'Transforming Our Communities in the Name of the Gospel'
John Perkins will be leading a two-day urban ministry workshop in Durham this month
Wednesday, January 15, 2003
John Perkins, an innovator in international Christian community development, will lead an urban ministry workshop on Saturday, Jan. 18, at St. James Baptist Church, 1305 W. Club Blvd., Durham.
The workshop is part of a two-day event, called "Transforming Our Communities in the Name of the Gospel," sponsored by Walltown Neighborhood Ministries, which is a partnership among five churches -- Blacknall Presbyterian, Northside Baptist, St. James Baptist, St. John's Baptist and Watts Street Baptist -- and Duke Divinity School.
On Jan. 17, Perkins will deliver a free public lecture at 12:30 p.m. in Duke Divinity School's York Chapel, and preach for a public worship service at 7 p.m. at St. John's Baptist Church, 917 Onslow St., Durham.
The Jan. 18 workshop begins at 9 a.m. with registration and runs until 4:15 p.m. Perkins will deliver two general sessions. In addition, participants will be able to choose from a variety of workshops featuring speakers from Building Together Ministries; Walltown Neighborhood Ministries; National Jobs Partnership; Durham Congregations, Associations and Neighborhoods; Reconciliation NOW; and author Chris Rice.
There is a $10 registration fee, which includes lunch. For more information or to register, contact Rice at (919) 286-4140, cpr@duke.edu.
Perkins has established three church-based ministries in Mississippi and California and is the author of several books, including "Let Justice Roll Down." He serves as chairman of the Christian Community Development Association and board member of Habitat for Humanity.
Organized in the late 1990s, Walltown Neighborhood Ministries has focused on increasing home ownership, caring for the elderly, improving support for families and building relationships with the area's growing Hispanic population. In 1999, the ministries and Duke Divinity School established the Walltown Families and Children Initiative, a faith-based neighborhood service effort funded by The Duke Endowment.
