CCA mourns the passing of Myanmar Church Leader Rev. Dr. Yam Kho Pau

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.

26 November 2018

NR

The Rev. Dr. Yam Kho Pau, a member of the Central Committee of the World Council of Churches (WCC) and the immediate past General Secretary of the Myanmar Baptist Convention (MBC) passed away on Sunday 25 November 2018 in Yangon.

Dr. Pau served the MBC as its General Secretary for six consecutive years, from 2011 to 2017.

Before being elected as the General Secretary of the MBC, he served the Myanmar Council of Churches (MCC) as its Associate General Secretary and Executive Secretary for Human Resources Development.

He has been actively participating in committees and councils of various church and ecumenical organizations in Myanmar including the Association for Theological Education of Myanmar (ATEM), Myanmar Institute of Theology (MIT), National Leprosy Mission of Myanmar, and the Kuki Chin Baptist Association (KCBA).

While paying tribute to Rev. Dr. Yam Kho Pau and offering condolences to his bereaved family as well as to the members of the MBC, the General Secretary of the Christian Conference of Asia (CCA) Dr. Mathews George Chunakara stated that “Dr. Pau, a very dearly colleague of him in the Asian ecumenical movement for almost two decades, was deeply committed to the mission and witness of the Church in Myanmar, and he always demonstrated his passion for wider ecumenism and inter-faith dialogue”.

“As the National Correspondent of the Scholarship programme of WCC Dr. Pau significantly contributed to identifying many young people from different provinces in Myanmar, and recommending them for higher studies in theology and development in different parts of the world”, said Dr. Mathews George Chunakara.

“As the General Secretary of the MBC, Dr. Pau was instrumental in extending invitation to CCA hold two important ecumenical events in Myanmar; and subsequently he took the major responsibility through MBC of hosting the Asia Mission Conference-2017 as well as the Diamond Jubilee celebration of CCA which was held in Yangon in October 2017”, recollected the CCA General Secretary.

Dr. Pau coordinated the work of various committees and hosted two international ecumenical events, first time ever held in Myanmar.

Started his church ministry as a youth worker of the Kuki-Chin Baptist Association, Dr. Pau completed his theological studies at the Myanmar Institute of Theology, and subsequently pursued his Master Degree (M.Sc.) in Pastoral Sociology at the Asian Social Institute in the Philippines, and the doctoral studies (Ph.D.)  in Rural Development and Organizational Management at the Central Luzon State University, Philippines.

He is survived by four children - Nem Nei Them,  Let Gou Min, Than Pi Mang and Nem Nei Sing.  Dr. Pau’s wife Hat Kho Neng passed away in 2017

The funeral service for Dr. Pau will be held on 27 November 2018, at the Chin Baptist Church, Yangon, Myanmar.