CCA workshop on post-tsunami situation

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.

25 January 2005
christian conference of Asia, Asia christianity

The Christian Conference of Asia will organise soon a workshop on "Ecumenical ministry in post-tsunami situation."

The 27-30 January workshop in Colombo, Sri Lanka is expected to produce a common policy, strategy and some dynamics for ecumenical ministry in the post-tsunami situation in Asia.

One of the objectives of the workshop is to develop a "people-centred reconstruction process and disaster-to-relief-reconstruction-to-development agenda" for the churches and related organisations in the region.

The workshop will begin on 27 January morning at the Sri Lankan capital with an opening worship led by the CCA General Secretary Dr Ahn Jae Woong.

Field visit to the southern town of Galle, which was badly affected by the giant waves, will be one of the highlights of the program.

Some 30 participants from the tsunami-affected countries in Asia, including representatives from Hindu, Muslim and Buddhist faiths, will get an opportunity to meet and talk with victims, religious leaders and civil society groups during the field visit.

The workshop is expected to produce mid-term and long-term plans for handling natural disasters, which many Asian countries face from time to time.

Plans for restoring the livelihood capacities of the victims are likely to get attention during the workshop.

According to the CCA Executive Secretary Dr Lee Hong Jung, who is coordinating the workshop, the churches in Asia have tried to respond to such situations to the best of their capacities, though on an ad hoc basis.

The churches have much more to do by way of mid and long term measures, he feels. In a background paper, he mentions about studies which have shown that victims affected by natural disasters remain vulnerable for many years while relief and aid agencies move on to the next crisis.

"As Asian churches, we need to change this pattern and in its place, institute plans for preparedness and mechanisms for reconstruction that leads to development."

Hong Jung has noted that many Asian churches lived in the neighbourhoods of communities who bore the brunt of the 26 December tsunami tragedy, like fisher people, poor farmers and people directly and indirectly depend upon tourism industry in the coastal areas of many Asian countries. The churches must have long-term plans for the people and communities to give them hope, courage, skills and resources.

In this process, friends, donors, partners like ACTS and churches from other parts of the world should also be given space to make their contributions.

"We cannot ask them to take responsibility on our behalf while we do nothing, he added.
Among the other objectives of the workshop are:

--to express solidarity with the people of countries affected by the tsunami disaster
--to share assessment of needs of those most affected by the disaster and its aftermath, and
--to contribute towards the building of communities of life and peace for all in Asia through ecumenical ministry for healing and reconciliation.

According to the organisers, one of the challenges of the workshop will be to plan efforts to take the relief stage forward to reconstruction and development.