
PRESIDENTIAL AWARD 2018
Reverend Nuchette Melissa Black-Burke
Director of Youth and Discipleship
The Reverend Nuchette Melissa Black-Burke, a precious and exquisite gift, a warrior for Christ, was born in Hartford, Connecticut to Mother Madge (Alvona) Black and the late Oswald Black. She grew up in Windsor, CT in a home in which her parents imparted Godly principles and implanted the fear and reverence of the almighty God in her.
During her formative years, Rev. Burke’s faith was cultivated and nurtured at the former Blue Hills Church of God, now the Rehoboth Church of God in Bloomfield, CT. As a member of Rehoboth, Rev. Burke has served faithfully in several capacities of the ministry. Currently, she is the Director of Youth and Discipleship. Rev. Burke carries a deep burning passion for wives, mothers, and young women. Her primary goal is to reach them, win them, encourage them and impact their
lives with the love, grace and compassion of Jesus Christ.
Rev. Burke obtained her Bachelor’s Degree from Western Connecticut State University in 1998. In 2011, she graduated from the University of Hartford with a Master’s in Education. Presently she is employed by the Hartford Foundation for Public Giving and works as the Hartford Community Schools Coordinator, for the Hartford Partnership for Student Success at Hartford Public Schools. She is heavily involved in the local educational affairs of her community in Windsor, CT.
In November 2015, she was elected to the Windsor Board of Education. She plays a vital role on the Windsor board of education serving as the curriculum and technology committee chairperson. She is also a member of the Capital Region Education Council (CREC). Most recently she was elected to the board of the Windsor Education Foundation (WEF). She also serves on the Project Resiliency Advisory Board in Hartford, CT. Rev. Burke is a proud member of the Hartford Alumnae Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Incorporated.
Rev. Burke is happily married to her husband of 13 years, Rev. Kirkpatrick Burke. God has blessed their union with two miracle children, Kaleb Nathaniel and Ezra Alexander- Isaac Burke. Rev. Burke’s life today testifies to Proverbs 22:6, “Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it.”
Through the grace of God, Rev. Burke continues to be a woman of prayer and great faith, whose aim is to live an exemplary life honoring God. She has devoted herself to the ministry and has set her goals to help young people, especially young women, wives, and mothers. Her hope is to help these groups of people reach their full potential while finding a balance within ministry and their life pursuits. Rev. Burke has adopted Jeremiah 29:11; “For I know the plans you have for me, plans to prosper me and give me an expected end” as her life scripture because she believes irrespective of what you have faced, what your current situation may be, or the rut you may be in, the almighty God has a plan for you.
As a wife, a mother, a friend, a confidant, a preacher, a teacher, a leader and an educator Rev. Burke is a unique woman of God, of noble character and good reputation.
She walks with an uncommon anointing to minister the Gospel of Jesus Christ without reservation, always bearing in heart, mind and soul; the greater needs of others and the fulfillment of the Kingdom of God on the earth. At the end of the day what matters most to Rev. Burke is for God to be glorified and His name magnified in all areas of her life.