How can the Church work for the flourishing of all society? Often, Christians care deeply for those within our church and see those outside its walls as “causes” or “issues” rather than image bearers with equal dignity and need. Our criminal legal system has replaced the Church as the first and longest responder to violence. How can the Church assume its rightful place in caring for the most marginalized, lock arms with our neighbors to learn from AND serve them, and build a culture where our response to violence and harm centers love rather than punishment, police, or prisons? Join us for a conversation designed to inspire and equip God’s people to move from understanding to engagement, from passivity to action, from listlessness to love. Join CCDA members, Jamila Hodge & Sam Heath, of EJUSA for this informative webinar.

In this episode, Jerome Garciano presents his masterclass on Impact Investment for Christian Community Development. Check out ccda.org/shownotes for additional info and slides on this and previous episodes.

In our era, we are facing a tremendous problem. The essential ingredient for community transformation is leadership. Yet most ministries do not have an intentional process to grow leaders. Solid leadership within an urban ministry organization is critical for sustainability. In this course, Alvin Sanders will address the challenges of developing indigenous urban leaders. He shares a model of how an urban ministry can create and maintain a leadership “pipeline” filled and flowing to guarantee a stable supply of skilled leaders.

Dr. Alvin Sanders has a personal mission to be with God, love his family, and invest in those who invest in the poor. In 25 years of ministry, he has served as an urban church planter, denominational leader, and university professor. Educationally he is a graduate of Cincinnati Christian University, Trinity Evangelical Divinity School, and Miami (OH) University. Presently he serves as a senior vice president with World Impact, a Christian mission organization committed to resourcing urban disciple-makers. He and his wife Caroline have been married since 1994 and are the proud parents of two children.

Creating a Leadership Pipeline Powerpoint

Creating a Leadership Pipeline Online Course

Dr. Peace Amadi leads this session to define spiritual bypassing, identify how it’s operated in our lives and ministries, unpack how it has negatively impacted mental health and spiritual health, individually and communally, and explore new ways of being with each other during times of emotional pain.

2016 CCDA National Conference — Los Angeles Workshop

Biblical Justice Through Faith-Rooted Organizing and Advocacy — Michelle Warren, Gullermo Torres, and Alexia Salvatierra

In this episode, Dayna Carr teaches us about Cultivating Healing Spaces: Strategies For Wholeness And Wellbeing On A Community-Level from the 2019 CCDA National Conference

Hello and Merry Christmas,

I am Lorenzo Watson, your interim CEO & President at CCDA. I’ve stopped by the podcast to say thank you.

Thank you to all of our CCDA members and friends who have given of your gifts, talents, wisdom, and friendship throughout the year. Your commitment to justice and community transformation continue to inspire me. It is because of you we are seeing people and communities experience God’s shalom across the nation.

I also want to take a moment to celebrate some awesome things happening in our community.

Did you know that CCDA has reached our largest membership ever? Membership has

been a way for us to accomplish our mission and vision. We are elated to have over 2000 members part of the CCDA family who are committed to seeing their communities flourish.

This year we’ve been able to expand our practitioner-led networks. Yes, we have a growing set of affinity-based networks that we soft-launched this year, with members dedicated to both connection and addressing the most pressing and relevant issues in our country. In addition, we onboarded several new local networks and a handful of them held their own regional conferences this year!

We’ve also been able to increase our educational and equipping opportunities. For example,

Understanding Trauma & Healing Centered Engagement

Strengthening Your Organization

Women of Color Executive Coaching Circle

Thinking about Padilla & Perkins’ Philosophy Event

Radical Imagination Series

and much more!

Thank you to everyone who joined us in Charlotte, NC for our 2022 National Conference.

It was an incredible time of inspiration, training, and connection around the theme of Wellbeing. We can hardly wait to go back together in Cincinnati with even more new and expanded opportunities!

I’m also grateful to everyone who has subscribed to this new podcast. Thanks to our friends at the We Raise Foundation, we are able to connect you to years of powerful content from CCDA conferences, interviews, and training courses. All of this material has been curated into bite-sized episodes for your enjoyment and formation.

Lastly, I want to thank everyone who has visited ccda.org/give2022 to contribute to our end of year campaign. We’re over halfway through to our goal. Thank you for investing in this community. With your help we can continue and grow our efforts to support CCD leaders around the country.

Once again, Merry Christmas and I’ll add happy new year.

