As a Perkins Fellow, I had the privilege of attending this year’s CCDA Conference about a month ago, which was conveniently held in Richmond. Coming from the hustle and stress of fall semester, I felt tired and hoped that the experience would be redemptive and give me strength to continue working–both in terms of academics and also in bringing about social justice through my community service. Looking back on the conference, I can say that it fulfilled those goals.
One of the most beautiful and incredible things about CCDA was the sheer number of attendees. It was massive, and seeing all of these people gathered together with the same goal of bringing social change, justice, and love to our communities was amazing. In a group with these goals, it was unsurprising but still beautiful to see the amount of diversity that there was; there were so many different cultures, languages, and locations (people from literally all across the country!) represented. Through being a Perkins Fellow, my eyes have been opened to massive communities of Christians who are outreach- and justice-oriented, and CCDA was a very clear manifestation of that.
I also learned a lot from the plenary sessions, the worship was beautiful and powerful, and I was even able to attend different smaller talks on topics–most notably one on artists in the church, a very relevant topic for me as I hope to use my gift and passion of art not just out in the community but also within the church. I was even able to attend the Dr. John M. Perkins Legacy Luncheon with the other Fellows, and hearing words from Perkins’ family and friends, some directly addressing us as Fellows, was moving and reminded me of the importance of our work as community engaged Christians representing John Perkins’ name.
Out of all of the teachings and takeaways that the conference offered, the one that stuck with me the most was the idea that when working in the community, it is important to remember that we all need each other–that my flourishing depends on the flourishing of those that I engage with throughout Charlottesville, and vice versa. With this in mind it iseasier to avoid the mentality of being a white knight or some sort of savior coming from a position of privilege to help those who have less than I do. I can learn as much from others as they can from me, and when community development is viewed as a mutualistic two-way relationship, it becomes more genuine and effective and deeper connections are forged. This idea also just strikes me because it makes clear how interconnected we all are, and how we are meant to be in community with one another, no matter social, political, or economic differences.
Ultimately CCDA was an incredible experience and I am glad that I was able to go this year. I hope that the things I learned there and the conversations I had will continue to illuminate my path forward as I continue working with my community partner and loving others in the community.