Jupiter resident John Denney was raised in an affluent Long Island community watching his family put on the uniforms of corporate America before catching a train into the city every day.
A self-described “entitled spoiled brat,” he knew the business world of suits and ties and long commutes was not for him.
“I was the black sheep,” said the 62-year-old, who has dabbled in careers as a ski instructor, record producer, actor, big wave surfer and paddleboard teacher. “I saw what everyone was doing, and I said, ‘I don’t want to do that.’ ”
It proved prescient then when as a graduate student at Pepperdine University, a professor asked Denney’s class what their impossible dream was. He answered that it was to become a minister.
“And it was almost like, watch out for what you ask for,” Denney said.
Class in spiritual awakening moved John Denney toward ministry
It wouldn’t be for many years that his off-the-cuff remark would come to fruition.
In between Pepperdine and his 2007 move to Florida, he and his wife lived in Maui, where they raised two children and fell in with a circle of surfing friends that happened to include world-renowned waterman Laird Hamilton.
When Hamilton pioneered the sport of paddleboarding, Denney knew it would be wildly popular. He said he bought $200,000 worth of paddleboards and moved to Florida to be the “king of paddleboarding.”
“It was more of a move of the heart,” he said. Denney taught paddleboarding all over the world, including Australia, Fiji, New Zealand and Costa Rica.
When life started to settle, and his wife began working a retail job in downtown West Palm Beach, Denney enrolled in a class on spiritual awakening. He was already working as a sports-performance coach, teaching athletes how to stay calm in high stress moments, and to use yoga and mediation to keep an even keel.
He has worked with Olympic and professional athletes, including LPGA great Lexi Thompson.
So when his teacher in the spiritual awakening class asked where he would like to be ordained after the class finished, it was a surprise and also seemed to fit the unconventional path he has taken. Denney said he was unaware that the class could lead to being an ordained minister, but it was a step he took in December 2023 after his church lost its minister of 17 years.
Former surfer, paddleboarder’s church has about 100 members
He is now Reverend Denney of Unity of Jupiter, which meets Sundays at noon at 701 Ocean Drive, North Palm Beach. It was a challenge to learn how to put together a sermon and run a church, Denney said. Still, something has clicked.
He said Unity now has about 100 members, who are benefitting from his life experiences, spiritual teachings and lessons on overcoming life’s challenges.
“I want to live happy and healthy on a daily basis, and the question is: How do I do that?” Denney said. “And that’s been my journey.”
Kimberly Miller is a journalist for The Palm Beach Post, part of the USA Today Network of Florida. She covers real estate, weather, and the environment. Subscribe to The Dirt for a weekly real estate roundup. If you have news tips, please send them to kmiller@pbpost.com. Help support our local journalism: Subscribe today.
This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: He surfed big waves, taught skiing and helped pioneer paddle boarding. Now he’s a minister
Reporting by Kimberly Miller, Palm Beach Post / Palm Beach Post
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
