Council of Christian Churches of an African Approach in Europe

The Council of Christian Churches of an African Approach in Europe (CCCAAE) has developed out of a series of consultations and conferences which began in 1995 in Leeds, UK. These meetings brought together representatives of African and African-Caribbean churches and communities, first from the UK, and later also from Germany, France, Switzerland, Belgium, The Netherlands, etc. The CCCAAE was officially established in 2001, at Arzier, Switzerland. The executive body was constituted that same year, during a conference in Berlin, Germany.

The objectives of the CCCAAE are 1) coordination and networking of African Christian congregations in Europe; 2) the spiritual awakening and awareness of African Christianity in Europe; 3) furthering the partnership between African and European churches; 4) furthering the advancement of African theology and evangelism in Europe; 5) developing a forum for the problems facing Africans in Europe, in particular social exclusion and discrimination; 6) promoting research on African Christianity in Europe; 7) promoting Christian education of African youths in Europe; 8) supporting projects related to economic development in Africa.

In 2003 the CCCAAE co-sponsored an interdisciplinary conference in Hirschluch (near Berlin, Germany), on "The Berlin- Congo Conference 1884, the Partition of Africa, and Implications for Christian Mission Today", which brought together African, European and North American scholars from universities and research institutions in Africa, Europe and the USA. The next interdisciplinary conference is scheduled to take place in 2007 or 2008. Among the more immediate planned activities of the CCCAAE are the establishment of a small office, seminars for the Christian education of children and youth in African churches in Europe, intra-European and inter-continental exchange programmes for youth, and the formation of an African gospel choir. The latter will be a tool to create cultural awareness and foster mutual support and networking between African congregations in Europe.

The CCCAAE has a provisional office in Berlin, Germany.