X WCC Assembly: Asia Plenary

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).

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02 November 2013
christian conference of Asia, Asia christianity

Photo: Dr. Henriette H. Lebang at the Asia Plenary and the the performance of Youth from NCC Philippines

Asia Shares Aspirations for Justice and Peace at the WCC Assembly 01 November 2013

The Asia region shared current realities through churches’ voices, cultural symbols and artistic performances at the Asia Plenary of the World Council of Churches (WCC) 10th Assembly. A continent of diversity and religious plurality, Asia is filled with contradictions of wealth and poverty, and a strong resilience.

The assembly plenary on 1 November featured varied reflections from women, men, youth and church leaders from Asia, speaking on the WCC assembly theme “God of life, lead us to justice and peace”. Moderated by the WCC president for Asia, Rev. Dr Soritua Nababan, the plenary featured a wide range of issues, setting the tone for discussions to address issues of concern for the Asian churches.

Themes shared in the plenary included opportunities and challenges of multi-cultural and multi-religious societies, specific to Asia. It also included the history of colonialism, as well as the neo-liberal economics of capitalism and its effects on communities. Migration, threat of extremism, situations of human rights, gender justice, a critique of the dominant development paradigm and its impact on indigenous lives and ecology, were also among issues raised by the Asian presentations.

At the session the Rev. Dr Henriette Hutabarat Lebang from Indonesia, General Secretary of the Christian Conference of Asia, said, “Asian churches are reflecting on the real meaning of the prayer ‘God of life, lead us to justice and peace’.” She mentioned theological responses to several issues pertinent to Asia and went on to say that in order to “respond to the mounting problems in promoting life, peace and justice for all, the churches need to work much closer than ever before.”

“In the midst of these negative forces that deny justice and peace, we need to find hope; hope, in the midst of despair. We the Asian Christians believe that the God of life will show us the path and lead us to peace with justice,” she added.

The dramatic presentations were made by Teatro Ekyumenikal of the National Council of Churches in the Philippines. Among other speakers were YangYa-Chi of Amnesty International Taiwan, Rev. Connie Semy Mella of the Philippines Central Conference of The United Methodist Church, Rev. Daniel N, archpriest of the Ecumenical Patriarchate and Dr Deepanna Choudhrie from India.

The plenary also featured greetings by Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby, Dr Prince Guneratnam from the Calvary Church in Malaysia and Rev. Yasutaka Watanabe, chair of Rissho Kosei-kai's board of trustees, a Buddhist organization in Japan.

Courtesy: WCC News
Photo Credit: photos.oikoumene.org