More on the Aotearoa New Zealand visits and lectures

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.

17 August 2011
christian conference of Asia, Asia christianity

Part of the reason for the visits to churches in Aotearoa New Zealand was for CCA-FMU executive secretary Hope S. Antone to give a seminar on Asian Ecumenical Theology to a group of Presbyterian ministry interns of the Knox Centre for Ministry and Leadership. She conducted the seminar with them at Grafton Hall in Auckland on 7 July.

Another part of the reason was for her to make a solidarity visit to Christchurch on 8-10 July, where she was hosted by Garth and Elizabeth Cant. This visit included meeting with the Church World Service staff led by Pauline McKay. On 9 July she listened to an ecumenical panel on the topic, “After the earthquake, churches working together.” After listening to the panelists (Katrina Hill of CWS, Bob Anderson of St. Ambrose Church, Bob Turnbull of Baptist Church, and Michael Earle of Anglican Church), she was invited to make a response.

Using the framework of the four shifts towards the wider ecumenical vision, she tried to weave the learning points shared by the panellists:
  • The disaster can help Christchurch move from competition to cooperation among churches – the idea of doing and being church differently is a good example here. Should Christchurch build a denominational cathedral or an ecumenical cathedral?
  • The disaster can help Christchurch move from isolation to collaboration with movements for justice and peace – the expressed need to take the government on social justice is a good example – knowing that the most affected by the quake and liquefactions come from the poorer area.
  • The disaster can help Christchurch move from condemnation to dialogue with other religions. It was shared that some Buddhists in ANZ did give a substantial donation for the quake victims. Knowing that many immigrants to ANZ are people with religions other than Christianity, it is important to consider this component of the wider ecumenism.
  • The disaster can help Christchurch move from disintegration to integrity of creation – for while we cannot understand why disasters happen, we know that the earth is ageing and has changed so much as a result of our actions. It is time to think of befriending creation instead of conquering it. It is also time to think about our roles as guests and hosts of the household of God – two words which are the two sides of the word ‘hospitality’.

The visit to Auckland and Christchurch brought Hope Antone into contact with former officers and staff of CCA, as well as some program participants of CCA from ANZ.