Welcome Message of the CCA General Secretaryat the opening of the 50th Anniversary International Symposium

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.

12 March 2007
christian conference of Asia, Asia christianity

Welcome Message of the CCA General Secretaryat the opening of the 50th Anniversary International Symposium: Journeying together as communities of peace for allof the Christian Conference of Asia 4-7 March 2007, Parapat, Indonesia Sisters and brothers in Christ, Amazing! We are now in Parapat. This is the birthplace of Christian Conference of Asia, and I want to thank you for making us from various countries, various corners of the world feel right at home. It is indeed a pleasure to assemble here today for the 50th Anniversary International Symposium: Journeying together as communities of peace for all. On behalf of officers, committee members, member churches and councils, I extend my sincere appreciation and heartfelt thanks to sisters and brothers from the Catholic churches, the Pentecostal and other denominations & the CCA member churches who have joined us here. We wish to recognize and acknowledge the sincere efforts of the members of the local organizing committee and for the efficient and well-ordered arrangements. It was here in Parapat on 17-26 March 1957 that Asian churches leaders, young and old, women and men, clergy and lay decided to establish East Asia Christian Conference for the unity of Asian churches. We are now commemorating the 50th Anniversary of this establishment and are indeed blessed to have your presence with us on this occasion. May the love and blessings of the Lord be upon you all. For the first 50 years, Christian Conference of Asia (CCA) has been buffeted by the tumultuous changes of the new era, doing good work in many instances but falling short in others. Now, this International Symposium: Journey together as communities of peace for all offers us and churches an unparalleled opportunity to reshape the CCA well into the new jubilee, enabling it to make a real and measurable difference to people’s lives. Over the years, the issues of primary concern to the CCA have remained fairly constant: Asian theological education, church and society, Christ and cultures, freedom, democracy, gender equity, people’s struggle and human rights, natural calamities, and many other socio-economic questions. Thus the key agenda items for the First Conference in 1957 “the Common Evangelistic Task of the Churches in East Asia” affirmed the role of churches to become God’s instrument for the better world. It was described by Dr. D.T. Niles, the founding member and first General Secretary, who laid down the ecumenical mission that “the churches in Asia accept that they belong to one another and are willing increasingly to live a shared life”. We today continue living in a divided global society. What are the challenges facing Christianity in the 21st century? Who are the leaders whose voices need to be heard? What churches and individuals—known and unknown, small and large—are models for faithfulness and effectiveness for the upcoming generation? We now face an urgent need to secure the freedom of future generations to sustain their lives in the world. Changing this is a challenge for the Church today. No shift in the way we think and act can be more critical than this: we must put people as God’s people at the centre of everything we do. No responsibility greater than that of enabling women, men and youth to make the world’s peace and livable place for all. In today’s uncertain world, there are no easy answers to these new challenges. They demand innovative approaches, sustained commitment and closest possible cooperation between churches and each and every one of us. We must make God’s mission visible. We must do more than talk about our future. We must start to create it now. Let the jubilee symposium and celebration signal the renewed commitment of each every one of us, by agreeing on our common vision. Let us prove this commitment by acting on it as soon as we return home. And now, with great pleasure, I welcome you all again to the 50th Anniversary celebration of the Christian Conference of Asia. I would like to wish all those involved, and especially delegates, a most fruitful and memorable Symposium and an enjoyable stay in Parapat. May God’s peace be with you. Thank you.