Ecumenical Lectures in July 2010

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.

30 July 2010
christian conference of Asia, Asia christianity

CCA-FMU Joint Executive Secretary Hope S. Antone conducted a number of ecumenical lectures in July 2010. The Ecumenical Lecture Series is CCA’s initiative of reaching out to the theological institutions of its member churches and also a response to requests from the theological education institutions. This program enables CCA to send a lecturer or some lecturers to enrich the schools’ offerings with inputs and presentations on ecumenism and wider ecumenical vision and to address certain topics or issues suggested by the requesting institutions.

On July 9-10, the ecumenical lectures were conducted at the Theological College of Lanka, in Nandana Uyana, Pilimatalawa, Sri Lanka. The lectures made in Sri Lanka were on the occasion of TCL College Day to which Hope Antone was invited as chief guest. The events included the graduation of students from the BTh, BD and diploma programs and the induction of the new principal of TCL, Rev. Dr. Jerome Sahabandhu.

While in Colombo, Hope Antone had an opportunity to preach at Christ Church in Kotte where the Rev. Fr. Jayasiri Peiris is the minister.

On 19-23 July, ecumenical lectures were conducted at the PERSETIA Summer School for Graduate Students in Tomohon, North Sulawesi, Indonesia. The summer school is an additional intensive course requirement for graduate students and it is normally attended by around 100 graduate students from the PERSETIA member seminaries of Indonesia. Students will come from the mainline Protestant churches and also the Evangelical churches which are members of the Communion of Churches in Indonesia (PGI).

While in Tomohon, Indonesia, Hope Antone was invited by the World Student Christian Federation Asia-Pacific Region to give a Bible study on women and men partnership at their Regional Committee Meeting in Tomohon on 23 July, and two Bible studies on eco-feminism at the pre-RCM women’s gathering in Manado on 19-20 July.

See CCA News September 2010 edition for more details on these ecumenical lectures in July.