Asia Sunday 2014

Programme Review and Programme Direction

Two key deliberative sessions during the 15th CCA General Assembly are the Programme Review and Programme Direction sessions.

The Programme Review and Programme Direction sessions will both be conducted in three groups relating to the CCA’s programme areas, namely, (i) General Secretariat (GS), (ii) Mission in Unity and Contextual Theology (MU) and Ecumenical Leadership Formation and Spirituality (EF); and (iii) Building Peace and Moving Beyond Conflicts (BP) and Prophetic Diakonia (PD).

Assembly participants will have the option to join one of three groups for both the Programme Review and Programme Direction sessions. For the sake of coherence, the assigned group will remain the same for both sessions.

General Secretariat

The General Secretariat oversees the coordination of programmatic, administrative, and financial activities of the organization. The GS comprises various departments such as church and ecumenical relations, relations with ecumenical partners, finance, administration, and communications, which provide crucial support and services for the implementation of programs and contribute to the overall functioning of the CCA.

Programmes: Relations with member churches and councils, ecumenical partners; advocacy at the United Nations; ecumenical responses to emerging issues in solidarity; income development and finance; and communications.

Mission in Unity and Contextual Theology (MU) and Ecumenical Leadership Formation and Spirituality (EF)

Under the MU programme area, the CCA accompanies Asian churches to strengthen their mission and witness in multi-religious contexts, revitalise and nurture church unity and the Asian ecumenical movement, and develop contextual theological foundations.

Programmes: Asian Movement for Christian Unity (AMCU); Congress of Asian Theologians (CATS); Asian women doing theology in the context of wider ecumenism; contextualisation of theology in Asia and ecumenical theological education.

The EF programme area focuses on nurturing and developing ecumenical leaders in Asia. The programme aims to enhance spiritual formation and theological understanding, enabling people to actively engage in ecumenical dialogue and collaboration.

Programmes: Ecumenical Enablers’ Training in Asia (EETA); Asian Ecumenical Institute (AEI); Youth and Women Leadership Development; Ecumenical Spirituality and Nurturing of Contextual Liturgical Traditions; Asia Sunday

Building Peace and Moving Beyond Conflicts (BP) and Prophetic Diakonia and Advocacy (PD)

The BP programme area is dedicated to promoting peace, justice, and reconciliation in Asia’s diverse contexts. Through training, advocacy, and dialogue, the programme addresses the root causes of conflicts, empowers communities, and fosters sustainable peacebuilding initiatives.

Programmes: Pastoral Solidarity Visits; Churches in Action for Moving Beyond Conflict and Resolution; Young Ambassadors of Peace in Asia (YAPA); Ecumenical Women’s Action Against Violence (EWAAV); Eco-Justice for Sustainable Peace in the Oikos.

The PD programme area focuses on promoting justice, human rights, and social transformation in Asia. Through advocacy, capacity-building, and raising awareness, the programme addresses systemic injustice, empowers marginalised communities, and advocates for prophetic actions and meaningful change.

Programmes: Human Rights advocacy; Migration, Statelessness, and Trafficking in Persons; Asian Ecumenical Disability Advocacy Network; Asian Advocacy Network on the Dignity and Rights of Children (AANDRoC); Ecumenical Solidarity Accompaniment and Diakonia in Asia (ESADA); Health and Healing; Good Governance; Action Together to Combat HIV and AIDS in Asia (ATCHAA).

First Preference:
Building Peace and Moving Beyond Conflicts (BP) and Prophetic Diakonia and Advocacy (PD)
Second Preference:
Mission in Unity and Contextual Theology (MU) and Ecumenical Leadership Formation and Spirituality (EF)
01 June 2014
christian conference of Asia, Asia christianity

Longing in Hope for the Freedom of Creation

“Worship the Lord in holy splendor; tremble before him, all the earth. Say among the nations, “The Lord is king! The world is firmly established; it shall never be moved. He will judge the people with equity.” Let the heavens be glad, and let the earth rejoice; let the sea roar, and all that fills it; let the field exult, and everything in it. Then shall all the trees of the forest sing for joy before the Lord; for he is coming, for he is coming to judge the earth. He will judge the world with righteousness and the peoples with his truth.  (Psalm 96:9-13)

We gathered today at the Payap University Church, to celebrate Asia Sunday, to pray for the whole of creation, and for the people of the world, especially for our brothers and sisters in Asia. We celebrated with our friends, the richness and diversity of Asia and lamented the hardships that our people face. We reached out to each other in faith and hope, in prayer and song, longing for a better tomorrow. Rev. Dr. Henriette Hutabarat Lebang, General Secretary, CCA introduced the concept of Asia Sunday, the theme for the year and reflected on the biblical and theological perspectives of the creation of God suffering and groaning under the pressure of socio-economic, and environmental issues. Ms. Sunita Suna, Rev. Phyllis Wong, Dr. Hope Antone and others led Asia Sunday service in  Kowloon Church, Hong Kong.

Asia Sunday is celebrated annually on the Sunday before Pentecost, to commemorate the founding of CCA on 14 May 1959,  on the Sunday before Pentecost Sunday. CCA was then known as ‘East Asia Christian Conference (EACC).’ Though EACC was launched in 1959, Asia Sunday was introduced only from 1974, a year after it was renamed ‘Christian Conference of Asia (CCA).’ According to tradition, this year it falls on 1st June 2014, marking the 40th Asia Sunday to be celebrated in churches all over Asia.

The theme chosen for this year “Longing in Hope for the Freedom of Creation” is a call to all people to repent, to return to God with all their heart and mind. Although problems are mounting and are becoming increasingly complicated, we as people of hope should not be discouraged and give up, “for the creation waits with eager longing for the revealing of the children of God.” (Romans 8:19).  This reality calls us to heal the wounds of the planet, our common house, and the whole universe in whatever way we can, even in the smallest steps that can lead to the full freedom of creation from human bondage.

The best place to start is from us, by constantly renewing ourselves and our own communities and by developing a mindset and attitude that respects and cares for the whole creation of God.  We are looking forward for a ‘new heaven and a new earth’ created by God (Rev. 21:1-5).

The message of Asia Sunday encourages us to move forward in a journey of reconciliation of the whole creation: among the people; between the people and the rest of creation; and between people and God; believing that God grants us the Holy Spirit, and in Christ, the Son, God gathers “all things in him, things in heaven and things on earth…. so that we, who were the first to set our hope on Christ, might live for the praise of his glory.” (Ephesians 1:8, 12)

Photos show Asia Sunday being celebrated by CCA and friends in Payap University Church and in Kowloon Church, Hong Kong by World Students Union Federation-Asia Region and friends.