Month-long ecumenical formation training, Asian Ecumenical Institute – 2024 concludes

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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19 August 2024

Asian Ecumenical Institute – 2024

The Asian Ecumenical Institute (AEI-2024), a month-long ecumenical formation training organised by the Christian Conference of Asia (CCA) in collaboration with the World Council of Churches (WCC), concluded with the valedictory ceremony.

Twenty-five young Christians from across Asia attended the AEI-2024, held from 22 July to 17 August 2024, which focused on the theme Creation Care and Eco-Justice: Our Faith and 'With-ness'.

A closing worship organised by the participants highlighted the present Asian realities through rich contextual Asian liturgical traditions, followed by the valedictory session at the CCA headquarters on the Payap University campus in Chiang Mai, Thailand.

In his valedictory address, Dr Mathews George Chunakara, General Secretary of the CCA, congratulated the young ecumenists for completing the training successfully and commended their enthusiasm for learning from each other, as well as their commitment to taking seriously the values and ethos of ecumenism, which will take the ecumenical movement forward.

“As ecumenically trained young Christians, you are now tasked with transmitting what you have learnt here into your local contexts, and this is crucial for sustaining the Asian ecumenical movement, especially when the ecumenical movement faces challenges in many Asian countries,” said the CCA General Secretary.

He further added, “The CCA’s role is to enable its member churches to strengthen ecumenism in their local context as well as in the region. This is why CCA tries to focus on enhancing ecumenical formation in a world increasingly marked by conflict and division. We need to think about ways to revitalise and strengthen the ecumenical movement at the local level, and young people need to take the lead in addressing contemporary challenges as part of their faith and witness.”

The CCA has been organising the month-long Asian Ecumenical Institute annually since 2016 with the aim to systematically train prospective church and ecumenical leaders. Many young Asian Christians have benefitted from this initiative which has developed their capacities and enhanced ecumenical formation.

The AEI-2024 faculty included internationally acclaimed ecumenical leaders, theologians, biblical scholars, social scientists, ecumenists, peace activists, development practitioners, and environmental activists who facilitated engaging sessions on various topics.

As part of the outdoor learning exposures, participants visited different religious centres and interacted with inter-religious leaders.

Participants also engaged in group discussions and workshops, and delivered individual presentations on various topics, including those related to the AEI-2024 theme, as well as issues and concerns specific to their local and national contexts.

Xayyong Volaphong, participant from Lao People’s Democratic Republic, commented, “I got the opportunity to live with friends from different Asian countries and we learnt about many things including ecumenism, eco-justice, creation care, Artificial Intelligence and spirituality, and good governance in the church. I was deeply inspired by my fellow participants when they shared their insights, and I am grateful to God for this incredible learning experience provided by the CCA at the AEI.”

Putra Arliandy from Indonesia said, “Through AEI-2024, I have learnt to understand the complexity of the ecclesial, economic, political, socio-cultural, and ecological issues that we face and the Christian responses to complex issues and situations. The AEI has inspired us to develop a collective spirit to unite as the Body of Christ in action. AEI-2024 has also reminded me that God’s mission is not just the work of Christians alone, but we are called to collaborate with other communities, as well as governments, to effectively implement the values of God’s Kingdom.”

“Over the past four weeks, I have learnt so much about ecumenism and the various issues and concerns in Asia. The sessions were eye-opening, and the experiences here have deepened my compassion and responsibility towards God’s creation,” remarked Eunique da Graça de Vasconselos, a young church worker from Timor-Leste.

The valedictory session concluded with the distribution of certificates by the General Secretary.

For more photos, please click here: (Photo Gallery): Asian Ecumenical Institute – 2024