In Solidarity with Churches in Pakistan

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).

First Preference:
Mission in Unity and Contextual Theology (MU) and Ecumenical Leadership Formation and Spirituality (EF)
Second Preference:
Building Peace and Moving Beyond Conflicts (BP) and Prophetic Diakonia and Advocacy (PD)
12 March 2013

Where Might is NOT Always Right 12 March 2013

It is extremely painful to comfort people in distress specially in moments like these when their hearts are filled with sorrow and their minds are filled with the memories of pathetic scenes of destruction and desolation. Nevertheless, our thoughts and prayers are with the residents of the affected area in Joseph Colony, Badami Bagh, Lahore.

The news of torching homes and targeting the Christian Community in this area came to us as a great shock. While atrocities on religious and ethnic ‘minorities’ are becoming common nowadays , we as churches and people who struggle to spread the message of peace, are seriously challenged to find ways of loving our neighbour as well as maintaining harmony and unity within the diversities of our communities. We are also challenged to express our solidarity with the victims who suffer, and to raise our unified voice for justice and peace.

In a pastoral letter to the brothers and sisters of the churches in Pakistan, General Secretary, Dr. Hentiette Hutabarat Lebang wrote:

"We are shocked to hear about the torching of more than a hundred homes in a Christian enclave of the Pakistani city of Lahore. We deeply share the pain and agony of the families affected by this tragic incident and the fears caused to many people especially the ‘minority' communities. May God comfort the families who have lost their homes, especially the Christians who suffered because of the faith that they stand for and hold dearly in their hearts. We pray that the spirit of God will continue to strengthen the churches in Pakistan in witnessing the love of Christ which is beyond human understanding and which reaches out beyond humanly-created walls and borders.

We join Christian communities, leaders and human rights activists around the world in voicing our strong concern against the continuing abuse and exploitation of the Blasphemy Law to oppress any religious minority. We believe that the situation is more alarming when people take law into their own hands and make it difficult for vulnerable communities to live a normal life in their own countries.

We the churches of Asia will continue to uphold you in our prayers. We affirm that building communities of love, justice and peace is the hallmark of Christianity and this will always be the foundation on which our church stands. We pray for forgiveness and understanding in a situation where the emotions of people are fanned by religious sentiments. Let us reach out in peace and strengthen common religious concerns for justice and peace for all, rather than emphasize differences that divide and fragment the world."

Amid protests and demonstrations, arrests and debate, the provincial Government has announced a compensation to the victims. We pray tirelessly, 'God of life, lead us to justice and peace'.