Lawson Wijesooriya is joined by Dr. Danny Avula, the mayor of the city of Richmond, to discuss Christian Community Development in their city. They reflect on their history with CCD, how they are listening to the community, and how Dr. Perkins' legacy has shaped their lives, families, and vocations.

Join us in Richmond this October 7-10 for the CCDA Conference! Visit ccda.org/conference [https://ccda.org/train-connect/ccda-national-conference/] to learn more.

Each August, we focus on civic engagement as a CCDA Family. Learn more about engaging with your local government at ccda.org/civic [https://ccda.org/justice-initiatives/civic/].

Dr. Danny Avula took office as the 81st Mayor of the City of Richmond on January 1, 2025.

Before his election to public office, Danny served the Richmond and Henrico Health Districts for 12 years, including 6 years as its Director. There, he championed efforts to increase access to care for the most vulnerable residents of our community, prioritized the voices of those with lived experience, lifted up the intersection of housing and health, and addressed the root causes that shape health outcomes-especially poverty and race.

Born in Hyderabad, India, he immigrated to the United States with his parents in 1979. A father of five, Danny and his wife, Mary Kay, have lived in Richmond's East End for over 20 years. Mary Kay is a teacher with Richmond Public Schools.

Click here [https://www.rva.gov/mayors-office/about-danny] to learn more about Danny.

Lawson Wijesooriya is the Chief of Staff for Richmond’s 81st Mayor, Dr. Danny Avula. Before leading his successful bid for mayor as campaign manager, Wijesooriya spent 15 years leading local non-profits—with a focus on strategy and community development—to serve some of the city’s most vulnerable residents. She graduated from the University of Virginia as a Phi Beta Kappa Jefferson Scholar and is a mother of two.

Learn more about CCDA and how you can get involved at ccda.org [http://ccda.org/]. Connect with CCDA on Instagram [http://www.instagram.com/iamccda], Twitter [http://www.twitter.com/iamccda], Facebook [http://www.facebook.com/iamccda], and LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/company/christian-community-development-association-ccda-/]. Follow CCDA on YouTube [https://www.youtube.com/user/iamccda].

Civic Engagement in Richmond

Sylvia Kamande is joined by Lisa Sharon Harper to discuss The Clearing. They reflect on this time of economic difficulty for many Black and Brown women, the toll that takes on their health and relationships, and the importance of moving forward in community. They also share about the preconference event The Clearing, happening on October 7, 2026, in Richmond, where women of color are invited to connect, learn, and grow together.

Click here to learn more about The Clearing and register for the CCDA Conference at ccda.org/conference [http://ccda.org/conference].

Lisa Sharon Harper is the founder and president of Freedom Road, a groundbreaking consulting and communications group. Lisa is a theologian whose writing, speaking, activism, and training have sparked and fed the fires of re-formation in the church from Ferguson and Charlottesville to South Africa, Brazil, Australia, and Ireland. Having earned an MFA in playwriting from the University of Southern California and an MA in Human Rights from Columbia University, Lisa’s play An’ Push da Wind Down won the 1996 Kennedy Center/American College Theater Festival Michael Kanin Award for Best Student Play and Best Production. Lisa’s book, Fortune: How Race Broke My Family And The World--And How To Repair It All was named 2022 “Book of the Year” by Word and Way. The Very Good Gospel was named 2016 “Book of the Year” by Englewood Review of Books. Lisa is host of the Freedom Road Podcast, cohost of The FOUR Podcast, and author of her Substack column, “The Truth Is…”  The Huffington Post identified Lisa as one of 50 Women Religious Leaders to Celebrate on International Women’s Day. Lisa is currently earning her PhD in womanist ethics at the Vrije Universiteit in Amsterdam and serving as Affiliate Faculty at St. Stephen’s University in Canada. Learn more at lisasharonharper.com [https://lisasharonharper.com/].

Sylvia Kamande serves as Director of Family Ministry at Because Justice Matters, in San Francisco’s Tenderloin neighbourhood. Originally from Kenya, she has spent more than 15 years in full-time ministry serving alongside diverse communities across Africa, Latin America, and the United States. She is a co-church planter with El Camino Covenant Church and co-leads the Women of Color Network [https://ccda.org/woc/] within the Christian Community Development Association (CCDA). Sylvia is passionate about equipping leaders, cultivating belonging, and creating healing-centered spaces where children, families, and communities can experience restoration and abundant life in Jesus.

Learn more about CCDA and how you can get involved at ccda.org [http://ccda.org/]. Connect with CCDA on Instagram [http://www.instagram.com/iamccda], Twitter [http://www.twitter.com/iamccda], Facebook [http://www.facebook.com/iamccda], and LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/company/christian-community-development-association-ccda-/]. Follow CCDA on YouTube [https://www.youtube.com/user/iamccda].

