CCA Programme Committee Meeting
During this meeting, the committee identified and prioritised programme areas and activities for the next five years. Programmes were mandated by the 15th General Assembly, ‘God, Renew Us in Your Spirit and Restore the Creation,’ that took place from 27 September to 4 October last year in Kottayam, Kerala, India.
Dr Mathews George Chunakara, General Secretary CCA, provided an overview of the geo-political issues and realities that shape discussions around the priority areas of need in the Asian context. The committee explored these issues, considering the inescapable realities that influence programme delivery “within an emerging geo-political context and the changing ecclesial and ecumenical landscape that is Asia.” The multi-lingual, multi-faceted region geographically extends from Iran in West Asia to Japan in East Asia, Nepal in the North to Aotearoa New Zealand in the Southeast.
CCA recently completed an extensive review of its structure. The organisation focused on four core areas:
1) Mission in Unity and Contextual Theology (MU) understanding the theological foundations of mission and unity within diverse contexts.
2) Ecumenical Leadership Formation and Spirituality (EF) nurturing leadership and spirituality within the ecumenical movement.
3) Building Peace and Moving Beyond Conflicts (BP) engaging in peacebuilding efforts and addressing conflicts.
4) Prophetic Diakonia and Advocacy (PD) advocating for justice and serving prophetically in the world.
Our committee reviewed these core areas and prioritised accordingly. We endorsed the formation of five Working Groups to assist the CCA staff to work out strategies to improve the quality of programmes. Five thematic focus areas will be:
Human Rights
Ecumenical Diakonia
Health and Healing
Care for Creation
Good Governance in churches.
While addressing immediate challenges, supporting emerging leadership within the ecumenical movement remains a strong focus for our committee. Ecumenical and theological education and training of young ambassadors for peace building and succession planning are imperative in the sustainability and effectiveness of building a CCA future beyond our 2024 – 2028 brief.
Our first meeting provided an orientation to CCA programme directions, strategies and considered emerging trends of geo-political, geo-economic and geo-strategic arenas in Asia. CCA programmes and advocacy serve as, “a collective prophetic witness, responding to moments of brokenness and human need.” MCNZ plays an essential role in this collective action. Our unique world perspective and our ongoing participation further strengthen the unity of this vital ecumenical movement.