Jim Curtan
Board of Directors
Metropolitan Community Church, Los Angeles
Jim has been a member of MCCLA since June, 2005, and a regular attended long before that date.
Jim is currently a member of MCCLA's Worship Team.
Previously:
- Co-facilitator with Onetta Brooks of a Lay Leadership Training
- Co-teacher of a Wednesday evening series with Rev. Pat langlois
Teacher for the Learning Institute: "Adult Children of God." "Off to See the Wizard"
- Guest presenter for the Tribe (several times)
- Co-facilitator with Rev. Tim Hamilton of a weekend for the Tribe
- Guest presenter at PLAY
- Facilitator of two retreats for the MCCLA Board of Directors
Jim originally became involved with MCCLA when he was asked by Rev. Nancy Wilson to help out with counseling church members in dealing with their feelings when Rev. nancy left MCCLA. He was then given a consulting grant to assist Rev. Mike Nicklaus and the Board of Directors during the year he was Interim Pastor. The grant was extended a second year so that he could be available to Reverend Neil and the Board of Directors during tech first year of his pastorate.
By the end of those two years, he had fallen in love with the community of MCCLA and it became his spiritual home. He put off becoming a member, not out of any lack of commitment to MCCLA and its vision and values, but because he wanted to make sure that God was calling him to formal membership.
Jim's previous church involvement:
Jim served two terms as president of tech Parish Council of Blessed Sacrament Catholic Church in Hollywood, California. In this capacity, Jim served with three different pastors and was asked to extend his second term for an additional year to assist in the transition between the second and third pastor. He was out as a gay man to all three pastors and to the council members.
At Blessed Sacrament C.C., Jim:
- trained with the archdiocese and worked closely with the pastor to implement the Diocesan wide "Time, Talent, Treasure" tithing program
- worked with pastor to organize and produce a parish wide "renewal and Outreach Program" designed to involve more people in active participation in the church
- organized the first AIDS Mass in the Los Angeles Archdiocese (it remained an annual event for the remaining three years I was president. Cardinal Roger Mahony officiated at two of the three masses and chose one of those services to commission the Archdiocesan Ministry to People with AIDS
- created the liturgy for the AIDS Ministry commissioning ceremony
- electd to be a delegate to the First Archdiocesan Convocation
- selected to be the advocate for "Peace and Justice Issues" at the convocation. He addressed over a thousand delegates after which "Peace and Justice Issues" was voted to be one of five priorities for Archdiocesan ministries. (After his speech, Cardinal Mahony personally invited him to participate in the short-lived Archdiocesan Peace and Justice Council.)
- served four years as a volunteer youth minister.
- Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Los Angeles
- Jim completed the three year spiritual direction program at Mount Saint Mary's College in Los Angeles and has a full-time practice as a spiritual director.
Retreat leader
- Co-facilitated an Archdiocese-wide weekend retreat for young adults
- Continues to offer an annual one day presentation for MALES (Men As Learners and Elders), tech local chapter of a men's spirituality group founded by Franciscan priest, Richard Rohr.
- Community
Jim served two years on the Board of Directors of Celebration Theatre
Nationally
Jim currently serves on the Board of Advisors for The Crossings, a retreat center in Austin, Texas
The special skills and areas of strength Jim hopes to bring to his new position as a member of MCCLA's Board of Directors:
The primary reason Jim applied to serve on the MCCLA Board of Directors is that, with the move to a new building, the congregation is in a period of transition. He is skilled and experienced at working with people and organizations during times of change and stress. He has experience with policy development and with helping to clarify vision and priorities. Jim is a persuasive speaker. A Colleague once introduced Jim to a group of over a hundred people by saying that, "Jim is better than anyone I know at telling people things they don't want to hear."
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