When I was enrolled in the Doctor of Ministry program at Bakke Graduate University, I was exposed to the Christian Community Development Association movement for the first time. I have been deeply impacted by the leaders and practitioners involved in CCDA. I had the opportunity to attend a smaller scale CCDA gathering in Fresno, California as part of a BGU course that I participated in, but I have never had the opportunity to attend a national CCDA annual conference.
Now that I've officially handed over the reigns of the church that I helped to plant in East Liberty five years ago (North Way East End), I am venturing into new territory as a pastor at North Way involving establishing a new Transformational Urban Leadership Institute. This trip to Los Angeles for the CCDA 2016 national conference will definitely help to equip me to mobilize followers of Jesus to take on the most challenging issues that human beings face in our modern world. I am praying that the Lord will give me a few days of rest, learning, and listening as I step into the fresh vision that God has placed on my heart for Homewood, Pittsburgh, and cities around the world.
I have to admit that it was difficult to even go on this trip. Since Pastor Freedom Blackwell died of cancer earlier this week, I have been grieving and the week involved a flurry of activity. I felt torn about whether I should still attend the CCDA conference. The pastor in me wanted to stay in Pittsburgh to help my family, friends, and the people at North Way Christian Community to grieve the loss of such an amazing person as Pastor Freedom. The urban ministry practitioner in me knew that Pastor Freedom would want me to attend the CCDA conference to gain fresh perspective on what God is doing to equip followers of Jesus to engage in Christian community development. I obviously ended up getting on the plane early this morning as I'm typing this update in LA.
I had a four or five hour direct flight from Pittsburgh to Los Angeles early this morning. I thought that I would probably just sleep the whole time. However, as the plane took off and all was quiet in the cabin I was flooded with grief over Freedom's death. I realized that this was the first time I really had by myself to sit and think and process through the journey with Freedom over the past few years. I started to cry, so I pretended to sleep while I was crying so the other people sitting next to me on the plane wouldn't think that something was wrong with me. I tried listening to music, but that just added emotions to my already fragile emotions. I thought about all of the great memories that I had with Freedom over the years as we partnered in working toward shalom in our city, and I thought about all of the difficult moments as he valiantly fought cancer over a period of years. I praised God that he brought Freedom into my life, and I was so sad that Freedom left this world at such a young age.
Mercifully, the plane landed in LA and I pulled myself together. I took an Uber ride (my first time... it worked really well) from LAX to visit with my friend Stefan who used to attend North Way East End when he lived in Pittsburgh a few years ago. He now lives in southern California. It was so great to catch up with him. He spoiled me by treating me to lunch and driving me to the conference center. I was so encouraged to hear about everything that God has been doing in his life over the past couple of years. The time I spent with him today was just what I needed. Community with other people has a way of helping us to navigate through difficult times.
The hotel and conference center is amazing. Here's a picture of my view for the next few days:
I love cities, and Los Angeles is a great city to explore. I know that I'm going to enjoy checking this place out over the next few days. By the time I got settled into my room and had some dinner, it was time for the first plenary session of the conference.
Noel Castellanos was the first speaker after the time of worship. The worship helped to center me for the rest of the evening. Noel talked about The Camino, or the journey, and how challenging the journey is for people who are involved in working toward biblical justice. There were so many people who filled up the big room where the conference was being held.
I was encouraged by his message. Then, Dr. Brenda Salter McNeil spoke about how new models of engagement are required to make a difference in the brokenness in the world. She encouraged everyone in attendance to think outside the box when it comes to how followers of Jesus live out our lives in front of a skeptical world. I was challenged by her message, and I am hoping and praying that the Transformational Urban Leadership Institute will present opportunities for Christians to be able to engage in creative ways in order to participate in the process of transformation in Pittsburgh. After hearing Dr. McNeil speak, I was more inspired than ever to engage the complex urban issues in our world.
