James "Jimbo" Perry
Why the Kinston Fellows Program? We are literally one tenth the population of most of the other communities that host fellows programs. We cannot offer daily connections to a vibrant university community or political leaders. However, we can offer learning how to do real life.
In Kinston, we come alongside real people who have little hope. We not only learn of Jesus and social equity, we practice doing unto one of the least of these on a daily basis. You don’t have to ride miles or go on a weekend mission trip. You live in a community that has needs close by. You will develop relationships with kids who have little hope, who do not have safe homes, who need a friend.
We also do real jobs. We have a five day work week. If you work in a law office, you will visit clients in jail. You will go to hearings. You will learn the language and discover if law school is right for you. If you work in a business, you will take ownership of that business and actually be a part of what’s going on. You won’t just be an intern, but an apprentice, who gets to learn firsthand from their boss. We will seek to help match you up with your interests so you can see first hand if you want to pursue a job in a particular field.
Finally, we help our fellows to prepare for real life by talking about real life issues. We discuss everything from Roth IRAs and how to file your tax returns to early death and how a good God can allow suffering. We learn how to have an intervention for someone struggling with addiction and how to effectively love your future husband or wife. We seek to pour the Lord’s wisdom into our fellows so that they can best be prepared for what lies ahead.
Please prayerfully consider whether you might be called to become a Kinston Fellow. There is a community of believers here who are committed to those who will come and spend ten months with us, and we will be committed to them for life. We believe this is God’s kingdom building at its best! Imagine the privilege of pouring into a life to help fine tune and prepare them to engage the culture where they are planted. Come and let us learn of God’s kingdom building together.
Biography: Jimbo is a 1977 graduate of the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill with a BA in business administration and a 1980 graduate of the UNC School of Law with a JD. A former Assistant United States Attorney for the Eastern District of North Carolina, he now works as a lawyer for Perry, Perry, and Perry. He is active in youth sports and other community activities, include serving as a Board Member for Little By Little, a mentoring program at the local elementary school, and for Son Set Ministires, a ministry spanning several counties in Eastern North Carolina that is helping to start a summer camp for impoverished youth. He is currently an elder at Grace Fellowship Church and loves teaching the 5th grade Sunday school class (especially when everyone brings their Bibles to class and they get to do a special trip to Bojanles for “bovotions”). Jimbo, his wife Joan, and their sons reside in Kinston, N.C.