SHEPHERDSVILLE, Ky. (KT) – Mark 12 Ministries continues to be a lighthouse for the gospel in Bullitt County, serving the most vulnerable in a community that has many needs.
“We’re serving one of the most lost counties in the state of Kentucky,” said executive director Perry Cooke. “We don’t have a whole lot of churches. If you take Mt. Washington out of the equation, we’re one of the poorest counties in the state. A lot of just sad statistics – high teen suicide rate, drug epidemic and poverty.”
Mark 12 Ministries – named after the Scripture that speaks on loving your neighbor – meets the needs of the community by building relationships and sharing the gospel with individuals to break the spiritual, social and material bonds of poverty. The organization offers a wide array of services aimed at breaking the cycle of homelessness and poverty.
Mark 12 Ministries partners with 32 churches and more than 100 volunteers to make a difference in lives whether it is shelter, food, spiritual counseling or meeting other needs. Last year, Cooke said, they were able to help 1,061 individuals with 62 percent of them falling in the vulnerable category – kids under 18 or senior adults. Nearly $67,000 in goods provided through the ministry thrift store.
“We have six support groups throughout the county and are hoping to increase that,” Cooke said.
A thrift store provided through the ministry helped 455 families, he said.
The non-profit organization is still new having started in 2018. Cooke said he was going through the process of becoming an elder at Mercy Hill Church when some concerned citizens approached the church about opening it up in winter to have a shelter. That winter the church saw 45 individuals stay overnight when temperatures were under 35.
Volunteers hang up clothes in the Mark 12 Ministries Thrift Store.
“We just tried to love them,” he said. “After that winter, our team sat down to decide — is this a ministry of Mercy Hill or do we need to start an organization to speak into the issues of the community? Starting a ministry might be the best way to tackle problems and unify the body of Christ and be a reflection of God’s love in a community that’s pretty dark.”
So, Mark 12 Ministries was officially born in 2019, and it has grown dramatically every year.
“We are one of the largest counties in the state of Kentucky without a homeless shelter,” he said. “And until U of L South (hospital) came, we were one of the largest counties without a hospital. We have two of the fastest-growing cities in the state from the 2020 census but are a resource desert.”
There are well over 100,000 residents living in Bullitt County although the Census showed only 89,000. There were 15,000 undocumented and uncounted residents, he said. “We are growing quickly and the resources aren’t keeping up,” Cooke said.
Mark 12 Ministries has partnered with both the Southern Baptist Convention and Kentucky Baptist Convention. It is a Mission Service Corps (MSC) organization of the KBC and this week received a grant from the Kentucky Baptist Foundation, which recognized the ministry it was doing in Bullitt County.
“The KBF grant is a tremendous blessing,” Cooke said “It kind of came out from connections through the Mission Corp. I’d heard about the foundation and the good work they were doing and had an opportunity to reach out to them. It was very encouraging to see them come. We hope to have further partnerships with them down the road.”
Kentucky Baptist Foundation CEO and President French Harmon, right, with Mark 12 Ministries Executive Director Perry Cooke. KBF presented a grant to the organization last week.
KBF President and CEO French Harmon was impressed with Mark 12 Ministries and Cooke
“I’m very supportive of Brother Perry Cooke and his passion and his heart for reaching and supporting those that have physical needs,” Harmon said. “We were so impressed with how they are ministering to the homeless, particularly the veterans. God put it on our heart to start a relationship. We will invest this year and hopefully continued to do so.”
Mark 12 Ministries started with a budget of $6,000 in 2019 and the organization’s board recently approved a budget of $422,000, Cooke said.
“God has used our ministry to be a beacon of light,” he said. “We’ve seen many salvations through our Pathway Home program and our partnership with WMU, being a Mission Corp organization.”
Mark 12 became an MSC Missionary organization in 2022, Cooke said.
Cooke is a family ministries pastor at Mercy Hill. It was planted through First Baptist Church in Mt. Washington when current IMB President Paul Chitwood was pastor.
“Paul was a member of Mercy Hill until he was called to the IMB,” Cooke said. “Paul has been an inspiration for how we love on the community and how we see every day on mission. He has been such a good friend and wise counsel. We really miss him and his family. They are doing such a great work. I truly believe that was the position God made for him because of his love and desire to seek out the lost. We saw it then and now, to see how God is using him, is incredible.”
Mark 12 Ministries is sponsoring a Wild Game Supper on April 5 with noted outdoorsman Pete Rogers the keynote speaker. Learn more about the ministry at Mark12.org.
