Vernon Grounds Institute of Public Ethics
This Year's Theme | Events | Archive
The Vernon Grounds Institute of Public Ethics provides environments and resources to educate, facilitate and train Seminary students, members of Christian leadership and the Christian community as a whole in the area of social ethics. Its aim is to empower Christians to fulfill the biblical injunction to be "salt and light" and to "shine like stars" in a dark and depraved world (Matthew 5, Philippians 2:14,15). The Institute endeavors to partner and network with other, like-minded institutions, agencies and organizations on the national and global scene which are concerned about a comprehensive, cutting edge and robust evangelical witness to the public square.
The Institute's annual theme will be fleshed out during the course of the academic year in a series of three activities: The Kent Mathews Lectureship in the fall, a lecture in January and a spring workshop.
This Year's Theme
The 2009/2010 academic year will focus on the theme "Justice and Health Care."
Events
Kent Mathews Endowed Lectureship on Social Ethics
Dr. Gary VanderArk and Dr. Robert Cutillo spoke on September 28 and 29, 2009. Sessions were held at Exempla Saint Joseph Hospital, Porter Adventist Hospital and on the Denver Seminary campus, and were followed by times for Q&A and discussion. To listen to the presentations, click here.
Rally for the Common Good
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Rally for the Common Good events will be held Sunday, February 28, 2010 and Monday, March 1, 2010. As with all the events for the Grounds Institute this academic year, the theme for the Rally will be Justice and Health Care. Dr. John Perkins will be our guest speaker.
Rally for the Common Good events are as follows:
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Date: |
Sunday, February 28, 2010 |
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Time: |
4-6 p.m. |
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Location: |
Rising Star Missionary Baptist Church |
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Content: |
Justice and Health Care for the Common Good |
Also on Sunday, February 28, Dr. Perkins will be speaking at Cherry Creek Presbyterian Church, 10150 E. Belleview Ave. in Englewood CO, at 11am.
Breakfast: Monday, March 1, 2010, from 8:30-10 a.m. Cost is $11. Content: "Leading Productively in Challenging Times." Register for this event here.
Brown Bag Lunch: A Q&A with Dr. Perkins will be held at Denver Seminary on Monday, March 1, 2010 from noon-1 p.m. in classroom 100. This event is open to the entire community, and participants are welcome to bring their lunch.
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Speaker Bio: Dr. John Perkins
In 1983, while in California, John Perkins and his wife, Vera Mae Perkins along with a few friends and other major supporters, established the John M. Perkins Foundation for Reconciliation & Development, Inc. for the sole purpose of supporting their mission of advancing the principles of Christian community development and racial reconciliation throughout the world. The Foundation is now headquartered at 1831 Robinson St. in Jackson, MS with a mission to “develop the lives of youth, leaders and the underprivileged in our community and around the world, by setting an example of God’s love to further his Kingdom.”
John M. Perkins was born a sharecropper’s son who grew up in New Hebron, Mississippi amidst dire poverty. Fleeing to California at age 17 after his older brother’s murder at the hands of a town marshal, he vowed never to return. However after converting to Christianity in 1960 he returned to Mendenhall, Mississippi to share the gospel of Christ. While in Mississippi, his outspoken nature and support and leadership in civil rights demonstrations resulted in repeated harassment, beatings and imprisonment. He again was arrested in 2005 year while protesting in Washington D.C. against U. S. Government defunding of programs aiding the poor.
In Mendenhall, Perkins and his wife, Vera Mae, founded Voice of Calvary Ministries. This Christian community development ministry 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.
In 1982, the Perkins family returned to California and lived in the city of Pasadena where Perkins and his wife founded Harambee Christian Family Center in Northwest Pasadena, a neighborhood that had one of the highest daytime crime rates in California. Harambee is yet standing, 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.
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 the 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.
Despite being a third grade drop-out, Perkins has been recognized for his work with ten honorary doctorates from colleges and universities across the country. He is an international speaker and teacher on racial reconciliation, leadership and the philosophy of ministry known as Christian Community Development.
Salt & Light Seminar
The Salt & Light Seminar is designed for collective learning for mutual empowerment and maximum social impact. The seminar is scheduled for April 17, 2010 on Denver Seminary's campus. Details will be posted when they are available.
