Joint Prayer For Peace And Reunifacation in the Korean Peninsula

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.

02 August 2015
christian conference of Asia, Asia christianity

2015 08 15 South and North Koreas’ Joint prayer for Peaceful Reunification

Prepared by the National Council of Churches in Korea and the Korean Christian Federation Central Committee for Sunday, 9th August 2015. 

The National Council of Churches in Korea and the Korean Christian Federation Central Committee, have prepared a joint prayer to be used on 9th August 2015 to pray for peace and reunification in the Korean Peninsula. This day of prayer is held on the Sunday before the Korean Independence day on 15th August. Our Korean friends seek our prayerful support and solidarity. The prayer is as below:

PRAYER for PEACE and REUNIFICATION

Lord who oversees our history!

This year, we face the 70th anniversary of Korea’s liberation from Japan. On the day when we passed beyond the bitter persecution of the Japanese colonial era, our people sang a song of liberation. The song from our deep hearts flowed down like a stream of tears from everywhere South/North, North/South, Pyongyang/Seoul and Seoul/Pyongyang. Today, the roar of that day echoes through our hearts, however, we have been living with as much hatred as in the Japanese colonial era with our hostile divided state. Oh Lord have mercy on us!

Lord of Comfort!

It’s been 70 years since we were divided. Although the Jews, who were taken captive to Babylon, returned to their home freely as prophesied; we are living without embracing the hope of Reunification that we had expected would come soon. Now all land routes, railroads and seaways are blocked despite having traveled them more freely under Japanese colonial era. We live in nothing but an unfree situation in which bugs, animals, seeds, and the fruit of trees also are confined in South and North / North and South. Oh Lord, let the liberation of that day live in our hearts again. Let us prepare our song in a chorus of reunification from all over the world.

Lord of Peace!

Like the unchanging sky and land, strong nations surrounding this land have been continually pressurizing us, the same as it had ever been, for 70 years. We, sometimes, expected them to come in the role of a mediator of peace, however, militarily and economically they have considered their own advantage first. Recently a military alliance between the US and Japan has been strengthened, and an alliance between China and Russia has stabilized. They fan the flame of crisis by perpetually competing in an arms race by promoting exclusive military cooperation agreements. The way that our people can survive by ourselves is to hold exchanges, to communicate with each other, and to be reconciled, cooperating together; however, we are foolishly reinforcing our dividing wall even more. Oh Lord, change our minds and help us to repent of our sin.

Lord of Mercy!

Waiting for 70 years, we hope the complete peace of the Lord will be manifest in this world. We eagerly wish that our history of conflict and fighting which has been recurring for 70 years will soon be over. Brother and sister shared one same blood; our people, who (traditionally) wore the white garments, expect to recover our high dignity through beautiful union and peaceful reunification in East Asia and the world. We are dreaming that news of reconciliation will ripple through the East Sea and South Sea all around us, and that the news of peace be a great wind gusting out to Eurasia passing over Mt. Baekdu and to the Pacific Ocean passing over Jeju Island. Oh Lord, please fulfill our hopes without fail.

 Lord who makes one!

At This moment when South and North / North and South are praying for reunification with one heart, make us into apostles of peace. Just like Jesus’ disciples, who became messengers of reconciliation after overcoming all fear, let all of us who were called as Christians be able to fulfill the duties of “the ministry of reconciliation”.

We pray in Jesus name, the one who achieved victory over death on the Cross, was resurrected, and gave us eternal life. Amen.

August 15, 2015

 National Council of Churches in Korea           Korean Christian Federation Central Committee