Rev. Dr. James R. Berger

Rev. Dr. James Berger is the pastor of Hope United Church (PCUSA) in Fort Myers, FL. Originally from Cherry Hill, New Jersey, Dr. Berger was ordained in 1975 as a pastor of the Presbyterian Church (USA).  He has served churches in Beverly Hills, CA; Petersburg, Alaska; Nassau, The Bahamas; and in Fort Myers, FL. 

Dr. Berger is an accomplished guitarist and singer, and has used his talents in wedding services. His adventurous spirit has led to a diverse experience in his ministry of weddings. He has married couples on glaciers and beaches in Alaska, on beaches in the Bahamas, and Florida, and he conducted the first legal underwater wedding in the Bahamas. He has conducted weddings at The Beverly Hills Hotel and the Bel-Air Country Club, with Atlantis Resorts and the Ocean Club, Superclubs Breezes, Sandals, the Sheraton Paradise Island, the Marriott and the Wyndam Cable Beach hotels, to name just a few. Locally he has officiated at ceremonies at the Hyatt Regency, Pink Shell Resort, The Brooks Community Center, Lovers Key, The Vines, Marco Island, Sanibel Island and Vanderbilt Beach. He works cooperatively with the wedding coordinator and other support staff (ie photographer, videographer, etc). He personalizes each service, providing the couple with the actual order of service used at the wedding as their keepsake after the ceremony. Dr. Berger approaches each wedding service as a joyous beginning to a life together, and the opening act to a couple’s grand celebration of their union. He can also perform the ceremony in Spanish, French or German, if desired. Dr. Berger is a member of the National Association of Wedding Professionals. Jim and Patricia live in Estero, FL.