Persevering in the Pursuit of the Beloved Community (ReCity, 112 Broadway Street, Durham)

Dr. John M. Perkins will speak about how he has sustained his work as a Christian community organizer for more than 50 years. The event is free and open to the public.

Dr. Perkins grew up in a sharecropping family in rural Mississippi, where he was later active in the Civil Rights Movement. As a minister, Perkins has started churches, youth programs, a day-care center, a cooperative farm, health centers, a low-income housing development and many other ministries, including the Christian Community Development Association. Along with his wife Dr. Vera Mae, he currently leads the John & Vera Mae Perkins Foundation in Jackson, Mississippi.

The talk is being held in honor of the 10th anniversary of the Duke Chapel PathWays House, where each year a group of recent graduates live as an intentional Christian community and serve in Durham through nonprofit organizations.

This event is part of Duke Chapel's year of celebration in honor of the reopening of the Chapel after a year of restoration work. Co-sponsors for the event include ReCity, Durham CARES, and the Office of the President at Duke University.