JAPAN EARTHQUAKE/TSUNAMI RELIEF ECUMENICAL SOLIDARITY MEETING

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:
General Secretariat (GS)
Second Preference:
Mission in Unity and Contextual Theology (MU) and Ecumenical Leadership Formation and Spirituality (EF)
16 May 2011
christian conference of Asia, Asia christianity
OFFICIAL STATEMENT
Seoul, Korea
May 6-7, 2011

The heads of North East Asia Churches Forum of the Christian Conference of Asia (CCA) convened an ecumenical solidarity meeting to discuss coordination and cooperation to carry out relief, recovery and reconstruction in Japan in the face of the 'triple disaster' of earthquake, tsunami and nuclear plant failure that took place on March 11, 2011 in the North East Japan. The meeting was hosted by the National Council of Churches in Korea (NCCK) on May 6 and 7 and brought together representatives of around 40 Christian partner organizations gathered at Academy House Hotel, in Seoul, Korea including experienced ecumenical relief and reconstruction organizations such as ACT Alliance, Church World Service, United Methodist Committee on Relief. Others present were church and church agency representatives from Asia, Europe, Japan, Korea, United States, Christian Conference of Asia, and a cross section of local partners from Japan involved in current relief efforts.

The consultation heard updates about the Japan's situation including the rich relief activities carried out by the Church of Christ in Japan, the Emmaus Center in Sendai, the Korean Christian in Japan, Church World Service, the Sendai Christian Alliance Disaster Relief Network and the United Church of Christ in Japan. The proposed activities are continued relief through provision of necessities, giving care to orphans and trauma counseling, organizing debris removal work teams, rebuilding of infrastructure including church buildings, schools, support for farmers, radiation effect studies, advocacy for social services and alternative source of energy to nuclear power. The response of NCC-Japan (NCCJ) partners amounted to about US$ 66 million. The NCCJ's own ecumenical proposal is about US$ 2 million while the budget proposed by the United Church of Christ in Japan (Kyodan) is US$ 15 million.

The meeting recommends that current and future ongoing relief, recovery and reconstruction activities should be based on the following:

  1. The humanitarian imperative must be operative throughout the process.
  2. Ecumenical organization should coordinate the ongoing response.
  3. Churches in Japan should formulate a clear ecumenical response mechanism.
  4. Humanitarian aid best practices should be the gold standard for intervention.
  5. The ecumenical family will continue to be involved in supporting the efforts of the Japanese churches and the NCCJ in the next phases of the disaster response.
In this connection, pending the finalization of the ecumenical response mechanism, all the church agencies should keep the NCCJ and the CCA North East Asia Forum Coordinator, Victor Hsu, informed of their activities including financial assistance.

The meeting recommends that all churches and ecumenical institutions:

  1. Strengthen the staffing and capacity of NCCJ.
  2. Consider capacity building for all church and ecumenical response programme.
  3. Invite the involvement of ACT International to provide technical assistance both at local and national levels.
  4. Urge the NCCJ to convene a forum of all the Japanese partners to facilitate the exchange of information and activities and explore avenues of cooperation.
  5. Urge the NCCJ and the Japanese churches to consider the establishment of a consortium to respond to the response. This should be done in cooperation with ecumenical church organizations such as the CCA NE Asia Churches Forum, the WCC and ACT Alliance.
  6. Continue psychological trauma counseling and recovery programme.
  7. Ensure advocacy for adequate social services.
  8. Ensure advocacy for reliance on alternative source of energy.
At this time when the natural disaster of earthquake and tsunami has been exponentially compounded by disaster at the Fukushima nuclear power plant, Christians and ecumenical bodies from around the world share a deep concern over the heavy reliance on nuclear power to meet increasing energy needs. The very real threat of nuclear power is plain for all to witness in Japan. However strong the construction guidelines, these plants cannot withstand the onslaught of nature or problems of human failure and arrogance. Chenobyl was a warning that the international community chose to ignore. The problems at Fukushima should not be repeated again for the sake of human life and the integrity of God's creation. Future generations should not be saddled with this generation's inability or refusal to confront the difficult issues of our time.

