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Christian Conference of Asia
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11 April 2012
Earthquake hits Aceh in Indonesia and rattles Singapore,
Thailand, Malaysia and India as well this afternoon:
Dear brothers and sisters in Christ,
We are
dismayed to hear about the earthquake of 8.7 magnitude, that has hit
Banda Aceh this afternoon, triggering tremors at Singapore, Thailand,
Malaysia and India, including Chennai, Bangalore and Kolkata. Reports say
that a Tsunami watch has been issued for countries across the Indian Ocean on
Wednesday. You may remember that Aceh was badly hit even in the earthquake and
Tsunami that struck in 2004.
Let us pray
for people living in these areas that are prone to seismic activity and are
also under the threat of Tsunami. May God be our refuge and fortress, and may
He stretch forth His hands and calm the seas and the storms that rage around
us. Let us be still and know that He is God.
Rev. Dr. Henriette Hutabarat Lebang General Secretary  posted by communications on Wednesday, April 11, 2012
Easter Message
8 April 2012
Dear Ecumenical Friends,
It is with great joy that the community of faith around the world, which centers its life in the Gospel of Jesus Christ, shouts loudly: “Alleluia, Christ is risen!” Easter, the resurrection of Jesus Christ, is a mystery of faith that is beyond human grasp and understanding. The power of life overcomes the power of death! How can it be true, considering our daily realities which have traumatized many people? Nevertheless, we receive this message as our confession of faith, which gives us hope for life even as we walk in the valleys of many signs of death surrounding us.
Last week, people of Thailand were struck and terrorized by the bomb explosions in the southern part of the country. Apparently, communal tensions and conflicts are continuously spreading in different parts of Asia. People in many parts of Asia and the world are constantly in fear of the threats of natural disasters such as floods, typhoons, tsunami, drought, uncertainty of seasons due to the climate change. Poverty is still rampant despite the noticeable economic growth in some parts of the Asian society. At the same time there are increasing worries related to the issue of nuclear power which potentially disturbs and destroys the peace and security in the region.
These realities and many other forms of the power of death often terrify us, just as the women in the tomb of Jesus on Easter morning, whose minds were still troubled by the power of death that had taken away Jesus, their loved one, were at the same time facing the reality of an empty tomb. They were told: “Do not be alarmed; you are looking for Jesus of Nazareth, who was crucified. He has been raised; he is not there. Look, there is the place they laid him. But go, tell his disciples and Peter that he is going ahead of you to Galilee; there you will see him, just as he told you.” (Mark 16:6-7) They were reminded of the power of the promise of God which should become their source of hope in the midst of confusion, and become the driving force to continue their ministry in the world where Jesus was.
Last week we observed a sign of hope through the process of by-election that had taken place in Myanmar. For the first time, after many years of experiencing the repression of their rights, the people were able to participate in a by-election process which was considered free and fair. We need to uphold the churches and people of Myanmar in this democratization process, especially as the large stone that had hindered them from enjoying the fullness of life, has begun to be removed.
In the same week, we also observed another sign of hope in the meeting of the leaders of the Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN), which called attention to at least three important matters that may have a significant impact on the dignity of life in the region:
(1) lifting the sanctions imposed on Myanmar in order to support the democratic and economic development of the country; (2) the importance of developing a Code of Conduct for the South China Sea, and invite China to participate in the process, and (3) persuade North Korea to resume talks under the ASEAN Regional Forum on keeping the Korean peninsula nuclear-free. We need to continuously pray for the commitment of the leaders of ASEAN countries and for the leaders of all Asian countries, such that the wisdom of God may guide them, and that justice and peace may prevail, particularly in the life of the people in Asia.
We are the people of Easter; we the churches in Asia are people with hope in God. In the midst of the groaning of the whole creation in labor, we hold on to God’s promise that “the creation itself will be set free from its bondage of decay and will obtain the freedom of the glory of the children of God.”(Rome 8:18-21)
Let us, therefore, live in hope and struggle in hope, “be steadfast, immovable, always excelling in the work of the Lord, because you know that in the Lord your labor is not in vain.” (I Cor. 15:58)
Wishing you all a Happy Easter,
May we be resurrected in His transforming Grace!
