The John Gardner Fellowship is a lifetime appointment to honor and recognize longstanding, exemplary supporters of Common Cause Rhode Island; those who follow in the footsteps of John Gardner, founder of Common Cause, who demonstrate extraordinary and unwavering devotion to the organization, and who further its mission and best interests wherever and however it is within their power to do so.
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| Rev. James C. Miller |
Jim
Miller has served the fight for holding power accountable for more than fifty
years in his ministry career as a community organizer and church pastor, and
joins Alan Hassenfeld, Natalie Joslin, John Sapinsley*, Lila Sapinsley, and
Henry Sharpe.
Jim
has been involved with Common Cause ever since his divinity school professor of
social ethics admonished students to choose key social justice and political
reform organizations to support and align their ministries. Jim’s twenty-one years of dedication to
Common Cause Rhode Island began in 1991 when he began his post as Executive
Minister of The Rhode Island State Council of Churches. Before moving to RI, Jim had The Providence Journal mailed to his
Rochester, NY residency. News articles sharpened his awareness for the need of
religious leaders to become involved in RI governmental reform. As soon as Jim set foot in RI, he convened RI
interfaith leaders to join business and civic leaders and Common Cause RI to
form the RIght Now! statewide
coalition calling for ethic and political reform of RI state and city
government.
During
his twenty-year tenure with Common Cause Rhode Island, many of which he served
as President of the Governing Board, our citizen lobby pioneered the decade-long
fight for Separation of Powers, which was won in an epoch 2004 Supreme Court
decision. Jim has been at the forefront
of our organization’s efforts to enact Judicial Reform and General Assembly openness
to citizens’ response for campaign finance reform measures and other key issues
of governmental accountability.
Jim
retired as the 35th minister successor to Roger Williams as Minister
of The First Baptist Church in America, the first church to be established in
Rhode Island and the first Baptist congregation to be founded in America in
1638. Jim currently serves as Pastor of
the Emmanuel Baptist Church in Providence, the first Italian Baptist Church in
RI organized in 1893. Jim’s ministry
career has centered on racial justice and equality, international peace-making,
revitalization of cities, development of affordable housing projects, youth
ministries, and college chaplaincy.
Today, Jim serves as a board member of the Institute for the Study and
Practice of Nonviolence, the Governor’s appointee to the RI Commission on
Prejudice & Bias, and a Common Cause Advisory Council member.
*deceased
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