CCDA Podcast – Détails, épisodes et analyse

Welcome to Manna for the Movement, short devotionals from the CCDA community to encourage you to meet with God today, wherever you find yourself on your journey. For the next five weeks, every Thursday, this series will focus on the theme of Shalom—a concept encompassing wholeness, well-being, justice, development, and harmony. It speaks to a state of right relationship with God, with one another, and with creation, where nothing is missing and nothing is broken.

In this episode, Dr. Lorenzo A. Watson leads us in meditating on John 17:20-24 through the practice of Lectio Divina.

Lorenzo A. Watson serves as the CEO/President for the Christian Community Development Association, headquartered in Chicago, IL. He is an experienced community development professional; a leader, teacher, and scholar who has long centered his work at the intersections of wholeness, education, and Biblical justice.

Lorenzo holds a BS from North Carolina State University in Computer Engineering, an MDiv from Shaw University Divinity School, and a PhD in Educational Research and Policy Analysis from NCSU. He and his spouse of 18 years, Natarsha P. Sanders, reside and serve as “community pastors” in the Doyle community of Kerrville, Texas. Lorenzo’s proven skills in multi-ethnic organizational leadership, management, and coaching, as well as his pastoral giftings and scholarship, have helped create environments of inclusion and belonging in every space to which he has been called.

Learn more about CCDA and how you can get involved at ccda.org. Connect with CCDA on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn. Follow CCDA on YouTube. If you’re looking for more devotionals, check out Donna Barber’s book, Bread for the Resistance.

Sandra Maria Van Opstal is joined by Pastor Julio Hernández to share stories from the ground in Chicago and Washington, DC. They also discuss ways that the church and Christians can be good neighbors and work together toward collective liberation.

Want to have more conversations like this with other CCD practitioners? Check out CCDA’s Immigration Network and listen to our conversation with Pastor Carlos Rincon of LA, wherever you get your podcasts! Make plans to join us at the CCDA Conference this November at ccda.org/conference.

Sandra Maria Van Opstal, a second-generation Latina, is Co-Founder and Executive Director of Chasing Justice, a movement led by people of color to mobilize a lifestyle of faith and justice. She is an international speaker, author, and activist, recognized for her courageous work in pursuing justice and disrupting oppressive systems within the church. As a global prophetic voice and an active community member on the west side of Chicago, Sandra’s initiatives in holistic justice equip communities around the world to practice biblical solidarity and mutuality within various social and cultural locations.

The Congregation Action Network (CAN) is a grassroots coalition of faith communities committed to defending the rights and dignity of immigrants and refugees through collective action for housing, healthcare, education, food, and legal protections. Rev. Julio Hernández, Executive Director of CAN, is a Baptist pastor with over 20 years of ministry experience in cross-cultural missions and outreach. A son of Salvadoran immigrants, his faith and heritage ground his passion for justice and his commitment to ensuring all people are treated with dignity and compassion.

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Organizations and resources mentioned in the episodes:

• Faith Over Fear Event
• Unsettling Truths: The Ongoing, Dehumanizing Legacy of the Doctrine of Discovery by Mark Charles and Soong-Chan Rah
• Bring Kilmar Home - October 6, 2025
• United We Dream
• National Immigration Project
• Detention Watch
• Borderlands Ministry
• American Immigration Council

Dr. Lorenzo A. Watson is joined by Natarsha Sanders to discuss education equity. They reflect on the state of education today, why equity in education is important, and how we can make our communities more equitable. 

Learn more about CCDA’s Education Equity Network, #TransformED, at ccda.org/transformed.

Natarsha Prince Sanders is a career educator with over 15 years of professional experience both inside and outside of the classroom. She earned a B.A. in Philosophy and History from Hollins University and a M.A. in Special Education from North Carolina Central University. She is currently completing her doctoral degree at Columbia Theological Seminary.

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Lynette McIntosh-Madrigal is joined by Pamela Evans and Pastor Jermaine B. Armour of Saint Luke AME Zion Church in Wilmington, North Carolina. They share stories of hope, discuss how they are partnering with God and their neighbors to see their community flourish, and reflect on their journey from being in the community to being with the community. 

Saint Luke is part of CCDA’s Flourishing Congregations Initiative, a four-year program that empowers church leaders to deepen their congregations’ community engagement, enhance their ministries, and contribute to the flourishing of their neighborhoods.

Learn more about CCDA’s Flourishing Congregations Initiative at ccda.org/fci. 

Pamela Evans currently serves as the Director of Ministries & Outreach and Administration at Saint Luke AME Zion Church in Wilmington, NC. I have been a member of the church for over 27 years. I have participated in activities at both local and conference levels within the church. I also serve in the community on various boards, such as the local chapter of the Red Cross, advisory board for the Food Bank of NC, health promoter in the Faith Health Network with Novant, and Community Mediator with the Wilmington Cape Fear Museum. I enjoy cultivating partnerships and relationships through community outreach initiatives.

Pastor Armour and his wife, Tanya, moved to Wilmington in January 2014. He is a native of Buffalo, NY, and holds a Master of Arts Degree in Christian Education from the Interdenominational Theological Center and an Honorary Doctorate Degree in Ministry from Livingstone College. He serves on several community boards, including One Christian Network, Wilmington Area Rebuilding Ministry (WARM), Kids Making It, and the Diversity and Inclusion Committee of the Red Cross. Pastor Armour and his wife have two children, Jadah Alana and Jermaine Elijah.

Learn more about Saint Luke AME Zion Church and what they’re doing in their community at newsaintluke.com. 

