordinates Global Prayer Days, helping keep the ministry united worldwide. In between, she takes walks with her adopted terrier, LittleTed—a faithful companion during this season of ministry. 
 
Holding the Baton 
As Liz looks towards retirement in the 
next few years, she remains as focused on CLC’s mission as ever. “We just hold the baton for a while, and then we have to pass it on,” she reflects. Her prayer is that new leaders will rise up, especially in Africa, to carry the vision forward. And to those considering a similar call? Liz is quick to encourage: “Once you are certain that this is what God wants you to do, just go for it—110%.” 
 
Sidebar: How to Pray with Liz 
For Liz: Pray that she will remain an encouragement to colleagues right up until retirement and beyond. 
For CLC Africa: Pray for strong, godly leaders to step into place so the ministries in Mozambique, Sierra Leone, and throughout the continent can continue to flourish.
For CLC Globally: Pray that our mission remains strong and clear in every nation. 
 
Her “Why”—and Ours 
After more than three decades with CLC, Liz sums it up simply: “From the beginning, my ‘why’ was clear: Jesus is worthy, and His Word must be shared.” Her story, woven into the larger story of CLC, reminds us that the mission is not abstract—it’s lived out in the faithfulness of ordinary people, serving an extraordinary God. 

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