Dr. John Perkins (Biography)  <-link

John Perkins and his family have ministered among the poor for the past 40 years. In 1960 John Perkins, his wife, Vera Mae, and their children left a "successful" life in California and moved back to Mendenhall , MS to begin ministry. In the 12 years following, John Perkins helped start a day-care center, youth program, church, cooperative farm, thrift store, housing repair ministry, a health center, and an adult education program. Today, Mendenhall Ministries thrives under the leadership of Artis Fletcher and Darel Thigpen. www. mbc-tmm.org.

During the ensuing years, John and his family continued their Christian Community Development endeavors in Jackson, Mississippi and Pasadena, CA. establishing ministries that continue today.

In 1989, John Perkins called together a group of Christian leaders from across America who were 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 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. www.ccda.org