This workshop will be educational and interactive in equipping those who are building community with the connections between addiction, the opioid epidemic, recovery and faith – especially in the wake of pandemic realities & polarized communities. The processes and strategies for decreasing stigma and increasing hope will be both taught and explored.

Jonathan Haskell, Matthew Best, and Daniel Watson share about how to recruit, assess, and encourage your Board of Directors. Taken from the 2021 CCDA National Conference.

Tamice Namae Spencer shares from her workshop - Heaven For A G?: Hip Hop, Film, & The Great Commission. Taken from the 2019 CCDA National Conference. Psalm 139, Luke 9, John 18.

Taken from their workshop at the 2018 CCDA National Conference, Matthew Watson, Nikki Wiggins, & Justin Fung teach us about Pastoral Challenges & Opportunities In Gentrifying Neighborhoods.

Christian Community Development Association (CCDA) is a network of Christians committed to seeing people and communities experience God’s shalom. This podcast features teaching from our annual conference, interviews, and training courses.

The CCDA Online Institute & Missio Alliance partner to present, “Brown Church: Five Centuries of Latina/Latino Social Justice, Theology, & Identity.” Join us to learn more about the history and theology of Latino/Latina culture and what Robert Chao Romero’s newest book calls “Brown Church.” Romero considers how this movement has responded to these and other injustices throughout its history by appealing to the belief that God’s vision for redemption includes heavenly promises and the transformation of every aspect of our lives and the world. Lisa Rodriguez-Watson will guide our conversation with Robert Chao Romero about how his Chinese-Mexican experience has impacted his life & faith.

Join us in a conversation led by our Indigenous family in which we will discuss our nuanced identities, our colonized history, loving our communities well, and following the Jesus Way. This is a discussion you won’t want to miss because frankly, it’s time for us to listen to this part of our family. Lead by: Delphina Johnson, Jennifer Hinson, Kathy Mitchell, and Tricia Ivanoff

2018 CCDA National Conference — Chicago Workshop

Kingdom United: Exploring Multicultural Worship — Chantel Varnado

Kingdom United is an interactive workshop that will explore the depth and dynamics of multicultural worship. Come learn how to develop practices that increase community engagement and empower marginalized people to have a voice and a sense of belonging.

2019 CCDA National Conference — Dallas Workshop

Living Intentionally: Perspectives on Poverty — Elia Moreno

This workshop teaches how to build relationships and strengthen interactions with those living in emotional and economic poverty. Educating practitioners about the diverse perspectives of people who live in poverty is essential for CCD ministry. Attendees are invited to explore the diverse types of poverty, homelessness, and communication theory, as well as how different lived experiences influence the people we serve. Walk away with a different filter for addressing poverty: a filter without blame or judgment that allows you to better connect with people living in the lines of poverty.

Presenter: Terrance Hawkins

Terrance Hawkins is a husband & father of 4 beautiful children. A native of Winston-Salem, NC,he has served the local church & his city for the last 17 years through pastoral ministry, peace &justice activism, intercultural community building, youth development, & the arts. He is the founder/director of Lit City (a youth development initiative), co-founder of a collective of local activists called the Drum Majors Alliance, & currently serves as the Co-Executive Director for the school of Love—a local cohort seeking to reclaim the ways of radical discipleship.In 2014Terrance was selected to participate in the CCDA’s 5th national leadership cohort and continue to thank God for the transformative relationships he’s developed with his “C-Cinco” family

Excerpts from songs

Chantel Varnado  -I'm all Yours - https://youtu.be/GjTNJg1fidM

The Porter's Gate - Instrument of Peace - https://youtu.be/d0ZYPpqcIP0

2018 CCDA National Conference — Chicago Workshop

Home in the Hood: Rooting Your Family In CCDA Principles — Jonathan & Micheál Brooks, Paco & Sylvia Amador

Raising your family in the hood presents incredible opportunities and unique challenges. The Brooks and Amador families will share from their hearts the practical experiences of raising their families where Christ has called them to serve. Topics include safety, education, marriage, children in ministry, community influences, and self-care.

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.

Sign up for the CCDA Newsletter.

Learn more about membership and networks.

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).

Connect with CCDA on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn. Subscribe to the CCDA Podcast and follow CCDA on YouTube.

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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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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Each May, CCDA offers events, trainings, and resources at the intersection of faith and mental health.

In this bonus episode, Lyndal Bedford, CCDA’s Behavioral Health Affinity Network co-leader, explores how CCD practitioners are incorporating mental health practices into their organizations and contexts.  

