John & Vera Mae Perkins Honored
   At the conclusion of a quick two-day visit to Jackson, Mississippi last month (November), John Blake (CEF) gave special recognition to Mrs./Dr. Vera Mae Perkins for over 50 years of service as a Good News Club^® teacher, teacher-trainer, and promoter of Child Evangelism Fellowship. With her husband, Dr. John Perkins by her side, the two were honored for their long-time service and promotion of CEF and its mission to reach children for Christ. Mrs. Perkins is a graduate of the CEF Children's Ministries Institute (CMI) as well as some of her family. The Perkins first connected and served as volunteers with CEF in Pasadena, CA in the late 1950s. The local CEF director, Wayne Leitch, weekly discipled John Perkins in the Word of God after receiving Christ as Savor through a series of events and his son, Spencer, attending a Good News Club.

Dr. John Perkins: author, reconciler, leader

It's been 35 years since Dr. John Perkins first shared his story with the world on the pages of his classic book, Let Justice Roll Down. The book taught us the true meaning of Christianity and racial reconciliation as we read how Dr. Perkins was able to forgive and love those who had wronged him and almost beat him to death. He was able to move beyond the injustices he encountered during the Civil Rights era, to become a pioneer in what is now known as Christian community development. Let Justice Roll Down has been recognized as one of the top 50 most influential books of the 20th century.

With Justice for All presents and explains the principles of Christian community development. Discussion questions and updated commentary by Dr. Perkins and contemporary applications of these principles by his daughter, Elizabeth, are invaluable for community developers. Elizabeth Perkins currently directs the John Perkins Foundation in Jackson, Mississippi.

Dr. John M. Perkins, President
John M. Perkins Foundation for Reconciliation and Development
Web: www.jmpf.org

Ministry developer, practitioner, lecturer, teacher, preacher

“We have overly saturated the gospel ‘too lightly’ across America... We need to go deep in discipleship.”

       Founder of Mendenhall Ministries
John Perkins and his family have ministered among the poor for more than 40 years. In 1960 John Perkins, his wife, Vera Mae, and their children left a "successful" life in California and moved back to Mendenhall, MS to begin ministry. In 12 years, John Perkins helped start a day-care center, youth program, church, cooperative farm, thrift store, housing repair ministry, health center, and an adult education program, . Today, Mendenhall Ministries thrives under the leadership of the Revs. Artis Fletcher and Darel Thigpen. www.mbc-tmm.org

Founder of Voice of Calvary Ministries
In 1972, the Perkins moved to Jackson, where they founded Voice of Calvary Ministries - another Christian community development ministry. Voice of Calvary Ministries started a church, health center, leadership development program, thrift store, low-income housing development, and training center. From this ministry, other development projects started in the neighboring towns of Canton, New Hebron and Edwards. Philip K. Reed, the previous pastor of Voice of Calvary Fellowship, has assumed the leadership of this dynamic ministry. www.voiceofcalvary.com

“...You ain't no kind of leader just because you got an education. A real leader is someone who enters into the suffering and pain of a society.”

Founder of Harambee Christian Family Center
 In 1982, the Perkinses moved to Pasadena and founded Harambee Christian Family Center in Northwest Pasadena, a neighborhood that had one of the highest daytime crime rates in California. After 19 years, Harambee is running numerous programs including after school tutoring, Good News Bible Clubs, an award-winning technology center, summer day camp, youth internship programs, and a college scholarship program. www.harambee.org

Co-founder of the Christian Community Development Association
In 1989, John Perkins called together a group of Christian leaders from across America that was bonded by one significant commitment-expressing the love of Christ in America's poor communities, not at arms length, but at the grass-roots level. An association was formed and Christian Community Development Association (CCDA) held its first annual conference in Chicago in 1989. CCDA has grown from 37 founding members to 6,800 individuals and 600 churches, ministries, institutions and businesses in more than 100 cities and townships across the country. www.ccda.org

Publisher of URBAN FAMILY Magazine
In 1992 John Perkins began publishing URBAN FAMILY magazine in response to the breakdown of the urban family, the breakdown of the community, and the increasing violence within the inner city. The mission of URBAN FAMILY is to be a voice of hope and progress, offering solutions that emphasize responsibility, affirm dignity, build moral character, and encourage reconciliation. The circulation quickly rose from 13,000 to 35,000 nationally, and was expected to increase to 100,000 within the next three years. This magazine name was changed to a more appropriate reconciliation title, the RECONCILERS FELLOWSHIP. Unfortunately, after the untimely death of the Dr. Perkins' eldest son, Spencer Perkins in January 1998 (who also served as editor-in-chief of this magazine), its publication was discontinued in the fall of 1998.

Founder of Harambee Preparatory School
In the fall of 1995, John Perkins founded the Harambee Preparatory School (HPS), a fully endowed elementary school providing quality education to prepare neighborhood children for college. HPS desires to see the children of poverty level homes receive a quality academic training in a secure and loving environment.

Despite dropping out of school in the third grade, John Perkins has been recognized for his work by being awarded eight honorary doctorates from several colleges and universities. He is the author of nine books including A Quiet Revolution, Let Justice Roll Down, With Justice For All, Beyond Charity, He’s My Brother, Resurrecting Hope, and A Time to Heal. John Perkins formally served on the Board of Directors of World Vision, Prison Fellowship, National Association of Evangelicals (NAE), Spring Arbor College, and fifteen other boards. He is an international speaker and a teacher on the issues of racial reconciliation, indigenous leadership development, and community development.