Renewal stems from hope and trust in faithfulness and power of God, says Dr Deidre Palmer

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.

23 November 2019

IMG_3248

HSINCHU, Taiwan: ‘Renewal stems from hope and trust in the faithfulness and power of God’ was the essence of the message of the third thematic address delivered by Dr Deidre Palmer at the Asian Ecumenical Women’s Assembly (AEWA), organised by the Christian Conference of Asia (CCA).

Delivering an address on the sub-theme ‘Be Awake to Renew’, Dr Palmer, President of the Uniting Church in Australia said, “Many of our churches are inclusive in their theology and approaches to ministry but there are still sisters in Christ, those in other religious communities, and the wider society who experience discrimination.”

“We are called to stand in solidarity with them- advocating for equality and justice for all women, and contributing to the renewal not only of our churches, but our world and the whole creation,” emphasised Dr Palmer.

Dr Palmer elaborated upon the need for renewal of the participation of women as disciples, apostles, and leaders in the Church, which had been present in the Jesus movement and the early years of Christianity.

She stressed that renewal emerged in the partnership of women and men, and that being awake to renewal included listening deeply to one another. She spoke of the significance of an intergenerational community where the young and the old were a source of nurture and encouragement to each other.

“Renewal comes as we hear the voices of children and young people among us- their experience of God, of being members of our churches, and the gifts they bring to shaping and reshaping who we are as Christian communities and the world,” explained Dr Palmer.

She further called on the members of the ecumenical gathering to ‘participate in God’s mission of renewal and healing for all people and the whole creation’, as Christians could not be mere spectators in the renewal process.

The session was moderated by Tan Swee Bee from Malaysia.

Over 250 Asian women are attending the Asian Ecumenical Women’s Assembly (AEWA) which is currently taking place at the Presbyterian Bible College in Hsinchu, Taiwan from 21 to 26 November 2019.