Jim's Story

Jim’s journey is no less than a miracle as he was, and as he often states, “A dead man walking” for the majority of his first 31 years. Following is a snippet of his story, in his own words:

"When I reflect on my life’s journey through the years until the present I find the need to know beyond myself for truth, hope, and reality extends all the way back to my young and formative years. Experiencing trauma in the womb (my mother nearly drowned in her eighth month of pregnancy), rejection at birth (my mother did not believe I was her son), abandonment at age four (my father left my mother, me and two younger sisters, never to come back), and many personal struggles set a burning desire in myself for meaning and purpose in life.

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At the age of thirty-one, I found that the personal achievement of a new car, management, home ownership, and even family could not even begin to fill the void in my life. With virtually no church, bible, or Christian background, I attended a service and heard for the first time about “The Father’s Love,” something totally foreign to my heart. It was through this experience that I accepted Jesus Christ into my heart and saw my life and world transform and change.  God called me immediately to college and seminary resulting in forty years of counseling-pastoral ministry and blessed me with rich relationships in many Christian traditions and other faiths, as well as with people from many different cultures. Through these experiences I have sat with the poorest of the poor, the spiritually broken, the richest of the rich, and have discovered the need to know and experience love remains a common thread throughout. All of us need to be accepted for “who” we are, not what we do, and to know that we matter.

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In 1992 God opened the door for a church plant in Belfast, Maine. As God moved on our hearts and the hearts of those who shared our vision, we began believing God for a new church building. He opened the door to a property, it was the site of 4.5 acres, old poultry maintenance garage that was bought by the Humboldt Corporation and located at the top of a hill overlooking the city and bay. The corporation shared at the time that they needed to stick to their $150,000.00 ask, however, God moved on their hearts, a definite miracle, to offer us a check for $75.00 as a donation to make the purchase, and we would need to produce the remaining $75,000.  

After much prayer and with the board’s consent, we felt God’s leading to signing the contract and then we stood in faith and prayed. Not really knowing or seeing where the $75,000 would come from we stepped out in faith and saw God deliver as only He can. A couple that I prayed over earlier that year for healing of an incurable disease called to share his doctor’s report, rejoicing that there was no longer any sign of disease in his body. He asked where things were with the property deal and told me there would be a check in the mail. Three days later, I received a card from them saying, “We love you guys . . . go for it” and included was a check for $20,000. Shortly after that, someone transferred $45,000 into the attorney’s escrow account the very night before the contract expired. Praise God!

Eventually, this little storefront church plant transformed into a twenty thousand square foot ministry center, where believers gather to worship, and lives were transformed. The work encompassed a Christian bookstore, Thrift Store, Waldo County Food Distribution Center, Youth Center, and the Salvation Army Community Service Center.

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We are sharing this story because we believe God is calling us to step out once again with a new project; which leads us to this miracle that is happening in real-time, right before us. If your hearts are aligning with ours, please visit our donation page to see how you can help support Wholeness to Freedom Ministries and Still Waters Brevard.