About Peniel Initiative

IMF began as an interdenominational direct action group designed to fight social injustices in the wake of the 1954 Supreme Court decision, Brown v. Board of Education. In their 50-year history, the IMF, a 40-member body of churches, has championed issues impacting the poor and disenfranchised such as racism and employment. IMF recently collaborated with the Covenant Association to stop gun-related violence in Nashville. The partnership led to a community round-table discussion at Vanderbilt University, as well as an on-going working relationship with city officials and the Metropolitan Police department to address the problem of guns and other crime in the community.

The Interdenominational Ministers Fellowship (IMF), through its affiliation with the Metropolitan Interdenominational Church (MIC) and the Fortitude Foundation, Inc. (FFI), is overseeing the Nashville Crime Victims Resource Center project, known as IMF Peniel Initiative (PI). The IMFPI will improve services to victims of crime in the four Nashville neighborhoods with the highest rate of victimization and poverty: The J. C. Napier/Tony Sudekum, Sam Levy, John Henry Hale/Clifton Avenue and James A. Cayce areas. Nearly 90% of the residents of the selected neighborhoods are African Americans, many who cope with poverty and discrimination as well as victimization.