We call to mind that in 1990, a World Convocation of the World Council of Churches was also held in Seoul. At that meeting Christians affirmed creation as beloved of God and committed themselves to building a culture that can live in harmony with creation's integrity and preserving the gift of the earth's atmosphere to nurture and sustain the world's life. These words are ever more pertinent today.

As members of the Earthquake/Tsunami Relief Ecumenical Solidarity Meeting, taking place in Academy House Hotel, Seoul, Korea, May 6 and 7, 2011:

We call on our governments:
  1. To stop the building of new nuclear power generating plants
  2. To commit to the reduction of dependence on nuclear energy for society's use
  3. To seek alternatives to the use of nuclear energy, through a commitment to develop 'clean' and 'sustainable' technologies, such as wind, solar, etc.
Additionally,
We call on our own Christian communities in our nations, and on all people of goodwill:
  1. Be aware that each one of us bears responsibility for our governments' use of nuclear energy to generate power because of our insatiable desire for more and more electricity.
  2. Let us each explore ways to reduce consumption and reduce our dependence on electricity.
  3. Let us affirm the whole world as beloved of God and commit ourselves to build a culture that can live in harmony with creation's integrity.
May 7, 2011

PARTICIPANTS
Chang, Andrew (Rev.)
General Secretary, NCC-Taiwan; Moderator, Churches' Forum

Christie, Catherine (Rev.)
Ecumenical Mission Coworker from United Church of Canada with NCCK

Choi, Young Woong (Rev.)
PCK Representative

Chung, Ju Jin (Dr.)
Lecturer, Hanshin University; Translator

Crutchfield, Melissa
Assistant General Secretary, International Disaster Relief UMCOR

Eduarte, Asuncion
Director, UMCOR Phillipines

Fujimori, Yoshi (Rev.)
Secretary for International Affairs, Church of Christ in Japan

Grohs, Doris
Programme Officer, East Asia Mission 21
Also representing EMS

Genung, Claudia (Rev.)
Representative, NCCJ

Heo, Bakki (Rev.)
Minister, Korean Christian Church in Japan

Hong, Song Wan (Rev.)
General Secretary, Korean Christian Church in Japan

Hsu, Victor
Coordinator

Ito, Yoko
Church World Service, Japan

Kato, Makoto (Rev.)
Executive Secretary, Ecumenical Ministry, United Church of Christ, Japan

Kim, Dong Sung (Rev.)
WCC Asia Regional Relations

Kim, Il Whan (Rev.)
General Secretary, Korea Christian Service

Kim, Hyeon Ho(Rev.)
Anglican Ecumenical Officer

Kim, Kyung In (Rev.)
CWMEAR Representative

Kim, Young Ju (Rev.)
General Secretary, National Council of Churches in Korea

Lee, Hun sam (Rev.)
Director, Department of Justice and Peace, NCCK

Lee, Seung Youl (Rev.)
Executive Secretary of Social Service Ministry, PCK

Managbanag, Emmeline
Senior Program Advisor, Church World Service/Pakistan-Afghanistan

Mensendiek, Jeffrey
Sendai Emmaus Centre

Nduna, John (Dr.)
General Secretary ACT Alliance

Ng, Peter (Rev.)
Partnership Officer, Asia, Episcopal Church USA

Noh, Jong Sun (Rev.)
Professor emeritus Yonsei Univ.; member Reunification Cmt.; Translator
Po, Kam Cheong (Rev.)
General Secretary, Hong Kong Christian Council

Roh, Hye Min (Rev.)
Staff, NCCK

Shastri, Herman (Rev. Dr.)
General Secretary, Malaysia Council of Churches

Shin, Seung Min (Rev.)
PROK Ecumenical Officer

Sun, Choul Kyu
Acting General Secretary of The Board of Laity & Social Responsibility, KMC

Ueda, Hiroko (Rev.)
General Secretary, NCC JAPAN

Yoshida, Takashi
Sendai Christian Alliance Disaster Relief Network

Yukimoto, Hisashi
Correspondent, Ecumenical News International

Zhu, Xiaoling (Rev.)
Area Executive for East Asia and the Pacific, Common Global Ministries Board of Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) and United Church of Christ
Also representing National Council of Churches, USA.