Our History
A small group of people can achieve extraordinary things.
Proof of the power of small groups lies in a chain of events that began during the late 1970s in the modest New Orleans home of the Reverend Audrey Jackson Johnson. The weekly Bible studies she led there proved life changing for many female participants, inspiring them to step forward and imagine brave new leadership roles for themselves in the church. The support and encouragement Reverend Johnson and others provided laid the groundwork for AJAMM, a Christian ministry and leadership development organization that guides, trains, and equips women in and for ministry.
“We began to look at problems women have in being accepted in the ministry,” Reverend Johnson remembers. Taking part in this assessment was Deacon Mary E. Washington, a regular participant of the weekly Bible study who operated with what Reverend Johnson calls “a minister’s heart.” In early 2001 Deacon Washington collaborated with Minister Jeralyn Major to set up the first Stir Up the Gift conference for women, a forum to address issues that impact women in ministry. Annual Stir Up the Gift conferences continue to minister to the whole woman, helping her realize her full potential in the church and community.
Reverend Johnson credits the success of the conferences and the formal organization of AJAMM Ministries International, Inc., to Deacon Washington’s great dedication. “She was a founder who put things in place,” she says. Deacon Washington served as AJAMM’s executive director for seven years. When she died suddenly in January 2009, the organization possessed all the components to prepare AJAMM participants for effective ministry and community leadership. More and more women are receiving and answering the call to sharpen their leadership skills and enjoy an international network of support and friendship through AJAMM.
AJAMM’s mission is also built upon the legacy of Reverend Myrtle Magee, a social justice activist and longtime leader in the New Orleans Christian community. Since Reverend Magee’s death in 1988, Reverend Johnson and others who knew her have worked to keep alive her mission to fight discrimination against women in ministry, a field still dominated by men. “Myrtle was instrumental in getting women to see that they are capable of doing the things they want to do,” says Reverend Johnson. As a way to memorialize Reverend Magee and honor Reverend Johnson, the organization’s leaders coined the name AJAMM, an acrostic of the names Audrey Johnson And Myrtle Magee.
Read the inspiring story of the Tuesday Night Bible Study that birthed AJAMM Ministries International! Told through the personal account of the Reverend Audrey J. Johnson and first-person testimonies of others, The Fire on Fairmont demonstrates the impact small groups can have in inspiring and empowering participants to achieve extraordinary things. Click here for more information.