Rev. Dr. Henriette Hutabarat Lebang
General Secretary
posted by communications on Monday, April 09, 2012
8 April 2012
Reflections
"Come and See"A Reflection on the occasion of the CCA Pastoral Visit to the Churches of Christchurch, Aotearoa New Zealand“For just as the body is one and has many members, and all the members of the body, though many, are one body, so it is with Christ. For in the one Spirit we were all baptized into one body—Jews or Greeks, slaves or free—and we were all made to drink of one Spirit. If one member suffers, all suffer together with it; if one member is honoured, all rejoice together with it.”(1Corinthians 12:12-13, 26)
To our brothers
and sisters in the churches in Aotearoa New Zealand, Grace and Peace to you,
As an expression of solidarity of your sisters and brothers in the
Asian churches we have come for a pastoral visit on the 1st anniversary of the
22 February earthquake in Christchurch. Our visit commenced arriving on Ash Wednesday,
observing the silence, as the nation stood still at 12:51pm to remember the
tragic and devastating events in 2011.
When the disciples began to follow Jesus – Jesus asked “what are you
looking for?” This touches on the question of their motivation to follow Jesus.
But the disciples’ response was: “Where is your place?” Jesus answered, “Come
and see.” They came and saw where he was staying, and they remained with him
that day. (John 1:39) Jesus was in the world where struggles are found. This pastoral
visit with the churches found them where Jesus is with the people and
communities struggling today.
This visit has taken us to see the people of Christchurch and we
remained with them for three days. During this time we had the opportunity to ‘come
and see’: to see a city shaken and broken, to see a people still shaking, to
see a church that is questioning, to see turmoil and uncertainty as well as
hopes and new opportunities.
We saw and heard the heartbreaking stories that have shaped the city
during this past year. We also saw and heard the stories of hope in the midst
of the brokenness.
We visited local congregations in New Brighton and were inspired to see
the local parishes/congregations working together not as ‘church in the
community’ but rather as ‘church with the community’ to meet the needs of the
people.
We heard of the churches door knocking whole communities to see what
support was needed by each household. We saw the new community initiatives to
provide a safe space for the people to gather and talk and share their agonies
and fears and encourage each other in the face of uncertainty.
We heard how communities valued that the church remained after the government
agencies left. This has enabled people without a church background to
participate as equal members of a team able to hold those whom others wouldn’t
normally want to hold. The church is being transformed from struggling to be
the church in the community to now being the church with the community.
We heard from the regional church leaders that since the earthquake,
providing the basic needs of food and accommodation is a priority. One leader
shared of a new partnership that has developed with a Private Trust ensuring
adequate resourcing is available to provide for the immediate needs.
The significant statement “when the quake happened and the buildings
fell away so did some of our thinking as well. Neighbours were able to talk to
neighbours.” reflects one aspect of the transformation that is taking place
post-earthquake. We repeatedly heard of a new hope for the churches beyond the
boundaries of denominationalism.
We heard from denominational leaders that the future has new
opportunities and the challenge is how to embrace them. We heard the commitment
that priorities for the church’s future are ministry with the people and
maintaining the rich sense of community that is present since the earthquake.
We heard the hope that any rebuilding plans will give consideration to
new places of worship that may be shared and new ways to worship as the
gathered community. The earthquake has released people to worship in parks, on
beaches, schools and in community buildings. The worshipping community is found
in the living stones not the crumbled stones.
We saw the resilience and courage of the people who acknowledged that
the prayers of the world have supported and carried them as they emerge from
the rubble of the earthquake.
We met with various ecumenical groups who are working together in
developing strategic plans for the churches post-earthquake.
We repeatedly heard “we have the opportunity to talk and think differently.
We are now a gathered church rather than a geographic church. Our challenge is
how to be the church post- earthquake.” ‘What we can do together is now more
important than what we might have done in the past alone or separately.’
