CCA to hold International Conference on Asian Christian Response to Faith, Health, and Healing

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.

07 October 2022
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‘Faith, Health, and Healing: Christian Response in Asia’ 

 

Chiang Mai, Thailand: An International Conference on ‘Faith, Health, and Healing: Christian Response in Asia’ will be held from 10 to 12 October 2022 at the Payap University Campus in Chiang Mai, Thailand. The three-day international Conference will bring together 60 participants, including about 30 experts representing 27 organisations and institutions across Asia. The Conference will discuss the approach of ‘health as a fundamental right’ being the impetus for health and healing ministries, and discern how churches and faith communities in Asia can play a pivotal role in health and healing services as part of their mission and witness. Although Christian missions have been pioneers in health ministries through the establishment of Christian hospitals and the delivery of healthcare over several decades, the increasing trend of commercialisation has affected medical institutions in recent times, including Christian medical missions. This commercialisation is antithetical to Christian values and distorts the mission of Churches in health ministries, especially when it comes to access to cost-effective treatment and care as well as with regard to facilities for HIV testing and counselling. The sessions will address ‘Health and Healing: Towards Transcending Suffering’, ‘Accelerating Health Solutions in the Post-Pandemic Era’, ‘Right to Health’, ‘Commercialisation of Medical Services and its Impact on Vulnerable Communities’, ‘Universal Health Coverage’, and ‘Models of Christian Health and Healing Ministry in Asia and Africa’. An Ecumenical Declaration on Health, Healing, and the Right to Life will be formulated and adopted as an outcome of the deliberations covering the broader thematic focus of the Conference on Asian Christian Response to Faith, Health, and Healing.