Pastor Jessie Starr served along with her husband as Pastors of Praise and Deliverance Ministries for 19 years. She graduated Summa Cum Laude from Beulah Heights University with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Leadership and Administration and a concretion in Global Mission. Pastor Jessie Starr’s well-seasoned spiritual foundation is complemented by her accomplishments as a scholar striving for excellence in her theological exploration as well as in her secular studies.
She graduated with honors from Chattahoochee Technical College with an Associate degree in Public Service. In 2009, she received her Bachelor of Arts degree in leadership and missions at Beulah Heights University. Pastor Starr is presently a Master of Divinity candidate at Beulah Heights University.
Pastor Jessie Starr received past honors, highlighting her work in the community including the 2009 J.U.G.S. International Incorporated Atlanta, GA. Chapter Community Service Award for Exemplary Service for Children and Youth. Additionally, she was honored for meritorious service in promoting spiritual development, educational enhancement, communal commitment, and faithful philanthropy. In 2019 Pastor Jessie Starr was conducted in the Delta Epsilon Chi Honor Society in recognition of leadership ability, Christian character and intellectual achievement. Pastor Starr’s received her most recent recognition as a recipient of the Morehouse School of Medicine and NCBON Unsung Hero Awards in 2023 for her commitment to serving the community and addressing the disparities faced by youth and families in the states of Georgia and Alabama.
Pastor Jessie Starr is the Founder of Youth ‘N’ F.O.C.U.S., Inc., a 501(c)3 non-profit organization that unites with Family, Organizations, Churches & Communities Systematically serving those in need. Initially, this organization encompassed two major components Camp Reality, which addressed the emotional health challenges often faced by youth and young adults, and Missions in Haiti, which supports educational, health and career initiatives for Haitian youth their families. Both tenets catered directly to the needs of youth and their families cultivating the participants into proactive self-sufficient young adults with a focus on education, career readiness initiatives and HIV/AIDS prevention.
An innovator at heart and a worshiper in spirit, Pastor Jessie Starr strives to purse her passion for creating unique enrichment opportunities for all ages while transcending suppressive barriers. Aside her vocation as Pastor, an Evangelist, a Missionary, and an entrepreneur; but above all, she is “a servant of God” who has dedicated her life to the transformative work of God.
Dr. Charity Starr Mitchell, DMin, LMSW, MDiv is a native of Atlanta, Georgia where she coalesces her Westside of Atlanta early childhood experience with her later adolescence growing up in Cobb County. She matriculated as a student in the Cobb County School System and later became a graduate of John McEachern High School in Powder Springs, GA. Dr. Mitchell received her Bachelor of Social Work degree from Talladega College in Talladega, Alabama in 2003.
Thereafter, she pursued and received a Master of Social Work from the University of Alabama in Tuscaloosa, Alabama in 2005, concentrating in children, youth, and families. During her final year at UA, she accepted an internship in Washington, DC where she was later employed by the Women’s Collective agency as the Positive Prospective Program Coordinator. This position entailed empowering and enlightening HIV positive women of color and children of the importance of healthy living and self-care.
In 2009, Dr. Mitchell received her MDiv at Emory University’s Candler School of Theology of Atlanta, GA where she studied Religion and Health with a concentration in Black Church Studies. During this time, Dr. Mitchell assumed the role of Director of Programs for Youth ‘N’ FOCUS, Inc. where she coordinated youth programs domestically and internationally.
As the Director of Programs, Dr. Mitchell facilitated HIV/AIDS prevention sessions to high school students in Port-de-Paix, Haiti. In 2014, Dr. Mitchell became the Executive Director of YNF. Dr. Mitchell later received her Doctor of Ministry degree, with honors, in 2017 at Southern Methodist University’s Perkins School of Theology in Dallas, Texas, where she focused her studies in Urban Ministries and Community Development.
In 2019, Dr. Mitchell was selected to be a part of the Spelman College 2020-2022 Thriving in Ministry Cohort, a fellowship for women of color who are actively serving in ministry while implementing social justice and restorative justice initiatives in local communities across the United States. In 2023, Dr. Mitchell was the recipient of the Douglas, Carroll, & Paulding Counties Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta, Inc. Regal Awards, recognizing her non-profit work and commitment to youth and young adult development domestically and abroad.
For over fourteen years, Dr. Charity Mitchell has assumed many roles as a Student Affairs Professional in Higher Education at several colleges and universities, which includes, Albany State University, Alabama State University, Trenholm State College, and Georgia Gwinnett College. Dr. Mitchell incorporates an interdisciplinary methodology, which synchronizes her central focus areas of theology, higher education, and community development. Through her innovative leadership, she has cultivated young adults and community-based teams through leadership and development trainings, designing servant leadership models and structuring asset based and culturally affirmative community building strategies.