Asian Ecumenical Youth Assembly opens in grand celebrative ceremony

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).

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07 April 2018

Participants of the Asian Ecumenical Youth Assembly, Manado, Indonesia

Participants of the Asian Ecumenical Youth Assembly, Manado, Indonesia

MANADO, INDONESIA – Over 350 young Christians from across Asia converged at Grand Kawanua International Convention Center in Manado, the North Sulawesi provincial capital of Indonesia to open the Asian Ecumenical Youth Assembly (AEYA).

At the end of a solemn liturgical celebrative worship in a multicultural Asian context, the AEYA was officially opened when North Sulawesi Governor Olly Dondokambey, Vice Governor Steven Kandouw and Indonesian Foreign Affairs Ministry Director General Cecep Herawon led the striking of the tetengkoran, a traditional Minahasa bamboo bell.

The ecumenical worship service began with a traditional Indonesian welcoming dance when the choir sung indigenous Asian Christian hymns. Prayers alluded to issues of the region; participants from different backgrounds and countries came forward to lead the worship.

In a sermon delivered during the worship, Rev. Dr. Hein Arina, moderator of the host church Gereja Masehi Injili Minahasa (GMIM), said: “We as a Church are one strong and powerful institution to be a change; we have the power to bring great influence towards social change.”

He said young people must be included in all initiatives of the churches.

GMIM members are hosting the AEYA participants in their homes in and around Manado City during their stay until April 13.

“Light your candles,” said Bishop Dr. Willem T. P. Simarmata in his presidential address, and he asked the participants to rally behind the theme, “Lord, send your Light and Truth to lead us.”

“The theme is asking the Christian youth worldwide and the global Christian communities to be transformative disciples who are enlightened and justified by the Resurrected Lord Jesus Christ,” he said.

The CCA Moderator further said that the times pose various challenges to young people, from falling prey to injustices to being trapped in an “individualistic, consumeristic and hedonistic” culture. He cited cases of religious intolerance, lack of education, poverty, gender-based injustices and environmental issues as opportunities to act.

During an introductory welcome address, Christian Conference of Asia General Secretary Dr. Matthews George Chunakara said, “In the midst of complex realities, all of us are in search of guidance and we need divine guidance amidst the darkness, confusion and often chaotic situations.”

The CCA General Secretary stated that “through AEYA, the CCA tries to give a platform for young Asian Christians to come together at the regional level to address some of the most pertinent issues and wider Asian realities; and to evolve ecumenical responses for effective Christian witness.”

He noted that the theme of the AEYA, which is a prayer to God almighty, is more pertinent in today’s Asian context.

The CCA General Secretary recollected that the AEYA 2018 was the third major Asian ecumenical youth assembly organized by CCA within its 61 years of history; the first such youth event had happened in 1964 in Dumaguete City, the Philippines. The second youth assembly was held in 1984 in New Delhi, India, where Chunakara himself was one of the 200 participants.

“Many ecumenical leaders today are the product of youth and student Christian movements,” he noted. “But today what we witness is a general decline of youth and student movements everywhere.”

The AEYA, he explained, comes from CCA’s commitment to strengthen the Asian ecumenical movement with active youth participation and ecumenical leadership development for the future.

He further added that CCA’s new program thrusts for 2015-2020 give priorities for youth participation at various levels, including long-term youth internships, the training of Young Ambassadors for Peace in Asia, and the Youth Leadership Development and Ecumenical Formation programs at national and sub-regional levels.

Various Asian issues will be tackled in youth-led thematic sessions, panel presentations and Bible studies in the coming days.

Participants will also be divided into smaller groups for 10 “Youths in Dialogues” sessions facilitated by the youth leaders selected from among the participants.

During the opening ceremony, prominent Asian ecumenical leader Bishop Dr. Soritua A. E. Nababan, who was the first Youth Secretary of CCA (1963-1968), was felicitated for his services to the Asian and global ecumenical movement. Bishop Nababan was the organizer of the first Asia Youth Assembly held in the Philippines in 1964.