"We are to be more kingdom-centric than church-centric", says Bishop Marigza

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)
14 October 2017

Marigza

“Participating in the reign of God requires living in tension between the despair of now and the hope that is within us; at the future deliverance and the present suffering, noted Bishop Reuel Norman O. Marigza, head  of the United Church of Christ in the Phillipines while giving the fourth thematic presentation at a plenary session on the third day of the Asia Mission Conference ( AMC) being heldin Yangon, Myanmar.

Bishop Marigza in his  presentation reaffirmed that the theme of the Reign of God or the Kingdom of God is a central theme of Scripture, tying the essence of the  Biblical messages  together.

Bishop Marigza, a theologian and ecclesiastical leader in the Philippines stated that “the Reign of God is a mystery, that it is not a human project but God's project, and that God uses human beings and human institutions to work out the divine purpose and will”.

He likened the Reign of God to the leaven used to change the whole character of dough. Like the leaven, the reign of God works from inside.It works unseen. The kingdom is on its way.

He further added that “true religion is never dope; real Christianity is the most revolutionary thing in the world and can work revolution in an individual’s life and society. Just as Jesus was crucified because he disturbed orthodox habits and conventions, Christianity has been persecuted because it desired to take both people and society and remake them”.

Bishop Marigza invoked all to examine if we are on God's side or not and said, ”based on the emphasis of the teachings and mission of Christ, we are to be more kingdom-centric than church-centric. We must always be a Church in mission”.

It is important, he notes, CCA as the prime mover and coordinator  of the Asian ecumenical movement to provide and facilitate  a common platform  to strengthen the  understanding about the realities and situation in Asia – from virulent diseases and poverty to issues of migration, human trafficking, religious intolerance and extremism.