CCA Condoles the Passing Away of Dr. Ninan Koshy

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:
General Secretariat (GS)
04 March 2015
christian conference of Asia, Asia christianity

Dr. Ninan Koshy

4th March 2015

The Christian Conference of Asia expresses deep regret on the passing away of Dr. Ninan Koshy, a prominent Asian ecumenist, at a private hospital in Trivandrum, Kerala, India, on 4th March 2015 at 7.30 am. He was 81.

Dr. Koshy was well known in the ecumenical and secular circles round the world as an eminent foreign affairs expert, political thinker, social analyst, and a strong proponent of Liberation Theology. We appreciate his contributions to ecumenism at the global, regional and national levels, in his capacity as Director of the International Affairs program of the World Council of Churches; as Director of Ecumenical Christian Centre at Whitefield, Bangalore and as Secretary, Students Christian Movement in India and many other important posts that he held.

He was closely associated with the Christian Conference of Asia and has contributed greatly to its life and activities. The CCA family expresses heart felt condolences to his wife, family and friends and pray that God will grant them strength and comfort at the time of their bereavement.

Please read full text of the condolence message sent to Mrs. Susan Koshy, wife of the late Dr. Ninan Koshy.

Dear Mrs. Susan Koshy,

It is with great sorrow that we received the news about the sad demise of Dr. Ninan Koshy on Wednesday, 4th March 2015. Our thoughts and prayers are with you and your family at this time of your grief.

We remember with gratitude Dr. Koshy’s contributions to the ecumenical movement for more than half a century and we thank God for his life and witness. Dr. Koshy was very closely associated with the Christian Conference of Asia (CCA) for several decades. When he served as a staff of the Commission of the Churches on International Affairs of the World Council of Churches, he initiated global ecumenical advocacy on a number of Asian issues in cooperation with CCA in the 1970’s and 1980’s. He was instrumental in introducing several Asian issues to the global ecumenical agenda for international advocacy, which included issues such as the militarization and human rights violations in the Philippines, democratization struggles in South Korea, North-South Korean unification, ethnic conflicts and peace process in Sri Lanka, peace and reconciliation in conflict affected Indo-China countries and CCA’s expulsion from Singapore by the Singapore government in 1986. The research project he undertook on the request of CCA and other ecumenical organizations in Asia in early 2000, became the most enduring legacy that he has left for the CCA and the Asian ecumenical movement. The book he has authored on ‘Ecumenism in Asia’ is widely acclaimed as a scholarly work on the evolution and development of Asian ecumenical movement.

With his passing away we have lost not only a dear friend, but also an eminent Asian ecumenist who has been spearheading the concerns of peace with justice, human rights, disarmament and struggles of the marginalized and vulnerable communities.

On behalf of the CCA and its member constituencies, we express our heartfelt condolences to you and all other members in your family. We hold you, your family and friends specially in our prayers. May God grant you strength and comfort at this time of bereavement.

“You, Lord, keep my lamp burning; my God turns my darkness into light.” (Psalm 18:28) Sincerely Rev. Dr. Henriette Hutabarat Lebang Dr. Mathews George Chunakara General Secretary General Secretary (Elect)