What is The Clearing?

Daniel Yang is joined by Liliana Reza to discuss their work at World Relief, share stories of migration, and reflect on walking alongside immigrants, refugees, and displaced people.

Learn more about World Relief and their work around the globe at worldrelief.org [http://worldrelief.org/]. And check out the Faithful Witness Campaign at faithfulwitness.us [https://faithfulwitness.us/] for ways that you can get involved in your community.

Daniel Yang serves as the National Director of Churches of Welcome for World Relief. Prior to that, he was the director of the Church Multiplication Institute at the Wheaton College Billy Graham Center. Daniel has been a pastor, church planter, engineer, and technology consultant. He has planted churches in Detroit, Dallas, Toronto, and Chicago, either as the lead planter or through recruiting, training, assessing, and mentoring church planters. Daniel is a sought-after conference speaker, missional strategist, consultant, and co-author of Inalienable: How Marginalized Kingdom Voices Can Help Save the American Church [https://ivpress.com/inalienable] (InterVarsity, May 2022) and Becoming a Future-Ready Church: 8 Shifts to Encourage and Empower the Next Generation of Leaders [https://faithgateway.com/products/becoming-a-future-ready-church-8-shifts-to-encourage-and-empower-the-next-generation-of-leaders?variant=42244190371976] (Zondervan, October 2024).

Liliana Reza is the Director of Border Engagement at World Relief, where she advocates alongside refugees, immigrants, and displaced communities. An ordained elder in the Church of the Nazarene, she holds an M.A. in Intercultural Studies from Nazarene Theological Seminary. Based in the San Diego-Tijuana region, Liliana is passionate about building bridges through faith, justice and community — often found exploring the borderlands or training for her next marathon.

Learn more about CCDA and how you can get involved at ccda.org [http://ccda.org/]. Connect with CCDA on Instagram [http://www.instagram.com/iamccda], Twitter [http://www.twitter.com/iamccda], Facebook [http://www.facebook.com/iamccda], and LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/company/christian-community-development-association-ccda-/]. Follow CCDA on YouTube [https://www.youtube.com/user/iamccda].

Stories of Migration with World Relief

Meghan Jackson is joined by Charles Cheek, Eddie Howard, and Meghann Cotter to share about the CCD work that is being done in Hampton Roads, Charlottesville, and Fredericksburg. They also share about their Go & Sees they’re hosting in October and how they’re beholding God with and in their communities.

Don’t miss the CCDA Conference [https://ccda.org/train-connect/ccda-national-conference/] in Richmond, Virginia, this October. Get into town early and experience one of the full-day Go & Sees [https://ccda.org/train-connect/ccda-national-conference/go-see/] happening on October 7th!

Learn more about CCDA and how you can get involved at ccda.org [http://ccda.org/]. Connect with CCDA on Instagram [http://www.instagram.com/iamccda], Twitter [http://www.twitter.com/iamccda], Facebook [http://www.facebook.com/iamccda], and LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/company/christian-community-development-association-ccda-/]. Follow CCDA on YouTube [https://www.youtube.com/user/iamccda].

CCD at Work in Virginia

Welcome to the CCDA Podcast. CCDA is a network of Christians committed to seeing people and communities experience God's shalom.

On this podcast, we don’t have formal interviews or “expert takes;” instead, we have honest, grounded conversations to help you feel less alone in the work and imagine faithful next steps in your own community.

You will hear conversations with practitioners, leaders, scholars, and neighbors who are living out Christian Community Development in real, contextual ways. Our guests draw from lived experience, sharing how faith and CCD are shaping how they are showing up in their context.

We hope you are encouraged and inspired by these conversations. Subscribe today.

CCDA Podcast Trailer

Stephanie Ann Vander Lugt is joined by Amy Kuhl to discuss ecological discipleship and creation care. They share how they are caring for the environment with their communities, how creation care integrates with Christian Community Development, and practical ways for people to engage in caring for their environments.

Learn more about the Ecological Discipleship Network at ccda.org/ecological [http://ccda.org/ecological] and don’t miss the CCDA Conference [https://ccda.org/train-connect/ccda-national-conference/] in Richmond, Virginia, to connect with other like-minded people.

Stephanie Ann is deeply committed to the intersection of justice, faith, healing, ecology, and personal and communal transformation. With a background in community development and violence prevention—including a decade of working with incarcerated women—she brings compassion and expertise to her work as a licensed clinician specializing in trauma recovery and holistic well-being. Stephanie is the cofounder and executive director of Kinship Plot, a community organization that envisions vibrant communities where people experience resonant relationships through stable housing, shared land stewardship, and creative, hospitable life together. She is also an ordained minister in the Presbytery of the Central Carolinas.

