The Congregational Church of Manhasset, UCC
Staff & Leaders

Jimmy Only

Jimmy's been with us since 1994. He started out as our Associate Minister, and so endeared himself to us that we hired him as our Minister when that slot opened up. One of the many reasons Jimmy enjoys serving as our minister is his long term connection with our members. He's now marrying the kids who started out in his youth group, and baptizing the babies of the couples he married years ago. Around here, Jimmy is known for his sense of humor and his love for people. He's also famous for his 12 minute sermons, but don't hold him to that. Jimmy grew up in Memphis, TN. He holds degrees from Mississippi State University (B.A.), Southern Seminary (M.Div.) and Boston University (S.T.M.). He's worked as a youth minister, a campus minister, a director of Appalachian Outreach, and with Bread for the World in Washington D.C. Given all those years in TN and KY, he still has a bit of his Southern accent and a taste for barbeque, but he now loves the open minded atmosphere of living in the Northeast, and considers New York his home. Jimmy married his wife, Colleen, in 1990. They met in a seminary world religions class, which he still tries to convince her is highly romantic. Colleen and Jimmy have a son, Matthew, who shares their DNA, and a daughter, Alina, whom they adopted from Ukraine when she was 3. In his free time, Jimmy likes playing the drums, attending U2 concerts, and rooting for the Red Sox. His favorite vacation spot is Block Island, where he and his family meet up with long time friends for a week every summer. His favorite local spot is his den couch, where you can often find him reclining with a good book, engrossed in the subject or headed for a nap, depending upon the demands of the day.