The first Women’s Concerns Programme Secretary of CCA, Rev. Dr Elizabeth S. Tapia, passes away

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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06 June 2025

Chiang Mai, Thailand: The Christian Conference of Asia (CCA) mourns the passing of Rev. Dr Elizabeth S. Tapia, the first Women’s Concerns Programme Secretary of the CCA and a distinguished Asian theological educator. She passed away on 5 June 2025.

An ordained minister of the United Methodist Church in the Philippines, Rev. Dr Tapia’s life and ministry left an indelible mark on churches and communities across Asia and the world. She served the World Council of Churches (WCC) at the Bossey Ecumenical Institute as a professor of mission and contextual theology.

CCA General Secretary Dr Mathews George Chunakara expressed heartfelt condolences to Rev. Dr Tapia’s family and acknowledged the pivotal role she played as the first women’s secretary of the CCA in addressing women’s concerns and in building the Asian ecumenical women’s movement.

Recalling their time together as members of the Asia Task Force of the WCC Secretariat in Geneva during his tenure as Asia Secretary of the WCC, Dr Chunakara stated, “Dr Tapia was a very refined ecumenical colleague who always dealt with others with pastoral care and personal warmth. She consistently demonstrated her commitment to the transformative witness of the Gospel and was a steadfast advocate for justice and inclusion”.

A passionate teacher and advocate, Rev. Dr Tapia taught widely in the fields of mission, contextual theology, and ecumenism. Her academic and missional service included roles as Professor of Theology, Bible, and Mission at John Wesley College of Divinity, Dean of Union Theological Seminary in the Philippines, and faculty member at Harris Memorial College. She later served as Director of Mission Theology at the General Board of Global Ministries of the United Methodist Church in the United States of America.

Rev. Dr Tapia is survived by her husband, Rev. Alan Cogswell.