Rev. Steve Perkins

Faith in God is what brought Rev. Steve Perkins to St. James A.M.E. Church in December and that faith is likely to be the driving force in the progression of the church.

"We hope to build up the church spiritually and numerically with the vision God has given me for the church, this city and this area," stated Perkins, who was appointed to serve the local church by the Bishop.

"I'm trusting God that it is going to continue to be a progression as people get to know me," he continued.

Perkins, who is beginning his first pastorship in Monmouth has served under his father, Pastor James C. Wade for several years.
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Both Wade and members of the congregation in Evanston will officially welcome Perkins at the St. James AME Church on February 22 with the 11 a.m. service.
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I'm looking forward to serving the Church and the community," added Perkins, who was called into ministry at the age of 14 and accepted the calling at the age of 18.

After growing up in Racine, Wisconsin, Perkins attended Morris Brown College in Atlanta, Georgia, where he played basketball for two years.He then went on to attend the American Baptist College in Nashville, Tennessee, where he majored in religion.

In his free time Perkins enjoys coaching basketball and in the past has coached youth and high school basketball teams.In Racine he was the freshman girl's basketball coach at JI Case High School before serving as the freshman boy's basketball coach at Maple Wood High School in Nashville.Being involved in sports came naturally to Perkins, who was accustomed to watching his uncle, Reggie "Silky" Perkins suit up for the Harlem Globetrotters.

Having a few members of the Harlem Globetrotters perform in Monmouth is one of the goals for Perkins, as he and the congregation at St. James are striving to reach out to the youth in the community.The Church is also planning to host a reception for students at Monmouth College in the near future.

"One of the things the Church is endeavoring to do to meet the needs of the people here in Monmouth is to work with the youth and young adults in the area.They are the future of the church and the community," added Perkins.

In keeping with the motto of the Church of spreading the love of God to all- rich, poor, black, or white, no matter what their denomination, Perkins and the Church is hoping to help the people of this community move from one level to another through their evangelistic efforts.

When Perkins isn't serving the church he enjoys writing, poetry and traveling.He also continues to help meet the needs of people around him."If I help people in their time of need, hopefully they will return the favor to someone else in the future," he continued.

St. James AME Church is located at 900 South 3rd Street.Services are held at 11 a.m. on Sundays.For more information regarding the activities at St. James contact the Church at 734-7416 or Perkins at 847-322-3978.