NEHEMIAH URBAN MINISTRY INITIATIVES
SPONSORS UNPRECEDENTED 21 FELLOWS IN 2003

Nehemiah Urban Ministry Initiatives is proud to report that during the summer of 2003, the Spencer W. Perkins Fellowship sponsored an unprecedented 21 Fellows at 18 ministries, in 16 cities across the country, for the 5th term of the program. The Perkins Fellowship also expanded to five new cities and 7 new ministries.

“This summer the Perkins Fellowship touched more lives, changed more hearts and aided in the transformation of more communities than ever before. It is a blessing to see Spencer’s vision for urban ministry and racial reconciliation carried out by an ethnically diverse team of students who are committed to his ideals,” said Asbury Jones, Executive Director of NUMI.

The 2003 class of Fellows was internationally and ethnically diverse with students coming from all over the United States, as well as Indonesia, Brazil and the American territory of Guam. Similarly, the ministries that host the Perkins Fellows served the needs of a variety of ethnic groups including Latinos and South Pacific Islanders, just too name a few.

“It is not only possible but necessary to break down the walls that destructively divide us. If it is to begin anywhere, it ought to begin in the church,” said Perkins Fellow Charlene Calip of the American territory of Guam. “In my opinion, if people still have a hard time grasping the fact that God is a color blind God, then the foundation of our society needs work before we can focus on developing the structure,” Calip continued.

Each year, special closing ceremonies for the Spencer W. Perkins Fellowship are held at the Christian Community Development Association’s annual conference. This year’s CCDA conference was held in New Orleans, Louisiana. All of the 21 Perkins Fellows of 2003 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. They also addressed sensitive issues related to case and class and completed a Cultural Literacy Test.

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. Perkins Fellows Charlene Calip and Christopher Griffin addressed the general assembly regarding their work as Perkins Fellows.

Nehemiah Corporation of America (NCA) founded Nehemiah Urban Ministry Initiatives in 1998 and the Spencer W. Perkins Fellowship in 1999. Since then, NCA has been proud to finance and staff their respective developments. Nehemiah’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.

Over the past three years, NCA has provided over $13.5 million in support to faith-based organizations and programs all over the country including Nehemiah Urban Ministry Initiatives and the Spencer W. Perkins Fellowship. Significantly, NCA made a historic loan to its spiritual partner at the time of Nehemiah’s inception, the Antioch Progressive Baptist Church, for the construction of their Lord’s Family Life Center.

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