Asian Ecumenical Institute (AEI)–2020 set to begin

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).

No preference updated.

29 October 2020

CHIANG MAI: Organised by the Christian Conference of Asia (CCA), the annual Asian Ecumenical Institute (AEI), a month-long ecumenical formation and leadership development training course, is set to commence next week on 2 November 2020.

Under the current circumstances caused by the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, the AEI–2020 will be held online. The theme of AEI–2020 is ‘We are Called to be Stewards for Renewal and Restoration of God’s Creation’.

Thirty-eight students, selected from over eighty candidates who had applied from across Asia, will attend the AEI–2020.

Highlighting the importance of AEI–2020, Dr Mathews George Chunakara, the General Secretary of the CCA, stated, “AEI serves as an impactful means of honing the talents and potential of the prospective leaders of the church and the ecumenical movement in Asia.”

“The experiences of the participants of earlier AEIs shared with us testify that the training they had undergone in the past was transformative. Though we are not able to meet in person this year, we are positive that the virtual training experience will offer the opportunity for learning from our highly experienced and internationally recognised faculty of this year’s AEI,” added the CCA General Secretary, who heads the CCA Staff Coordinating Team for AEI.

Ani Christy Manvelian, selected from the Islamic Republic of Iran, said that she considered AEI to be a unique regional platform for training the new generation of ecumenists in Asia.

Julmia Lamhot da Silva, a student selected from Timor Leste, said that she was keen on gaining new experiences and looked forward to sharing her learnings with the youth in her church.

Rev. Widanelage Hashan Andre de Mel from Sri Lanka said he hoped to imbibe a renewed vision for ministry in the spirit of ecumenism and was excited about the topics and syllabus of the course.

The AEI–2020 faculty comprises internationally reputed ecumenists, theologians, academicians, and social scientists, as well as human rights defenders, in addition to the in-house faculty consisting of CCA programme executives.

Prominent members of faculty include Prof. Dr Wesley Ariarajah, Emeritus Professor, Drew University, USA, who was the Deputy General Secretary and Director of Interreligious Dialogue Division of the World Council of Churches in Switzerland; Prof. Dr Dietrich Werner, Senior Theological Advisor for Ecumenical Education and Research of the Bread for the World in Germany and former Director of Theological Education of the World Council of Churches in Switzerland; Dr Eh Tar Gay, Professor and Vice President of Myanmar Institute of Theology; Dr Mothy Varkey, Professor at Mar Thoma Theological Seminary in India; Dr Sawako Fujiwara, Professor at  Lutheran Theological Seminary in Tokyo, Japan; Dr Raj Bharat Patta, Methodist Church in the UK; Dr Ester Pudjo Widiasih, Professor of Liturgy at Jakarta Theological Seminary in Indonesia and former Programme Executive for Spiritual Life at World Council of Churches in Switzerland; Dr Yoon-Jae Chang, Professor of Systematic Theology at Ewha University, South Korea; Basil Fernando, renowned Asian human rights defender and former UN official from the Asian Human Rights Commission, Hong Kong; Dr Binsar J. Pakpahan, Dean of Ethics and Public Theology at Jakarta Theological Seminary, Indonesia; Dr Reynaldo Racaza Ty, former Professor of Political Science in Philippines universities; Jennifer Jag Jivan, Director of Christian Study Centre in Pakistan; and Dr Mathews George Chunakara, General Secretary of the CCA and former Director of International Affairs at the World Council of Churches in Switzerland.

The AEI–2020 sessions will conclude with the valedictory session on 30 November 2020.