Letter from CCA

(“A Letter from CCA” is a sharing message of the CCA General Secretary to update member churches and ecumenical friends about the life and works of CCA. It is electronically published every Wednesday.)

Dear sisters and brothers in Christ!

I would like to share with you some updates from World Council of Churches (WCC). The WCC-Executive Committee met in September in Germany and announced their decision to extend the term of Rev. Dr Samuel Kobia, the current WCC General Secretary, until a new general secretary takes office.

A new WCC general secretary will be elected at the Council's central committee meeting to be held in Geneva, Switzerland from 26 August to 2 September 2009. At the February 2008 central committee meeting a search committee was formed after Dr Kobia announced he will not seek a second term as general secretary.

During this week's executive committee meeting the search committee reported on responses they received from member churches on the current job description of the general secretary and conversations held with WCC staff on the role of a new general secretary. Applications for the general secretary will be accepted as soon as a revised job description is released in October (Excerpted from the WCC Website).

CCA Community Life Activity

At CCA our Community Life Activity took place from 27-28 September in Chiang Mai. The event included fellowship, with songs, games, group dynamic discussions, drama, story-telling and biblical reflections. As staff we shared stories and fellowship with our friend Tony Waworuntu and his family members, who is retiring from CCA and will be heading to Indonesia on 1 October after contributing eight years of ecumenical services for CCA.

We also appreciate the work of Ms Naveen Qayyum, our former Communication Consultant, who has left CCA to work for her documentary film project on interfaith dialogue. Naveen will be based in Chiang Mai and has helped produce the CCA News - September issue.

We also welcomed our colleague Moumita Biswas and Rev. Dr Sung Kook Park's family members. They are settled now in Chiang Mai.

New CCA Foundation Board of Trustee

The CCA General Committee that met in Bangladesh early this month, to compile the foundation laws in Thailand, has appointed new members of the CCA Foundation Board of Trustee including:

Dr. Prawate Khid-arn, CCA General Secretary
Rev. Dr. Rienzie Perera, CCA-AGS for Finance and Relationship
Rev. Sayam Muangsak, CCT General Secretary
Rev. Dr. Pradit Tagerngrangsarit, CCA General Committee Member
Dr. Boonthong Poochareon, Former President of Payap University
Dr. U Kyaw Than, Former CCA General Secretary
Rev. Dr. Salvador Matinez, former CCA Executive Secretary for Theological Concern

The Committee also decided to defer the construction of CCA building in Chiang Mai and suggested to negotiate with Payap University for a longer-tenancy.

The "Promised Land"

Representing CCA, Rev. Dr. Soong Kook Park, Joint Executive Secretary for CCA-FMU participated in the International Theological Conference on "Promised Land" held on 10-14 September 2008 in Switzerland. The conference was organized jointly by the World Council of Churches (WCC) and the Federation of Swiss Protestant Churches and the Reformed Churches Bern-Jura-Solothurn. Rev. Dr. James Haire (Australia) and Rev. Dr Pradit Tagerngrangsarit (Thailand), Asian delegates also participated in the conference.

Given the reality that the modern state of Israel illegally occupied Palestine territories to established the state of Israel (1948), the participants gathered to reflect theologically on the problem. Nine panels and fifteen working groups worked and discussed with passion and great interest.

Throughout the whole conference there were several themes that caused controversy and heated debates. Especially the theological interpretation on Genesis 12, where Abraham receives the call of God was a hot issue. The need to distinguish between Israel in the Bible and the modern state of Israel was of essential significance, since the founding process of the modern state of Israel was based on the Bible to assert the right to occupy the land. Whether God has given Abraham the land as a gift was hot debated. However during several panels it became clear that God never gave land unconditionally. Further, the participants emphasized that it should be clearly distinguished between occupying Palestinian territories as a political agenda and theological/religious sanctification to justify the occupation.

Vacancy opening for Consultant for HIV and AIDS Programs

CCA invites applications for the post of Consultant for HIV and AIDS Programs effective from 1st January, 2009. The Program Office will be based in the appointee's home country, but will come under the direct supervision of the General Secretary (GS) of the CCA in Chiang Mai.

An application including the person's curriculum vitae (CV), and the requisite letter of nomination should be send to:

Dr Prawate Khid-arn, 
General Secretary
Christian Conference of Asia
C/O Payap University, 
Muang, Chiang Mai 50000,
Thailand
Tel: +66-53-243906, 243907
Fax: +66-53-247303
E-mail: ccagensec@cca.org.hk

More information can be obtained from the office of the CCA-General Secretariat. Application can be sent by e-mail as well.

New assignments

We are pleased to share that Ms. Christine Elliott Hall, our ecumenical contact point at the Methodist Church in Britain (MCB), has been appointed as the Deputy General Secretary for MCB, with specific responsibility for an External Relationships.

We also congratulate Mr. Steve Pearce (pearces@methodistchurch.org.uk), newly appointed as Asia-Pacific Secretary for the MCB.

We continue to pray that God gives them wisdom and strength to serve people and churches in UK as well as around the world.

CCA in Action

Following major CCA events will be taking place in October:

Prawate Khid-arn
General Secretary

No. 40/1 October 2008