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Boston Training Institute |
The first CCDA Institute in Boston was held Friday and Saturday, March 28-29, 2008 at the Emmanuel Gospel Center, located in the South End. Over fourty-five people from the Boston area and surrounding communities came together for a weekend of learning that left all challenged in their Friday, March 28, Dr. Mary Nelson of Bethal New Life in Chicago shared about Listening to the Community. Mary taught about the importance of listening to others as an act of respect and empowerment, gave us new tools for discovering the assets of our communities, and explored the tension that exists between focusing on meeting needs and developing assets in a given community. Saturday, Bob Lupton of FCS Urban Ministries of Atlanta focused on Empowerment of the community. Bob helped attendees understand the different between betterment activities and empowerment activities and shared ways to grow from empowering individuals to developing strategies for empowering entire communities. Bob also shared his thoughts on gentifrication with justice, and using gentifrication to economically empower communities while preserving affordable housing. |
Testimonies from the Spring 2008 Institute
“This conference was a really encouraging experience for me. After several trips to Voice of Calvary ministries in Jackson, MS and a summer internship there I have been longing for a community similar to that in Boston. I work as a 7th grade math teacher in an urban public school in Boston and often crave fellowship of believers who are dedicated to urban communities with a gospel worldview. I finally felt this community at the CCDA Institute this weekend. It was so wonderful to sit with people I had never met, but begin conversations and immediately feel so connected to them because we shared a similar passion. I am looking forward to coming to the fall institute. Bob Lupton has been a personal hero of mine for sometime and it was so wonderful to finally hear him speak in person. Thank-you so much to everyone who put this together!!”
-Kate
“The CCDA Training Institute taught me that service without strategy may hurt more than help. We must share best practices, learn from each others mistakes, and leverage each others expertise to achieve sustainable community development with the right results.”
-Matt
There was a great mix of people at the event; from people like me, inexperienced in community development, through to practioners with years of experience. So there was comfort in asking basic questions, and excitement in being able to learn from a wealth of people. It was also greatly challenging to hear the stories from Mary Nelson and other participants of loving, persistent, resourceful sacrifice in the name of Jesus resulting in lives and communities actually being changed and improved.
-Simon
| Spring 2008 Speakers | ||
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