I greatly appreciated the opportunity to attend the Christian Community Development Conference in Cincinnati. My experience left me feeling refreshed, energized, and empowered to participate in work that uphold redemptive values. The refreshment came from our interaction with folks from across the nation participating in similar work. Having the ability to hear their stories and see their faces as they spoke with passion about their involvement in Christian Community Development. I felt energized from the encouragement I received from individuals and from the keynote speakers. Bart Campolo stuck out to me with his raw descriptions of his life as a good neighbor. It’s difficult and it’s not worth romanticizing. Being a friend, showing love, spending time with others in community is rewarding but mostly it can be draining and complicated. Even so God called us to love our neighbors and to love with His love. Energy comes from those rewarding moments and it also comes from talking with others about how to do it well, which was done at CCDA. The conference was empowering as it provided useful tools for building strong organizations, effective programs, and healthy human relations. This was done through workshops, books sold, and keynote speakers.
Something significant I took away from the conference was the communication with RCA and others about racial reconciliation and intentional efforts to make effective cross cultural engagement. This is a HUGE issue often brushed aside in lieu of seemingly more important issues. This conversation is more that worth having, it’s vital. Sunday is one of the most segregated days of the week. Our neighborhoods are segregated, our school systems are segregated, and our distribution of wealth is skewed. These things are unacceptable and should not be tolerated by the church. I’m excited that a conversation is taking place and that small action steps are being taken. Racial reconciliation is imperative for the church to move forward well. God calls us to love others as he loved us, and this is one way we can attempt to do that. God gives us other people for a reason. In our conversation with the group from the RCA I heard resounding sounds of a willingness to move forward together. I’m excited about the tools CCDA provided for this to occur and for the willingness and the efforts the RCA has already put into the conversation. May we not be satisfied with where we are, but have faith in taking significant steps forward.
I’m grateful I was able to go to the CCDA conference and to engage in these types of conversations.
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