RAFI-USA’s Come to the Table program presents “Spirit, Power, & Connection: Community Conversations.” Our hope for this series is that it will create opportunities for us to meet, learn from, and deepen our connections with each other as we work towards justice. We are hosting this series as a way to build connections between people, sectors, and ideas. We are excited to host speakers who have thought deeply on issues of justice in our food system, who are grounded in the work, and who can open a space to welcome the wisdom of everyone in the room.

Join RAFI-USA and Rural Forward NC online on July 14th from 6-8pm for a Community Conversation with Pastor Anthony Gibson and Dr. Dawn Baldwin Gibson of Peletah Ministries.

As hurricane season gets underway during a pandemic, what can communities do to prepare and care for each other? Speakers and attendees will share experiences and lessons learned, with time for small group discussions.

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Pastors Anthony Gibson & Dawn Baldwin Gibson co-founded Peletah Ministries in 2011. Peletah has fed more than 75,000 people, supported hurricane survivors, hosted the Healthy Churches/Healthy Communities Summits, and started the Peletah Academic Center for Excellence, a culturally compentent trauma informed school.

About Pastor Anthony Gibson

As the primary preaching pastor at Peletah Ministries, Pastor Anthony has a passion for carefully unpacking the truths of Scripture. He and Pastor Dawn are the founders of Peletah Ministries. They have three children: Minister Spencer, (Malika) Kaitlyn, and Hannah (deceased) and two grandchildren (Phillip Alexander and Issac Anthony)

Pastor Anthony serves on the Board of Directors for Habitat for Humanity Craven County affiliate. He was recognized by the City of New Bern for his exemplary pastoral service in January 2013. He and Pastor Dawn were the 2013 keynote speakers for the annual Dr. Martin Luther King Scholarship and Awards program in New Bern.  In 2015, he received the Service Award from the North Carolina State University’s United Student Fellowship for his community work through Peletah Ministries. Pastor Anthony is passionate about the Word of God and seeing God’s people reach their destiny in God through wholeness and freedom.

Pastor Anthony has worked in the Mental Health field for more than 30 years. He is the Program Manager for Mental Health Services for eight Eastern NC counties for Easter Seals UCP. He has been active in church since he was a child. Pastor Anthony has a BS in Business from NC State University and the MS in Human Services from The Audrey Cohen College. He has completed doctoral work in Christian Theology from Christian Leadership University. He has completed numerous courses with the Duke University Non-Profit Management program.

About Dr. Dawn Baldwin Gibson

Dr. Dawn Baldwin Gibson is the Executive Pastor of Peletah Ministries. She and her husband, Pastor Anthony Gibson co-founded in 2011. Her role as executive pastor includes serving as Superintendent of Peletah Academic Center for Excellence, a culturally competent trauma informed school.

She completed her Bachelor of Arts in Liberal Studies with a concentration in English, Sociology, and Criminal Justice from Shaw University and her Master of Arts in English with a concentration in Technical and Professional Communications. She has completed higher education administration doctoral coursework at George Washington University and Nova Southeastern University. She earned her doctorate in Christian Counseling at Christian Leadership University.

Dr. Dawn established the Joseph Community Farmers Market which has now been gifted to Peletah Academic Center for Excellence to become student managed. The market was recognized at the state and national levels for its work in underserved communities.

Also, Peletah recently hosted the First Annual Healthy Communities/Healthy Churches Summit with more than 100 participants. The second Healthy Communities/Healthy Churches focused on Mental Health in the church and the community. Peletah Ministries has fed more than 75,000 people through its partnership with the Food Bank of Central and Eastern North Carolina.

She has authored and/or assisted with grants for nearly 2 million dollars for community resiliency and Hurricane Relief/Recovery programs including United States Department of Agriculture, School to Work, Golden Leaf Foundation, Blue Cross/Blue Shields, WalMart, Food Lion, Dollar General and many more.

Dr. Dawn serves as the Emotional and Spiritual Care Task Force Chairperson for the North Carolina Voluntary Organizations Active in Disasters (VOAD).

She is an author. She published her first book entitled, A Place Called Home, which chronicles nearly 200 years of her family’s history in Eastern NC in February of 2014. She co-authored- Soul Source Anthology: 23 Soulful Stories of Women Who Relied on God During Difficult Times. Soul Source was the 2018 Anthology of the Year at the Indie Author Legacy Awards in Baltimore Maryland. She has authored a book with her husband about marriage and trauma, An Uncommon Love.

Her awards include being the 2017 NAACP Craven County Woman of the Year, 2016 Wonder Woman Recognition, 1 in 5 women in New Bern Making History- Sun Journal Newspaper Publication: MY New Bern Magazine and 2015 NAACP Craven County Humanitarian Award.

Dr. Dawn is the wife of Pastor Anthony Gibson. The mother of three children Spencer (Malika), Kaitlyn, and Hannah (deceased). She is the grandmother of Phillip and Isaac.