Louisville is our home base and we have some strong Partners in the city. St. Matthews Baptist Church is our host and sponsoring institution. The Wayne E. Oates Institute manages this web site and also runs our on-line program. Peritus is our public relations firm. The first religious organization to sign on as a Partner is the Kentucky Conference of the United Methodist Church (whose offices are in Crestwood, a suburb of Louisville).
But there are seven potential Partners in the Louisville area that will make the Academy what it needs to be (and, at the same time, justify our decision to locate in the river city). First, there is the Presbyterian Church USA, as far as I know the only denomination with its national headquarters in Louisville. Second, I mention the Louisville Presbyterian Theological Seminary and third, the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary.
Simmons College and the Central District of the Kentucky Baptist Association are the critical elements of the African-American Baptist community in the city. And of course, there is the Archdiocese of Louisville, which actually represents 24 counties, and Southeast Christian Church, the largest congregation in the state.
There are other organizations: of Baptists, Assemblies of God, Presbyterians, etc, and there are many non-profit ministries that we are just now beginning to approach, such as the Foundation for Excellence in Giving, which is based in Louisville and which put their letter of Partnership in the mail yesterday.
But these seven: two Presbyterian, three Baptist, one Roman Catholic and one independent Christian. All seven have individuals who are enthusiastic about the Academy and who are already involved in some way; but we are looking for formal and public Partnership. Join us in prayer and in careful effort as we reach out to these seven centers of Christian influence and activity in Louisville. They are the SEVEN MOST WANTED.