CCA mourns the passing away of Rev. Dr. Toshitsugu Arai

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

It is with a heavy heart that we announce the passing away of Rev. Dr. Toshitsugu Arai, former Associate General Secretary of the Christian Conference of Asia (CCA),  at 8:45 a.m. on January 16th due to pneumonia.  He was Executive Secretary for Education, based in Singapore from 1976 to 1981.  From 1981 to 1991, he served as staff of the World Council of Churches in the program area of church renewal particularly through ecumenical leadership formation and worship.  Rev. Tosh returned to serve CCA as Associate General Secretary for Finance from 1991 to 1996.  In a transition of CCA leadership, he was Acting General Secretary from June – December 1995.

The funeral service will be on 19th Saturday at 12:00 at Kawasaki Church, UCCJ (11-13, Ogawa-cho, Kawasaki-ku, Kawasaki City, Japan)  and will be presided by the Rev. Yoo-Gu Son, the pastor of Kawasaki-Tote Church, UCCJ, where Tosh has attended after coming back to Japan.

In a letter addressed to Mrs Akiko Arai and family, CCA General Secretary, Rev. Dr. Henrietta Hutabarat Lebang, wrote that the news of the passing away of  Rev. Tosh was received with great sadness and sorrow.

"Rev. Tosh, had a very long and close relationship with the CCA and is held with high esteem, love and regard by colleagues and the CCA family, and is dear to the hearts of many church leaders and ecumenical friends in Asia, especially through the various ecumenical leadership formation programs.

Tosh came to CCA as Executive Secretary for Education from 1996 to 1981 with a passion for developing ecumenical leadership. He brought his rich experience in lay training, at that time it was developed particularly through the Christian academy movement. He was highly involved in one of the major annual programs of CCA from the beginning which is going on until now, namely Asia Ecumenical Course (AEC). For Tosh, Asia is a ‘classroom of AEC’ where participants engage with the realities of Asia, reflect theologically and move further with commitment for programmatic actions as an integral part of the mission of the church.

For some of us who worked closely with him, Tosh is a ‘guru’ who was a role model as an ecumenical leader with integrity.  He always reminded us that the ecumenical movement has to be in front, with a cutting edge, but not too far ahead to leave the church behind.

We are grateful to God for the life and rich talents that Rev. Tosh Arai was gifted with. Tosh is not with us any longer, he is in the embracement of God’s love. His spirit and commitment to strengthen the life and witness of the churches in Asia and around the world will continue to inspire us and the next generation of ecumenical leaders. May this become a consolation to the family. Rev. Hiroko Ueda and I were privileged to be able to visit, meet and pray together with you and Tosh in the hospital in Kawasaki on December 7, 2012. On behalf of the CCA member churches and councils, let me convey our heartfelt condolences at the loss of a great ecumenical leader. "

Let us uphold Mrs. Akiko and family, in our prayers, especially in this time of bereavement.