Reverend Jim is truly hitting all the right notes

JIM BENTON-EVANS has been an Episcopal minister for nearly 14 years.

Originally from Cornwall, he moved north five years ago to take up the position of reverend at St Peter’s Peebles and St Andrew’s Innerleithen churches in the Borders.

Jim has always been a music fan. He used to play keyboard and just before he came to Scotland had begun to learn the ukulele.

So his placement in the Borders was just perfect for indulging his hobby, as there’s a very active music scene in the area.

The 47-year-old found himself attending lots of live music sessions and open mic events as he developed his talents.

He also started up a band, Dismal Jibe, with two of his friends.

He set up a ukulele class at Priorsford Primary School in Peebles and runs an afterschool group in Innerleithen.

As well as all that, he runs a monthly music night in the church at Innerleithen, called St Andrew’s Music Sessions, where touring artists come to play a headline show.

Sabbaticals are encouraged for ordained ministers every decade, so earlier this year Jim decided it was time he took one.

A lot of ministers use that time to go away and write a book, but Jim said he didn’t think the world needed another tome of theology.

Instead he planned to go travelling and hoped that inspiration would strike while he was on the road, as he planned to write some songs on his ukulele.

Following his break in America and around the UK, he came home and sat down to write an album’s worth of material.

When he let some people hear the tunes, he was encouraged to record them in a studio.

So he set up a crowdfunding page and reached his target amount of £1000 thanks to the generosity of friends and locals.

He’s recorded most of the album and enlisted his daughter, Tabitha, who is a member of the National Youth Choir of Scotland, to join him on vocals on one of the tracks.

Jim’s looking forward to releasing What Is It That We Are Part Of, What Is It That We Are in the next few months.

He’s also planning to play concerts at friends’ churches and other venues, where he’ll bring pop from the pulpit to the masses.