CCA delegation visits member churches in Taiwan

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.

10 June 2019
CCA delegation with Member churches_2
CCA delegation with PCT leaders

As part of strengthening relations with member churches and ecumenical councils, the General Secretary of the Christian Conference of Asia (CCA) Dr. Mathews George Chunakara together with a staff team visited three CCA member churches and the National Council of Churches in Taiwan.

The visit of the CCA delegation took place from 1 to 5 June, 2019.

The programmes of the CCA delegation during the visit included participation in the ecumenical worship service organised by the Taiwan churches as part of the observance of Asia Sunday, worshipping with members of a local congregation on Sunday, meetings with heads of CCA member churches and the national council of churches, and discussions and dialogues on changing ecumenical and ecclesiastical landscapes in Taiwan and other parts of Asia.

The delegation also engaged in discussions with member churches about Taiwanese churches’ ministry among the migrants and indigenous people, social development and diaconal ministries of churches, inter-religious dialogue and religious freedom, as well as efforts for building peace and harmony among people and communities. Visit to a HIV/AIDS advocacy and shelter project was also part of the programme of the delegation.

Various meetings were held with the heads of member constituencies of CCA in Taiwan which included Rev. Lyim Hong- Tiong, General Secretary of the Presbyterian Church in Taiwan; Rt. Rev. David J .H Lai, the Primate of Taiwan Episcopal Church; Rev. Cornelius Liu, Executive Secretary of the Methodist Church in the Republic of China; and Fr. Otfried Chan President of the National Council of Churches in Taiwan, who is also Secretary General of Chinese Regional Bishops’ Conference.

The General Secretary was accompanied during the visit by programme coordinators Rev. Jung Eun Moon, Dr. Ronald Lalthanmawia, and Rosiana Purnomo.

The delegation had detailed discussions with the local host committees about the preparations for the forthcoming Asian Ecumenical Women’s Assembly (AEWA) of CCA which will be held in Hsinchu, near Taipei, and hosted by the Presbyterian Church in Taiwan.

The AEWA will take place from 21 to 27 November, 2019 and the theme will be ‘Arise and Be Awake to Reconcile, Renew and Restore the Creation’.

More than 250 women participants will attend the AEWA which will be the first ecumenical women’s assembly organised by CCA in its 62 years of history.

The CCA member churches in Taiwan are The Presbyterian Church in Taiwan (PCT), The Anglican Episcopal Church, and The Methodist Church in the Republic of China. The National Council of Churches in Taiwan (NCCT) which has five member churches including the Roman Catholic Church is also a member of CCA.