Project 21 Ambassador DeShawn Wilkins is presiding bishop of the Agape Ministerial Fellowship International.
DeShawn was born and raised on the westside of the city of Detroit in the early 70’s. A former gang member and high school dropout, he focused himself and graduated from high school in January of 1990. In November 1992, he gave his life to the Lord Jesus Christ and began his journey learning about the ways of the Lord. In April 1996, DeShawn married his fiancée Stephanie and they remain married nearly 30 years later.
In June of 1997, DeShawn accepted the call to the ministry. By January 2002, he became the senior pastor of his first church. He is currently the senior pastor of Immanuel Outreach Cathedral in Detroit, MI.
He has produced and hosted several radio outreach programs over the years.
In 2017 he was elected as the vice chair of the Citizens Advisory Committee of the RTA (Regional Transit Authority) in Michigan. He was then the acting chair until February 2018, when he resigned to focus on running for public office.
In 2018 DeShawn campaigned for the Michigan State Senate – District 5 (Detroit, Redford, Garden City, Inkster, Dearborn Heights). He advanced in the primaries to become the Republican nominee; however, he lost in the general election.
In 2019, as a precinct delegate within the 13th Congressional District Republican Committee (CDRC) in Wayne County, Michigan, DeShawn received enough votes from his fellow precinct delegates in the 13th to represent on the MIGOP State Committee and as a state committeeman on the issues committee. In 2020 he received enough votes from precinct delegates across the state of Michigan to represent as an at-large delegate for the Republican National Convention.
In August 2023, Bishop Wilkins was officially consecrated to the office of presiding bishop of the Agape Ministerial Fellowship International, an international fellowship of ministers and pastors.
For over 28 years he has been a small business owner. He currently employs several people as part of his professional janitorial and landscaping services company in Michigan.
Bishop Wilkins is currently developing a nonprofit that will focus on improving reading and comprehension skills of our young people.