CCA consultation affirms dignity and rights of Persons With Disabilities and HIV/AIDS

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:
General Secretariat (GS)
Second Preference:
Building Peace and Moving Beyond Conflicts (BP) and Prophetic Diakonia and Advocacy (PD)
12 November 2016

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“Churches in Asia must empower their members to acknowledge the dignity and identity of People With Disabilities (PWD) and Brothers and Sisters Living with HIV/AIDS (BROSLIH) to liberate themselves from the stigma,” said Rev. Dr. Stephen Arulambalan in a thematic address delivered at the theological consultation on ‘People with Disabilities and HIV/AIDS’.

The seminar organised by the Christian Conference of Asia (CCA) is being held at the International House of the Payap University, Chiang Mai, Thailand from 11 to 14 November 2016.

In his address on the theme, ‘Biblical and Theological Perspective on HIV/AIDS and Disability Issues’, Rev. Dr. Stephen Arulambalan, an Anglican priest of the Church of Ceylon and a member of the faculty of the Theological College of Lanka, narrated his experiences as an ordained minister, as well as a person with the disability of blindness, but enjoying God’s blessings in manifold ways.

“One of the main ways to get rid of the stigma against Persons with Disability and BROSLIH is to read the Bible and understand the essence of the message of the Bible in social and cultural contexts. As Christians, we should treat each person with dignity and humbly acknowledge their distinctive features.”

“Many misconceptions abound among Christians that BROSLIH and PWD are related to sin or are considered a punishment from God. The ideas of perfection and beauty that are ingrained in our psyche and sanctioned by our culture tend to preclude any form of disability,” added Rev. Dr. Stephen Arulambalan.

Dr. Mathews George Chunakara, General Secretary of the CCA, in his opening address stated that, “as we live amidst a cultural taboo in our societies and churches in recognizing the dignity of people living with disability and also with HIV/AIDS, it is our responsibility to challenge the existing values. The CCA consultation aims to provide an opportunity to sensitize churches about the discrimination against the PWD, as well as BROSLIH”.

The CCA General Secretary also spoke about CCA’s new initiative for the formation of an Asian Ecumenical Disability Advocacy Network (AEDAN) to mobilsie Asian churches to respond to the needs of disabled people in society and uphold their dignity.

Prof. Irwanto of the Atma Jaya Catholic University in Indonesia in his presentation on ‘Socipsycho-cultural Perspective on HIV/AIDS and Disability Issues’, provided the group with insight on organizing solution-based advocacy.

“We must look at these issues in a new light if we are to address them, by finding positive names for the BROSLIH and PWD. We must change the labeling, we need to redefine the problem, as well as re-conceptualize the solution,” Prof.  Irwanto added.

The seminar featured several interactive sessions led by experts on ‘Biblical and Theological perspectives on HIV/AIDS and Disabilities’, ‘Sociopsycho-cultural Perspective on HIV/AIDS and Disabilities’, ‘Medico-clinical Perspectives on HIV/AIDS and Disabilities’, and ‘Strengthening full participation of Persons with Disability in Asia’.

CCA HIV/AIDS Program Coordinator, Dr. Alphinus Kambodji said, “We recognize that our churches are called to a ministry of healing – and we acknowledge that our churches, with their structures and cultures, are in need of healing themselves”.

About 25 participants – theologians, church workers and social activists from different Asian countries are attending the consultation.