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Christian Conference of Asia
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About CCA
Program Clusters: Special Programs:
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27
May 2012
To:
Member Churches and Councils
Executive and General Committee members
Program Area Committee members
Ecumenical Partners
Dear
sisters and brothers in Christ,
A
Pentecost greetings to you.
In
the midst of many changes in our life which often create fears and uncertainty,
we are constantly told that Jesus, who was ascended to heaven, does not leave
us alone. He promised his disciples that “…you
will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you will be my
witnesses in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the
earth.”(Acts 1:8) Today, the
churches around the world were reminded of this promise as we celebrate the
Pentecost, the pouring of the Holy Spirit to the life of the believers. It may be difficult for us to grasp, just as
the believers in the first Pentecost were amazed and perplexed by what they
saw, and raised the question: “What does it mean?” (Acts 2:12)
Every
time we celebrate Pentecost, we affirm our belief that God has given us power
through the presence of Holy Spirit to witness Christ from our immediate
contexts to the ends of the earth. With
this conviction we the churches are called and urged to be the witnesses of
Christ amidst doubts, suspicions, worries and uncertainty that have been experienced
by many people in Asia, and the groaning of the whole creation around the world
today. Believing in the promise that God will not leave us alone, churches have
tried their best to respond to this call through various ways of witnessing the
Gospel of Jesus Christ. Let me share
with you a few events recently in the life of the CCA family that may
illustrate this matter.
The
Presbyterian Church in Taiwan (PCT) held its 57h General Assembly on April 9-12, 2012 in Changhua Christian
Hospital (CCH), Taiwan. Two of the
highlights of this Assembly were the signing of the Covenant between PCT and
Basel Church of Malaysia (BCCM) and the launching of Bible translation in Hakka
language. This demonstrates the work of
the Holy Spirit in encouraging the churches as the body of Christ to work
together in witnessing the love of Christ beyond their denominational and
geographical boundaries. The special effort of PCT to facilitate the Bible
translation into Hakka language is warmly welcome so that Hakka speaking people
in different places can listen to and understand the Word of God in their own
language.
Through
the Assembly of the National Council of Churches in India held on April 25-28,
2012 in Bangalore, the churches in India came together to ponder on what does
it mean to be the witness of “the Gospel
in the midst of a Groaning World.” In the light of the Bible studies during the
Assembly, the participants reflect on the various realities and voices that
capture the groaning of Indian society in particular. It is heartening to see
that children were included in leading the worship during the assembly and the
presence of transgender people was recognized. This is a powerful reminder for
the churches on the plurality of our faith community that needs to be embraced
if the church is to witness the love of God beyond differences in age, gender,
social and religious background - just as the varieties of tribes, languages
and cultures of the people that were affirmed in the first Pentecost.
One
of the burning issues in Asia today that needs to be addressed by the churches
is the escalation of migrant workers and the complexity of the issues related
to this concern. The World Council of
Churches (WCC) invited CCA to jointly organize an International Conference on Ecumenical Advocacy for the Protection of the
Human Rights of Migrant Workers in the Arabian Gulf Region which was held on
April 28-May 2, 2012 at Shanthigiri Ashram, Alwaye (Kochi), Kerala,
India.
The
churches in Indonesia and Timor Leste gathered on May 6-9, 2012 in Jakarta to
reflect on the theme: “Mission in the Pluralistic Context of Indonesia and
Timor Leste Today: Promoting Justice and Peace for All.” This event, which was
co-sponsored by the World Communion of Reformed Churches (WCRC), CCA Faith Mission
and Unity Program Cluster and Communion of Churches in Indonesia (PGI) came up
with a statement which affirmed “Common House for All Creation: Church’s
Mission in the Changing and Pluralistic Context of Indonesia and Timor Leste.”
The statement reminds the churches on the importance of being the church with
others in promoting justice and peace for all.
Following
that, representatives of the churches in Indonesia and Timor Leste joined a
theological consultation on becoming competent churches to respond to HIV/AIDS
concerns as an integral part of the missionary call of churches today, which was
held on May 12-15, 2012 in Malang, Indonesia organized by CCA Programs on
HIV/AIDS in collaboration with Christian Church in East Java (GKJW).
The
CCA Ecumenical Formation, Gender Justice and Youth Empowerment (EGY) Program
Cluster held a Capacity Enhancement Training on Resisting Trafficking and
Preserving the Dignity of Children: A
Call to the Churches in Asia – in Chiang Mai, Thailand on May 21-26, 2012. This program has inspired the representatives
of the churches in Bangladesh, India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Indonesia, Myanmar,
Philippines and Thailand to make their commitment to promote the dignity of
children and to facilitate the process of developing and adopting child
protection policy among the churches in Asia.
The
above activities illustrate the many areas of concerns that urgently call the
churches in Asia to be the witnesses of Christ today. I am sure there are many more activities that
churches in Asia are involved in, which reflect their confidence in the fact
that, although we are facing mounting challenges, yet the Spirit of Truth will
guide us into all the truth. (John 16:13)
Rev. Dr. Henriette Hutabarat Lebang
General Secretary
posted by communications on Monday, May 28, 2012 |
