CCA Expresses Concern over the Plight of Missionaries in the Philippines

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 July 2018

 

657508737_missionariesheld.jpg.fc8e6d541ede9749880942fcecc44d9bUMC Global Mission Fellows in the Philippines- Adam Shaw, Miracle Osman and Tawanda Chandiwana

Upon being cognizant of the new developments regarding the cases involving three foreign United Methodist Church (UMC) missionaries in the Philippines, the CCA General Secretary Dr. Mathews George Chunakara responded that the right of foreign missionaries to freedom of movement must be respected and the government must consider the added value of the committed work of the missionaries for the people of the Philippines. He welcomed the decision of the government to deport the three UMC missionaries instead of seeing them languishing in detention.

Mr. Tawanda Chandiwana of Zimbawe, Ms. Miracle Osman of Malawi, and Mr. Adam Shaw were taken into police custody and interrogated while participating in an international peace mission in General Santos City in the southern Philippines, where martial law is in place.

Mr. Adam Shaw left the Philippines on 4 July, 2018 for the United States to reunite with his family.  Mr. Tawanda was released from detention on 5 July and is on his way to return to Zimbabwe.  Ms. Miracle Osman left Mindanao on 5 July to travel to Manila.

The CCA General Secretary requested the ecumenical family to continue keeping Ms. Miracle Osman in their prayers and is confident that she will be able to leave the Philippines soon.

The Executive Committee of the CCA that met at the Armenian Catholicosate of Cilicia in Antelias, Lebanon, from 1 to 4 July adopted a statement, and expressed concern on the plight of the three UMC missionaries.

The CCA General Secretary expressed appreciation to the ecumenical family, as well as to all people of goodwill in Asia and around the world, for their active roles in the campaign to get the three international missionaries out of the Philippines.

“The three missionaries are exemplars of how we Christians accompany the suffering people and live in their midst as part of our prophetic witness and accompaniment”, stated Dr. Mathews George Chunakara.

Please click here to read the Statement of the CCA Executive Committee Meeting (1-4 July, 2018), in Antelias, Lebanon