Solidarity with member churches and councils in Aotearoa-NZ

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:
Building Peace and Moving Beyond Conflicts (BP) and Prophetic Diakonia and Advocacy (PD)
Second Preference:
Mission in Unity and Contextual Theology (MU) and Ecumenical Leadership Formation and Spirituality (EF)
25 February 2011
christian conference of Asia, Asia christianity

24 February 2011

The Anglican Church in Aotearoa New Zealand and Polynesia
The Methodist Church of New Zealand
Christian Churches, New Zealand (formerly the Associated Churches of Christ, NZ)
The Presbyterian Church of New Zealand
Society of Friends, New Zealand

Dear Friends, Brothers and Sisters in Aotearoa New Zealand:

Greetings of Peace from the Christian Conference of Asia.

We are following the events in Christchurch, Aotearoa New Zealand, in shock and with great dismay. We are also aware of the number of deaths, those gone missing and the extensive damage caused to churches, homes and commercial buildings. At times like this one feels the vulnerability of us humans along with fear, despair, hopelessness and anger. It is unfortunate that these catastrophic events have been taking place in Asia quite frequently to the extent that many people of faith are beginning to raise the question like in the book of Psalms, “Why, O God, Why?” In such situations there are those who even despise God and move away from belief in God.

However, what is commendable and unique is that in these situations of tragedy our faith as a people of God and our solidarity reach out to you because your pain, loss, tragedy, despair and hopelessness are ours, too, as we are one in Christ and because we are the Body of Christ (1 Cor. 12:27). At the same time, you who have faced this tragedy are also bound together in solidarity and love with those who have faced similar tragedies and have walked through the valley of the shadow of death in spite of geographical distance and differences of ethnicity, color, class, caste, creed and gender.

It is this bonding and solidarity in Jesus Christ which gives all of us the spiritual strength to bring hope to situations of hopelessness, faith to situations of doubt, joy to situations of sorrow; and to accompany those who have lost everything in life. Please let us know what practical ways we can offer to help the Aotearoa New Zealand Churches in this emergency.

We, the members of CCA uphold you in our prayers and stand in solidarity with you as you try to bring life back to the people in and around Christchurch. Please convey our concern to those who have become victims and assure them the churches in Asia are praying for them with regular intercessions.

With peace, compassion and love,

Yours sincerely,

Henriette Hutabarat Lebang
General Secretary

cc.:
CCA Member Churches and Councils
Members of the CCA General Committee
Ecumenical Partners