James Michael Bush (also known as Pastor Jim, Bishop Bush, Evangelist Bush, Jimbo, Big Jim, or simply Jim) was born in Columbus, Georgia October 29, 1951, the 3rd of four children of Heyward Franklin and Lillian Hickman Bush.
Preceded in death by his parents, and a daughter, Julie-Claire Bush (stillborn at 36 weeks, 1992).
Survived by his best friend, love of his life, and wife of 35 years, Laura Medders Bush (currently of Cartersville); son, Michael Mullin Woodruff, daughter-in-law Dana, and grandchildren Miles and Finley, of Atlanta; best daughter in the whole-wide world, Mary Elizabeth Cole and favorite son-in-law Logan Cole (and all his wonderful family) of Knoxville, Tennessee; and son, Joshua Caleb Bush (aka Lil' Bud Wud to Daddy), currently of Cartersville.
Also surviving are:
Brother, Ronnie Heyward Bush and his wife, Kathy, of Columbus, Georgia; their daughter, Shannon Bush Whittington, her husband, Charlie, and their sons, Tanner and Walker; and their daughter, Amber Bush Bannister, her husband, Harry, and their sons, Tripp and Beaux.
Sister, Wrenda Bush Crain and her husband, Ken, of Atlanta; their son, Elliott, and his children, Lauren and Andrew; their son, Tyler, his wife, Kari, and their children Oliver, Evelyn Louise, and Harriet Lillian.
Sister, Debbie Bush Caffey of Eastman, Georgia; her son Chance Caffey, his wife, Cristen, and their sons, Trey and Cannon Ledbetter; and her son, Chason Caffey, and his son, Branson Caffey.
Jim worked as a food broker for many years. He and Laura have worked as sales reps for Community Business Development since 2009, providing custom drinkware for local restaurants that area businesses advertise on. Caleb has also worked with them since 2018.
Jim was born again by receiving Jesus into his heart in 1976 and answered the call to ministry. Over the years he served as an evangelist, pastor, and state overseer. He was ordained as a Bishop. But Jim was much more interested in making people laugh, feel important, and asking them the most important question they could ever be asked: "If you died today, where would you spend all eternity?" than he was a title. He loved God and loved people. He especially connected with children and the disenfranchised, but was equally as able to lead doctors, nurses, and lawyers to Jesus.
Jim founded Operation Evangelism in 1990. It was located in Cherokee County from 2001-2022. He and Laura taught Evangelism 101 in churches large and small, with the goal of waking churches up to how simple it is to reach people in their communities if they'll just get out in the community, love people in practical ways, present the simple plan of the gospel, and build relationships.
Over the years, thousands have been won to Christ!
What all has Jim Bush achieved? He has an amazing past!
Jim focused on:
*Outreaches in trailer parks, apartment complexes, and Cherokee Family Violence Center = free cookouts, live music, face painting, games, a simple presentation of the Gospel and prayer of salvation before the food was served, and a whole lot of just plain loving on people and building relationships, right where they were.
*Follow-up and discipleship.
*Bus ministry.
*Picking up children, moms, and families for church week in and week out, even without a bus, using his family’s personal vehicles for the Kingdom.
*A playground for the kids, food, fellowship, mentoring, and relationship building with parents and kids at Burger King or McDonald's after church, week in and week out.
*Countless hours on the phone giving a listening ear, a shoulder to cry on, and wise counsel. Visits or phone calls every Saturday to encourage people to be in church on Sunday.
*Helping people find jobs, legal help, or whatever else they needed. Free child care on Saturdays for some working moms.
*Thousands of banana boxes of groceries, as well as donated pizzas, cakes, and produce given out, year-round.
*5 freezers in the garage to operate the feeding ministry from home.
*Turkeys and fixings given out at Thanksgiving.
*Toys and food boxes at Christmas every year.
*Book bags and school supplies for kids in need at the start of the school year.
*He put together connections for other ministries to receive large food donations from his contacts.
*Taking homeless people into his home because he had a home, and they were in need.
*Jail and prison visitation.
*Helping inmates being released find their next steps in life. Going to bat for inmates with probation or parole officers. Attending court for folks to speak to the judge on their behalf.
*Attending school functions and sporting events for kids who did not have a father or grandfather to show up for them.
*Witnessing to every waiter or waitress that had him as a customer, to his doctors and nurses, and countless others.
* Organized crusades in Nigeria and California for Evangelist Samuel Onuoha, 2006-2009, with healings, miracles, salvations and revival in the churches resulting.
*Served as State Overseer for ICCM (International Congress of Churches and Ministers, Chattanooga, Tennessee), 2010-2022. He stepped down to focus on his primary calling of evangelist.
All these things and being a great and loving husband and father is what Jim Bush did.
Jim's hope is that if your answer to, "If you died today, where would you spend all eternity?" is "I hope I'm going to heaven" you would pray this simple prayer:
“Father God, I need You. I want Jesus to be my Savior and Lord now. I’m sorry for the things I’ve done wrong. Please forgive my sins. Come into my heart and make me be what you want me to be. Jesus, I believe that You are God’s Son; that You came into the world to save me from my sins; that You were born of a virgin; that You died on a cross for my sins and rose from the dead on the third day. You are in Heaven now and are coming again. Thank you, Lord Jesus, for saving my soul today, (date) , 20 . I am a new creation in Christ; I am born again. I am going to heaven.Amen.”
If you prayed that prayer, please let Laura, Mary-Elizabeth, Logan or Caleb know. We'd love to help you find the next steps in your walk with Christ.
A visitation for Jim will be held Saturday, November 11, 2023 from 11:00 AM to 12:00 PM at Ark Family Church, 6835 Victory Dr, Woodstock, GA 30189, with service following at 12:00 PM that will be live streamed on Ark Family Church's Facebook page. We will return to the church for a time of food and fellowship following placement at Cherokee Memorial Park, Canton (an 18-minute drive from the church). If you can, please bring a dish to share if attending the fellowship. We will have an open mic for those who’d like to share how Jim impacted their life or a favorite memory. The family would love to spend this time with you. Please come!
For those asking, "What can I do to help?", if it is in your heart and means to do so, you may donate to the GoFundMe that a dear friend set up, or to the family directly. Here's the link to the GoFundMe: https://www.gofundme.com/f/james-pastor-jim-bush/donations
Mary Elizabeth and Caleb have each written touching tributes to their dad with lots of great pictures. They can be found at the links below.
Mary Elizabeth's:
Caleb's:
Fond memories and expressions of sympathy may be shared at www.woodstockfuneralhome.com for the Bush family.
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