CCA’s month-long Asian Ecumenical Institute (AEI)-2022 is to begin focusing on the theme, ‘God of Hope, Sustain Your Creation in Harmony’

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.

17 September 2022

 

AEI–2022: God of Hope, Sustain Your Creation in Harmony

The Asian Ecumenical Institute (AEI), the annual ecumenical leadership development training programme of the Christian Conference of Asia (CCA), will be held from 19 September to 14 October 2022.

The theme of AEI–2022 is ‘God of Hope, Sustain Your Creation in Harmony’.

Due to the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic, the AEI in 2020 and 2021 were organized online. However, this year’s AEI is to be conducted as a residential training course at the CCA headquarters in Payap University, Chiang Mai, Thailand.

Twenty-four students selected from different Asian countries will attend the AEI-2022.

Initiated in 2016, the AEI has been a unique platform providing opportunities for prospective church and ecumenical leaders from across Asia to develop new insights and perspectives on wider ecumenism and the role and relevance of the ecumenical movement.

The training course has been facilitated and guided by internationally acclaimed teaching faculty from diverse disciplines.

The month-long AEI-2022 training course will aim at ecumenical leadership development as well as an opportunity to learn in-depth about the God of hope who sustains the whole creation and gives us enthusiasm and courage and who drives us to continue our committed action aimed at transforming our lives in such a manner as to live in harmony with God’s creation.

The faculty of AEI–2022 includes internationally reputed ecumenists, theologians, academicians, and social activists from different ecclesial traditions who have worked in the global ecumenical movement.

Resource persons of AEI–2022 include:  Dr Mathews George Chunakara – General Secretary of CCA; former Director of the World Council of Churches (WCC) in Geneva, Switzerland  and adjunct faculty of several universities and colleges;  Prof. Dr Wesley Ariarajah former Director of Inter-religious Dialogue and Deputy General Secretary of WCC , Emeritus Professor of Drew University, USA;  Prof. Dr. Chammah J Kaunda, Professor of Yon Sei University, South Korea, Darlene Marquez-Caramanzana ,Area Liaison for Asia and the Pacific for the General Board of Global Ministries of the UMC,  Rev.Prof. Dr. Dietrich Werner, former Director of Theological Education Programme of WCC and Honorary Professor of Intercultural Theology at University of Applied Science in Hermannsburg; Rev. Dr. Ira D Mangililo, a lecturer in Postgraduate Programme in Theology at the Artha Wacana Christian University Kupang, Indonesia; Rev. Dr. Jayasiri Peiris, former Principal of Lanka Theological College in Sri Lanka; Rev. Prof.Dr. Mothy Varkey, Professor Mar Thoma Theological Seminary in India; Brahm Press, Executive Director of MAP Foundation, Thailand as well as CCA staff members.  Rev. Grace Moon serves as the Academic Dean of the AEI.