Asia Sunday-2026 will focus on Hope for Redemption of Groaning Creation

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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15 April 2026

Chiang Mai, Thailand: Asia Sunday will be observed by the member churches and councils of the Christian Conference of Asia (CCA) on 17 May 2026, with focus on the theme “Hope for Redemption of Groaning Creation Amidst Bondage to Decay”.

Asia Sunday is observed annually by CCA member churches and councils on the Sunday before Pentecost. In 2026, it falls on 17 May.

The General Secretary of CCA, Dr Mathews George Chunakara, stated, “As Asia is currently confronting an intense convergence of social, economic, political, environmental, and spiritual crises that profoundly shape the lives of its people, the theme of this year’s Asia Sunday is both relevant and contextual.”

Ongoing conflicts and violence, political and economic instability, rising unemployment, unchecked militarisation, environmental degradation, cultural fragmentation, inadequate healthcare systems, and the far-reaching impacts of rapid technological advancement continue to shape the region’s realities. In this context, the theme of this year’s Asia Sunday, focusing on “the groaning of creation” based on the biblical metaphor in Romans 8:22, illustrates the agonising condition and suffering of decay and bondage, but this suffering is purposeful like the pain of childbirth, ultimately leading to new life, explained Dr Chunakara.

Amidst the accelerating crisis of environmental degradation and climate change, which poses a grave threat not only to human life but to the whole of creation, Dr Chunakara further stated, “The hope of redemption encourages believers to reflect on and understand the current state of degeneration in different areas, including environmental decay and personal suffering. Such conditions need not be considered as final or hopeless, but rather as a transitional phase towards an absolute, divine renewal and revitalisation of the entire cosmos. It is viewed as the culmination of God's redemptive plan. The theme of this year’s Asia Sunday focuses on some of these pressing realities and challenges.”

CCA encourages all member churches, councils, and ecumenical partners to observe Asia Sunday on 17 May 2026 under the theme “Hope for Redemption of Groaning Creation Amidst Bondage to Decay”.

The Asia Sunday 2026 Liturgy can be accessed here: