CCA mourns the passing away of Dr. Oh Jae Shik

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.

17 January 2013
christian conference of Asia, Asia christianity

CCA regrets to announce the passing away of Dr. Oh Jae Shik on  January 3rd 2013. Dr. Oh Jae Shik served the CCA as Executive Secretary for Urban Rural Mission (URM) in 1970-1979 and International Affairs in 1979-1981.

CCA General Secretary,  Rev. Dr. Henriette Hutabarat Lebang said that the news of his passing away was received with deep sorrow. In a letter to Mrs. Noh Ok-Shin and family, she said  "We received with great sadness, the news of the passing away of your beloved husband, Dr. Oh Jae Shik on January 3, 2013.  He is very close to the heart of many ecumenical friends in Asia.  At this moment, we would like to convey our deep sorrow to you and all family members, relatives and friends.

We are grateful to God for the life and rich talents that Dr Oh Jae Shik was gifted with. We remember with gratitude his contributions as CCA Executive Secretary for Urban Rural Mission (URM) in 1970-1979 and International Affairs in 1979-1981. He brought to the URM a passion to work with and for the people in their local struggles. In his Report as Executive Secretary presented in the first URM Committee meeting in 1974, he boldly stated:

“In all humbleness, it may be said that the major achievement in our work has been the discovery of the people.  The realization of the emergence of a new reality has marked a new thrust. And it has shattered the project-oriented Christian involvement. We are no longer seeing the people as slum dwellers, nor as ignorant workers. They are becoming full human beings with wisdom and power. Their becoming human has made us become human also. Their liberation process has set us free – free from our preoccupation with evangelism. The zeal of evangelization, therefore, has been transformed into a conversion: conversion into the new reality of the people. What has become important is the matter of identifying ourselves with the people, rather than accommodating the people into our projects. No institutional interests of the church should be allowed to hinder this process of identification.”  (Minutes of CCA-URM Committee Meeting, 1974) 

His vision has been the source of inspiration in the ecumenical work and Asian churches’ commitment to be in solidarity with the struggling people  both in his time and in the present. We, the CCA family, convey our heartfelt condolences at the loss of a great ecumenical leader and hold you in our prayers,  especially in this time of bereavement".

May his wisdom inspire us in our ecumenical mission.