CCA initiates webinars on COVID-19 Crisis

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.

24 April 2020

As the novel COVID-19 pandemic sweeps through the world, the Christian Conference of Asia (CCA) affirmed its ongoing commitment to involve and work with a greater number of churches, related organisations, other faith communities, and governmental and non-governmental organisations.

As part of its advocacy efforts, the CCA has planned a series of webinars and online conferences focusing on pertinent issues amidst the COVID-19 crisis.

The main objective of the CCA’s webinar series and online conferences is to share good practices worth emulating and to provide hope and solidarity to all. The webinar series will cover a range of issues related to the COVID-19 crisis, beginning with the plight of migrant workers, followed by the response of churches in the COVID-19 crisis, the right to health amidst the pandemic, and the preservation of rights and dignity of children and women amidst the crisis.

Highlighting the importance of the webinars, the CCA General Secretary Dr Mathews George Chunakara said, “The current COVID-19 pandemic has thrown up innumerable and unprecedented challenges. In our response to the crisis, it is imperative that we unify our efforts and learn from the best practices and work of each other to strengthen our mutual solidarity and accompaniment in various ways in the coming days.”

“The CCA’s online webinar series will serve as a forum to share emerging challenges and develop insights and solutions together,” added the CCA General Secretary.

‘Plight of Migrant Workers amidst the COVID-19 Crisis’:

The first in the CCA Webinar series is the ‘Plight of Migrant Workers amidst the COVID-19 Crisis’. The magnitude of the global socio-economic crisis caused by the pandemic has plunged migrant workers around the world into grave uncertainty, given their loss of employment almost overnight and mass displacement of entire workforces. Migrant workers have disproportionately borne the brunt of loss of their livelihood, and the situation is exacerbated due to their exclusion from welfare eligibility, their invisibility in the workforce and deepening social inequality.

Scheduled for Thursday, 30 April 2020, the webinar will begin at 12 PM Bangkok time and will continue for two hours.

The panellists for the session include Dr S Irudaya Rajan (India), Dolores Balladares (Philippines), Helen Monisha Sarkar (Bangladesh), Soman Baby (Bahrain), Solomon David (UAE), Yusmiati Vistamika Wangka (Indonesia/Hong Kong), Rev. Changweon Jang (South Korea), Brahm Press (Thailand), and Dr Mathews George Chunakara.

Those who are interested in participating in the webinar may register by clicking on this link - https://forms.gle/95cyE3q6nxoZMuup8

For additional details, please go through the attached documents below:
The Plight of Migrant Workers amidst the COVID-19 Crisis Concept Note

Since the webinar can accommodate only 50 participants, registration will be accepted on a first-come, first-serve basis.