CCA urges observance of Asia Sunday -2024 on the theme ‘Myanmar: God of Hope, Fill Us With Joy and Peace’

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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22 April 2024

Chiang Mai, Thailand: The Asia Sunday of 2024 will be observed on 12 May 2024 on the theme ‘Myanmar: God of Hope, Fill Us with Joy and Peace’.

Asia Sunday is annually observed on the Sunday before Pentecost, which in 2024 falls on 12 May.

In the context of the worsening human rights situation and ongoing humanitarian crisis in Myanmar, the Christian Conference of Asia (CCA) decided this year's Asia Sunday to be focused on Myanmar.

Since the military coup in 2021, Myanmar has endured three tumultuous years of brutality, repression, and suffering inflicted by the military regime.

The atrocities committed by the Myanmar military against its own people are staggering, ranging from mass killings and arbitrary arrests to torture and sexual violence. Ethnic minority populations, including those in Kachin, Karen, Karenni, and Shan states, have borne the brunt of these crimes against humanity.

Despite international outcry and calls for accountability, the military junta has continued to defy justice, exacerbating the humanitarian crisis in Myanmar.

A special order of worship for Asia Sunday on ‘Myanmar: God of Hope, Fill Us with Joy and Peace’ has been developed.

In the CCA General Secretary’s Introduction to the order of worship, Dr Mathews George Chunakara stated, “As we pray to the Lord Almighty in line with our theme for this year’s Asia Sunday: ‘Myanmar: God of Hope, Fill Us with Joy and Peace’ (Romans 15:13), we are reminded that God is the source of our hope; in a world filled with hopelessness and despair, God is both the source and the sustainer of our hope.”

“May the observance of Asia Sunday–2024 be a moment for us to refocus international attention and resources towards preventing atrocities, and ending the conflict in Myanmar. As churches in Asia, let us extend all forms of assistance and support to our brothers and sisters in Myanmar, and let our collective prayers be a source of strength and hope amidst the darkness…Let our solidarity with the people of Myanmar be a tangible expression of God’s love and compassion amid darkness and despair,” said  General Secretary Dr Mathews George Chunakara.

The CCA encourages all member churches and councils as well as ecumenical partners to observe  the Asia Sunday -2024 on 12 May, with focus on Myanmar.

The special Asia Sunday–2024 order of worship can be accessed here: