Kingdom Watch: Pam Perry
Called To Be a Kingdom Connector
By Genikwa Williams
Called To Be a Kingdom Connector
By Genikwa Williams
Detroit inspired a lot of dreamers besides Berry Gordy, founder of Motown. Also born and raised in the Motor City during the 1960s, Pam Perry—one of the nation’s foremost public relations and marketing professionals—learned at a very young age about the necessity and power of networking in fulfilling a dream.
An only child, Pam quickly sought out other neighborhood children as playmates. Her relationship with the kids next door connected Pam with their father, the Rev. Dr. Joseph R. Jordan. Pastor of Corinthian Missionary Baptist Church in the Detroit suburb of Hamtramck , Rev. Jordan’s godly and fatherly influence would help shape the course of Pam’s life. He and his family took Pam to church with them every Sunday.
“You can say I kinda grew up a vicarious ‘P.K.’ (pastor’s kid),” Pam joked. “I had first-hand knowledge of how ministries worked because I was there so often.”
At the church, Pam clearly demonstrated a knack for spreading good news.
“My gift was not in ushering, singing, or teaching. I had a real heart to just promote and tell everyone about special events at the church,” she said. Rev. Jordan, she recalls, even told her that she was “doing PR for Jesus.”
That distinction stuck and today, the name “Pam Perry” is practically synonymous with publicity in the Christian community.
After graduating Cass Tech High School , Pam studied advertising and public relations in the journalism school at Wayne State University , both in Detroit . Her career began in secular media and PR agencies, where she worked with major clients like McDonald’s and Ford. After more than a dozen years in the business, Pam felt God calling her aside to put her skills to work for His purposes—just as her childhood pastor predicted all those years ago. She then moved into nonprofits, doing fund development and public relations for organizations like Joy of Jesus and The Salvation Army.
Seeing the need to help the burgeoning African American Christian authors and following her passion for books, Pam started Ministry Marketing Solutions, Inc. in 2000. The public relations consulting and marketing firm caters to African American Christian authors and ministries. See http://www.ministrymarketingsolutions.com/. Pam has helped dozens of publishing houses by running hundreds of book publicity campaigns through her company. Her clientele includes major publishers plus authors like Bishop T.D. Jakes, Pastor Bill Winston, Dr. Suzan Johnson Cook, and best-selling Christian fiction author Kim Brooks and Marilynn Griffith.
A prolific writer herself, Pam wrote and published a booklet with 115 PR tips for churches and ministries. She has also penned articles and columns for numerous Christian publications, including Keeping Family First, Gospel Today, The Detroit News, The Michigan Chronicle, , CBA Marketplace and The Christian Communicator.
Dubbed “The PR Coach,” Pam hosts seminars on book publicity and an Internet radio broadcast, provides PR counsel to ministries nationwide, and trains church marketing staffs. She is also president and founder of the Detroit chapter of American Christian Writers Association and The Chocolate Pages Network (http://www.chocolatepagesnetwork.com/).
Considered to be one of the hardest-working women in her field, Pam is a past winner of the “One to Watch” Award from the American Women in Radio and TV-Detroit Chapter, and jointly won an Emmy for her work as a producer on the television show, “The Edge with Jeffrey Miller.”
Pam is an active member of Life Changers Christian Center in Lansing , under pastors Dr. James and Stacia Pierce. She resides in Farmington with her husband Marc Perry and their 11-year-old daughter.
About the author: Genikwa R. Williams is a freelance writer and a communications and marketing specialist. Contact: E-mail ˜ http://b8.mail.yahoo.com/ym/edc-creations.com/Compose?To=BeAll4Him@yahoo.com V Address: P.O. Box 305 , Willingboro , NJ 08046 V Phone: 609-216-0268 V Writing Site: http://www.genikwawilliams.com/ Business Site: http://www.jordanmediagroup.org/
