Kick'n It in Jackson with Dr. Perkins

After arriving a bit early for the CCDA Youth Conference in Jackson, MS, I had the opportunity to take JP to lunch at a Chinese buffet. It was a treat to listen to John talk with great enthusiasm about planting a new community-neighborhood based church right around the ministry complex that has been established here in Jackson.

At the heart of this new effort is work with children and youth (they have a very strong partnership with Young Life), and the securing of run down houses in their target area (around 8 square blocks) that they are slowly converting into homes with families from the community. We peeked into a house that had been struck by lightening to see if it might be a possible acquisision for the ministry, but the assessment was that it was too far gone.

JP and I also talked about the need for Latino and African-American believers to move beyond superficial alliances to an authentic partnership in Christ, committed to transforming the most neglected neighborhoods of our nation. I thanked John that 15 years ago at the very first CCDA meeting in Chicago, when there was hardly a Latino involved, that he had the vision or openness to embrace the need for CCDA to be more than Black and White. Even though it has taken a while to see this become a reality, we are now seeing the fruits of that early commitment.

For such a time as this we are primed to see a new mestizo/mulatto alliance that can send shockwaves throughout our nation-if we allow it come to pass. I believe CCDA is in a unique position to help make this partnership a reality, and not a moment to soon.