My name is Jim Moore, and I attended Grace Bible College from 1985 to 1989. When I was at Grace, I was debating what to do for a career. I was really deciding between being a youth pastor or a high school teacher. I eventually landed on high school because I felt like I could do just as much ministry, or possibly even more ministry, in a public high school setting than I could in a church. So I transferred to Grand Valley State University and got my teaching degree. A year after I graduated, I became the men’s basketball coach at Grace Bible College. I coached for six years and made some unbelievable relationships. I went on to coach varsity high school basketball, but I tell you, my time as the coach at Grace Bible College led to some of the most meaningful relationships I’ve had as a basketball coach. I’m still close with some of those players today.
26 Years in Education and a Career in Real Estate
I taught for 26 years. I spent three years at Kellogg Middle School, one year at Hudsonville Freshman Campus, and the rest of my time at Byron Center High School. During that time, I was also a realtor for 25 years, and I still am today. So I taught high school and did real estate at the same time. Then in 2020, it was the perfect time to retire after 26 years in public education. I continued in real estate, and within the last two years, I also started selling health insurance and Medicare. Throughout my life, I’ve felt a real challenge from the Lord to serve Him in everything I do.
A Year in Zambia That Changed Our Family
One thing my family and I did while I was teaching was take a year away in 2009–2010. I took a sabbatical from teaching, and all five of us, my wife, our three kids, and I, went to Zambia, Africa, for a one-year mission experience through Grace Ministries International. I think all five of us would say that year had one of the biggest impacts on our lives. Since then, I’ve returned to Zambia probably 25 or 30 times. I’ve brought teams of teachers, helped with pastoral training and leadership training, and also gotten involved with business there. I own some property there as well. It doesn’t really matter what is going on in my life. I feel like the Lord is saying, “Whatever door I open or close for you, I want you to honor and glorify Me.”
Continuing to Serve Through Faith-Based Organizations
Currently, I serve on four nonprofit, faith-based boards, and I’m the vice chairman of the board at Grace Christian University. My wife runs a biblical counseling ministry called Stage Five Ministry, and I serve on that board, also on the board of Through the Roof, a home for residents with disabilities that was started by a family from Rush Creek. I’m also chairman of the board for Grace Ministries International, our mission agency, and just so proud to be an alumnus of Grace Christian University, and proud to represent the school. I’m so thankful for what Grace has meant to our family. Two of my three children graduated from Grace Christian University, and two of my daughters-in-law graduated from Grace as well. I met my wife at Grace, so we owe a lot to this institution.
The Professors and Mentors Who Shaped My Worldview
Dr. DeWitt was someone we were terrified of because we respected him so much. He wasn’t mean. He actually had a great sense of humor, but we just did not want to disappoint him because we had so much respect for him. After my junior year, in between semesters, I got a phone call that my mother was dying of cancer. She died that spring. I left school early and went down to be with my mom as she passed away. When I moved back to Michigan, I moved in with Jim Carlson, who was a Bible teacher at Grace Bible College. He welcomed me into his home and family. They kind of adopted me and loved on me. Through them, I could really see what it meant for a godly family to interact with each other in the home. That had a really big impact on me. Dick Walker really spoke into my life and gave me some great advice. Phil Munoa was phenomenal in his theology classes. Dr. Sam was president at the time. I could go on and on about how impactful these godly men and women were in my life. I think their greatest impact was on my worldview.
Finding My Purpose at Grace
Like I said, I had a lot of questions when I was a student. What’s my purpose? Who am I? What’s the meaning of my life? I had to ask myself the question: Is God real or is He not real? If He’s not real, then I need to go do the things I want to do and the things that will benefit my life. But if He is real, then I need to know: Why did He create me? What’s my purpose? Through the classes at Grace Bible College and the professors who spoke into my life, I came to understand that my purpose is to worship, honor, and glorify God in everything I do. That changed my whole perspective. I loved taking Bible and theology classes at Grace. I loved the fact that professors would say, “Here’s one point of view. then bring in a another point of view, and then explain what Grace believes. But you can do a paper and present any view you want, as long as you back it up with the Bible.” From that, I understood how important it was that my faith become my own. Everything I believe needs to be based on biblical principles, and I need to be convinced of that for myself.
Making Time to Serve
As a realtor and someone working in health insurance, I’m an independent contractor in both jobs. That gives me some flexibility, but I also make sure I intentionally carve out time to support ministries, not just financially, but with my time. We’re always balancing our time because it’s easy to get overwhelmed by what we commit to. Sometimes we overreact and say, “I’m not going to do anything,” because we’ve gotten too busy. But I try to be intentional about where I serve. As chairman of the board of Grace Ministries International, I need to spend intentional time with the director and prepare for board meetings. As vice chairman of the board at Grace Christian University, I spend time with President Ken Kemper and take part in strategy meetings. I also give time to the other two ministries whose boards I serve on.
Serving for the Long Term
I see serving through these boards as something I can do until I die. I don’t really see myself wanting to stop doing that. At the same time, I try to carve out time to serve in my local church. I lead a life group because I was asked, and even though I didn’t have a lot of extra space in my life, I thought, “I need to do something in my local church, and this is what I’m going to carve out time for.”