First, you will hear Lyndal’s conversation with CCD practitioners Dr. Jeff Biddle and Turan Rush from the Midian Leadership Project in Charleston, West Virginia. Then, you will hear his conversation with Stephanie Ann Vander Lugt from Kinship Plot in Charlotte, North Carolina.

For more information about CCDA’s mental health offerings, visit ccda.org/mentalhealth.

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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Christina Foor is joined by Pastor Carlos Rincon to discuss what life is like right now in Los Angeles. Pastor Carlos shares about how he and his church are serving their community right now, the importance of showing up with compassion, and some ways you can pray for those in LA. 

If you want to learn more about how you can get involved, check out CCDA’s Immigration Network at ccda.org/immigration. And for more information on the immigration process, watch our Immigration Law Basics webinar. Click here for prayer requests from CCDA members in Southern California.

Rev. Carlos Rincon is the CEO and president of Instituto de Avance Integral Latino Community Development Corporation. Carlos Rincon has been pastoring in Los Angeles for over 35 years and has developed strong ties with the community. He is also a member of many coalitions, such as COPALA, which works closely with Chirla, LA Voice, Homeboy Ministries, Jesse Miranda Center, and Assemblies of God Network. Pastor Carlos is also part of CCDA’s Flourishing Congregations Initiative. 

Connect with Pastor Carlos on his Facebook page, facebook.com/vidavictoriosa. 

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In this episode, you will hear from a panel of Native speakers as they consider what it means to be home. You will hear from JR Lilly, Lenore Three Stars, Edith Woodley, Randy Woodley, and Corey Greaves as they share their wisdom with us.

Learn more at ccda.org/indigenous.

Connect with Lenore on her website: lenorethreestars.com.

Learn more about Randy and Edith's work at eloheh.org.

Connect with Corey and his organization at mendingwings.net.

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Four seasoned CCD leaders dive into the 8 Key Components of the Christian Community Development philosophy. Discover how this approach to ministry can restore and transform lives, communities, and systems. This audio is from the 2024 Conference workshop, Overview of CCD Philosophy, Theology, and Practice.

Timestamps

(~02:55) - Relocation (Jonathan Brooks)

(~10:11) - Reconciliation (Sandra Maria Van Opstal)

(~15:47) - Redistribution (Mary Nelson)

(~23:44) - Leadership Development (Sandra Maria Van Opstal)

(~29:33) - Church-Based (Eun Strawser)

(~34:17) - Listening to the Community (Mary Nelson)

(~40:00) - Wholistic Approach (Eun Strawser)

(~46:30) - Empowerment (Jonathan Brooks)

To go deeper with the CCD philosophy, read Making Neighborhoods Whole, or complete the Immerse course.

Rev. Dr. Eun K. Strawser (she/her) is the co-vocational lead pastor of Ma Ke Alo o (which means "Presence" in Hawaiian), non-denominational missional communities multiplying in Honolulu, HI, a community physician at Ke Ola Pono, and an executive board member of the Christian Community Development Association (CCDA) with 20 years in both local and trans-local church planting work at executive levels. She is the author of Centering Discipleship: A Pathway for Multiplying Spectators into Mature Disciples (IVP). She and Steve have three, seriously, amazing children.

Jonathan Brooks currently serves as Lead Pastor at Lawndale Christian Community Church. He was the former pastor of Canaan Community Church in Chicago for 15 years. He is also an adjunct Professor for Northern Seminary in their Christian Community Development Program and Trinity Christian College’s Chicago Semester program. He has a deep desire to impress this virtue on all who will listen whether congregation, classroom, or community. He is the author of the book “Church Forsaken: Practicing Presence in Neglected Neighborhoods” published by InterVarsity Press. Lastly, Pastah J has also recorded four hip-hop albums with the group Out-World and a mixtape to accompany the book Church Forsaken.

Rev. Dr. Mary Nelson brings over 50 years of experience to the Christian Community Development Association as a Founder and former Board Member. Mary is President Emeritus of Bethel New Life, a faith-based community development corporation, where she served for 26 years. She still lives, works, and worships in the same low-income African American community. Mary actively participates in city-wide, national policy advocacy efforts. She is also on the faculty of the ABCD (Asset Based Community Development) Institute at DePaul University, on the Board of Christian Community Development Association, and served on the Board of Sojourners. Mary has her PhD from Union Graduate School and six honorary PhDs and is now doing consulting, writing, and teaching. She is the author of the handbook Empowerment, published by CCDA (2010), and has authored chapters in a number of books on sustainable community development.

