Basic Ecumenical Course (National AEC)

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.

06 November 2010
christian conference of Asia, Asia christianity

CCA-FMU co-organized with the National Council of Churches in the Philippines the Basic Ecumenical Course (a national version of CCA's Asian Ecumenical Course) on 15-29 October 2010 at the Ecumenical Center of NCCP in Quezon City, Philippines.

A total of 29 participants attended the BEC, with 7 of them coming from other countries - 2 from Japan, 2 from Korea, 2 from Indonesia and 1 from Taiwan. The Filipino participants came from different denominations and various parts of the Philippines.

"Our task was not to achieve great goals but to take one small step forward with great love and passion. During this 15-day intensive course, all participants were encouraged to step out of their comfort zone in order to expose themselves to new things. The fact is that there is no easy way of doing this or making it through unscathed. We challenged ourselves to give it all we got with the help from one another and also from the organizers and resource persons. What made us strong and flexible to keep our ecumenical journey going was having this wonderful relationship with new sisters and brothers of Asia." Thus said Kanan Kita from United Church of Christ in Japan, who is also a member of the CCA-FMU program area committee.

Kanan quotes the AEC/BEC dean Rev. Revelation Velunta saying, “We are each other’s keeper.” Thus, Kanan said: "I do not see the national borders anymore. Before participating in AEC/BEC, to be honest, I did not perceive the problems in the Philippines as relevant to myself. I had been regarding them as a fire on the other side of the river. Now that I have many Filipino sisters and brothers, what breaks their hearts also breaks mine. AEC/BEC opened my eyes to see Asia as the one big household of God."

For more on the AEC/BEC, see the CCA News December 2010 edition.