After being postponed twice because of the COVID-19 pandemic, the 15th General Assembly of the Christian Conference of Asia (CCA) finally got underway in late September and early October 2023 in Kottayam, India. Under the theme "God, renew us in your spirit and restore the creation,” CCA member churches across Asia gathered to stake out the direction forward and evaluate accomplishments and challenges since the last assembly in 2015 in Jakarta.
The Christian Conference of Asia 15th General Assembly, in a statement, called for prayers for true peace on the Korean Peninsula. The statement also called upon governments to refrain from provocative statements and military actions, and prayed that permanent members of the UN Security Council continue to work together for reconciliation and peace on the Korean Peninsula.
After returning from a visit to the Christian Conference of Asia assembly, and from visits with church leaders in India, World Council of Churches (WCC) general secretary Rev. Prof. Dr Jerry Pillay reflected that the relationships he built were both enlightening and inspiring.
World Council of Churches general secretary Rev. Prof. Dr Jerry Pillay offered a keynote address at the Christian Conference of Asia assembly, being held in India from 27 September to 4 October.
This week, 500 participants from all over Asia gather in Kottayam, India, to evaluate the last eight years of ecumenical work and look to challenges ahead, such as the impact of youth migration. Under the theme "God, renew us in your spirit and restore the creation", the Christian Conference of Asia (CCA) holds its 15th General assembly.
World Council of Churches (WCC) general secretary Rev. Prof. Dr Jerry Pillay will travel to India from 26 September to 3 October in conjunction with the 15th General Assembly of the Christian Conference of Asia, and for visits with WCC member churches.
Church leaders in Pakistan are calling for international solidarity and for measures to ensure the safety and security of Christians in Pakistan. Their messages come in the wake of church burnings in the city of Jaranwala, in eastern Pakistan, where 24 churches have been burned, affecting at least 600 families.
World Council of Churches (WCC) general secretary Rev. Prof. Dr Jerry Pillay expressed shock at receiving reports of violent attacks against churches and Christians in the Punjab province of Pakistan.
A panel session on “Integrity Leadership: Towards Mutual Accountability and Transparency” was held 2 May as part of the Christian Conference of Asia’s Asian Church and Ecumenical Leaders’ Conference.
A joint message signed by World Council of Churches acting general secretary Rev. Prof. Dr Ioan Sauca and Christian Conference of Asia general secretary Dr Mathews George Chunakara expressed grave concern over recent attacks by the Myanmar military on a theological seminary and churches in Kachin and Kayah States.
In recognition of their decades-long commitment to the Asian and global ecumenical movement, and their leadership within the Christian Conference of Asia and the World Council of Churches (WCC), two former general secretaries of Christian Council of Asia, Dr Sang Jung Park and Dr Ahn Jae Woong, and a former WCC Asia secretary, Prof. Dr Park Kyung Seo, were honoured by the Christian Conference of Asia at a special function organized by the National Council of Churches in Korea on 17 October.
A seminar in Chiang Mai, Thailand, “Ecumenical Diakonia, Churches’ Response to Sustainable Development Goals in Asia,” is taking place 24-26 October. Jointly organised by the World Council of Churches (WCC) and the Christian Conference of Asia, the seminar is the third in a series of eight taking place across Asia, Africa, and the Pacific.
The World Council of Churches (WCC) is celebrating the life and legacy of Archbishop (Ephorus) Willem T.P. Simarmata, who was the moderator of the Christian Conference of Asia. He passed away on 17 June at a hospital in Medan, North Sumatra, in Indonesia. He was 68 years old.
The hopes for better times to come in the aftermath of the pandemic were evident when World Council of Churches (WCC) central committee members from the Asia region gathered online 24 June to share recent experiences and prepare for a productive WCC assembly next year.
Archbishop Rev. Dr Soritua Albert Ernest Nababan, a global ecumenical leader, passed away on 8 May in Jakarta, Indonesia, at the age of 88. He was the World Council of Churches (WCC) president from 2006-2013 and served as the former Ephorus (Archbishop) of the Huria Kristen Batak Protestan, the largest Protestant church in Indonesia and the largest Lutheran church in Asia with a membership of 4 million people.
The World Council of Churches (WCC) will express its solidarity in lament, hope and courage with churches of India during a Day of Praying and Fasting for the healing of India on 7 May as COVID-19 continues to surge across South Asian countries.
In a pastoral letter, the World Council of Churches (WCC) and Christian Conference of Asia expressed their concern, grief, and prayerful solidarity with the churches in India as COVID-19 surges in South Asian countries.
In a joint statement on 31 March, the World Council of Churches and the Christian Conference of Asia expressed profound dismay at the ongoing violence and the brutal attacks by military and security forces against peaceful protesters in Myanmar.
The World Council of Churches and the Christian Conference of Asia, in a joint statement, expressed distress and concern over the disturbing trend of continued lethal action against the people by the Myanmar military.
In a pastoral letter to churches and communities in Myanmar, the World Council of Churches (WCC) and Christian Conference of Asia expressed both alarm and great sadness for recent developments in Myanmar.