Amy moved to Seattle in October 2022 to manage World Relief’s Resiliency Programs, following her passion to support refugees and displaced people as they rebuild their lives and communities after crisis. She graduated from the University of Michigan with an M.A. in Liberal Studies focusing on gender and globalization, environmental studies, documentary film, and creative advocacy. Prior to her current role, Amy worked overseas in humanitarian aid for nearly a decade supporting displaced people across the world as they moved forward after war and disaster. Over her career she has lived, worked, and studied in 12 countries across five continents. A native of Michigan, Amy loves playing piano and soccer and enjoys being outside any chance she gets—especially if it involves windsurfing, skiing, paddleboarding, rock-climbing or gardening!

Learn more about CCDA and how you can get involved at ccda.org [http://ccda.org/]. Connect with CCDA on Instagram [http://www.instagram.com/iamccda], Twitter [http://www.twitter.com/iamccda], Facebook [http://www.facebook.com/iamccda], and LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/company/christian-community-development-association-ccda-/]. Follow CCDA on YouTube [https://www.youtube.com/user/iamccda].

Why Should We Care for Creation?

In this special episode, we are taking time to remember the life and legacy of Dr. John M. Perkins, one of the founders of the Christian Community Development movement.

Throughout this episode, you’ll hear from other founding leaders and friends who walked closely with him. These friends include Dr. Mary Nelson, Dr. Barbara Williams-Skinner, Dr. Dolphus Weary, Dr. Wayne Gordon, and Dr. Kathy Dudley. They reflect on his life, his friendship, and how his legacy continues today.

Dr. Perkins showed us what it looks like to follow Christ in community. And as we listen, we are invited to consider what it means for us now, how we carry that witness forward together.

Learn more about CCDA and how you can get involved at ccda.org [http://ccda.org/]. Connect with CCDA on Instagram [http://www.instagram.com/iamccda], Twitter [http://www.twitter.com/iamccda], Facebook [http://www.facebook.com/iamccda], and LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/company/christian-community-development-association-ccda-/]. Follow CCDA on YouTube [https://www.youtube.com/user/iamccda].

A Life Well Lived: Founders Remember Dr. John M.Perkins

A Rosa Mani Thomas se le unen Adriana De La Rosa, Clara D. Compean y Chris Ophus para reflexionar sobre sus experiencias como Micah Catalysts y compartir acerca de la Campaña del Testimonio Fiel. Comparten cómo están viendo a Dios obrar en sus comunidades, la belleza que perciben en sus contextos locales y aquello que les infunde esperanza en esta temporada.

Esta conversación se desarrolla íntegramente en español, como un ejercicio de escucha y solidaridad. Las Escrituras nos recuerdan que seguir a Cristo implica acercarse, escuchar y dejarse moldear por aquellas voces que, de otro modo, podríamos pasar por alto. Hemos tomado esta decisión de manera intencional, pues el lenguaje determina la forma en que se narran las historias y qué voces ocupan el centro de atención. Muchas personas en nuestras comunidades se ven obligadas a traducirse a sí mismas constantemente para poder ser comprendidas. Hoy, decidimos bajar el ritmo y escuchar de una manera diferente. Les invitamos a quedarse y acompañarnos, aun si la experiencia les resulta poco familiar. Asimismo, para aquellos a quienes les resulte de utilidad, ponemos a su disposición una transcripción en inglés aquí [https://drive.google.com/file/d/1UYfTx1hCtLLdeqRDY3PbNxhTunYe05-3/view?usp=sharing], para que puedan seguir la conversación.

Obtenga más información sobre la Campaña Faithful Witness de CCDA [https://ccda.org/], National Latino Evangelical Coalition [https://www.nalec.org/], World Relief [https://worldrelief.org/], y Undivided [https://undivided.us/] en faithfulwitness.us [https://faithfulwitness.us/].

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Rosa Mani Thomas is joined by Adriana De La Rosa, Clara D. Compean, and Chris Ophus to reflect on their experiences as Micah Catalysts and share about the Faithful Witness Campaign. They share how they are seeing God move in their communities, the beauty they are seeing in their local contexts, and what is giving them hope in this season.

This conversation is entirely in Spanish, as a practice of listening and solidarity. Scripture reminds us that to follow Christ is to draw near, to listen, and to be formed by the voices we might otherwise overlook. We chose this intentionally because language shapes how stories are told and whose voices are centered. Many in our communities are constantly translating themselves to be understood. Today, we’re slowing down and listening in a different way. We invite you to stay, even if it feels unfamiliar. And for those who would benefit, an English transcript is available here [https://drive.google.com/file/d/1UYfTx1hCtLLdeqRDY3PbNxhTunYe05-3/view?usp=sharing] so you can follow along.

