AboutJim has a long and rich history with various Religions, Spiritual practices and Cultures going back to childhood. Jim was ordained as a Minister through the Barbara King School of Ministry in Dec 2020.
Jim serves on the boards of Interfaith Partners of South Carolina and Unified Interfaith Community Coalition of Beaufort, Cherry Hill Seminary and served as an Ambassador of the Parliament of the World's Religions for a number of years until the program was terminated Jan 2021. He is an anointed Elder with Mepkin Abbey's Contemplative Aging Institute. Part of his work in Interfaith involves the production of videos documenting events to view some of this visit his Interfaith Advocate Vimeo site. Jim is available for speaking engagements, workshops and consultation on Interfaith issues, Please see CONTACT page. |
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Speaking and Workshop Topics
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Affiliations
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Some details about my background:
EDUCATION
Graduated December 2020 from the Barbara King School of Ministry as an ordained Minister associated with UNITED Church Network and Hillside International.
A graduate of Utah State University. Degree focus on Philosophy, especially Ethics. Also a number of writing workshops and classes in Creative Writing under Professor Kenneth W. Brewer, who was the second of Utah's Poet Laureates. Jim served as Associate Editor in '77 and Editor in Chief in '78 of USU's Literary Journal The Crucible. Before changing his major to Philosophy Jim studied Electrical Engineering for two years.
UNITY MOVEMENT
Jim has been a member for a number of years of Unity of Hilton Head in Bluffton, SC where he has served in the following capacities:
SPIRITUAL ALIGNMENTS
COMMUNITY SERVICE
Jim has served on a number of boards in the Arts, Education, Industry and Religion and as a volunteer in several non-profits.
Current
MILITARY SERVICE
Jim served in the United States Air Force as an Electronics Technician in Avionic Sensor Systems and worked on equipment that was deployed on the SR-71 Blackbird and U2 spy planes. He joined in the era of "Super Powers". He believed that Surveillance Technology had the potential of preventing war. Those were MAD (mutual assured destruction) days, pitting powerful nation states, with vast nuclear arsenals, against each other. That was true then, but in these days of asymmetrical warfare and literally thousands of autonomous factions fighting guerilla wars; reconnaissance is now an aid to prosecuting warfare far more so than preventing it. Jim has had a lifelong affiliation with the Anti-war/Peace movement.
OTHER INTERESTS
Jim has numerous publication credits in Poetry and Non-Fiction and was the recipient of the Utah Society of Professional Journalists first place award for a feature length magazine article in 2014. To read that article click on this CATALYST Magazine link. Jim is a member of the Savannah Writers Group and his work appears in their anthology Tributaries. He has had a lifelong interest in photography, has had images published, purchased for commercial use, and had a one man show in 2006. To see some of his images visit his Photography Website at Pbase. To view his personal video projects visit his Vimeo site.
Graduated December 2020 from the Barbara King School of Ministry as an ordained Minister associated with UNITED Church Network and Hillside International.
A graduate of Utah State University. Degree focus on Philosophy, especially Ethics. Also a number of writing workshops and classes in Creative Writing under Professor Kenneth W. Brewer, who was the second of Utah's Poet Laureates. Jim served as Associate Editor in '77 and Editor in Chief in '78 of USU's Literary Journal The Crucible. Before changing his major to Philosophy Jim studied Electrical Engineering for two years.
UNITY MOVEMENT
Jim has been a member for a number of years of Unity of Hilton Head in Bluffton, SC where he has served in the following capacities:
- Ministerial Search Committee
- Vice President of Board
- Finance Committee
- Prayer Chaplain
- By-Laws Committee
- Studying to become a Licensed Unity Teacher with an emphasis on Adult Education, have completed the SEE coursework
- Member UNITED Church Network
- Hillside International Truth Center
- Barbara King School of Ministry, graduating December 2020 and will be ordained 12/13/20
SPIRITUAL ALIGNMENTS
- Has practiced Transcendental Meditation for over 40 years
- Hindu Scripture and Yoga Philosophy, Advaita Vedanta or non-dualism focus
- Long involvement with Native American Spirituality, particularly the Inipe or sweat lodge ceremony in the Lakota tradition, active in a lodge in Bluffton
- Was introduced to the Gurdjieff work and Ouspensky's In Search of the Miraculous in mid 70', still working on it under the direction of an associate of Professor Jacob Needleman
- Produced and co-produced workshops of Nationally Published authors including Doug Boyd, Jean Houston and Timothy Leary
- Celtic Paganism under the auspices of the Covenant of the Goddess
- Western Metaphysical traditions and systems including Astrology, Tarot and Alchemy
- Involvement with the Deep Ecology and Environmental Movements, several years with Earth First!
COMMUNITY SERVICE
Jim has served on a number of boards in the Arts, Education, Industry and Religion and as a volunteer in several non-profits.
Current
- Interfaith Partners of South Carolina, Board Member At Large
- Cherry Hill Seminary, Board Member At Large
- Unified Interfaith Community Coalition of Beaufort
- Unity Church of Hilton Head Island, Vice President
- The Arts and Culture Council of Southern Beaufort County, Vice President
- City Arts, a literary arts 501(c) 3, over 7 years as secretary
- Great Salt Lake Society of Plastics Engineers, President Elect
- Salt Lake Community College Education Development Board, President Elect
MILITARY SERVICE
Jim served in the United States Air Force as an Electronics Technician in Avionic Sensor Systems and worked on equipment that was deployed on the SR-71 Blackbird and U2 spy planes. He joined in the era of "Super Powers". He believed that Surveillance Technology had the potential of preventing war. Those were MAD (mutual assured destruction) days, pitting powerful nation states, with vast nuclear arsenals, against each other. That was true then, but in these days of asymmetrical warfare and literally thousands of autonomous factions fighting guerilla wars; reconnaissance is now an aid to prosecuting warfare far more so than preventing it. Jim has had a lifelong affiliation with the Anti-war/Peace movement.
OTHER INTERESTS
Jim has numerous publication credits in Poetry and Non-Fiction and was the recipient of the Utah Society of Professional Journalists first place award for a feature length magazine article in 2014. To read that article click on this CATALYST Magazine link. Jim is a member of the Savannah Writers Group and his work appears in their anthology Tributaries. He has had a lifelong interest in photography, has had images published, purchased for commercial use, and had a one man show in 2006. To see some of his images visit his Photography Website at Pbase. To view his personal video projects visit his Vimeo site.