by CCDA’s Pacific Northwest Network held their annual gathering on April 21, 2026, at Seattle Pacific University.
It was a day of continuing in the work and formation of the Perkins legacy and a poignant time of reconnection in the PNW. After a year-long pause, we resumed our annual CCDA PNW gathering. Conversations were rich and the fellowship even better.
Learning and Training
During elements of both the morning Perkins Chapel and the evening Perkins Lecture, Dr. Robert Chao Romero spoke about the paroikoi, or the sojourner who lives alongside but doesn’t fully belong, to describe the Christian tradition that incorporated migration for the early church and an ancestry that is polycentric.
In our PNW time, we got to hear about Teología En Conjunto – a theology done in community, and to practice this concept as well in our PNW conversation with Romero. We talked about the need for grounding in spiritual practices in the last 10 years of deconstructing and reconstructing, with the danger of individualism. Romero highlighted the example of the early church’s focus on the gospel as healing. We pondered what it means to create a spirituality that isn’t capitalistic and transactional, yet that includes more community and accountability.
SCOP leader Meagan Jackson, presenting with Jocelyn Preston-Sutton and John-Clay Bangs of World Relief Western WA, ushered us through the “Standing with Our Immigrant Neighbors” training as we held on to the question: What does it look like to be Jesus in this time? We learned some about our 4th and 5th Amendment rights (the right to remain silent and right to privacy), what bystander rights are, and how to SALUTE for documenting (size/strength, actions/activities, location, uniform, time/date, equipment/weapons).
Remembering Our Legacy Ancestor
Seattle Pacific University continues the legacy of Dr. Perkins with the annual John Perkins Lecture Series and gave a brief tribute to Dr. Perkins, along with a moment of silence. Dr. Romero opened by sharing about worship being in communion with the saints who have gone before, and beautifully acknowledged our legacy ancestor, John M. Perkins.
In our PNW time, we took space to remember and share stories of impact from who John Perkins was. And given his tenacious foundation for this work and the movement of CCDA, the day honored our legacy ancestor and strengthened our way for the work ahead.
Are you in the PNW?
Learn more about how you can get involved with the Pacific Northwest Network!
