2004 SPENCER W. PERKINS FELLOWS TRANSFORM PEOPLE
AND PLACES THROUGH CHRISTIAN COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT

NOVEMBER 1, 2004 -- Nehemiah Urban Ministry Initiatives is proud to report that during the summer of 2004, the Spencer W. Perkins Fellowship sponsored 14 Fellows at 13 ministries, in 12 cities across the country, for the 6th term of the program. Through their collective efforts, hundreds of children were transformed through the Gospel message of love and racial reconciliation.

"This year, we hosted a very special class of aspiring urban missionaries and public servants. They were exceptionally committed to the needs of the urban poor and have consequently raised the bar for all future Fellows. We are actually re-evaluating our acceptance criteria to make sure that we net more fish like them in the future. In a word, this group was simply awesome," said Asbury Jones, Executive Director of NUMI.

The 2004 class of Fellows was internationally and ethnically diverse with students coming from all over the United States, as well as China and Bulgaria. Similarly, the ministries that hosted the Perkins Fellows served the needs of a variety of ethnic groups including Latinos, South Pacific Islanders, and Haitians, just too name a few.

"My ministry experience was made more enjoyable by the fact that no-one ever made me feel different because of the color of my skin," said Fellow April Green when asked about her experience at the Tampa Bay Dream Center. "I’ve heard people talk about colorlessness before, but I never experienced it until now. Even with my friends at home, I always felt my color while I was with them. Here it doesn’t exist. I feel blessed that I have had a different set of experiences because of my color and culture, and I know that I can provide a fresh perspective to my ministry colleagues," Green continued.

Each year, special closing ceremonies for the Spencer W. Perkins Fellowship are held at the Christian Community Development Association’s (www.ccda.org) annual conference. The 2004 CCDA conference was held in Atlanta, Georgia. All of the 14 Perkins Fellows were flown to the conference to participate in three key events:

Perkins Fellowship Roundtable Discussion: In a private gathering, Fellows spoke openly and intimately with one another about their personal growth as Perkins Fellows and discussed strategies for further impacting the world for Christ.

Special Reception for Perkins Fellows and Hosts: Fellows and Host Ministry Supervisors publicly offered humorous reflections on their work experiences together. Dr. John M. Perkins addressed the gathering of about 55 people concerning the ministry of his son, the late Spencer W. Perkins.

Grant Awards Ceremony: Perkins Fellows were awarded grant checks before the CCDA community. Selected Perkins Fellows addressed the general assembly regarding their work as Perkins Fellows.

Nehemiah Corporation of America (NCA) founded Nehemiah Urban Ministry Initiatives in 1998. NCA’s commitment to the faith-based community grew further when it created a Faith-Based Relations Department in April of 2000 to maintain and establish substantive relationships with religious entities and organizations across America.

Since 2000, NCA has provided over $13.5 million in support to faith-based organizations and programs all over the country including the Spencer W. Perkins Fellowship in urban ministry, the national Christian Community Development Association, and Sacramento’s Antioch Progressive Baptist Church.

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