ccda national conference 2013: cultivate

CULTIVATE: to foster growth; to tend, prepare and improve

“The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is on me, because the Lord has appointed me to proclaim good news to the poor.  He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives and release from darkness for the prisoners.” 
- Isaiah 61:1 

For a quarter of a century CCDA has proclaimed this passage by word and deed. Men and women across the country and around the world have been given grace, and in turn, together offer Good News to the poor. We live in under-resourced neighborhoods, challenge racism, represent and present the love of Jesus, and involve ourselves in issues of justice. As a result, life is cultivated in the hearts of the poor and in devastated places “bestowing crowns of beauty instead of ashes, the oil of joy instead of mourning, and a garment of praise instead of despair.” Isaiah 61:3
 The cultivated ones – “the planting” – who are identified as “Oaks of Righteousness”, display the splendor, beauty, grace, and power of the Lord. They are being renewed by the Spirit and are endowed with spiritual power to further cultivate hope and change, reclaiming our wasted cities.

We must cultivate these “Oaks of Righteousness” because Isaiah 61:4 is clear, “They will rebuild the ancient ruins and restore the places long devastated; they will renew the ruined cities that have been devastated for generations.”

This year at the 25th CCDA National Conference we will:

• Remind ourselves it is the Spirit of God who calls us, breaks our hearts, and sustains us as we cultivate in our communities
• Renew our vision to cultivate the lives and communities around us
• Deepen our understanding of how our work is tied to God’s coming Kingdom
• Respond to the mandate that we must identify, support, and train leaders indigenous to our communities

Join us in New Orleans, September 11-14, 2013

Registration opens March 1