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.

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Roslyn Hernández is joined by Carol Bremer-Bennett, the U.S. Executive Director of World Renew. Together, they discuss asset-based community development around the world, the process of connecting with their Indigenous heritage, and the importance of listening to the wisdom of elders. They also reflect on what shalom means in the lives of individuals and communities. 

Learn more about the CCDA Conference and make plans to join us at ccda.org/conference. And learn more about CCDA’s Indigenous Peoples network at ccda.org/indigenous. 

Carol Bremer-Bennett is World Renew's U.S. Executive Director. As director, she oversees their work in 30 countries around the globe in poverty & hunger alleviation as well as disaster response. Learn more about World Renew at worldrenew.net. She is born to the To’aheedliinii (Waters Flow Together) Clan and born for the Todich’iinii (Bitter Water) Clan of the Navajo Nation. Bremer-Bennett is an educator by training, with a B.A. from Calvin College and M.A. from Western New Mexico University. Her extensive experience in Christian ministry spans more than 25 years of organizational leadership, leadership development, and administration. Carol believes in the power of community and shares her passion and gifts with her church, school, and like-minded international organizations. She has served on multiple boards, including Calvin University, the Christian Alliance for Inclusive Development, Integral Alliance, and Growing Hope Globally. 

Roslyn is a Latina public theologian, content producer, creative strategist, and spiritual director passionate about resourcing emerging adults as they navigate faith, identity, and justice. Her work integrates socio-cultural awareness, spirituality, and activism to decolonize and cultivate holistic healing, liberation, and formation. Roslyn’s content often explores the intersections of theology and culture, offering thought-provoking reflections with clarity and depth. She brings a multidisciplinary lens to everything she does, curating safe spaces where emerging generations can cultivate their development and faithfully engage the world around them. Roslyn’s creative practice is shaped by her lived experiences and a desire to hold space for the sacred in everyday life. When she’s not ideating or writing, you’ll likely find her in nature, immersed in ancestral stories and culinary traditions, or savoring moments of solitude with a cup of herbal tea.

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Turan De’Angelo Rush is joined by Bethany Rivera Molinar and Jeff Biddle to discuss CCDA’s leadership cohorts. They unpack what cohorts are and why they’re important; they also share their experiences in their cohorts, the incredible relationships they’ve formed, and the leadership lessons they are still drawing on today. 

CCDA’s newest cohort, Cohort 9, is now accepting applications! This cohort is for Gen Z leaders in the Southeastern U.S. Learn more and apply at ccda.org/cohort. 

Turan De’Angelo Rush is the founding COO of the Midian Leadership Project, Inc., a sports-based community development nonprofit in Charleston, WV, an Evangelist with New Hope Community Church in Charleston, and the Director of Sports Science and Nutrition for the Capital High School football team. He played football at Eastern Michigan University, where he was team captain and earned a BA in communications with a minor in special education. He holds a master's degree in Sports Science from West Virginia State University, and is pursuing his PH.D in sports psychology from Kairos University, where his research focuses on the trauma-healing power of team sport participation. 

Bethany Rivera Molinar is a fronteriza Chicana living and working in El Paso, Texas, about a mile from the international border line of the United States and Mexico. She is the Executive Director of Ciudad Nueva Community Outreach, a holistic, asset-based, Christian community development nonprofit organization walking alongside their neighbors to develop youth, support families, equip leaders, and strengthen community in downtown-central El Paso. Bethany is deeply passionate for Ciudad Nueva to be a place where community work unfolds and community members are actively engaged and accessing their gifts, skills, and resources to collectively lead towards a vibrant and thriving community. Along with her team and community, this passion has driven the work that she has done through Ciudad Nueva for over ten years. Bethany serves as Chair for the board of the national Christian Community Development Association (CCDA) as well as other local boards. Bethany earned both Masters of Divinity & Masters of Social Work degrees from Baylor University. In 2023, President Obama selected Bethany as one of 100 Leaders from across the United States for his inaugural Obama Leaders USA program. Bethany serves with prophetic strength and innovative leadership within local, regional, and national women of color faith circles. When not doing all of the above, Bethany enjoys spending time with her husband Adrian and their three little ones, running, urban gardening, and pursuing the crafty arts.

