Ben, as everyone knows and calls him, accepted the call to be pastor at the Emmitsburg Presbyterian Church on Main Street 22 years ago. At the time he was fairly determined to just be content with his work at the Hagerstown community College, "teaching this and that, including English Literature." Prior to this position, Ben was pastor at a Presbyterian church in Hagerstown which grew from 75 people to 500 by the time he left thirteen years later. " The attendance was higher than the membership, which is kind of unusual. Many people came as seekers, people who didn’t want to do the conventional thing", said Ben at a recent interview. He also taught at St. James Episcopal Boys School and taught art classes all over Washington County. As well, Ben is commited to spending time painting his unique pictures, selling some, and exhibiting as he most recently did at the Kepler Theatre for two days in November, selling over 40 paintings! But one can tell that Ben especially enjoys lecturing, and sharing his soulful, inspired images through his words, as is exhibited every Sunday morning at church. These are no ordinary lectures, or sermons , as anyone who hears him will agree. Ben is unique in and of his own right, as anyone who is highly inspired and insightful can be. Ben has the unique ability to draw upon the stories of peoples unique lives and insights, as well as all the various disciplines , be they artistic, philosophical, musical, or spiritual, and see the common thread that unites them all.

When asked in a recent interview what the essence of his message is when he speaks on a Sunday morning, Ben said: "Every human being wants to find meaning in life, a reason to get out of bed in the morning, a reason to get a job, raise a family, in the midst of the chaos and the unpredictable tragedies that come our way. Why do we keep on going? What I see on a Sunday morning is that there is a reason to go on, the motive being that we have this gift of life, with talents and opportunities to realize and to use those talents to create, in the first instance, a good life for ourselves, and then in concert with others (family, neighbors, job, church) it is a chance to be with others and to encourage one another to realize our gifts and to find meaning."

"I also believe that people have a choice in life, to be rotten and stinky or to be kind, gentle and understanding. The Christian faith gives people a motive to be kind, for we have been dealt with by Grace and we have a chance to live an Abundant life. The bottom line is to become good people, to become transformed by love, by grace, so as to transform the earth . That’s what it means to be the ‘salt of the earth’. So, on Sundays I believe we are here together trying to figure out how to take the transforming love of Christ and turn it into that which gives meaning to our lives, to find inner peace, that deep Shalom which we all need, and then with that, and made whole by it, accepted and accepting, loved and forgiven by God and by ourselves, we are prepared to go out into the world and be good people."

In his talks, Ben Jones likes to draw upon the deeper thoughts of famous, and even ordinary, people. In all his years of teaching philosophy, cultural history, art and music history, as well as practicing counseling as a pastor and in other capacities, he said that he came to see Beauty as a kind of a Truth. "I thought to myself, wouldn’t it be wonderful to take the best of Philosophy, the best of psychology, the best of theology, and of art and literature, and in combination with my Christian faith, have a wonderful wedding of Truth? In my heart and soul I carry around with me the scriptures, so when I see a movie or read a book, it might remind me of something Paul said, or Jesus said, or sometimes I might even perceive human ressurection in a short story or a novel or a play, even a comic strip, or music.