We clearly heard openness to greater ecumenical planning and
cooperation and encourage the churches to have the courage to embrace new ways
of being the church together with the community.
We shared the significance of first anniversaries being a point in time
when people and communities begin to embrace the future in a new way. Similarly
Ash Wednesday begins the journey to Easter where we embrace the hope of the
resurrection and the newness of life. The churches are also embracing the
newness of being church in city shaped by the earthquake.
We humbly received the message from the churches in Christchurch to the
churches in Asia:
·
The
churches in Christchurch expressed their thanks and appreciation for the pastoral
visit.
· The
churches acknowledged that they have been humbled by the prayers and expressions of support from the churches in
Asia and around the world. “We are more used to offering support in
time of disaster and to receive support from those who we have supported in the past is very
humbling.”
·
We ask
the churches in Asia to call us to account as to how we have used the opportunity for new ways of being the church.
The earthquake not only shook the ground but has shaken the notion of
what it means to be the church. The churches in Aotearoa New Zealand are
encouraged to:
·
continue
strengthening the fellowship (koinonia) of the churches;
·
embrace
the new opportunities currently before them;
·
continue
to discover new ways of being the witnessing church (martyria);
·
build on
the knowledge of the needs of the people in the community to develop
further ministries of
service (diakonia).
We write to the churches in Asia to continue
expressing solidarity with our sisters and brothers in Christchurch, uphold
them in prayer and when possible encourage those who are able to visit the
beautiful region of Christchurch.
We write to the churches in Aotearoa New
Zealand expressing admiration for the churches in Christchurch as they minister
with the community meeting the post-earthquake needs of the people and the
community.
We encourage continued openness and
exploration for new ways to be church when gathered, witnessing and serving in
a post-earthquake city.
We also encourage the churches throughout
Aotearoa New Zealand to have eyes to see the new movement of the spirit in the
church and ears to hear the call to fresh expressions of being church
reflecting both ecumenical and community cooperation.
Blessed
be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! By his great mercy
he
has given us a new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of
Jesus
Christ from the dead... (1 Peter 1:3)
Yours in Christ,
Rev. Henriette Hutabarat Lebang Rev.
Tara Curlewis,
General Secretary CCA General Secretary
National Council of Churches in Australia
posted by communications on Monday, April 09, 2012
30 March 2012
CCA mourns the passing away of Venerable Dr. Hone Kaa, Arch Deacon of Tamaki Makaurau, New Zealand on 29 March 2012
To,
The Churches in Aotearoa, New Zealand
Dear brothers and sisters in Christ,
It is with deep sorrow that we learnt of the
passing away of the Venerable Dr. Hone Kaa, Arch Deacon of Tamaki Makaurau, at
the age of 71, in Auckland.
In his demise, not only Aotearoa New Zealand,
but the Ecumenical world has also lost a great leader and activist who played a
significant role in the area of social justice and child rights.
We are thankful to God for the life and
ministry of this illustrious servant of God, whose 50-year career spanned
parish ministry, broadcasting, local and international activism in apartheid
and indigenous rights, teaching and child advocacy. His contributions in each
of these areas have been acknowledged as profound.
Dr. Hone Kaa left his indelible mark in the
ecumenical world. He was a member of the Urban Rural Mission Program of the
Christian Conference of Asia, and richly blessed it by his vision, enthusiasm
and guidance. He supported the anti-apartheid movement in South Africa and
indigenous rights movements in other parts of the world, through his work with
the World Council of Churches, and the Christian Conference of Asia,
As we say goodbye to this great friend, let us
be challenged and inspired by the legacy of his lifelong commitment as a
champion of child rights, his convictions on social justice, his theological
journey, and the manner in which he moved “beyond the pulpit to the big screen”
making a great impact on a wider audience.
May his soul rest in Peace,
In Prayers and solidarity
Rev. Dr. Henriette Hutabarat Lebang
General Secretary
Christian Conference of Asia
posted by communications on Sunday, April 08, 2012 |
