CCDA Conference, Part 1: Tina Ward

The mission of the CCDA is to inspire, train, and connect Christians who seek to bear witness to the kingdom of God by reclaiming and restoring under-resourced communities. Their vision is to restore communities with Christians fully engaged in the process of the transformation, and their statement of faith is:

“The Lord Jesus Christ, God’s son, redeems us through his death and resurrection and empowers us by the Holy Spirit. The Bible is God’s Word, and through it we are called to live out justice, reconciliation, and redemption. The church nurtures God’s people gathered in a community to carry out God’s Word.”

It was an opportunity to connect with fellow practitioners, to participate in great workshops, to be inspired by the speakers, and to retool and refresh for the next season of urban ministry. Learning how to empower the poor and revitalizing urban communities, is their number one goal!

There were at least 120 workshops to choose from and 6 onsite workshops offered throughout the twin cities. All the workshops were categorized in one of these 19 topics:

Transforming Lives with Art and Technology

     Business as Ministry

     Christian Community Development Philosophy

     Church in the Community

     Collaboration and Partnership

     Contemporary Social Issues

     Education: Disparities, Alternatives, Assets and programs

     Families

     Health and the Environment

     Housing

     Incarceration and re-entry

     Leadership Development

     New Neighbors

     Organizational Management

     Reconciliation

Learn more about Tina's experience in next week's edition of the Herald where she explains and elaborates on the conference workshops and applications!

     Relational Health

     Theological Foundations of Practice

     World’s Vision Community Development Approach

     Youth and Children