Helping in a Different Way Remembering Rev. Dr. Jim Gilland

The UMHEF community mourns the passing of Rev. Dr. Jim Gilland of Salisbury, North Carolina. Jim as a strong advocate for young people pursuing careers in ministry, especially young North Carolinians studying at his alma mater, United Methodist-related Duke Divinity School.

Through the years, Jim pastored numerous churches in North Carolina, served as the Superintendent of the Greensboro District (now Northern Piedmont District), and preached or taught in 394 churches and institutions around the globe. In addition to mentoring young ministers, Jim was a proponent of equality and world peace.

Upon Jim’s retirement from ministry in 1998, Providence United Methodist Church in Salisbury established the Jim and Glener Gilland Scholarship Fund. Each year, this fund enables UMHEF to award a scholarship to a Duke Divinity School student from the Western NC Annual Conference.

In a letter to UMHEF President and CEO Bob Fletcher in late 2023, Glener acknowledged the impact of Jim’s legacy. “I’ve been pleasantly surprised at the notes we’ve received from pastors telling us how much Jim meant to them when they were beginning their ministry,” she wrote. “Now he can continue to help young pastors, just in a different way.”

When he died in July of 2023, Jim’s family invited people to give memorial gifts to the Gilland Scholarship Fund. Jim will leave an indelible mark on the lives of young ministers for years to come.

Learn more about UMHEF endowments and planned giving.
Read the 2023 Annual Review