Inner city ministry pushes for change in Jesus’ name

PASADENA, Calif. — In 1982 John Perkins moved his family into a Pasadena neighborhood with the highest crime rate in Southern California. He believed it was the only legitimate way to become an agent of change in the troubled community and help reconcile people to God and each other. The multiracial ministry he established has transformed the 12-block area.

With a mission to promote indigenous leadership development in Northwest Pasadena and beyond, the Harambee Christian Family Center continues to nurture and equip leaders to share biblical truth within the community. Harambee is a Swahili word meaning “Let’s get together and push.” The ministry has received numerous awards and remains a nationwide model for urban ministry.

“It was literally the worst place in Southern California,” said Rudy Carrasco, executive director of the Harambee center, as he described earlier days in the Pasadena neighborhood.

Formerly the scene of drive-by shootings and drug deals, the corner of Howard and Navarro, where Harambee is located, used to be called “blood corner.”

Carrasco and his wife, Kafi, now lead the ministry to African-American and Latino children and youth. Together they have more than 25 years of service at Harambee. The couple and their two children, as well as other staff members, live in the neighborhood.

“When the doors are shut we are still there,” Carrasco said.

The Harambee Christian Family Center offers an after-school program, summer day camp, teen jobs, college prep courses and other activities, all guided by biblical values.

In 1995 the ministry started Harambee Preparatory School. Birthed out of Harambee’s after-school program, it is based on the educational philosophy of Marva Collins and run by Principal Kafi Carrasco. The school offers a disciplined environment and small classes. A mobile lap op computer lab integrates technology with academics for the 40 students enrolled in grades K-6. Plans for a preschool are in the works.

“We’ve been laying a foundation,” Carrasco said. “This is not just a matter of rescue and relief,” he added as he talked about the long-term results that the ministry expects to achieve.

Producing leaders
Harambee’s vision now goes beyond the immediate neighborhood. Carrasco explained that the ministry endeavors to produce leaders capable of leading anyone in society. The urban ministry has challenged kids in the community to dream about the future by asking the question, “Can you see me when I’m 30?”

“I thank God for the Harambee Center and what they’ve done in my life—for putting God in my life and keeping me off the streets,” said 18-year-old Ronnie Williams as he addressed the ministry’s annual fund-raising dinner on March 5. The high school senior plans to attend Cal State Los Angeles and pursue a degree in nursing.

Sgt. Cheryl Moody, a 13-year veteran of the Pasadena Police Department, remembers when the neighborhood had “a lot of dope and gangsters.”

“You don’t see those problems there anymore,” she said. “They (Harambee) have taken over.”

The ministry’s success has thrust it into a leadership role. The staff has provided leadership training for Urban Youth Workers Institute and a variety of churches and universities. A graduate of Stanford University, Executive Director Rudy Carrasco met with other Latino leaders and President George W. Bush to discuss the faith-based initiative.

Harambee embodies the philosophy of the Christian Community Development Association, an organization birthed out of John and Vera Mae Perkins’ 35 years of ministry to the poor in Mississippi and California.

The urban ministry offers volunteer opportunities for homework assistance and tutoring in its after-school and summer programs. Harambee facilitates weeklong and weekend work projects for service groups at the John Perkins retreat center. Summer and yearlong internship programs involve participants in all Harambee activities, while living in the community.

For more information, visit the Web Site harambee.org.

Published by Keener Communications Group, April 2005

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