CATS-X and Nicaea-1700th Anniversary Commemoration set to commence in Kuala Lumpur

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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    Chiang Mai, Thailand: Preparations are nearing completion for two significant ecumenical events organised by the Christian Conference of Asia (CCA): The Tenth Congress of Asian Theologians (CATS-X) and the 1700th Anniversary Commemoration of the First Council of Nicaea, which will be held next week in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

    More than 100 theologians from across Asia and the Asian diaspora will attend the week-long CATS-X.

    The Nicaea-1700 Anniversary Commemoration will take place in conjunction with the inaugural session of CATS-X at Zion Cathedral of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Malaysia on 24 October 2024 from 4:00 PM.

    The inauguration of CATS-X and the Nicaea-1700 Anniversary Commemoration will start with a special ecumenical worship service, followed by a public meeting addressed by prominent Asian and global church and ecumenical leaders.

    The subsequent CATS-X sessions from 25 to 29 October 2024 will be held at WP Hotel, Kuala Lumpur.

    The theme for CATS-X is 'Echoes of Nicaea: Enduring Faith and Embracing Unity'.

    CCA General Secretary, Dr Mathews George Chunakara, said, “The chosen theme for the Tenth Congress of Asian Theologians is timely as Christians worldwide mark the 1700th anniversary of the First Council of Nicaea in 2025. When CATS-X takes place from 24 to 29 October 2024, we will be at the threshold of this historic anniversary, and probably Asian Christians will be setting the tone for the first time as a prelude to the 1700th anniversary, which will be celebrated in many parts of the world in the coming months.”

    The CCA General Secretary added that the three sub-themes: “Ecclesial Synchrony: Oneness in Faith, Witness, and Witnessing”; “Biocentric Solidarity: Covenantal Bond for Cosmic Wholeness”; and “Cybergenic Synergy: Envisioning Humanity and Digital Wellness” will address contemporary issues related to the main theme and link them with the emerging Asian realities and theology in contexts. 

    Confessions and creeds have been pivotal throughout several centuries of church history in affirming and articulating the core beliefs of the Christian faith. The theme of CATS-X serves as a rallying call for Asian theologians to engage in an ecumenical exploration of contemporary challenges and aspirations for unity amidst the rich diversity of Asian Christianity, fostering meaningful dialogue and theological reflection on unity.

    The Congress of Asian Theologians, initiated by the Christian Conference of Asia in 1997, is the largest pan-Asian theological summit organised consistenly. The Federation of Asian Bishops’ Conferences (FABC), Asian Evangelical Alliance (AEA), Association for Theological Education in Southeast Asia (ATESEA), and the Board of Theological Education of the Senate of Serampore College (BTESSC) have been partners with CCA in organising the CATS, which gathers Asian and Asian diaspora theologians every three years to explore innovative approaches to theology in the dynamic and rapidly changing context of Asia.

    The preparations for CATS-X and the Nicaea-1700 commemorative events are being arranged in collaboration with CCA member churches in Malaysia and its member council, the Council of Churches of Malaysia (CCM).