Our History

In 1960, Drs. John M. and Vera Mae Perkins began Mendenhall Ministries to help the poor in rural
Mississippi meet their own needs. Seeking to show God’s love in action, their vision grew into a ministry known for providing progressive local leadership within the community to address poor housing, segregated education, lack of employment opportunities, and lack of capital.

To this day Mendenhall Ministries offers childcare, legal assistance, youth development programs, the Mendenhall Bible Church, adult education, a cooperative farm, a thrift store, housing development, Genesis One School, a health center and a senior citizen facility.

In 1972, the Perkins, along with two other families, moved to Jackson to focus on the needs of inner-city families. They founded Voice of Calvary Ministries (VOCM). Currently VOCM assists urban families in housing development, year-round youth programs, health care, and home ownership training programs.

In 1982, John and Vera Mae moved to Northwest Pasadena, a neighborhood which once had the highest daytime crime rates in California. While in Pasadena, they established the Harambee Christian Family Center. Harambee serves a 12-block target area, working with African-Americans and Latino children and families. Rudy Carrasco now heads Harambee Ministries.

In February 1983, John and Vera Mae, along with a few friends and other supporters, established the John M. Perkins Foundation for Reconciliation & Development, a 501(c)(3) corporation organized for the sole purpose of supporting Drs. John and Vera Mae Perkins in their mission of advancing the principles of Christian community development and racial reconciliation throughout the world.

In 1989, while still in Pasadena, Dr. John M. Perkins called together a group of national Christian leaders bound by the one significant commitment of expressing the love of Christ in America’s urban communities, not at arms length, but at the grassroot level. The Christian Community Development Association (CCDA)

was formed from the gathering and that year held its first annual conference in Chicago. Since then, CCDA has grown into a network of more than 700 organizations across the world.

In 1995, John and Vera Mae helped develop the Harambee Preparatory School in response to the Pasadena community’s need for children of poverty-level homes to receive a quality academic experience in a secure and loving environment.

In 1996, the Perkins moved back to Jackson, MS and brought the John M. Perkins Foundation for Reconciliation and Development (Later renamed The John and Vera Mae Perkins Foundation for Reconciliation and Development) with them. JVMPF has been dedicated to helping the West Jackson community reflect the Kingdom of God through the families and children of the neighborhood (through the Spencer Perkins Center) as well as Dr. Perkins national ministry.

As the local ministry began to grow from the implementation phase, for the growth and development of both the national and local ministry there was a need to spin the Spencer Perkins Center out from under the John and Vera Mae Perkins Foundation. In September 2010, the Spencer Perkins Center became its own separate ministry that works closely with JVMPF. The Spencer Perkins Center is committed to walking alongside its west Jackson neighbors to the Kingdom of God in our community.