User:Jgilhousen

My name is John-Mark Gilhousen ("J-M" or "Padre" to friends and acquaintances). I haven't taken time to put much of significance here yet.

For now, by way of preliminary introduction, I'm a 55-year-old clergyman on extended medical leave (hence the surfeit of free time permitting me to peruse, edit and write a bit for Wikipedia), born and raised in a small Oregon (U.S.) city, to which I have recently returned after a long absence.

My professional background is 20+ years in inner-city mission work, with a few respites during which I taught Secondary English despite having resisted pressure to attain an advanced academic degree.

My interests and activities are ridiculously eclectic, so my contributions will be all over the Wiki map of subject matter.

In my contributions and edits, I will endeavor never to betray my several biases (I lean heavily leftward politically, but am theologically a traditionalist). I have great faith that members of the Wikipedia community will call me out on it when I fail to live up to that goal.

John-Mark+ -- Jgilhousen 23:17, 22 November 2006 (UTC)

My work on Wikipedia
I have recently become involved in the Oregon project, and more specifically its Government and Politics subgroup. That is taking all of my available Wiki time right now, so I have deleted my previous "to do" and "completed" lists, and will assemble a more useful and accurate list soon.

Conflict of interest disclosure
I have a personal or professional interest in some of the topics on which I write or perform edits. I have had considerable experience in publication and other projects which required I set personal opinion aside, and make every attempt to do so here. In the interest of full disclosure, I want to put the following on record:
 * I am a traditionalist Catholic priest, and sometimes supply missing articles on religious topics, or make corrections or additions. Those seminary studies shouldn't go entirely to wasste.
 * I am a registered Democrat and am active in party affairs and campaigns. I think my work on the articles in WikiProject Oregon on government and politics, including "minor parties," demonstrate my ability to present differing idealogies fairly.
 * My last name is Gilhousen I am director of my family association, and have access to records and photographs in our archives on prominent individuals who share my surname. I have no ax to grind in writing or editing articles on these people, some of whom are so distantly related that we have not even met.
 * I am an Oregonian, and as such have first-hand knowledge of life in our state, and some strong opinions about our peculiar culture, politics, and environment. I am disinclined to withdraw from the Oregon project on the basis of COI.
 * I am a human being and sometimes am moved to write about or edit works on other persons, living or dead, some of whom I cannot help admire, and others whom I personally find detestable for one reason or another. I find them all fascinating, and defy anyone to determine which I admire and which I loathe based on my writings here.
 * I am an inhabitant of the planet Earth. I do not feel this necessarily disqualifies me from writing about earth-related topics or editing articles about persons, places or things found on, near, or under its surface.

Misc. Links & Stuff

 * User:Jgilhousen/Personal Wiki Shoebox -- Where I keep stuff I don't wanna lose.
 * Edit count check