CCA's Efforts at Nurturing Ecumenism in Asia will Bear Fruit, Says CCA General Secretary

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).

First Preference:
Mission in Unity and Contextual Theology (MU) and Ecumenical Leadership Formation and Spirituality (EF)
Second Preference:
Building Peace and Moving Beyond Conflicts (BP) and Prophetic Diakonia and Advocacy (PD)
04 July 2018

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Ecumenism is "hope in action", hence the current realities of stagnation or uncertainty in the ecumenical movement in general are not a permanent fixture, observed Dr. Mathews George Chunakara, the General Secretary of CCA in his report to the Executive Committee meeting being held at Antelias, Lebanon.

The CCA General Secretary expressed the hope that "our efforts to reaching the goal of the visible unity of all God’s people and all God’s creation will be attained through our humble and minor efforts in Asia".

"Our efforts to participate in God’s mission of planting and nurturing ecumenism in Asia will be a small or minor effort at this stage. But, we need to plant the small seed with the hope that it will grow and become a larger garden plant, or a bigger tree which might produce fruits in future. This is what we are reminded through a parable Jesus described: 'a mustard seed, which is the smallest of all seeds on earth.  Yet when planted, it grows and becomes the largest of all garden plants, with such big branches that the birds can perch in its shade' (Mark: 31-32),” said Dr. Mathews George.

The General Secretary called the privilege to meet in the Middle East region, the cradle of Christianity, a historic ecumenical milestone and gratefully mentioned the gracious invitation and hospitality extended by the Catholicosate of Cilicia of the Armenian Apostolic Church in Antelias, Lebanon.

While describing the positive signs of development for peace in the Korean peninsula and the ecumenical movement's focus in this direction, the CCA General Secretary said the CCA also had a responsibility to address the growing trend of religious intolerance in Asia.

The General Secretary divulged the plan of CCA to hold an ‘Asian Inter-Religious Summit on Building Peace and Moving beyond Conflicts’, which will be organised in March 2019, he told the committee, where he hoped to bring together at least 100 leaders of various religions from all over Asia.

The CCA organised 37 programmes in 2017, and the first half of 2018 saw the observance of Asia Sunday-2018 on the theme, ‘Embracing the Differently Abled, and Upholding Their Dignity’. Referring to the proposed plan of building CCA headquarters as a priority, he told the annual session of the Executive Committee meeting to explore the possibility of linking the establishment of a full-fledged Asian Ecumenical Institute with the headquarters project.

The General Secretary also reported to the governing body of CCA that preparations were on for the Asian Ecumenical Women's Assembly (AEWA) in 2019 and General Assembly in 2020.