Jim Mitulski was selected as pastor of New Spirit Community Church in July, 2008. He is an Elder in the Metropolitan Community Churches, a position equivalent to Conference Minister in the United Church of Christ or Regional Minister in the Disciples of Christ, Christian Church. Most recently Jim was working out of Atlanta, coordinating MCC ministry throughout the Southern and Midwestern states. He was also the denominational Director of Leadership Development, directing the training of seminarians and clergy for the MCC denomination. Jim has served churches in New York City (1983-1986) , San Francisco (1986-2000), Guerneville California (2001-02), and Glendale California. Prior to ordination in 1983, he was reference librarian for what was at the time the largest law firm in the United States. He has also worked at the San Francisco Public Library as Outreach Director for the Hormel Gay and Lesbian Center (2001-2002).
Jim grew up in Royal Oak, Michigan. He has a B.A. in Religion, with a concentration in Women’s Studies, from Columbia University, and a Master of Divinity from the Pacific School of Religion. He was a Merrill fellow at the Harvard Divinity School. Starr King School for the Ministry awarded him an honorary Doctor of Sacred Theology degree in 2002 in recognition of his HIV/AIDS activism in San Francisco during the 1980′s and 90′s. He has served as adjunct fa
culty at Lancaster Theological Seminary, Episcopal Divinity School, and the Pacific School of Religion. Jim was a founding board member of the Center for Lesbian and Gay Studies and currently is a member of the Board of Trustees at the Pacific School of Religion.
Jim is a proud resident of Oakland, where he shares an apartment near Lake Merritt with his cats, Keats and Zwingli.
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Read what people are saying about Jim:
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The San Francisco Chronicle talks about being Gay and Holy Week at New Spirit (April 2010)
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Jim talks about the meaning of Easter in the Bay Area Reporter (April 2010)
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Jim is quoted on World’s AIDS Day 2008 in the San Francisco Chronicle (December 2008)
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Bay Area Reporter describes Jim’s arrival at New Spirit (November 2008)
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Jim was voted by his peers as a Distinguished Alumnus of Pacific School of Religion (January 2004)
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Congresswoman Nancy Pelosi pays tribute to Jim (December 2000)
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San Francisco Chronicle reports on city leaders commenting on Jim’s contributions at MCC San Francisco (December 2000)
