Thursday, October 1

11:00 am // Church in the Moment

The COVID pandemic, racial unrest, a national election are just a few of the realities that 2020 has held. In a season where the voice of the Spirit is so desperately needing to be heard, how have we as the church pivoted to meet needs and where as the church have we missed the mark altogether? As history looks back on the church, what will be remembered of our actions during this critical moment? What story do we hope history will tell? How do we move forward?

Participants: Joyce Del Rosario, Jonathan Brooks, Mayra Macedo-Nolan, Daniel Hill

12:00 pm // Practitioner Shift in the Age of COVID

The work of CCD has never been a fast or shallow work. We know that regardless of what else is moving in the fast-paced dynamic of the modern world, we are going to remain rooted, resilient and committed to God’s redemptive, reconciling work in the world. Yet, we are in unprecedented times. Business as usual is not possible. How do we as practitioners remain committed to the every day work of CCD in an age of COVID?

Participants: Joe Tucker, Terence Lester, Sherdren Burnside, Bethany Rivera Molinar, Terrance Hawkins

2:00 pm // Healing Racialized Trauma

Our eyes have seen, our ears have heard, our hearts have broken and continue to break for all that is not right in the world. Our Kingdom focus keeps us moving forward but how do we navigate  in the midst of so much personal and collective trauma? How do we as practitioners ensure that we are caring for the health of our soul, mind and body, all the while caring for others who are also in need of healing? How do we begin to tell the truth about the racialized constructs that compound trauma. What are our opportunities for Collective healing?

Participants: Mary Beth Meadows, Angela Sedeño & More! 

3:00 pm // Pushing for Change In Protest

Despite potential exposure to COVID, millions of people took to the streets - some for the very first time - to march in solidarity & protest with Black lives. For many, this was not our first march and it will not be our last. How do we as practitioners push for lasting change that dismantles the systems of oppression and brings justice that flows like a river and righteousness like a never ending stream?

Participants: Catherine Gilliard, Holly Duncan, Erina Kim-Eubanks, Michael McBride , Quincy Shannon

Friday, October 2

11:00 am // Re-Building Neighborhood Capacity

This spring, we saw protests, riots, the burning of buildings, and neighborhood upheaval as a result of people being senselessly killed and harmed. Community development practitioners have long concerned themselves with building neighborhood capacity. How, in this moment, can we listen and respond well, connecting and working collaboratively toward renaissance and renewal? There is no going back to the way things were but how can we imagine a way forward that is rooted in striving together toward the Beloved Community?

Participants: Laura Hoy, Rudy Carrasco, Jerome Garciano, Phil Skei, Rici Skei

12:00 pm // A Theology of Race and Place

Where we locate ourselves is a foundational tenet of the philosophy of CCD. We know proximity matters but beyond personal life choices, how do we as “theologians on a journey” consider the theological underpinnings of place and loving our neighbors well? How do the cultural and historical dynamics of a community affect how we view and therefore serve in the world?

Participants: Marie Moy, Sandra Van Opstal, Leroy Barber, Dominique Gilliard, David W. Swanson

2:00 pm // On Staying at the Table: Rethinking Reconciliation

We are a tired people. We have been stewarding this Spirit-ordained, Christ-given ministry of reconciliation since the earliest days of the Church. Reconciliation is central to the DNA of Christian Community Development, and yet most days, it frankly seems unattainable. Skeptics and naysayers assert that it cannot be fully achieved, with plenty of evidence which seems to validate their suspicions. What is our call today? How do we as Christians, people who live by faith - belief in the unseen - steward the ministry of reconciliation and stay at the table in this moment?

Participants: Steve Park, Brandon Wrencher, Dina González-Piña, Michelle Ferrigno Warren

3:00 pm // Transforming Structures: Building Relationships and Advancing Justice

Speaking truth to power is easily stated, but how is it achieved and how is our truth heard? From the days of Esther using her access to relationships in power to save the lives of her people, how can we also work to advance justice and change systems in such a time as this?

Participants: Kit Danley, Alexia Salvatierra, Adam Taylor, Michael-Ray Mathews

Saturday, October 3

11:00 am // Using Arts, Media & Activism to Ignite the Story

Novelist Toni Morrison has written that ‘times like these’ are precisely when artists go to work. ‘They speak, they write, they do languages’, they do art - and ‘this is how civilizations heal.’ Hashtags, handles, fake news accusations and social “influencing” can make you want to back away from all forms of media. But the healing power of art can ignite our stories and help us cut a pathway forward. Sharing your story to ignite the greater story takes courage, creativity and a willingness to craft a deeper more artistic message. How can we learn to use art and media to move Kingdom work forward?

Participants: Q Nellum, Jeremy Del Rio, Monica Curca, Tamice Spencer

12:00 pm // Transforming the Market Square

Holistic, transformational, cross-sector community engagement and development has been a foundational approach in CCD work. Markets however, are often founded upon and rooted in systems which were not built for the success and flourishing of all persons. How are we as CCD practitioners called to challenge such systems? How do we transform the market square so that those who are contributing are able to find life and livelihood which makes use of their ideas, talent and skills, but does not degrade their dignity?

Participants: Michael Mata, Helen Hayes, Randy White, L. Brian Jenkins

2:00 pm // Influence for Good: CCDA and Civic Engagement

Civic engagement was never meant to be a sideline sport. Public service and influencing the public square are not topics that should be avoided in the church yet so often have been kept out. How do we steward what we have to influence for lasting good in the public square on behalf of the community?

Participants: Terrance McKinley, Alicia Contreras, Troy Jackson, Ruth Anna Buffalo

3:00 pm // The Church Beyond the Moment

What is the work of the Spirit now? What has to die so we might live? How do we pick up the threads of an old life and move forward? What should move forward? What should remain behind? How do we keep living a life of hope, by faith and with joy? What must the work of the missional church be beyond this moment?

Participants: Robert Chao Romero, Alvin Sanders & more details coming soon!

Join us for these critical conversations. 

More participants will be announced in the days leading up to our time together!

We're thankful for these practitioners and leaders helping us all to be better neighbors!

Keep an eye out for more details being added in the days leading up to Collective!