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Scott Overpeck is joined by Justin and Nate Beene of Grand Rapids Center for Community Transformation to discuss their work in Grand Rapids, MI. They share how they are pursuing Shalom, working toward community flourishing with their neighbors, and seeing God move in their city. They also offer some encouragement for CCD practitioners and recommend some of their favorite parts of Grand Rapids. 

Visit grcct.com to learn more about the Grand Rapids Center for Community Transformation and their work. 

Make plans to come to the 2025 CCDA Conference November 5-8 in Grand Rapids, MI.

Justin Beene is the visionary and founder of an innovative partnership called the Grand Rapids Center for Community Transformation, a collective between non-profits and non-profits working together for a flourishing city. He is well known as a global leader and practitioner with extensive knowledge and skills in starting and scaling collaborative ventures, creating win/win/win solutions across sectors, and connecting resources to real problems in innovative and sustainable ways.

As COO of the Grand Rapids Center for Community Transformation network, Nate’s role is to execute the vision of a collaborative effort focused on transforming the community through social enterprise/innovation, leadership development, and career and entrepreneurial training. Nate is passionate about developing and providing opportunities to indigenous entrepreneurs and incubating and operating transformational businesses that seek impact outside of just profits.

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Sarah Callen is joined by Emanuel “Ricky” Padilla and Dra. Itzel Meduri to discuss multilingualism. They share the history of language weaponization and hierarchy in America, which led to the signing of an Executive Order in 2025 designating English as the official language of The United States. Ricky and Dra. Meduri also offer theological support for multilingualism and practical steps we can take to embrace this practice in our lives.

Visit World Outspoken’s website to learn more about the work that Ricky and Dra. Meduri are doing on multilingualism. And be sure to check out their course, Lingua Franca. Follow World Outspoken on Facebook and Instagram @worldoutspoken. 

Born in Detroit, the experience of the Puerto Rican diaspora is central to Emanuel’s research and ministry interests. He is completing a PhD in theological and ethical studies at Garrett-Evangelical Theological Seminary, working to construct a theology that accounts for the history of colonization in Puerto Rico and the theological implications of a Black diasporic identity for recovering belonging and peoplehood. He is committed to serving bi-cultural congregational leaders facing questions of identity, culture, and theology through his work as president of World Outspoken, a ministry preparing the church for cultural change. 

Dra. Itzel Meduri is a Spanish professor and Chair of the Modern Languages Department at Biola University. Her work focuses on multilingual communities, highlighting linguistic diversity, bilingual identities, and language ideologies. A Los Angeles native of Mexican heritage, she is married to an Italian man and raising multilingual children.

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Christina Foor is joined by Dr. Alexia Salvatierra and Angelica Acosta Garnett, long-time friends and practitioners of CCDA, especially in the Immigration space. They take a look at the current immigration landscape and discuss what our call is as CCD practitioners.

Learn more about CCDA’s Immigration Network, including their Lent series, Love Knows No Borders, at ccda.org/immigration. 

Rev. Dr. Alexia Salvatierra is the Academic Dean of the Centro Latino at Fuller Theological Seminary as well as the Assistant Professor of Integral Mission and Global Transformation.  She is available for speaking, training, and workshops in the areas of immigration, faith-rooted organizing, cross-cultural ministry, and building vital holistic Christian community. 

Learn more about Dr. Salvatierra on her website alexiasalvatierra.com

Angelica ‘Lica’ Acosta Garnett was born and raised in Bogota, Colombia. She immigrated to the United States when she was 17 years old and has firsthand experience of what it is like to be an immigrant in this country.

Lica holds a graduate degree in social studies education and has worked as a US government teacher, Communities in Schools site coordinator, and an immigration law paralegal. She currently works as an interpreter/translator. 

Learn more about Lica and her work at abara.org/angelica

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Lynette McIntosh-Madrigal is joined by Erik Mast-Foss, the Community Life Pastor at On Ramps Covenant Church in Fresno, CA, to discuss how God is moving in his community. 

On Ramps is part of CCDA’s Flourishing Congregations Initiative, a comprehensive four-year program that empowers church leaders to deepen their congregations’ community engagement, enhance their ministries, and contribute to the flourishing of their neighborhoods.

Learn more about CCDA’s Flourishing Congregations Initiative at ccda.org/fci. 

Erik Mast-Foss is a community member and pastor at On Ramps Covenant Church in Fresno, CA. He does life with his wife Jessica and their two cats, Macrina and Jean Parmesan. Learn more about On Ramps at onrampschurch.org. 

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Christina Foor is joined by Maya Moore Irons, Jonathan Irons, and Bo Cornelius to discuss The Return. 

In January 2025, we stepped inside two maximum-security prisons together—Jefferson City Correctional Center and Algoa—to bring encouragement through music and capture Jonathan’s return to the place where he was wrongfully incarcerated for 23 years. This conversation unpacks that experience, the importance of standing in solidarity with the incarcerated, and how YOU can get involved.

This podcast is part of Locked in Solidarity, CCDA’s awareness and action week on mass incarceration. Gary Campbell’s blog, mentioned in the episode, can be found here.

Learn more about Maya and Jonathan’s story and check out their organization, Win With Justice.

To learn more about what Bo is doing, check out Second Mountain Leadership. 

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Welcome to the CCDA Podcast! In this episode, Dr. Lorenzo Watson, the CEO of CCDA, stops by to share a little about his story, what CCDA is, what you can expect from this podcast, and ways you can get involved.

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Save the date for the CCDA conference, November 5-8, 2025, in Grand Rapids, Michigan.

If you are already a CCDA member, click here to fill out the member survey (the survey closes on 1/31).

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