The comments below support this Mark of Ministry. To read the reference in its entirety, please click on the bold text at the end of each comment.
He has been instrumental in revitalizing the choir, the Board of Music and Fine Arts and the Care and Concern Committee. Because of his leadership, we have significantly improved our Sunday services by coordinating of the audio-visual equipment and training of the individuals running this equipment. He has organized and inspired members of the Care and Concern Committee by improving the data base and making information accurate and available when needed. He has reached out to lay leaders in the church to provide input to the monthly church newsletter and web page. Jim is a great listener and is always very genuine in his dealings with church members. He is honest and open in facing challenges and recognizing success. Through these leadership efforts our church has a renewed sense of purpose and mission. – Pat & John Durbin
I know he will continue to grow and bring hope and renewal – Wendy Whitlock
Jim…embodies the core values of the UCC: continuing testament, extravagant welcome, and changing lives. His own personal journey has taught him what it means to be excluded from the body of Christ, and his faith has taught him that God is not an exclusive God. By his example, and by his embodiment of the teachings of Jesus Christ he invites people to listen to the calling of the Holy Spirit and experience the love of God for themselves thus changing their lives forever. – Janet Hutchins
His gifts for and call to ordained ministry are immediately evident to anyone with whom he has served. Jim turned around a struggling music program in a matter of weeks, and the tum-around had as much to do with his pastoral ability as his superb musical talents.
He works well with folks across a spectrum of beliefs, interests, and abilities. He strives for excellence in all things, and does so with an infectious spirit that inspires and uplifts. He is effective at recruiting, motivating, training, and encouraging working teams. He takes good care of the people he shepherds – tending to their spirits as much as their production. Jim is ultra-reliable, emotionally secure, spiritually mature, and exhibits the finest in ministry ethics and boundaries – Rev. Leonard W. Silvester
I want to tell you about the wonderful work Jim Alexander has done in a very short time with the Care Ministries Group at The Church of the Palms. This group has been meeting for several years but just barely hanging on. With Jim’s leadership we have gone from a group just crawling to a group that is now running full speed ahead.
Our monthly meetings are now structured so that we are able to keep a closer contact with our homebound members and their needs. We are trying to ensure that no one is overlooked. Jim has reinforced the transportation program. Names and phone numbers of people offering transportation are now available through the church office. – June Nielsen
We have always considered Jim to be very innovative when it comes to ministry. We believe his creativity is one of the qualities that empower the individuals he engages with, which impacts the church body as a whole. We consider this creativity to be the work of the Spirit in Jim’s life. In the churches we’ve had the privilege of serving in with Jim, this creative leadership has helped to facilitate growth and spark new commitments in the life of the church.
In the political climate we live in and the amazing diversity that is our humanity, we’ve seen how Jim connects with all people with compassion, gentleness and sensitivity. Just as we are all on journey and are being conformed to the image of Christ, this has been evident over the many years we’ve known Jim. He has matured in his understanding of who God is, who God has made him to be, and how to be Christ’s presence in this world. This growth has definitely shaped his character, which has ultimately changed how he lives in relationship to others, as well as his work ethic. He has always had a very strong sense of commitment to the church and to his personal relationships. – Rev. Nancy Gunn, Minister of Worship, Church at Cactus; David Gunn, Pastor, Church at Cactus
…he persuaded love and self-discipline, rather than anger and reactive complaint. When they began to be unable to lead effectively, and fell into their own funk and despair, Jim stepped in and assuaged anger and rebellion among the parishioners, not with admonishment, but rather with reminders of how we were to conduct ourselves in Christ’s name. – Dawn Bell
Jim was the first Director I had ever worked with who prayed with and for us as a choir and as individuals and whose guiding philosophy is that we, as a choir, are not just singers- we are Worship Leaders! The choir is not just there to lead the congregation in singing but to enhance and enliven their worship experience. He encouraged us to not just know the notes and the words of the hymns/songs but to feel and believe the message we are bringing and to impart that to the congregation in body, mind and spirit. I know that for myself and for many who have worked with him over the years in several churches and two denominations that he is committed to Building Transformational Leadership Skills. – Toni and Steven Berg
Jim regularly witnesses to God’s redeeming power in our choir setting, including prayers for us &for by us. He is sensitive to our diverseness. Many of my experiences with Jim are choir related where necessary & appropriate administrative tasks required for effective results are performed efficiently (mostly behind the scenes), so that we’re not confronted with ‘surprises’ reflecting lack of preparation that impede our shared goal of joyfully making a joyful noise. – Malinda Case