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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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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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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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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