Jim Short

Major (Ret’d) the Rev. Jim Short MMM CD

I am an ordained minister of Word, Sacrament, and Pastoral Care in my “fourth quarter” of life, still grateful for every opportunity to serve. After meeting with Tom, Elizabeth, and Claudia, I experienced a clear call to step in as Acting Coordinating Minister at Peninsula United Church. My contract is for six months, with the possibility of extending to nine, and I have committed to being with you as I am required. What this role becomes will unfold as I listen, learn, and discover the life of the congregation. My intention is to accompany PUC with love, compassion, and with steady ordained leadership until a new coordinating minister is called.

I am devoted to helping people understand their journey from a spiritual perspective, as they deepen their Christian faith and practices—personally and as a community. I am an eclectic person with training and experience in various areas, including trauma and moral injury. I have a penchant for preaching and storytelling, making connections between Biblical content and the daily lives we lead. My priority is helping people, building community, and nurturing love of God, self, neighbour, and the world.

I am eager about the possibilities that arise from engaging the national church’s ‘ Towards 2035’, especially the questions it invites us to consider. Do we know why and what we are doing? Do we know the people who live around us? Are we intentionally welcoming people into our community? Can we streamline bureaucracy and focus more fully on the Good News of God’s grace in Jesus through the Spirit?

We live in a challenging time—global conflict, the rise of Christian Nationalism, economic pressures, and the emerging impact of ‘AI’. It is a frightening time, and a time for Christians to live bravely and share hope.

I was born in Hamilton, completed my BA in history at McMaster, and my MDiv at Queen’s. I was raised in the United Church—truly from the womb—and though I explored other denominations and youth movements as a teen, I remained rooted in the tradition that formed me. While at university, I felt a strong call to ministry, confirmed by mentors and a mystical experience. I was ordained in Hamilton Conference in 1982 and have served congregations in Newfoundland and Labrador, Toronto, Duncan, and Ladner.

Alongside parish ministry, I served 26 years in the Canadian Armed Forces, Army Reserve, including a deployment to Afghanistan in 2008 and two domestic deployments. During the overseas deployment I kept detailed diaries, and one of my long‑term hopes is to publish them. I retired from the military in 2017 and was appointed a Member of the Order of Military Merit.

I met the love of my life, Cathy Bone, at Queen’s. We have shared in ministry together and separately. We have three adult children, their partners, and five grandchildren, and we are currently raising one of them. Cathy, also a military veteran, holds a theological degree, a Master’s in Christian Education, specializing in children and youth. Along with congregational pastoral work, she served as head of the Chalmers Institute at Vancouver School of Theology before retirement. She enjoys art, writing, and family.

Throughout my ministry, I have served in prison, hospital, fire, police, and mental health chaplaincy, along with community work and United Church leadership roles. Through it all, my focus has remained the same: loving people, caring for community, and infusing hope from our relationship with God.

Rooted in Christian ministry, held up by God’s love for all that is living, and shaped by service, I am a pastor who values people and the everyday sacred, and who brings a lifelong love of books and second‑hand treasures. When not engaged in workhour-ministry, I am most often found in a bookstore or a coffee shop.