Churches in Timor-Leste commemorate 1700th Anniversary of Nicene Creed in an ecumenical celebration

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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07 August 2025

Dili, Timor-Leste: The Centro Formação Teologia (CFT-IPTL) of the Protestant Church in East Timor (Igreja Protestante iha Timor Lorosa’e – IPTL), in partnership with the Superior Institute of Philosophy and Theology (ISFIT) of the Catholic Church in Timor-Leste, organised a landmark ecumenical commemoration to mark the 1700th anniversary of the Nicene Creed and the First Council of Nicaea (325 AD).

The three-day event, being held from 6 to 8 August 2025 under the theme “Echoes of Nicaea” and sub-theme “Flourishing Faith and Celebrating Unity in Diversity,” brought together more than 100 church leaders, theologians, clergy, seminarians, and ecumenical partners from across the country to reflect on the historical and theological significance of the Nicene Creed in today’s context.

The Christian Conference of Asia (CCA) partnered in organising the celebration coordinated by its member church Igreja Protestante iha Timor Lorosa’e.

In a message delivered online at the opening of the event, Dr Mathews George Chunakara, General Secretary of the CCA, commended the joint celebration that “bears witness to the truth that unity in Christ transcends denominational boundaries and confessional differences.” 

The CCA General Secretary appreciated the collaborative spirit of the Protestant and Catholic churches in Timor-Leste for organising this ecumenical celebration, calling it "an act of reflecting the lived unity of the Church and the transformative potential of shared faith in shaping societies”.

The event was attended by bishops from the Catholic Church in Timor Leste, senior clergy of IPTL, and theological educators from both institutions. Among those present were Rev. Domingos Alves, Moderator of IPTL; Rev. Miguel Ballo da Costa, General Secretary of IPTL; Rev. Moises A. da Silva, Senior Clergy of IPTL and former CCA executive member; Rev. Francisco Maria de Vasconcelos, former CCA Presidium member (2005-2010); and Rev. Levi de Vasconcelos Pinto, Secretary of CFT-IPTL and a member of the CCA Executive Committee.

Rev. Levi de Vasconcelos Pinto, in his welcome address, underscored the need for “a new generation of theological leaders formed through ecumenical collaboration,” and noted that this historic commemoration in Dili between CFT-IPTL and ISFIT was “a prophetic step towards building bridges of unity and a seed of deeper fellowship, bolder witness, and renewed commitment to the one holy, catholic, and apostolic Church in the spirit of Nicaea”.

The commemoration featured ecumenical liturgies, theological reflections, panel discussions, and community engagement, all centred on the enduring relevance of the Nicene Creed and its call to Trinitarian faith and visible unity in the body of Christ.

This programme is part of wider global and regional efforts to commemorate the 1700th anniversary of the First Council of Nicaea, including various events organised by CCA across Asia. In 2024, CCA launched a thematic focus on Nicaea 1700, beginning with the Tenth Congress of Asian Theologians (CATS-X) under the theme “Echoes of Nicaea: Enduring Faith and Embracing Unity.”

The same theme was also chosen for Asia Sunday 2025, and continues to shape discussions in the ongoing Asian Ecumenical Institute (AEI-2025).

CCA remains committed to accompanying churches in Asia in ecumenical formation, theological engagement, and witness for justice and unity in the public sphere.