CCA Regional Workshop

In February this year Rev Keita Hotere was appointed to the Christian Conference of Asia (CCA) Programme Committee, as the Methodist Church of New Zealand (MCNZ) representative. She recently attended a CCA Regional Workshop for church leaders on ‘Ecumenical Diakonia and Sustainable Development’ closely followed by the CCA Programme Committee meeting. She reports on those two events that of all her ecumenical commitments over the years, rate as the most profound.

Around 40 participants gathered for the workshop from April 29 to May 2 in Medan, Indonesia. Dr Mathews George Chunakara, General Secretary, CCA, provided an overview of the theological foundations of diakonia and development of ecumenical diakonia. There was an emphasis on the pressing issues, the realities and challenges of our times, as well as the important role of churches in contributing to the attainment and monitoring of the United Nations 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

The workshop explored several themes related to Diakonia: Trinitarian perspectives on Diakonia: understanding diakonia from a theological standpoint. Diakonia as an integral part of the church’s Being and Mission: recognising diakonia as an essential aspect of the church’s identity and purpose. Diakonia as discipleship: linking diakonia to the discipleship journey.

To support these themes, participants delved into the WCC & ACT Alliance resource titled, Called to Transformation – Ecumenical Diakonia. The workshop provided a practical platform for participants to share their own lived experiences from their church contexts. This sharing deepened our understanding of the breadth of diaconal ministry and fostered collaboration and capacity building among participants.

Understanding diakonia is powerful in that it unveils the divine essence of service rooted in love, unity and humility. Given this recent training workshop experience I commend to the church a collaborative approach of wānanga to explore ecumenical diakonia from an Aotearoa context. The workshop endorsed the work of an Asian Ecumenical Diakonia Network Forum.

I thank the Church for the ongoing support of my appointment.