Rev. Earl James “Jim” Lewis (October 1, 1935 – April 12, 2026), a longtime outspoken advocate for social justice in West Virginia and beyond, was born in Baltimore. Many of his most notable actions came during his time as rector of St. John’s Episcopal Church in Charleston.

Lewis graduated as a philosophy major from Washington and Lee University in 1958. He spent time serving with the Marines in Southeast Asia before graduating from Virginia Theological Seminary in 1964. Upon his ordination, Lewis served churches in Maryland and West Virginia’s Eastern Panhandle. He was rector of St. John’s from 1974 to 1982. In 1976, Lewis published West Virginia Pilgrim, a memoir about his early ministerial experiences.

While at St. John’s, Lewis became a leading voice for textbook supporters during the Kanawha County Textbook Controversy. Lewis welcomed gay couples into the church and led ceremonies blessing their relationships, despite the fact that same-sex couples could not legally marry at the time. Following the 1973 Roe v. Wade Supreme Court decision, Lewis supported the founding of the Women’s Health Center of West Virginia, the state’s first abortion clinic.

In 1976, Lewis founded Manna Meal, which opened up the doors of St. John’s to provide free meals to the community. On Manna Meal’s first day, only one person showed up. By 2020, Manna Meal was serving 10,000 meals a month. This experience led to St. John’s establishing Covenant House to provide additional resources to people in need.

In addition to his work in West Virginia, Lewis co-founded North Carolina People of Faith Against the Death Penalty and led poultry workers in Delaware in a fight for better working conditions. His work with the poultry workers was covered by The New York Times and CBS’ 60 Minutes.

Lewis spoke out against the U.S. wars in Afghanistan and Iraq. In 2025, at 89 years old, he was arrested and fined for participating in a sit-in protest at Senator Shelley Moore Capito’s Charleston office regarding her support for President Donald Trump’s “One Big Beautiful Bill” Act.

In 2013, Lewis’s wife of 55 years, Judith, passed away. The couple had four children together. He died in Charleston.