CCA Trains Ecumenical Youth Leaders in Cambodia

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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03 July 2016

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“You are chosen and called as God’s servants to lead our future, our churches in Cambodia. Have a vision! Be brave! God is on your side”,  Rev. Oum Sovy, a septuagenarian first generation Church leader of  the post-genocide Cambodia and  President of Kampuchea Christian Council (KCC), told the participants of the ecumenical youth leadership  training organised by CCA in Phnom Penh, Cambodia.

Rev. Sovy encouraged the youth participants to anchor their faith in God and build up their future with a clear vision as God’s children. “Although you are young, premature and weak, dream your dream and have vision with a strong faith in God” said Rev. Oum Sovy.

The training of youth leaders in Cambodia and equipping them in their ecumenical formation is part of CCA’s new programme thrusts of building ecumenism at the grassroots.  Thirty two young Christians from different provinces of Cambodia attended the training held from 27 to 30 June at the headquarters of KCC in New Phnom Penh.

The training was facilitated by CCA programme coordinator for ecumenical leadership formation and spirituality, Rev. Jung Eun Moon, President of KCC Rev. Om Sovy, Mr. Sok Nev of the Cambodia Presbyterian Theological Seminary, Mrs. Khan Sophy of the Alliance for Conflict Transformation Centre, Mr. Mey Navy, and Mr. Nora Yous. Cambodia has been undergoing rapid economic growth and tremendous social change after recovering from three decades of civil war and the Cambodia genocide led by Pol Pot. However, a vast number of young people in the country face daunting challenges; inaccessible and unaffordable education, lack of training in job securing skills, growing unemployment and poverty. Migration for economic and educational opportunities is leading to increased migration to urban areas and resulted in forcing more young people to move into urban areas, exposing them to more vulnerable life situations.

As youth form an integral part of Asian churches and play a crucial and positive role as God’s people being agents of transformation for building sustainable communities of peace with justice, CCA facilitated this training for the youth members of KCC to enhance their capacities as leaders of church and society.

The ecumenical youth leadership formation training programme is being held in different countries to nurture and empower young people to be involved actively in the ecumenical movement in Asia.