John was born at St. Thomas Hospital in Akron OH in 1964. After moving from the area for a number of years his family returned to Summit County and settled in Silver Lake OH where John grew up. He graduated from Cuyahoga Falls High School in 1983. After High School John attended Wheaton College in the western suburbs of Chicago. Dropping out of college in 1986 John spent two years working with homeless and runaway youth with Covenant House in New York City. After a summer spent working with street kids in Guatemala and Mexico, John returned to college, finished his BA and began a Masters degree. In 1990, John founded Emmaus Ministries, an ecumenical outreach to men involved in prostitution and worked for this mission until August 2011.
John and Carolyn were married in February of 1993. Carolyn is a co-owner of "Moving Body and Soul", an Independent Team Beachbody Coach, mother, wife, and musician. Her role as a singer/songwriter takes her throughout the Midwest as a solo artist and as part of an acoustic duo called GreenChoby, along with her music partner, Mike Choby. In May of 2002 John was ordained a Permanent Deacon in the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Chicago. In 2009 John and family moved to Ohio to help care for his parents. After over two decades of work with Emmaus Ministries, John resigned from that organization in August of 2011 and began a year of work in Ohio as Director of Catholic Charities Community Services of Summit County Ohio until August of 2012. John moved on from Catholic Charities in August 2012. Building upon the 25 years the Green's have spent in urban ministry and their experience speaking and performing throughout the country they have brought those influences together to start "Moving Body and Soul, LLC" which seeks to "inspire physical, spiritual, and missional fitness in people and organizations." One of our major endeavors with this new business is the startup of "Cafe O' Play", and indoor playground and coffeehouse.
