Final preparations underway for historic Asian Ecumenical Women’s Assembly (AEWA) to be held in Taiwan

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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13 November 2019

Preparations for the Asian Ecumenical Women’s Assembly (AEWA), the first-ever major women’s summit initiated by the Christian Conference of Asia (CCA) to be held from 21 to 27 November 2019, are being finalized by the CCA Secretariat and the Host Committee in Taiwan.

Hosted by the Presbyterian Church in Taiwan, a member church of CCA, the AEWA will be held at the Presbyterian Bible College, Hsinchu, a city located in the north-western part of Taiwan.

The AEWA will bring together more than 250 participants from across Asia to reflect on the theme ‘Arise, and Be Awake to Reconcile, Renew, and Restore the Creation’.

The historic ecumenical women’s summit in Asia is expected to provide a platform for a representative group of women from various Christian denominations and ecumenical women’s organizations.

The CCA General Secretary Dr Mathews George Chunakara said, “The Asian ecumenical women’s representatives will meet at a critical moment when women and girls in many parts of Asia continue to face unprecedented challenges when it comes to achieving the goal of overcoming systemic barriers that hold women back from gender equality.”

“Equal participation of women in all areas of life is hindered as multiple obstacles remain unchanged in law and culture in several Asian contexts. Asian churches need to be sensitized to encourage women in church and society to demonstrate their commitments in partnership with men to initiate reconciliation, renewal and restoration in situations at all levels,” the CCA General Secretary added.

The coordinators of the AEWA Rev Jung Eun Moon and Ms Rosiana Purnomo said, “the  attempts of CCA through the facilitation of an Asian ecumenical women’s summit for the first time ever in Asia, will  be a unique opportunity to discuss the role  of Asian Christian women to be partners in God’s mission of healing the wounded and the broken, and be catalysts  of reconciliation, renewal and restoration.”

Segments of the AEWA will deliberate on three different dimensions of the theme : 'Be Awake to Reconcile', 'Be Awake to Renew', and 'Be Awake to Restore'.

Panel presentations will focus on 'Caring and Sustaining the Creation', 'Nurturing Spirituality and Wholeness of Life', 'Participation and Solidarity in Struggle for Peace with Justice', 'Ensuring an Inclusive Leadership in Church and Society' and 'Towards Revitalizing Ecumenical Movement and Role of Asian Ecumenical Women's Organization'.

Bible studies to be dealt at AEWA address pertinent Asian realities related to women through the lens of scriptural exegesis and contextual theological insights shared by participants.

A wide range of issues will be covered during workshop sessions, led by participants themselves who are experts in the respective areas. Participants from each country and region are expected to come up with action plans and practical ways in advancing active participation of women in the Asian ecumenical journey.

A pre-assembly event on ‘Asian Ecumenical Women Responding and Strengthening HIV & AIDS Advocacy’ will be held from 18 to 21 November and attended by around 45 specially selected participants.