Rev. Dr. Jeff Biddle, Jr. is the founding pastor of New Hope Community Church and the co-founder of the Midian Leadership Project. He holds a BA in Economics from Harvard University, an M.Div from Trinity Evangelical Divinity School, and his doctorate from Palmer Seminary, where his thesis focused on sports, faith, and community leadership development among young people affected by the school-to-prison pipeline. He is the coauthor of Playing For The City: The Power of Sports for Christian Community Development. 

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Darryl Answer is joined by Eun Strawser, the co-vocational lead pastor of Ma Ke Alo o (which means “Presence” in Hawaiian), non-denominational missional communities multiplying in Honolulu, Hawaii. They discuss the importance of being present in the community and being rooted in a place. Eun also shares about the recovery efforts on the island, three years after the Lāhainā fires.

Learn more about the CCDA Conference and make plans to join us at ccda.org/conference. And discover ways to connect with like-minded people through CCDA’s local and affinity networks at ccda.org/connect. 

Eun K. Strawser is the co-vocational lead pastor of Ma Ke Alo o (which means “Presence” in Hawaiian), non-denominational missional communities multiplying in Honolulu, Hawaii, a community physician at Ke Ola Pono, and an executive board member of the Christian Community Development Association (CCDA) with twenty years in both local and trans-local church planting work at executive levels. Prior to transitioning to Hawaii, she served as adjunct professor of medicine at the Philadelphia College of Medicine and of African Studies at her alma mater, the University of Pennsylvania (where she and her husband served with InterVarsity Christian Fellowship) after finishing her Fulbright Scholarship at the University of Dar es Salaam. She is the author of Centering Discipleship: A Pathway for Multiplying Spectators into Mature Disciples (IVP) and You Were Never Meant to Lead Alone: The Power of Sharing Leadership (IVP). She and Steve have three, seriously, amazing children. Rev. Dr. Strawser has nearly two decades of experience in centering discipleship and making mature missional disciples. She has developed a lay counseling curriculum, discipleship pathways for children’s ministries, and discipleship pathways utilized both in established church and church-planting contexts. While her heart is in locally-rooted kingdom work, she also consults and coaches pastors, planters, and marketplace/community leaders worldwide in developing discipleship pathways and structuring their context to center discipleship. Ma Ke Alo o is also part of CCDA’s Flourishing Congregations Initiative. 

Darryl was born in London, England. He is currently co-pastor of New Community Church, and founder of Verge Solutions. Through Verge Solutions, he provides consulting, training, and facilitation for organizations and communities in the areas of entrepreneurial mindset (ELI), and community development through an Asset-Based lens. In addition to serving in a consulting role, Darryl works in neighborhoods as a mobilizer and connector of residents and institutions around their shared vision of power, healing, and abundance. Darryl is a coach for CCDA’s Flourishing Congregations Initiative. 

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Sharon Fong Mo is joined by Dr. Froswa' Booker-Drew to discuss her new book Front Porch Wisdom. They reflect on the challenges and beauty of being a woman of color in a leadership position. They also share about the importance of relationships, both in leadership and in life. 

Get Front Porch Wisdom wherever books are sold and read an excerpt on the CCDA blog. Learn more about the Women of Color Network at ccda.org/woc.

Dr. Froswa's ripple effect stands out in the realm of cultural transformation. Her role as a network weaver emphasizes the importance of belonging and purpose in corporate, nonprofit, philanthropic, and government settings. By bridging the gap between grassroots nonprofits and institutions, she builds social capital, creates avenues for collaboration, and scales impactful initiatives. She is the President/CEO of Soulstice Consultancy, founder of the Reconciliation and Restoration Foundation, author of 5 books, including the award-winning Empowering Charity:  A New Narrative of Philanthropy, and her newly released book, Front Porch Wisdom: Navigating Leadership Pressures and Barriers as a Woman of Color by InterVarsity Press. Froswa' is an adjunct professor at Tulane University in the Master's of Public Administration program and a research affiliate at Antioch University.  

Sharon is a strategic communications expert and network weaver who specializes in helping businesses, nonprofits, and churches improve their communication systems and launch new initiatives. With a passion for connecting people and fostering collaborative engagement, she has been instrumental in launching regional business and faith collaborative networks across Southern California, New Orleans, and Portland, Oregon, working alongside faith communities, nonprofits, and government programs. Her expertise extends to redemptive technology design, helping organizations leverage digital tools in ways that restore human dignity and strengthen communities. Her track record of turning communication barriers into bridges has established Sharon as an influential voice in community development and economic empowerment, equally effective in mentoring emerging leaders and advising seasoned executives. She co-leads the Women of Color Network at CCDA.

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