Today was a long day. I'm looking forward to everything that God has in store this week as I seek to participate in God's redemptive mission. I am praying that God will inspire new vision in my calling and in the areas where I am engaged in Pittsburgh. I'm looking forward to what God is going to do.
Now that I've officially handed over the reigns of the church that I helped to plant in East Liberty five years ago (North Way East End), I am venturing into new territory as a pastor at North Way involving establishing a new Transformational Urban Leadership Institute. This trip to Los Angeles for the CCDA 2016 national conference will definitely help to equip me to mobilize followers of Jesus to take on the most challenging issues that human beings face in our modern world. I am praying that the Lord will give me a few days of rest, learning, and listening as I step into the fresh vision that God has placed on my heart for Homewood, Pittsburgh, and cities around the world.
I have to admit that it was difficult to even go on this trip. Since Pastor Freedom Blackwell died of cancer earlier this week, I have been grieving and the week involved a flurry of activity. I felt torn about whether I should still attend the CCDA conference. The pastor in me wanted to stay in Pittsburgh to help my family, friends, and the people at North Way Christian Community to grieve the loss of such an amazing person as Pastor Freedom. The urban ministry practitioner in me knew that Pastor Freedom would want me to attend the CCDA conference to gain fresh perspective on what God is doing to equip followers of Jesus to engage in Christian community development. I obviously ended up getting on the plane early this morning as I'm typing this update in LA.
I had a four or five hour direct flight from Pittsburgh to Los Angeles early this morning. I thought that I would probably just sleep the whole time. However, as the plane took off and all was quiet in the cabin I was flooded with grief over Freedom's death. I realized that this was the first time I really had by myself to sit and think and process through the journey with Freedom over the past few years. I started to cry, so I pretended to sleep while I was crying so the other people sitting next to me on the plane wouldn't think that something was wrong with me. I tried listening to music, but that just added emotions to my already fragile emotions. I thought about all of the great memories that I had with Freedom over the years as we partnered in working toward shalom in our city, and I thought about all of the difficult moments as he valiantly fought cancer over a period of years. I praised God that he brought Freedom into my life, and I was so sad that Freedom left this world at such a young age.
Mercifully, the plane landed in LA and I pulled myself together. I took an Uber ride (my first time... it worked really well) from LAX to visit with my friend Stefan who used to attend North Way East End when he lived in Pittsburgh a few years ago. He now lives in southern California. It was so great to catch up with him. He spoiled me by treating me to lunch and driving me to the conference center. I was so encouraged to hear about everything that God has been doing in his life over the past couple of years. The time I spent with him today was just what I needed. Community with other people has a way of helping us to navigate through difficult times.
The hotel and conference center is amazing. Here's a picture of my view for the next few days:
I love cities, and Los Angeles is a great city to explore. I know that I'm going to enjoy checking this place out over the next few days. By the time I got settled into my room and had some dinner, it was time for the first plenary session of the conference.
Noel Castellanos was the first speaker after the time of worship. The worship helped to center me for the rest of the evening. Noel talked about The Camino, or the journey, and how challenging the journey is for people who are involved in working toward biblical justice. There were so many people who filled up the big room where the conference was being held.
I was encouraged by his message. Then, Dr. Brenda Salter McNeil spoke about how new models of engagement are required to make a difference in the brokenness in the world. She encouraged everyone in attendance to think outside the box when it comes to how followers of Jesus live out our lives in front of a skeptical world. I was challenged by her message, and I am hoping and praying that the Transformational Urban Leadership Institute will present opportunities for Christians to be able to engage in creative ways in order to participate in the process of transformation in Pittsburgh. After hearing Dr. McNeil speak, I was more inspired than ever to engage the complex urban issues in our world.
Today was a long day. I'm looking forward to everything that God has in store this week as I seek to participate in God's redemptive mission. I am praying that God will inspire new vision in my calling and in the areas where I am engaged in Pittsburgh. I'm looking forward to what God is going to do.
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