Asian ecumenists illustrate best practices and models to strengthen ecumenical diakonia
The fourth day of the ACELC saw two panel discussions on the topics 'Ecumenical Diakonia: Effective Models of Partnership in Witness and Service in Asia’ and 'Enhancing Capacities of Asian Churches for Strengthening Ecumenical Diakonia'
Jakarta, Indonesia: At the Asian Church and Ecumenical Leaders’ Conference (ACELC) organised by the Christian Conference of Asia (CCA), two separate panel discussions on ecumenical diakonia, featuring six prominent Asian church and ecumenical leaders, emphasised best practices and models to strengthen ecumenical diakonia in Asia.
The session on ‘Ecumenical Diakonia: Effective Models of Partnership in Witness and Service in Asia’ was led by Juliate Malakar from the Christian Commission for Development in Bangladesh (CCDB), Rev. Joshuva Peter from the United Evangelical Lutheran Church in India, and Dcn. Ayub Junus from the Protestant Church in the Western Part of Indonesia (GBIP). Rev. Dr Kim Sungjae from the National Christian Council in Japan was the moderator of the session.
Ms Malakar, the Executive Director of the CCDB, presented programmes addressing poverty reduction, food security, climate change, economic empowerment, resettlement, post-disaster humanitarian responses, and organisational sustainability.
The Climate Centre was a new initiative of the CCDB, clubbed with a climate park with training facilities on organic food production and food security, crop resilience, and agrotourism. As an ecumenical development organisation originally founded in the 1970s by the World Council of Churches (WCC) together with several ecumenical partners from different parts of the world, the CCDB has been a model in the ecumenical family for mutual learning and sharing of resources. The 700-strong staff team also comprised people of different faiths and gained strong credibility with the government.
Rev. Peter, the Executive Secretary of the United Evangelical Lutheran Church in India (UELCI), a communion of twelve Lutheran denominations in India, spoke about the successful ecumenical diaconal initiatives in India, such as relief and development, healthcare, education, advocacy, and social justice. He added that effective partnerships could be strengthened through mutual respect and trust, shared vision and goals, complementary capacities, and effective communication.
Rev. Peter strongly emphasised what he termed ‘dia-praxis’ or interfaith dialogue model of partnership. Such a partnership, with people of other faiths, was based on a shared commitment to the promotion of peace, justice, and human dignity. It would help to build bridges across religious divides, provide opportunities for mutual learning and support, and offer a common platform to work together on shared social and environmental concerns.
Dcn. Ayub Junus, the Chairperson of the Diakonia Foundation of the Protestant Church in the Western Part of Indonesia, said, “Ecumenical diakonia calls for the unity of all churches to promote peace and social justice in the world created by God by serving more communities in need and expanding the outreach to those in need, both near and far away. Ecumenical diakonia goes beyond the limits of our congregation and passes across borders of countries to support people who need help, lack resources or access to opportunities, and are in distress, poverty, or other difficult living circumstances.”
Dcn. Junus spoke of the experiences of working among Indonesian migrant workers in Malaysia and other Asian countries and outlined pathways of collaboration between Indonesian and Malaysian churches to provide legal aid, raise awareness through lobbying and advocacy, and offer support and comfort to migrant workers.
The second panel discussion on ‘Enhancing Capacities of Asian Churches for Strengthening Ecumenical Diakonia’ saw presentations by Rev. Asir Ebenezer from the National Council of Churches in India (NCCI), Rev. Dr Park Do Woong from the Korean Methodist Church, and Levi de Vasconcelos Pinto from the Protestant Church in Timor Leste. The session was moderated by Rev. Po Kam Cheong from the Hong Kong Council of the Church of Christ in China (HKCCCC).
Rev. Asir Ebenezer, the General Secretary of the NCCI, said that ‘there is no diakonia without koinonia’. Ecumenical diakonia was diakonia that was expressed, practised, and rolled out ecumenically with the optimisation of resources and amidst hostile conditions where no other organisations could permeate, unlike the churches. “Churches have the capacity of being living examples of Christ in community,” he added.
“We need to start with what we have through an appreciative inquiry. Jesus fed 5000 with five loaves and two fish; He healed a congenital eye disease with saliva and soil,” said Rev. Asir, encouraging the ACELC participants to harness, recognise, and acknowledge the human resources, capacities, and expertise in their congregations.
Rev. Dr Park Do Woong, a member of the Central Committee of the WCC from the Korean Methodist Church, strongly presented the case for ecumenical diakonia given the situations of social divides and economic inequality, slow growth of churches after the COVID-19 pandemic, weakening of the church’s prophetic voice, lack of theological interpretations and messages on crises such as climate change and war, challenges from fundamentalism and heresies to authentic mission and evangelism, and a lack of training and resources for the younger generations.
“Christian churches in Asia and all over the world have a responsibility to sympathise with the challenges and crises that humanity faces, and to present religious alternatives,” said Rev. Dr Park. Ecumenical diakonia could strengthen the prophetic voice of the church through solidarity and cooperation, and enable the development of ecological theologies, green spiritualities, and other new paradigms of faith and theology curricula.
Levi de Vasconcelos Pinto, a leader from the Protestant Church in Timor Leste, spoke about the post-Independence experiences of his church in diaconal ministry with ecumenical partners such as the CCA, WCC, and Communion of Churches in Indonesia (PGI), World Communion of Reformed Churches (WCRC), in the ‘joint struggle for independence and human rights’.
“The ecumenical community supported the people of Timor Leste by providing scholarship opportunities, sending medicines, building clinics, and giving humanitarian support to strengthen the persistence and resistance of the local people,” shared Mr Pinto.
Mr Pinto further talked about the theological characteristics of diakonia, namely, diakonia that resists any form of dominion, diakonia that emerges from the margins, and diakonia that is experienced in the Eucharist of the risen Christ.
An interesting proposal that emerged and was discussed at the ACELC was the creation of an ecumenical diakonia forum, facilitated by the CCA, that would function as a platform for sharing of resources generated within Asia by churches and related ecumenical organisations. This would require Asian churches to be engaged in project collaborations and accompaniment as part of the authentic diakonia and witnessing together amidst Asia’s pluralistic contexts.
The second part of the ACELC, focused on ecumenical diakonia, was organised by the CCA in collaboration with the WCC, and hosted by the Protestant Church in the Western Part of Indonesia (GPIB) and the Communion of Churches in Indonesia (PGI).
