BEGIN INTERVIEW of JIM KOK re CARE & KINDNESS, HOUR of POWER, CRYSTAL CATHEDRAL, ED ARNOLD

JIM KOK has been devoted to pastoral care for most of his career as a pastor ordained in the christian reformed church (CRC) and while working at the Crystal Cathedral, as well as Pine Rest Hospital, and earlier in his career at the University of Michigan hospital in Ann Arbor, as well as a hospital in Gowanda, New York. He also worked as a traditional pastor at a church in Iowa City, Iowa in the late 60's. His father, the late Rev. Gareth Kok, was also a CRC pastor who worked in parishes in Holland, Michigan; Hills, Minnesota; Bellflower, Calfornia; & Hanford, California, among other places. The Christian Reformed Church in North America originally consisted mostly of believers of Dutch descent. The Dutch Reformed Church came to USA and settled in what is now Manhattan Island (originally New Amsterdam) and gradually moved across America..also splitting into two primary denominations, the CRC and RCA (Reformed Church) and since has subsequently split further for various reasons and issues. The Crystal Cathedral is affiliated with the Reformed Church (I'm not sure what name they will go by after they vacate the current Crystal Cathedral premises in June of 2013...which will then become known as the Christ Cathedral). Robert H. Schuller the founder of the Crystal Cathedral is of Dutch descent and grew up in a Dutch Reformed area of Iowa. Jim Kok grew up in Bellflower (CA, near Long Beach) as well as Holland, Michigan and attended Holland Christian High School and Calvin College. Jim's dad, Gareth, founded Valley Christian schools in Bellflower-Cerritos CA while also pastor at the 1st CRC in Bellflower where he preached in Dutch & English and served the Dutch immigrants arriving straight from the Netherlands back in the 30's, most of whom found work as dairy farmers in the area at the time (subsequently most of the Dutch dairy farmers moved to Ontario, CA where many dairy farms still operate to this day).

Jim Kok's mother, Kathryn, died at an early age of a brain tumor while Rev. Gareth Kok was a pastor at the Maple CRC in Holland, Michigan. Jim struggled with grief from this loss as a young adult and subsequently found solace by doing "care ministry" devoted to issues of grief & death & dying, etc. and expanded on this to many various issues of Care & Kindness as he continued his career as a "Director of Pastoral Care" at Pine Rest Hospital & subsequently the Crystal Cathedral. He is/was a certified CPE supervisor as well (clinical pastoral education) and led many "Care & Kindness Conferences" at the Crystal Cathedral for numerous years until the church experienced difficult economic circumstances. He continues to speak at conferences re kindness, as well as writes on the topic, and continues to work at Crystal Cathedral.