Myanmar Baptist Church Delegation Visits CCA in Chiang Mai
Myanmar Baptist Church Delegation with CCA General Secretary and Programme Staff at CCA Headquaters
Chiang Mai, Thailand: The leadership and the core staff team of the Myanmar Baptist Convention (MBC) visited the Christian Conference of Asia (CCA) headquarters on the Payap University campus in Chiang Mai, Thailand, today, 14 October 2024, providing an opportunity for interaction, information exchange, and updates on programmes and activities.
As the largest Christian denomination in Myanmar, the Myanmar Baptist Convention serves as the coordinating body for 18 Regional Conventions from different ethnic groups and languages, alongside two directly affiliated churches. The MBC is one of the founding member churches of the CCA.
The 14-member MBC delegation joined the CCA staff for morning devotion, which featured the liturgy from Asia Sunday 2024 under the theme, "Myanmar: God of Hope, Fill Us with Joy and Peace." The group also performed a touching Burmese song as part of the worship.
CCA General Secretary Dr Mathews George Chunakara warmly welcomed the visiting MBC delegation, and highlighted the long-standing and historic ties between the CCA and MBC, which date back to the early days of the CCA. He acknowledged the significant role Myanmar’s churches, particularly the MBC, have played in advancing the Asian ecumenical movement.
Dr Mathews George Chunakara also recognised the contributions of the late Prof. Dr U Kyaw Than, a member of the MBC, who served as the organising secretary of the 1957 Prapat Conference, which paved the way for the founding of the East Asia Christian Conference (EACC), the forerunner of the CCA. Dr U Kyaw Than later became the first Associate General Secretary and was elected as the second General Secretary of CCA.
He also noted the MBC’s continued sense of ownership and engagement with CCA’s work, recalling their active involvement in the CCA’s Diamond Jubilee Celebrations and the Asia Mission Conference in Yangon, Myanmar, in 2017.
Dr Chunakara expressed solidarity with the people of Myanmar, acknowledging the hardships they face amid the current political climate, and reaffirmed CCA’s commitment to advocating for Myanmar’s concerns on the global stage.
Rev. Jung Eun Grace Moon, CCA Programme Coordinator, provided an overview of CCA’s history, vision, programme structure, and its four core programmatic areas, along with information about upcoming programmes in 2024.
MBC General Secretary Rev. Dr Thang Cin Lian expressed his gratitude to CCA for the invitation and warm welcome, and provided an overview of the MBC’s structure and key programme areas.
Rev. Lian also expressed appreciation for CCA’s efforts to raise awareness of the challenges faced by the people of Myanmar and called for continued prayers and solidarity.
The CCA General Secretary commended the MBC for its active participation in CCA programmes and encouraged greater involvement of young people from MBC in ecumenical formation and training, which was warmly received by the MBC leadership.
