At 14, I briefly flirted with fundamentalism, but only because all my friends were doing it and assured me that the youth ministry scheduled lots of fun events.  This excursion into the realm of certitude did not end well.  I quoted Walden to my Bible study group, challenging their interpretation of the book of Romans.  Accused of being the voice of Satan, I left the group.  I was 15.  It was hard.

All my friends tried to win me back to the True Path by warning me of the dire consequences I risked.  After all, if God would send pagans to hell who had never even heard of Him, what would happen to someone who had been given news of God, and then rejected Him?  Surely, eternal flames awaited me.

This happened just before Easter, when my father insisted I perform the minimum union requirement of Catholicism—receive the sacraments of Confession and Holy Communion for one time that year.  I recited the usual litany of venial sins to Father Gilligan, but just as he slid the privacy door shut, I blurted out “and I may have rejected God.”

Slowly the door opened. “What do you mean?”  I explained what had happened.  I remember to this day what he said next.

“Do you reject the search for justice?  Do you reject your fellow man, and the peace and brotherhood you can find with him?  Do you reject love, caring for the unfortunate, forgiving those who have done you wrong?  Do you reject mercy and charity?  Do you reject what God has given you—this beautiful planet, the joy of your friends and family?  To reject God, you must also reject all He has given to us and all He asks of us.  Do you reject these things?”

“No, Father, I do not.”  “Then you should not be worried that you have rejected God.  God is all of those things, and more, and you cannot embrace them without also embracing Him.  Go in peace, to love and serve the Lord.”

Belated Greetings,
Somehow it slipped through the cracks that I was to do an article about me when I became a Vestry member, so here goes.
I’m Jim Hall, a retired priest for 12 ½ years after 43 years of active ministry in congregations from Miami, Florida to Seattle, Washington and a few places in between, including Tennessee and the ruggedly beautiful state of Montana.
For about four years I was non-parochial while managing a heavy construction company in Seattle, building and repairing bridges and roads. One of the more interesting experiences while managing the company was the acquisition of a dynamiter’s license, and I had the experience of demolishing a couple of bridges and assisting in the demolition of others.
I left Seattle for Nashville and Holy Trinity Parish in 1983 where I met Pauline, dated her, asked her to marry me, she consented, and we married in April, 1987. We then moved to Hampton, Virginia in May where I remained as Rector of St. Cyprian’s until retirement in 1996. In 1997 we moved to Antioch and linked up with St. Mark’s where we have been happy ever since.
While in Montana I gained a graduate degree in anthropology, specializing in language and culture, especially the language of aggression. One little technicality of my existence should be mentioned. Because of church rules, I cannot transfer to the Diocese of Tennessee as a retiree, so I am still canonically a resident in the Diocese of Southern Virginia but am able to function as a priest by license of the Bishop. However, as a member of the parish of St. Mark’s I can serve as a Vestry person and exercise any other function of a parishioner. I do not want a high profile, but I do want to be of help to Battle and the congregation in any way that I can.
With thanks to all of you for your kindness to Pauline and me. God’s blessing upon us all.
--Jim Hall