PLEASE NOTE OUR NEW STARTING TIME OF 6:30 P.M.!!!!
Please join us at the upcoming Monday, April 10, 2017 support meeting of PFLAG Sedona/Verde Valley. The support meeting will begin at 6:30 p.m. at the Church of the Red Rocks, 54 Bowstring Drive, in Sedona, in the Painted Cliffs Hall. Our speaker will be Mr. Jim Padgett, a Sedona resident and Vice President of Sedona Pride.
Growing up in the small community of Prescott, AZ, Jim Padgett’s childhood was similar to many. Middle class family values, a close knit community, friends, sports, school and church/religion were the daily norm. As the youngest of four children of a Southern Baptist Minister and a devoted pastor’s wife, Jim’s religious upbringing and influence was the fundamental beliefs of unwavering and literal interpretations of the Bible.
After graduating from Arizona State University in 1987, the expectations of family and religion were Jim’s focus, and life took the path of a 24-year marriage, three children, and the typical white picket fence with jobs, a career, and family…all to be “normal”. It didn’t work. For Jim, fighting the battle within took many forms including alcohol, apathy, deceit, reclusiveness, weight gain, and depression. The realization that life needed to be honest and authentic was easy for Jim. The hard part was getting there.
With a lot of help and encouragement, Jim Padgett now leads an authentic and open life. He currently resides in Sedona with his husband Rob and mother-in-law Margie. Jim works for the City of Cottonwood Community Development Department as a Planner. He was recently elected as Sedona Pride’s Vice President and is finding areas in his community to offer what he can for others. Jim enjoys RV trips, working around the yard and house, gardening, learning how to be a sous chef, growing gourds and practicing a new gourd art.
You won’t want to miss this meeting and hear Jim Padgett’s heartfelt and inspirational story. All are invited and welcome to attend.