CCA General Secretary urges churches in Asia to reimagine human mobility and build more inclusive and resilient societies in post-COVID-19 world

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).

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18 December 2020

“Although it is a slow process, the world is now moving towards global recovery from the pandemic, which now provides an opportunity to reimagine human mobility as well as to build more inclusive and resilient societies. However, the worth and value of migrants in shaping a post-COVID-19 world and their capacities to contribute towards the revival of the economies of both the sending and the receiving countries need to be recognised. The Churches in Asia cannot be mere spectators at this critical juncture of history,” stated the CCA General Secretary, Dr Mathews George Chunakara.

In a statement issued on the occasion of the observance of the International Migrants Day–2020, the CCA General Secretary urged its member constituencies to strive for increased communication, cooperation, and collaboration between churches in sending and receiving countries and Asian churches in the diaspora—actions that are essential if we are to effectively cater to the needs of migrant workers who may be stranded or trapped in detrimental circumstances.

Reflecting on the theme of the International Migrants Day–2020, ‘Reimagining Human Mobility’, and on the significance of the observance of the IMD, Dr Mathews George Chunakara said that the CCA called upon all its member constituencies to commit themselves fully to the cause of upholding the rights and dignity of migrants who live and work within and outside their communities.

“Overcoming the barriers of physical and spiritual distance, let us remember that migrants are not strangers: they are neighbours, deserving of compassion in the face of gross violations and obvious injustices. This Advent season, the Church in Asia is called to be the ‘welcoming inn’, offering warmth, refuge, hospitality, and love,” added the CCA General Secretary.

The observance of the International Migrants Day every year on 18 December is an occasion to remind the world that all migrants are integral members of our societies and they are entitled to equal protection of their human rights and human dignity.