Rally for the Common Good
The Rally for the Common Good events were held February 28 and March 1, 2010. Dr. John Perkins was our guest speaker.
At a breakfast hosted by the Institute, Dr. John Perkins shared thoughts for leaders on "The Call and the Will of God," and this presentation is available on our website in mp3 format: listen | download
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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.
2009
In 2009, the Vernon Grounds Institute of Public Ethics will team up with Denver Seminary's African American Initiatives program for the Rally for the Common Good. Updates will be added to this web page as details are made available..
Saturday, February 21: Pastors and Leaders Breakfast: African American Initiatives
Dr. Gerry O. Gallimore will speak at this breakfast for pastors and leaders. This event is by invitation only. For more information, contact .
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When: |
Saturday, February 21, 2009 |
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Where: |
Rising Star Missionary Baptist Church |
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Phone: |
303-752-0546 |
Sunday, February 22: Christians and Political Engagement: Vernon Grounds Institute of Public Ethics
This event is designed to inspire and instruct Christians of various ethnic backgrounds and theological persuasions in the ways they can contribute in solving social issues. The speaker will be Dr. Gerry O. Gallimore.
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When: |
Sunday, February 22, 2009, 4pm |
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Where: |
Rising Star Missionary Baptist Church |
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Phone: |
303-752-0546 |
Monday, February 23: Christians and Political Engagement brown bag lunch
A continuation of the discussion of Christians and Political Engagement, the Rally for the Common Good concludes with a brown bag lunch with Dr. Gerry O. Gallimore. All are invited; please bring your own lunch.
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When: |
Monday, February 23, 2009, noon-1pm |
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Where: |
Denver Seminary, classroom 100 |
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Phone: |
303-761-2482 |
Dr. Gerry O. Gallimore
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A Jamaican by birth, Dr. Gerry Gallimore is a veteran of Youth For Christ (YFC) ministry, having served as National Director of Jamaica YFC for 16 years; Area Director for YFC International/Americas for 6 years; President/CEO of YFC International for 6 years; and currently as Ambassador-at-Large for YFCI.
In addition to his work with Youth For Christ, Gerry has given leadership to major events in evangelical witness within Jamaica and the Caribbean. He served as National Chairman of 2 Billy Graham crusades in Jamaica; served on the executive of Jamaica Association of Evangelicals; served as Vice-Chairman of Kingston Keswick Convention for several years; was one of the founding Chairmen of CONECAR (Congress of Evangelicals of the Caribbean); has spoken at Keswick Conventions in Jamaica, Barbados, Trinidad and South Florida; at Spring Harvest in England; and was a plenary speaker at the Amsterdam 2000 Conference for over 10,000 evangelists. He is currently Chairman of South Florida Keswick Convention.
He is an ordained minister in the Southern Baptist Convention and retired three years ago as Senior Pastor of Metropolitan Baptist Church in Hollywood after nine years of ministry in that role. He is a graduate of Denver Seminary (M.A.) and holds an honorary Doctor of Divinity degree from Caribbean Graduate School of Theology in Jamaica. Dr. Gallimore has ministered in over 90 countries.
Married to Sonia for 45 years, they have three children and seven grandchildren.
