CCA Outlines Its Engagement with the Asian Diaspora in the Arabian Gulf

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).

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01 July 2018

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Reiterating its commitment towards the Asian Diaspora of the member churches of the Christian Conference of Asia (CCA) in the Arabian Gulf countries, a pastoral solidarity team visited the United Arab Emirates and met  with the  representatives of the Diaspora of the Asian churches.

The solidarity team comprised 13 executive committee members and staff of CCA from churches in New Zealand, Taiwan, the Philippines, Indonesia, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Laos, India, South Korea, and Malaysia.

The members of the team participated in worship services at different Asian congregations with members from India, Sri Lanka, the Philippines, Korea, Nepal, Bangladesh, Pakistan, and Indonesia.

In a meeting held at the Mor Ignatius Jacobite Syrian Orthodox Church in Jebel Ali on the outskirts of Dubai on June 28, the representatives of the Asian Christian communities in the UAE, the pastoral solidarity team heard the concerns and issues of millions of Asians working in the Arabian Gulf countries.

While describing CCA’s programmes related to the “people of Asia on the move within and beyond Asia”,  CCA General Secretary Dr. Mathews George Chunakara said that the visits to different Asian congregations  in the UAE  en route to the CCA Executive Committee meeting to be held in Lebanon next week was an expression of solidarity and pastoral care of the  CCA as well as an effort  to understand  the situation of Asians  living and working in the Arabian Gulf countries.

The members of the team visited labour camps to acquaint themselves with the situation of the Asian Diaspora living in labour camps.

As part of  CCA's ongoing programme involvement related to people on the move within and beyond Asia, the CCA General Secretary said that an international ecumenical consultation was scheduled to take place in November  2018 to bring together Church leaders from Asia and representatives of the Asian diaspora  in the Arabian Gulf region.

The Asian diaspora in the Arabian Gulf region are from India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Myanmar, the Philippines, Indonesia, and South Korea.

Bishop Yuhanon Mar Joseph of the Chaldean Syrian Church, and Fr. Abin Abraham, the Vicar of the host Church welcomed the gathering.

Mr Solomon David who coordinated the CCA visits and meetings described the solidarity visit as well as the interactions with the Asian church leaders and the Asian Diaspora member churches of the CCA as a start-up one to look at possibilities for a common ecumenical platform of Asian Christians in the Gulf to address the concerns of all Asians irrespective of religion, nationality or ethnicity.

The Vice Moderator of CCA, Rev Diana Tana, expressed appreciation to the host church and the representatives of Asian churches gathered for the evening get-together and thanked the Asian community for extending a warm welcome to CCA governing board members and staff.