Learn more about the Faithful Witness Campaign by CCDA [https://ccda.org/], National Latino Evangelical Coalition [https://www.nalec.org/], World Relief [https://worldrelief.org/], and Undivided [https://undivided.us/] at faithfulwitness.us [https://faithfulwitness.us/].

Learn more about CCDA and how you can get involved at ccda.org [http://ccda.org/]. Connect with CCDA on Instagram [http://www.instagram.com/iamccda], Twitter [http://www.twitter.com/iamccda], Facebook [http://www.facebook.com/iamccda], and LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/company/christian-community-development-association-ccda-/]. Follow CCDA on YouTube [https://www.youtube.com/user/iamccda].

Historias de testimonio fiel (Stories of Faithful Witness)

Christina Foor is joined by Pastor Wilber Marenco, who shares his story of detention in the South Florida Detention Facility, also known as Alligator Alcatraz. He shares his story of migration, reflects on his church’s response in this moment, and how this experience of detainment has affected him, his family, and his community.

Learn more about Pastor Wilber’s detention here [https://www.gofundme.com/f/help-us-rebuild-after-detention-legal-battle].

Learn more about The Faithful Witness Campaign [https://faithfulwitness.us/] and how you can get involved. 

April 12-19, 2026 is Locked in Solidarity, as CCDA’s National Awareness & Action Week on Mass Incarceration. We invite you to join us by learning more and loving those affected by incarceration in your community. Then, we encourage you to courageously take a step to host awareness events and advocate for them in your spheres of influence. Learn more at ccda.org/lis [https://ccda.org/justice-initiatives/mass-incarceration/locked-in-solidarity/].

Learn more about CCDA and how you can get involved at ccda.org [http://ccda.org/]. Connect with CCDA on Instagram [http://www.instagram.com/iamccda], Twitter [http://www.twitter.com/iamccda], Facebook [http://www.facebook.com/iamccda], and LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/company/christian-community-development-association-ccda-/]. Follow CCDA on YouTube [https://www.youtube.com/user/iamccda].

A Pastor’s Experience in Alligator Alcatraz

Sam Heath is joined by Bianca Tylek of Worth Rises and Rev. Dr. Kevin Riggs of Franklin Community Church to discuss mass incarceration and CCDA’s Locked in Solidarity Week [https://ccda.org/justice-initiatives/mass-incarceration/locked-in-solidarity/]. They discuss the profitability of prisons, stories of people behind bars, and ways that we can get involved in this work.

Bianca Tylek is one of the nation’s leading experts on the prison industry, the author of The Prison Industry: How It Works and Who Profits [https://worthrises.org/theprisonindustry], and the Founder and Executive Director of Worth Rises [https://worthrises.org/aboutus], a national non-profit dismantling the prison industry and ending the exploitation of those it touches.

Rev. Dr. Kevin Riggs (Pastor Kevin) has been the Senior Pastor of Franklin Community Church [http://www.franklincommunitychurch.org/] for more than thirty years. He is also the founder and Executive Director of Franklin Community Development [http://www.franklincommunitydevelopment.com/] and the Williamson County Homeless Alliance [http://www.wilcohomeless.com/]. All three organizations are located in Franklin, TN.

Sam Heath spent ten years teaching high school history before moving into the organizing and advocacy world with Equal Justice USA, a national nonprofit doing work on death penalty repeal, restorative justice, and community safety. He is the founder and Executive Director of The Commonwealth Justice Coalition [https://www.commonwealthjustice.net/]. He and his wife Rachel have three energetic kids and still live in Charlottesville, VA.

Learn more about CCDA’s Locked in Solidarity Week and how you can get involved at ccda.org/lis [https://ccda.org/justice-initiatives/mass-incarceration/locked-in-solidarity/].

References made in the episode:

 * PPI’s Follow the Money article: https://www.prisonpolicy.org/reports/money2026.html
 * Read Today! - The Best Day of My Life [https://www.amazon.com/Today-Best-Day-My-Life/dp/B0DBJNP92T]
 * Learn about the End the Exception campaign [https://endtheexception.com/]

Learn more about CCDA and how you can get involved at ccda.org [http://ccda.org/]. Connect with CCDA on Instagram [http://www.instagram.com/iamccda], Twitter [http://www.twitter.com/iamccda], Facebook [http://www.facebook.com/iamccda], and LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/company/christian-community-development-association-ccda-/]. Follow CCDA on YouTube [https://www.youtube.com/user/iamccda].

Profits and Prisons

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.