Rev. Jim Cunningham is a human being who was ordained a minister in the UCC in 1971.
Jim is retired after a serving 23 years as a certified health care chaplain and 15 years as a congregational pastor. Jim and his spouse, Charlie, moved from the Cleveland area to Phoenix in March 2018. In retirement, Jim has enjoyed frequent pulpit supplying, some part-time interim ministries, teaching church adult education classes, lecturing and providing workshops on a number of subjects. Jim has participated with Committees on Church and Ministry in three difference Associations in the Ohio Conference. He is a certified Stephen Ministry Leader.
In health care Jim focused on perinatology (high-risk obstetrics) and neonatology (critically ill newborns). He is a specialist in newborn death and bereavement having written, published, and lectured extensively in this area. He led a bereaved parent support group for over 20 years. He also has extensive experience in bioethics, creating and staffing the Health Care Ethics Committee for Fairview and Lutheran Hospitals in Cleveland, OH. Jim has experience in teaching bioethics, communication skills, and spirituality in medicine to physicians including physician residents in Emergency Medicine, Internal Medicine, Surgery, and Family Practice residency programs. For many years he lectured annually at Case Western Reserve University’s Masters in Genetic Counseling Program.
Jim and Charlie have been active in LGBTQIA advocacy providing legislative testimony in Cleveland and Lakewood Ohio and at the state level partnering with Equality Ohio.
Jim is a member of First Church Phoenix and looks forward to being a part of the UCC community in the Southwest Conference.
He can be contacted at j.h.cunningham@icloud.com or call/text at 602.739.3603.
If you would like to hear more about all Jim has learned about surviving stress, please contact him. He has a two hour lecture including a relaxation/letting-go exercise experience and welcomes the opportunity to share with others.
posts by Jim:
Debts, Trespasses, Sins…??? The Language of Liturgy